1 year and 5 months
by Raizen Yusuke
Summary: Ichigo and Orihime help each other deal with the aftermath of the war, as a result their relationship grows. Their bond changes into something that neither of them expected it too. Spoilers set during the 17 months in between FKT & LSS. IchiHime
1. The Protective Moon and Star Princess

**Basically the story is about what happens to Ichigo and his human friends in between the 17 months after he beat Aizen and the current arc, The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. I wondered what happened during those 17months. All the characters seem more or less happy, particular Ichigo and Orihime. I was expecting them to be more down or depressed after everything that happened. Ok granted it was a year and a half, for their wounds to heal, but that brings me back to what happened during that year and half. Being an IchiHime fan I came up with the idea of Ichigo and Orihime bonding with each other over the past year and helping each other deal with what happened. Obviously the fic has some spoilers for the Fake Karakura Town arc. I welcome constructive criticism and knowing my grammar I will probably need it.**

**Character's thoughts are in italics and apostrophes. I put Zangetsu's words in italics as well, but he has quotes around his words.**

**Edited: Thanks to AlternatePosition the grammar mistakes I made in this chapter have been fixed. I am re-posting it. Sorry for anyone who saw this in their mail-box and thought it was a new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did the FKT arc would not have been as long as it was.**

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_"If you use this technique, you will lose all of your shinigami powers. Farewell, Ichigo."_He replayed those words in his head over and over again. Zangetsu had told him, no he warned him, that if he used the Final Getsuga Tensho he would lose all of his shinigami powers. But defeating Aizen and protecting his town was worth any cost, and if he had to do it over again he wouldn't have changed anything. He had defeated Aizen, saved his town, and miraculously all of his friends survived. He had nothing to complain about. In fact he should be happy. Damn it he was happy!

_'Then why do I feel so….hollow?'_he asked himself. He never wanted to be a shinigami to begin with. He only became one to save his family from a hollow and that was it, or at least that was how he had intended it, but the job was forced on him by Rukia. He winched at the thought of the raven haired shinigami, who had changed his world. Now he would never feel her presence, never argue with her, never talk to her, and never see her again.

_"If you use this technique, you will lose all of your shinigami powers."_

A frown appeared on his face, not his usual I don't give a damn frown, but one of sorrow. 'Zangetsu said I would lose all of my shinigami powers, but I always assumed that I would still be able to see spirits. I thought I would be the exact same way I was before I became a shinigami. I never knew that my ability to see spirits was a part of my shinigami powers.'

_"Farewell, Ichigo."_

Now he realized the full weight of Zangetsu's words. His farewell had been more than just that. Zangetsu's words were meant to send Ichigo off into an entirely new life, one of normality. Gone was his old life, no longer would he fight hollows, send lost souls off to peace, or even see spirits. For the first time in his life, Kurosaki Ichigo was truly normal.

_'Stupid! Why are you sad?'_ he asked himself. _'This is what you always wanted, to be normal. No more having people look at you oddly for talking to someone they can't see. No more attracting hollows with my reiatsu, no more having to miss school to fight crazy wars. No more seeing Rukia or the others...'_

Ichigo was standing just outside of his family's clinic, his gaze on the night sky. The sun had set a long time ago, and its counterpart had taken up the task of illuminating the sky. The moon was full tonight which made it a beautiful sight to behold, but its beauty was lost on Ichigo. His eyes were on the sky, but his attention was on the past. More specifically his attention was on the events that happened last month.

His frown grew. It had only been an hour or two since he woke up, and since he saw Rukia fade away before his eyes. He had put on his usual mask of indifference in front his friends to ease their worry. He didn't want to burden them with his problems, especially Ishida and Inoue after what happened. In Hueco Mundo, during his last battle with Ulquiorra, he had lost control of his hollow and attacked Ishida, impaling the quincy with his Tensa Zangetsu. The way Inoue looked at him when he finally regained control of his body that completely terrified expression, tears running down her face. How could he burden them with his problems after everything he did to them? And this was not a problem to begin with. He was not going to bitch about losing his spiritual power. "You're normal now just like you always wanted," he whispered to himself.

"Kurosaki-kun," cried a weak and gentle yet warming voice.

The orange haired ex-substitute's eyes followed the direction of the voice and found the owner; they instantly fell on the familiar brown eyed and orange haired woman standing in front of the Kurosaki clinic only a foot away from him. "Inoue?" he said. She was staring at him. Her brown eyes were filled with apprehension and uncertainty, her lips curved upside down in her own frown. He had become familiar with this look; this was the look Inoue had on her face during his fights with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "What are you doing here?"

The girl's cheeks suddenly flared red. "I….um… well you see….," she couldn't help but stutter and trip on her own words_. 'Why do I always have to get so flustered when I am around Kurosaki-kun? God this is so embarrassing,'_ she thought. "I was just um…." _'I wanted to see how you are doing. I wanted to make sure you were really awake and I wasn't dreaming. More importantly I just wanted to see your face. How hard is that to say? Oh no, he keeps staring at me I have to say something.' _"…. taking a walk!" she exclaimed. _'That's perfect!'_ she thought, patting herself on the back. "I was just taking a walk."

Disbelief fell on Ichigo's face, causing the orange haired beauty's blush to intensify. "You're taking a walk." he repeated.

"Yes, I was taking a walk. I was at home when I looked out of my window at the night sky to watch the stars. I thought the stars looked so beautiful so I decide to get better view by going outside. I just started walking and star gazing and I thought it would be great to be an alien. Aliens get to see stars all the time and they have these really cool space ships with huge laser guns. You could travel around space looking at stars and shooting big laser guns to blow up meteors and stuff." She raised her arms to the sky, extending her index fingers in thumbs making gun shapes. The healer started to mimic laser noises, firing her imaginary blast at the sky.

The ex-substitute's eyes widened in surprise at Inoue's imitation of an alien, it took all of his will power to keep his mouth shut. He didn't know why he was surprised, after all this was Inoue, for her this was normal. _'I'm not sure if I will ever understand her.'_

Orihime finished her alien demonstration and returned her attention to Ichigo, whom she noticed was giving her a strange look. Her embarrassment increased 10 fold. At that moment she just wanted to crawl under a rock. "Without even realizing it I came here," she said barely above a whisper.

Ichigo's right eye brow rose and his trade mark scowl returned. "You are telling me you walked here without paying attention to where you were going?"

"Um….I guess so," she spoke in the same low tone. She noticed his scowl became even scarier.

"Inoue it's already dangerous for you to be walking alone at night, but to walk without paying attention to your surroundings."

"I guess that's kind of dumb, huh?" She gently punched herself in the head.

"Yeah that's dumb! What if some guys jumped you, or worse?" his voice rose louder than he intended it to. Being reprimanded made the healer's face fall in shame. A pang of guilt hit the ex-substitute. He didn't mean to yell at her, he just wanted her to be safe. _'Good job genius.'_"Hah," he exhaled, while he rubbed the back of his head. "Look I didn't mean to yell at you. I just want you to be safe." He averted his gaze from her. For some reason he always found it hard to look Inoue in the face whenever he had to apologize to her.

A small smile formed on the healer at his confession._'Kurosaki-kun is so kind. He is always worrying about me. Not just me, but all of his friends.' _"Thank you for your concern, Kurosaki-kun." She continued to smile.

"No problem," he uttered. His brown eyes found their way back to Inoue's face. Her flawless skin was illuminated by the moon light, her own brown orbs sparkled, and even her hair seemed to glow with unearthly yet enchanting shine. For the first time he noticed her beauty, I mean really noticed it. He wasn't oblivious he knew she was gorgeous, hell Keigo told him that every day. But this time he actually stopped and took notice of her.

"Kurosaki-kun?" She was watching him in curiosity. _'Why is he staring at me?'_

"Huh?" _'Wait, have I been staring at her this whole time? Damn that's embarrassing. Get it together.'_ A light blush graced his face, and he once again looked away from her. "W-what is it?" he finally asked.

"I was just wondering um... never mind."

He was thankful she didn't question him. It was embarrassing enough that she caught him just gawking at her, but if she had asked him why, there was no way he could answer that without her thinking he was some kind of perv or stalker. An awkward silence fell upon them, that neither teen was eager to break. Instead they just stood there, turning their attention to the night sky. They watched the stars dancing and dazzling. The moon continued to fight the darkness around it. To Ichigo it looked as though the moon was trying to protect the stars, so that could continue their dance. _'Inoue is right, the stars look nice tonight.'_Several minutes passed before Ichigo finally broke the silence. "It's getting pretty late. Come on, I'll walk you home."

"Umm!" she squeaked. Surely her ears were playing tricks on her. There was just no way that Kurosaki Ichigo, the object of her affection, actually said he would walk her home. "I…I'm sorry, but what did you say?"

"I said I'll walk you home," he repeated in the same neutral tone as before.

"T-there is no need for you to walk me home, Kurosaki-kun. You're probably still tired from earlier, and you are right outside your house. I don't want to take you out your way. I'll just walk home by myself. I'll be fine, I'm used to walking home alone when Tatsuki-chan has to stay late for karate practice anyway," the orange haired healer blurted out in quick succession.

"No," he stated bluntly, confusing Orihime.

"I'm sorry."

"No you are not walking home alone. It's late, and your neighborhood isn't exactly the best place to be at night." He had only been to her place a few times, but from what he saw it was run down. The residents were kind, and during the day it was all sun flowers and daisies. At night it was almost a completely different place. That's when all the wannabe thugs came out. He remembered the first time he had been to Inoue's place at night. How he was racing there with Rukia to stop her hollow crazed brother, Sora, from killing her. But even in all that confusion and hustle he noticed just how run down her neighborhood was. There was no way in hell he would let her walk home by herself. She would most likely get mugged or groped, maybe something worst. _'I'll be damned if I let some fucking perv have his way with Inoue!'_ His protection mode had fully activated.

She felt so stupid as another blush came to her cheeks. All she did was blush. Thankfully it was night, so she was sure he did not notice her constant blushes. "It's alright, Kurosaki-kun, I don't want to burden you."

"Idiot, it's no burden at all. What would be a burden is if you got jumped by some perv. If that happened then I would have to hunt him down and kick his ass for messing with one of friends. And you know Ishida and Chad would want in on this, and then all three of us would end up killing him and going to prison. Going to prison will be a huge burden," he joked, but it was still in his usual serious tone, which made it hard tell he was joking. Without another word he started walking.

Orihime remained still. She was lost unsure of what had actually happened._'Did Kurosaki-kun just make a joke?' _she asked herself. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He was always so serious, and he was often annoyed when Asano-kun or his father would goof around and joke with him.

"Hey Inoue!" he called, pulling her out of her thoughts. He had stopped a few feet a head of her. "Come on, let's get going."

"Y-yes, I'm coming." She jogged to catch up to him. Once she closed the distance between them, the two orange haired teens started to walk together. Silence returned to them, but this one was not awkward. It was strangely comforting. Her lips curved into light smile. Being in Ichigo's presence enveloped her in a warm blanket that made her feel secure, as though nothing or no one could harm her. _'I miss this feeling.'_The smile disappeared, and a frown formed in its place. Orihime used to feel this secure feeling no matter where she went in Karakura Town. Ichigo's very reiatsu had the ability to produce this wondrous effect on her. However, these last few weeks she was unable to sense even an ounce of Ichigo's reiatsu. That never happened before; she had always been able to sense Ichigo's reiatsu. Even when Hachi's barrier had sealed Ichigo off from everyone in the Human World, she was still able to sense his reiatsu. When he transformed into that, horrible monster and his reiatsu became just as horrible, she could still sense a small part of his calming and warming reiatsu.

_'That horrible form that he took on to help me,'_she thought and guilt gripped her heart. She still had nightmares of the man she loved remaining transformed and desperately fighting off and killing all of their friends in order to "save" her. As frightening as that whole ordeal was, she was able to hold on to a sliver of hope, because she could sense small traces of her Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu. When he was finally freed from that thing, his normal protective reiatsu broke through with him, easing her heart-ache, and erasing the terrible memories of her stay at Hueco Mundo, if only for a moment.

In that moment she knew that everything would be alright, that's why she didn't bat an eye when he rushed to off to another fight to save Rukia and the others. The fluctuating reiatsu she felt at the bottom of the dome did not concern her at all. As long as she felt his reiatsu everything was fine. She remembered Ishida asking her if she was alright, and his surprised expression when she smiled at him and told him everything was going to be alright.

Little did she know, that would be the last time she felt Ichigo's reiatsu. Just as Orihime had finished up healing Ishida's arm, Ichigo's reiatsu disappeared without a trace. Now she knew that the reason it disappeared was because Ichigo went to the Human World to fight Aizen, but at the time she had no idea what had happened. All she knew was that her safe blanket was ripped away, and her body was forced out into the unforgiving cold. _'I was so frightened. I thought Kurosaki-kun might have….might have….really died, for real this time.'_

A sigh escaped her mouth. The orange haired boy turned his head to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, the concern was evident in his voice.

Not wanting to worry or burden him with her silly problems, Orihime put on the biggest smile she could. "I'm fine Kurosaki-kun. I was just thinking that's all." She really hoped that he bought it. Her lying skills were as Tatsuki said so painfully pathetic that even a three year old could see through them.

His eyes narrowed, examining her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something off about her smile. _'I'm probably just imagining things,'_ he thought. He considered asking her what she was thinking about, but decided against it, not wanting to pry in her business. Instead he returned his focus to the road ahead of them.

Orihime's eyes lingered on to the man she had given her heart to. It was odd that even being only inches apart that she could not sense anything from him. What Urahara had said was true; Ichigo really had lost all of his spiritual power.

The rest of their journey was quiet. Several times Orihime tried to start a conversation, but every time she opened her mouth words failed to come out. So many questions came into her mind. How was he doing? What happened in his battle with Aizen? What did he do that made his hair grow so long? There was one question that she wanted answered the most, but at the same time she was afraid to hear the answer.

_'Do you blame me for losing your powers?'_Of course he did. The only reason Ichigo went to Hueco Mundo was to rescue her. If she hadn't gotten kidnapped, he never would have left Karakura Town. He could have continued his training, and then he might have gotten strong enough to defeat Aizen, without having to use that technique. He wouldn't have had to say goodbye to Rukia.

The image of Ichigo's face when he said his final farewell to Rukia came into her head. He tried to hide his sadness from them with a smile, but she could tell he was putting on a mask for their benefit. The bigger the smile, the more he was hurting on the inside. The smile he gave them was so big that he wasn't Ichigo anymore. It hurt her to see him in so much torment.

_'Torment that I caused,'_ she thought, as she closed her eye lids. _'All I do is make those around me suffer. Sora had to struggle so much to raise me. He gave up everything, the chance to go to college, his social life, and even his health to give me a better life. How did I repay him? I told him his gift, the hair pins he probably spent hours to find, was stupid. Tatsuki-chan always has to stick up for me; she was nearly killed by hollows because of my reiatsu. Sado-kun and Ishida-kun came all the way to Hueco Mundo to rescue me, and they were both nearly killed. Ishida-kun even lost his arm trying to protect me. Kuchiki-san and Abarai-san could have gotten in real trouble with Soul Society for defying their orders to help me. They were constantly thrown into more and more battles. And Kurosaki-kun, you suffered more than anyone. The fights you endured with Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Aizen. All the pain you must have felt, all of the pressure to win, and all I did was watch. Because of me you can't even see Kuchiki-san anymore.'_ Tears were threatening to escape.

"Inoue," he called out, bringing her back to reality.

"Hmm?" she replied, swiftly rubbing her eyes to wipe away any escaped tears. She couldn't let him see her like this. She had caused him enough trouble. Orihime would suck it up, put on a brave face, and pretend that everything was fine. It was the least she could do.

"We're here," he said. He scanned her face trying to detect if something was wrong. "Are you sure you are alright?" he asked again. Like before, she gave a big smile. It did not ease his ill feelings in the slightest.

"I'm fine Kurosaki-kun, there is no need to worry about me," she insisted, while opening her door. He remained silent, giving his reply with a simple nod. "Thank you for walking me home, Kurosaki-kun."

He shrugged his shoulders. "No problem." He turned around to leave, gave her a quick wave. "Night, Inoue." The ex-substitute made his departure.

"Good night, Kurosaki-kun. Please be safe, and tell your sisters I said hi!"

He waved at her again letting her know that he heard her. Orihime remained at her door until Ichigo was out of eyesight. Suddenly the warmth that she had felt moments ago abandoned her. The healer frowned. "Kurosaki-kun, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble." Tears returned. "I'm sorry for causing you to lose your powers," she whispered to herself, tears now falling freely.

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**That's the end of the first chapter. What do you think? This my first Bleach fan fic and to be honest I am nervous. I'm hoping that people like it, even though the idea is not original. Maybe I'll come up with a better title. Nothing comes to my mind right now.**


	2. First Day of being an Ex Substitute

**Here is the second chapter. This one has more of the characters in it. I hope you enjoy and review. **

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She was running, as fast as her legs could carry her, on top of the dome of the cold and void sky of Hueco Mundo. Anxiety was pumping into her veins, causing her heart to race. Something terrible was about to happen. She could sense it, his warm and protective aura was being overwhelmed, by this dark, heavy, and barren force. This force's intent was to consume every shred of hope, as if it was trying to make everything around it empty as it was. How could anyone approach this force? How could he approach this force? The need to find him became even greater.

Before she realized it her legs had taken her to a tower. She could make out a figure, but was unsure who it was. She prayed it was him, but she knew it wasn't. There was no way he could produce such an ominous feeling.

"So you came, did you Woman?" the dispassionate voice said.

Dread completely took a hold of her. It wasn't her savior's voice, but her captor's. His lifeless and icy stare fell on her, sucking all of her strength away. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn he was trying to consume her soul.

Her captor shifted his body slightly, giving her a better view. His form had changed from earlier. Now he had two monstrous devils like horns, with a matching tail and wings too boot. If possible his pale skin became paler, his eyes turned yellow, while his irises became green, and his waist was covered in what appeared to be black fur. The change wasn't drastic, but with that reiatsu, he was like an entirely new being.

A gasp escaped her lips and her eyes widened in fear, not at the sight of this monster. Her reaction was for the man he held by the neck with his tail, her savior, the man who had risked everything just to rescue her, the man she loved.

"Kuro….saki….kun?" was the only thing she could say.

Her captor turned his attention away from her and back to her savior. He placed the tip of his long, bone fitting finger on his chest. "Just in time, to witness the death of the man, you put all your hopes into." Energy as black as the man's wings formed in the tips of his fingers. He was taunting her, doing it as slowly as he could and making sure she was watching. He wanted to annihilate her heart, for no other reason than because he thought it unnecessary.

Never before had she been so angry at herself for being so helpless. She couldn't just stand there. She had to do something, anything. He needed her now more than ever; she just had to do something. "STOP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. It was pointless. Her captor could not be persuaded by emotion, but it was all she could think of at that moment.

He unleashed his black energy, piercing his new captive's chest. She could only watch helpless as the life from her savior's eyes fade away into nothingness. Not even a scream escaped from his mouth, his body seemed to have already died. A giant, clean, hole appeared in the center of his chest. It was a nightmare it had to be, she could see right through his body! There was no way that was real. If it were real than she would at least see some charred fat, right?

Looking into his eyes, which were always full of such emotion, pain, sadness, anger, happiness, determination, were now dead, as dead as this dreaded hell they were in, made her heart weep. This just couldn't be. No he never lost, not when it mattered. He promised her that he wouldn't die and when he made a promise he kept it. That was the type of man he was, that was one of the many reasons she loved him. It was a joke he would awaken any second now, his eyes would shimmer with anger and determination like they always did when he was in this type of situation. He had to, because he promised her!

Her captor released her savior and let him fall from the tower. That was a mistake. Any second now he would awaken and then make his counter attack. The counter attack that would defeat this man, no this devil once and for all. But he never awakened. Instead his limp body continued to fall. Her savior was falling!

"NOOOOOOOO!" She screamed so loudly that both her captor and her white clothed friend were transfixed by her. She didn't care though; the only thing that mattered was saving her savior. Unconsciously she summoned her Santen Kesshun and caught him in midair. She ran as fast as she could. All she needed to do was heal him and everything would be alright. That was simple; she had done it so many times before. Even if he was dead, and god she hoped he wasn't, she could just bring him back. After all she brought back that arrancar woman even though Grimmjow had disintegrated her torso and head.

Before she could make it to the man who had captured her heart, her other captor materialized before her, stopping her in her tracks. His eyes were just as unforgiving and cold as ever.

"Forget it," he told her. His words made her body tremble. "His life is already out of your hands," he continued.

How could he say that with such a straight face? Why did he have to make it his mission to destroy her utterly? All she wanted was to go to the man she loved and heal him. Couldn't he just be satisfied with her heart being broken?

Luckily her white clothed friend came to her aid and held her captor off; giving her the opening she needed to get to him. Wasting no time she unleashed her Sooten Kisshun on him and immediately started to reject the damage inflicted on him. "Kurosaki-kun," she cried in relief. Her relief was short lived however, when she realized that her Sooten Kisshun was having no effect. His eyes were still lifeless! As lifeless as her brother's eyes were when she saw him die. _'Oh god no_,' she thought. It hit her, he was actually dead and there was nothing she could do. What could she do? What would he do in her situation? He would keep trying, but no matter how hard she tried she could not will him back to life.

Everything was happening so fast, soon her captor had over powered her friend, cruelly taking his arm. She tried her best to shield him, but her captor tore through it as though it were paper. Everything was falling apart, things kept spinning more and more out of control. If she just had time to think, if everything could just stop for a moment, she could think. But that didn't happen and both of her would be protectors were on the ground. If she didn't do something soon her friend would soon join her brother, and her savior. Everything was crashing around her threatening to bury her. She did the only thing she could think of at the moment. "SAVE US KUROSAKI-KUN!"

By some dark miracle her wish was granted her savior stood up, but he was transformed. His power became even more terrifying than her captor's, but unlike her captor's he produced a destructive and out of control force. His hair came to his waist, his skin became as white as her clothing, strange markings appeared around his chest, a new mask formed around his face, and this one resembled a bull's skull. She wouldn't have believed it was him if she hadn't seen him transform. To her horror her savior let out a cry so fierce and so savage that it didn't resemble anything human.

She watched helplessly as he destroyed her captor. That wasn't him, no not her Kurosaki-kun. He never destroyed his opponents. He fought them off, to defend his precious people. But this, this horrible monster was destroying the devil. What had she done? When the decimation had finally ended and her captor defeated, he still continued withhis destructive assault, preparing to carve up his body. He was finally stopped by her now one armed friend. He tried to reason with, but the unthinkable happened. Her savior had actually stabbed him, throwing him across the dome.

"Ishida-kun!" she yelled.

He turned his attention to her. Her heart stopped. This couldn't be happening her savior was going to kill all of them. He was going to kill her. "Sa….ve…. I will…..save you," he said.

He was trying to save her. Despite transforming into this horrible monster, who only knew how to destroy, he was still determined to save her. He allowed himself to be consumed by this awful power to help her. Because she was too weak to help herself she had begged him to save her. This was all her fault.

He returned his attention to her friend, charging crimson energy in between his horns.

"Stop Kurosaki-kun!" she desperately tried to reach him. "Kurosaki-kun!"

Her plea fell on deaf ears and she watched as he obliterated every last trace of her friend. There wasn't even time for him to scream out for help.

"Ishida-kun!" she shrieked.

"Inoue!"

She turned around to see the rest of her friends running towards her.

"Kuchiki-san, Sado-kun, Abarai-san!" Thank god they were here. They could reach him and help him.

Her savior shifted his attention to the new comers.

"Inoue, what's go…." Before the raven haired woman could finish her question the savior was right in front of her. Her eyes filled with fear and her body trembled. He merely stared at her as if trying to discern something. "I…Ichigo?" she asked.

He responded by grabbing her by the throat and pulling her up to his face. The raven haired shinigami mouth was forced opened, as it hopelessly tried to grasp for oxygen.

"Kuchiki-san!"

The two men tried to stop him. The red haired shinigamiconjured a giant serpent like weapon, while the brown haired man formed armor around his arms. The savior dropped his captive and instantaneously appeared behind the red haired man. Without warning he sliced through the bone like serpent then ripped off the man's head, much to their horror.

"Ichigo, stop this!"

"Kurosaki-kun please listen to Kuchiki-san and stop!"

However like before he did not stop this time he attacked the gentle giant, impaling him in the chest with his horns. He shook his head up and down until he threw him off. The gentle giant was still clinging to life, so her savior hacked him up until he was unrecognizable, not before the brown haired man let out blood churning scream that sent chills down her spin.

"No, no please stop. Please stop this Kurosaki-kun," she whispered helplessly.

Now all that was left was the raven haired shinigami. Surely he would stop for her, he had to. They were too close for him to kill her in cold blood.

"Inoue," her shorter friend called her. "Run, I'll hold him off."

"No, you can't! He won't attack you, not you!" she tried to make her understand. "You are too important to him. He'll stop once he sees you." Despite her words she was having a hard time believing them.

"Inoue, don't argue!"

Before the two women could continue he was already upon them. His paralyzing and dark reiatsu over flowing from his body and instilling terror into both of them. His clawed hand found its way to the shinigami's neck once again. He roughly pulled the raven haired shinigami away from her. The crimson energy charged in between his horns.

Utter and complete horror had found residence in the petite shinigami's violet eyes. Her small hands wrap themselves on his hand; the position was similar to prayer. An in-distinguishable noise came out of her. She was obviously trying to communicate something, but her lungs being deprived of air made it impossible for her to actually speak.

"STOP KUROSAKI-KUN!" she yelled at him. She seemed to grab his attention. He took his eyes off of the shorter woman and put them on her. Seeing this she knew this was her chance to get through to him. "Kurosaki-kun, look at what you are doing. You are hurting Kuchiki-san! Please wake up and stop this! Please return to the man you were before. Please return to the man who cares so much about his friends that he will travel to hell and back for them. Please just return. Don't hurt Kuchiki-san, she's your friend. She's your…." She couldn't finish the last part, because she was unsure what they were. A very small part of her resented the raven haired shinigami for holding such a special place in her savior's heart. She would feel terrible for even experiencing such emotions afterwards.

"Sa….ve…..you," he repeated his earlier words. "I….will sa….ve….you… I will….save….you."

"You already have saved me! Look Kurosaki-kun, I am in one piece. Please let her go, she's not a threat to me."

"Sa….ve….Sa….ve," he continued to repeat. His grip on her neck tightened. The petite shinigami could no longer hold on to his him. Finally she turned her attention on to her, pleading to her with her panic filled violet eyes to help.

"Kurosaki-kun," she tried one last time. This did not deter him in the slightest. The raven haired woman shut her eyes instantly just as a crimson stream of energy washed over her body.

"NOOOOOO!"

Her eyes snapped opened. She shot up from her bed with speed that would rival a bullet's. Her breathing was labored; she inhaled and exhaled in quick succession. Her eyes darted back and forth through her apartment, taking in her surroundings. The realization hit her. She was not in Hueco Mundo, but her tiny apartment in the Human World. Putting her hands over her face, she let out on giant sigh. "It was just a nightmare." She removed her hands from her face to look at the clock beside her, which read 4: 47. "It's still dark outside," she whined to herself.

Ever since she had returned home she had been having nightmares of her time at Hueco Mundo. To be more specific she was having the same nightmare of Ichigo transforming into that monstrous form and killing all of their friends trying to protect her. Just the thought of it was enough to make her sick to her stomach.

"It felt so real." The healer grabbed herself in a hug. '_It could have easily been real, if he didn't intervene when he did.' _Her thoughts went to Espadawho held her captive. Life had a twisted sense of humor. Her captor ended up saving Ishida from her savior. For all the problems she had with the emotionless Ulquiorra, she was eternally thankful to him for returning her Kurosaki-kun to her.

A yawn fought its way out of her, reminding her how late or rather early it was. Her eyes darted back to her digital clock which now read 4:50. "Hah," she sighed. She was in store for another long, grueling, sleep deprived day. Lately she was lucky if she got two hours of interrupted sleep. "Who needs sleep anyway?" she joked.

Orihime decided to get out of bed and take a long nice relaxing bath. The idea of trying to soak away her troubles was more appealing than returning to sleep only to wake up again ten minutes later, besides her body was drenched in sweat. She walked into her bathroom, turned on the water, and waited for the tub to fill up. Sitting down beside the tub the red head princess' thoughts returned to a certain scowling ex-substitute shinigami.

Today would be the first day that Ichigo came to school since before he started his training with the vizards. At least she thought he would come to school today. She was unsure how she felt about his return. On one hand she had missed turning around and seeing his disinterested and annoyed face. However on the other side she wasn't sure if she could be around him, not yet anyway.

The last four weeks she had been struggling to keep her lack of sleep problem a secret. Even Tatsuki was unaware of her problem. It hadn't been easy though. She started to nod off in class more often, which Ochi-sensei and Tatsuki took notice. Luckily she had been able to ward off both women. Ochi-senses stopped questioning her after she explained that her absence was due to visiting family in the U.S. From there the teacher reasoned that Orihime'snodding off was due to her body still not being use to the time zone yet. All she needed to do to get Tatsuki off of her back was to tell her that she was worried about Ichigo, which wasn't a lie. She had been very worried about him. Like with Ochi-sensei, Tatsuki assumed that Orihime's concern for the orange haired boy had kept her up later.

Her nodding off had consequences though. It became a challenge to follow the lectures and that in turn made it harder to take notes. Thankfully Tatsuki and Ishida were more than generous to share their notes with her. Od course their notes could not keep her awake when the time to take a exam a raised. Her last exam she had gotten 79, well below her usually work. Of course she was just grateful she passed, considering she was asleep for most of it and spent the last 15 minutes trying to scribble down answers. Despite all of her problems she had been successful in keeping her friends in the dark about her nightmares.

With Ichigo returning to school though meant that she would also have to keep it together in front of him. Past experience told her that keeping herself collected around him was easier said than done. Last night she couldn't even keep her thoughts together, while talking with him. She was only around him for about 20 minutes. How would she keep it together around him for a whole day?

"Huh," she sighed again. '_There is no way I can keep myself composed around Kurosaki-kun.'_While trying to discover a solution to her problem, the healer noticed that the tub was finally full. Reaching for the nozzle, she turned it off then dipped her finger in to test the water. Finding it was just right; she took off her shirt and pajama pants. Orihime jumped into the tub for her nice, warm, and relaxing bath. As soon as her body was submerged into the water all of her worries washed away. '_I'll figure something out after I take my bath,' _she happily thought.

* * *

Everything looked so odd to him. It was like he was waking up from a dream he half remembered. He recognized everything around him, but it just didn't seem real. Ichigo stood outside the gates of Karakura High School frozen in place. Some invisible force was keeping him at bay, he would have sworn it was the work of a hollow, but with his reiatsu gone there would be no reason for one of them to stalk him. He knew the real reason why he couldn't walk in, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself.

If he took a step into that place, he would be denying that everything that happened to him this past year had actually happened. Denying that he ever became a shinigami, denying that he had fought all of those battles, denying that he was different, and denying that he ever met Rukia. How could he deny any of that? Were all of his struggles for nothing? Did all the rivals and enemies he crossed swords with and the lessons he learned from them all for not? Was this what all of his trials were leading him to, a life of normality?

He should have been ecstatic about being able to return to school and not have to worry about his badge going off and having to rush off to deal with a hollow. This is what he always wanted a nice, relatively safe, and normal life. That is still what he wanted, right? "What am I doing here?" he asked aloud.

Before he could dwell on his question a loud and annoying voice called him.

"IC-HI-GO!" Keigo yelled as he pounced on Ichigo. Unfortunately for him the orange haired teen's reflexes were as sharp as ever and his face met with Ichigo's foot. "Ow, ow, ow!" he started screaming and rolling around on the ground. "You are too mean, Ichigo! Is that how you treat a friend who was overjoyed at seeing you?"

Ichigo snorted, showing disinterest in Keigo's whining. "It's your own fault."

"How is it my fault that you kicked me!" Keigo asked in his usual dramatic fashion, flinging his arms up and down.

"When someone jumps at you your first instinct is that they mean you harm. If someone means you harm you either run or attack them," he explained as though it was so obvious. "I don't run away, so I attacked. If you don't want me to hit you than you should stop jumping at me every time you see." He turned his back to Keigo.

A stream of water fell from his eyes. "You are too cruel. This is the thanks I get after visiting you night and day when you were in your coma!" He continued is mock crying and muttered things like being un-appreciated.

Ichigo groaned. The day had barely started and already he felt a headache forming. He liked Keigo he really did, but sometimes (like right now) he was just too much to handle.

"I see Keigo is annoying you already, Ichigo," a disinterested voice stated.

Both Ichigo and Keigo turned around to see Mizuiro standing behind them with his face buried into his phone as usual. He tookhis eyes off the device long enough to greet Ichigo. "Welcome back Ichigo. Are you feeling better?" he asked.

Apparently that had been the wrong thing to say, because Keigo's pouting and crying intensified. "Why don't you ever greet me and ask how I am doing, Mizuiro?"

"Hmm, oh you're there to Keigo," Mizuiro stated as though it were an afterthought. The short man turned his attention back to his phone.

Keigo's sadness turned into anger. "You liar!" he accused. "You just said, I see Keigo is annoying you already Ichigo," he said the last part in an even tone, trying to mimic Mizuiro's voice. To his annoyance the young man in question was not paying him any mind. "Screw you guys!" he screamed. "You know one of these days I'm just going to leave and when I do you two are going to miss me! Then you'll be saying stuff like we should have treated Keigo better or I wish we hadn't pushed Keigo away!"

"Well we won't know unless you do that, will we?" Ichigo sent his loud mouth friend a challenging glare.

Keigotried to meet Ichigo's glare with one of his own, but unlike his orange haired friend he was not good keeping a scowl on his face. Within ten seconds he backed down. "You're just lucky, I like you guys so much," he muttered.

'_Oh please. He would be the one who would miss us more than anything if he left,' _the ex-substitute thought.

"Why are we standing out here?" Keigo finally asked after his temper tantrum died down.

Both Mizuiro and Keigo's eyes were on Ichigo, silently asking him. He closed his eyes pretending that he was thinking of a reason. He couldn't tell them the reason why he was outside of the gates. Sure his friends now knew of his old life as a shinigami, but that did not mean it made it any easier for him to talk to them about it. They couldn't understand all of the battles he fought, all the pressures that came with it, and he did not want them to know. They shouldn't have to be burdened by his old life. He had done enough already. Aizen was going to kill them because they were his friends. He was lucky they were still talking to him.

"I….it's just weird going back to school after being gone for so long." His eye lids opened to watch their reactions. They seemed to have bought it. Mizuiro kept pressing buttons on his phone, while Keigo gave him another one of idiotic and overly cheery smile.

"I would imagine so, I mean you missed two months of school not counting that one day showed up last month," Keigo said.

"Yeah," he mindlessly agreed.

Keigo continued, "We better get going, so we aren't late. Ichigo you really can't be late since it's your first day back. I doubt Ochi-sensei will buy that you missed school to fight evil shinigami and hollows."

"So Urahara-san told you guys everything?"

Mizuiro was the one to answer. "That guy came to us the day that Arisawa punched you." He put his phone down to look Ichigo in the eyes. "We were with Arisawa talking about what was going on. Than all of sudden this shady looking guy in sandals and a hat came up to us. He told us that if we wanted to know what was going on with you that we should go to his shop around midnight."

Keigo continued from there. "We thought he was fishy and weren't going to go, but our curiosity got the better of us. On our way there Mizuiro and I saw Arisawa going there to, so we all decided to travel together. Then we saw you in those weird clothes going in the same direction."

"We figured that guy in the hat was telling us the truth at that point," Mizuiro chimed in. "We fell back a little so you wouldn't notice us and followed you into the shop."

"Then, we followed you down to that huge underground basement thing," Keigo jumped in again. Saw you, Ishida, and Chad with that guy. He was talking about going to some Hoco Modo or something."

"Hueco Mundo," Mizuiro corrected.

"Yeah, that place. After this big hole opened up and you guys left the hat and sandals guy explained everything that was going on."

The orange haired teen's eyes twitched in annoyance. '_Damn that hat and sandals. He didn't say anything about telling them the night I left for Hueco Mundo.' _He could just see that huge cat like grin on the former captain's face now just waving his fan, laughing his ass off. Just thinking about that face pissed him off. He wasn't sure how or even when, but he swore to himself that he would get Urahara back, if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Let's get going already Ichigo!" Keigo yelled bring his delinquent friend back to his senses.

"He's right Ichigo. You can't afford to be late on your first day back," Mizuiro added. His attention had gone back to his phone a while ago. He walked through the gates along with Keigo. The pair stopped when they noticed that Ichigo was still in the same spot he was before. They had simply thought Ichigo was standing outside of the gate as some kind of reflection he was doing, but now they were growing concerned.

Noticing his friends' worried stares Ichigo thought it was best to simply walk in and avoid the barrage of questions that were sure to come if he stayed still for a moment longer.

"Ichigo," Mizuiro spoke in a low tone.

Ichigo recognized that tone. Mizuiro only spoke in that tone when he was genuinely worried about something. "It's fine guys." He took his first steps into the school, the first steps into his new life. "I just needed a nice kick in the ass to get me going," he joked, giving them a half grin.

To his relief both Keigo and Mizuiro stopped looking at him as though he were about to die and went back to their normal behavior. The three boys journeyed to their class for the first time in almost two months. Despite his moody disposition Ichigo couldn't help, but smile. He would never admit this to anyone, especially not Keigo, but he had really missed them.

'_Maybe things aren't as bad as I'm making them out to be,' _he thought.

* * *

Whack!

An ear drum shattering smack was produced as a hand met with the head of a certain spiky orange haired young man. The classroom was full of snickers and sympathetic nods. Said young man in question was rubbing the back of his head desperately as he tried to stop a bump from forming. Normally he would pound anyone who would dare inflict such harm to him, but for two obvious reasons he could not do that now. The first reason was that his attacker was a woman. Unless it was life threatening situation or an official match he never lifted a finger against a woman (Rukia didn't count because she asked for it sometimes and even than he rarely lifted finger against her). The second reason was the attacker was his teacher, Ochi Misato.

"Ah, Kurosaki you finally decided to show up," she spoke in her deceitful sweet voice. "Never mind that you've been absent for over a month and that the term is nearing its end, it is good to see you again. With another swat of her hand she hit her pupil upside his head again. "I don't suppose you have an excuse; I mean reason why you ditched school for such a long period." She inflicted her third slap to the head succeeding in drawing tears from the poor man.

He nursed his poor aching head and fought back the urge to strike back. "Didn't my old man tell you why I was out?" he asked her.

"Nope," she replied dryly.

'_Damn that old man. I was unconscious for a month and he didn't even think to inform the school? Sometimes I think he loves to watch me suffer! Note to self, kick my old man's ass later. First Urahara-san and now my old men. My list for people's asses I need to kick just keeps getting longer.' _"I was in bed sick all month." It wasn't a lie at least. He was unconscious for a month and the cause was because he felt ill, if you count all your molecules being rearranged as a result of losing his spiritual power as being ill.

She gave him a disapproving stare, before returning to her fake sweet smile. "I'm so sure you were. Take a seat and after class I'll talk to you about making up all the work you missed."

"Right." Still rubbing his sore head the ex-substitute walked to his seat. On the way there he saw Keigo and Mizuiro's mocking grins. He shot them his death glare at full blast, but it had no effect on them, which pissed him off. He shifted his gaze to his right. What he saw only increased his wrath; Ishida was watching him with smirk of his own glued on his face. "Stupid four eyes," muttered to himself.

Ichigo failed to notice the brown pair of eyes watching him. '_He's here!' _She had been bracing herself all night trying to ready herself for his return to class. It seemed that all of her prep work was for not. She still could not keep her heart from racing and the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering. She didn't know why she felt this we way, when she just saw him last night. Being able to sense Ichigo's reiatsumust have spoiled her. Orihime was so use to being able to sense him from anywhere that she got to embrace herself in his presence constantly. Now that it was gone she had to endure being without the feeling until she saw him. She continued to watch him until he took his seat. Once Ochi-sensei started the lesson she immediately focused her attention on her. She was having enough problems staying alert without drooling over Ichigo.

* * *

Lunch had arrived and in Keigo's opinion it couldn't have come at a better time. Ochi-sensei had been pouring on more and more work. The term was nearing its end, so couldn't she give them a break? Frankly he could use an hour break. Lunch always reenergizedhim no matter how tiring a lesson was. The only problem he had with lunch was that it was so quiet. At least it had been quiet as of late.

Like usual he and his friends were eating lunch on the roof. Their group consisted of Mizuiro, Sado, and the newest member Ishida, which he still wasn't sure how that happened. One day Ichigo just invited him to lunch and he had been coming ever since. Ichigo was absent because he had to talk to Ochi-sensei during the break about all of his missed work, much to Keigo's dismay.

Ever since Ichigo left their group had diminished. First Ishida left to god knows where, then Sado disappeared, and finally Ichigo vanished as well. That left Keigo and Mizuiro alone. Mizuiro was good company, when he took his noise out of that phone of his and actually talked! When Ichigo left he became more withdrawn, which made lunch extremely dull for Keigo. That went on for an entire month, it nearly drove him mad.

He never thought he would be overjoyed at seeing Ishida. But last month when he saw the straight laced no non-sense four eyes he cheered. He brought Sado with him as well. It looked like the dark days had finally ended or so he thought. He forgot that Sado was a silent giant and that Ishida was a humorless dick. Keigo had to endure another month of silent lunches. He tried to generate a conversation, but he was always met with a simple nod or a yeah. He was really pitting his hopes on Ichigo's return to finally end the awkward silent lunches.

He looked around to see Sado and Ishida eating silently, while Mizuiro was texting one of his girlfriends. How the short, phone nerd got so many girls was beyond him. He envied his short friend's luck with the opposite sex. "So," he started off trying to grab the group's attention. Sado looked up, but Ishida and Mizuiro continued going on with what they were doing. "Does anyone else think Ochi-sensei is going overboard with all the work she's been giving us?"

"No," Ishida said plainly in between bites.

"Not really," Mizuiro answered. "I mean it's been easy to me. After all it's just busy work."

Keigo's eyebrows twitched and his mouth frowned in annoyance at his friends' casual attitude at their increased work load. "You agree with me don't you Chad?" he asked hopefully.

The hollow powered human put his left head on his chin as he thought about the question. Keigo eagerly awaited his reply. After what felt like an eternity (to Keigo anyway) Chad finally opened his mouth. "I've found that the work hasn't been all that challenging. She is probably giving us a lot of work to make up for the lack of difficulty so we don't get too comfortable," he reasoned.

Keigo face fell into a frown at Chad's answer. "You guys are bunch of nerds, so of course you think it's easy," he complained.

"That says more about you than it does about us," Ishida shot back.

Keigo was about give his own witty comeback when the door to the roof opened up. All eyes were on the door, each one of them was expecting their missing friend.

"Ichigo!" Keigo rejoiced and quickly jumped towards the door. Misfortune befell him again and he was punched down, with his face hitting the pavement hard. His attacker was none other than Arisawa Tatsuki.

"Think again," she said. Her fist was still out stretched from her punch.

Mizuiro went to aid Keigo checking to see if his friend was still breathing. "You might have gone overboard Arisawa."

Tatsuki massaged her fist. "He shouldn't go around jumping at people. I'm not as nice as Ichigo. I don't hold back," she said.

Mizuiro gave her a nervous laugh.

"Tatsuki-chan you didn't have to hit him that hard," Orihime's concerned voice from behind the black haired girl.

"Hey he shouldn't have jumped me," she kept insisting.

Ishida's interest had been peaked. Tatsuki and Orihime usually had lunch with the rest of the girls in their class at the field. The question was why where they at the roof. He attended to find out. "Arisawa-san, Inoue-san what bring you two here?"

Tatsuki took notice of the Quincy. "Oh hey Ishida I didn't even see you there." She was still massaging her fist. She shouldn't have hit his hard head. His skull's density was probably only second to Orihime's. "We came up here to see Ichigo. I didn't think he would still be talking to Ochi-sensei though."

He nodded accepting her response. His eyes moved from Tatsuki to Orihime. She was unusually quiet. Then again she had been like that for last few weeks. It was starting to concern him. He was certain that once Ichigo returned that her spirits would have lifted, but that did not seem to be the case. '_Inoue-san's experience in Hueco Mundo must have been more traumatizing then I originally thought.' _He analyzed her discreetly. The first thing he noticed was bags under her eyes. Memories of Inoue sleeping in class flashed through his mind. '_Has she been getting any sleep?' _Her usual perky nature had all, but evaporated. She seemed more withdrawn even with Arisawa.

"Inoue-san," he spoke softly so as not to alarm her.

Instantly the princess's expression changed. She gavehim a wide smile, her body turned stiff, and even her eyes seemed more alive. Her act was very convincing. It was no wonder none of them had caught before now. "Yes, Ishida-kun," she replied in her usual perky voice.

"How have you been doing lately?" It was stupid. If she was going through all the trouble of masking herself in front of them than there was little chance that she would tell him what was bothering her, especially not in front of everyone.

"I've been doing great! Just last night I went star gazing. They were so lovely last night. I really hope that sky is just as clear as it was last night, so I can watch them again," she said excitedly.

His lips curved into modest smile. He always found Orihime's enthusiasm endearing. However he could tell that this time she was forcing her smile and the pep in her voice was so artificial. Taking his eyes off of the Karakura High dream girl and put them on Tatsuki, asking her if she had noticed Orihime's odd behavior with his eyes. Tatsuki acknowledged him with a nod. This made him a feel a little better. At least he was not the only one who noticed.

The door slammed opened making a loud bang that made everyone (except for Sado and Ishida) jump. The culprit was the scowling orange haired boy that everyone was waiting for. Judging by the dark glare on his face he was in a very bad mood.

"Ichigo!" Keigo recovered instantaneous and attempted to hug Ichigo. Ichigo not in the mood for Keigo's antics punched him the mouth denying him his need for contact. For the third time that day his body hit the pavement.

"Bad day for Keigo," Mizuiro muttered.

"Yep," Sado agreed.

Tatsuki winced at Keigo's beating. It was true she had done the same thing earlier, but she did not hit him nearly as hard as Ichigo did just now. The poor boy was unconscious for crying out loud. "What has you in such a bad mood?"

"What do you think? Ochi-sensei just gave me all the work I have to make up. The list is like 4 pages long, front and back!" he snapped. Shoving the list into her face

She snatched the list out of his hand. "Don't get pissy with me just because you're upset about having to make up work!" Tatsuki snapped back at him.

"You're right. Sorry for snapping at you," he apologized.

"That's better. I am little surprised about the amount of work she gave you." Taking a closer look at Ichigo's make up work list, she discovered that he gotten work that they did not get in class. "If I were to guess I say she gave you all the extra work as punishment for ditching school."

"Don't say ditching. That implies that I actively chose not to come to school, but I was damn near in a coma for the last month. There was no way I could have gone to school."

"True," Tatsuki said agreeing with him. "But you have to look at it from her point of view. To Ochi-sensei you have missed two months of school without so much as informing the school about being sick. Of course she thinks you've just been ditching this entire time."

He grumbled about that making sense, but still looked put off. "By the way what are you doing here anyway Tatsuki?"

"I wanted to see you and ask how you were doing. The last time I saw you were fighting that guy with that unimaginable force emanating from his body."

"I'm ok all things considering."

"You and I both know that's a lie." His eldest friend observed him with careful eye. It gave him the creeps how she always did that. "I already heard from Orihime…." She pointed at the girl in question. "….and these guys…." Then she pointed to Ishida and Chad. "That you lost your powers. There is no way you are fine with something like that," she argued.

He hated how Tatsuki could read him like a book. It was time to put on his mask of indifference. "It's not really that big of a deal. Being a shinigami was something that forced upon me anyway. It's a relief that I don't have to do it anymore. Now I can worry about normal things, like how I am going to catch up on all these work and still keep up with the current lessons." He hoped he had successful changed the topic.

Tatsuki opened her mouth to say more, but decided against it at the last second. _'If he doesn't want to talk about it now than fine,' _she thought.

"Tatsuki," he said in overly cheery voice that did not suit him.

"What?" she questioned as her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him.

"Could I borrow your notes?" he asked in his much too sweet tone.

"No."

"What? Why not?" His voice returned to its normal crude and aggressive tone.

"The last time I let you borrow my notes you lost them. I need them to study for exams at the end of term."

"Thanks for nothing," he complained. "Whose notes can I borrow?" he wondered aloud.

Orihime tried to lend her services. "Umm….Kurosaki-kun, I could."

Ichigo didn't seem to hear her. "I know, Mizuiro lend me your notes."

"Last time I lent you my notes you handed them back to me saying it was too hard to decipher because I wrote them in a weird manner."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Damn."

"Kurosaki-kun I could…."

"How about you Chad?" he asked once again missing Orihime's offer.

"You said you can't read my hand writing," Chad reminded him.

"Ishida," Ichigo turned to his last friend/rival.

Ishida took one look at Orihime's disappointed face and knew what he had to do. "Forget it."

"Why not?" Ichigo demanded.

"I can't support your delinquency Kurosaki," he simply stated.

"Fuck you! You know damn well why I was absent for two months! Some friend you are! If I had known you would act like this I wouldn't have bothered saving your ass!"

"When did you save my ass exactly? As I recalled I was the one who came up the tower to help you out!"

"Oh and I guess Ulquiorra just killed himself did he?"

"He damn near gave you that win by standing there didn't he?"

The two men glared at one another each them trying to kill the other one with their ill intent.

"Umm, Kurosaki-kun," she tried one last time to get his attention.

"What?" he snapped. Once he saw who it was he instantly became apologetic. "Sorry Inoue. I thought you were Keigo."

"Nope he's still out cold," Mizuiro revealed. He pointed his thumb at their unconscious friend.

Ichigo ignoring his phone obsessed friend continued to look at Orihime. "What did you want?"

Those butterflies in her stomach mutated and became giant man eating butterflies and they were threatening to break out. "I was saying that if you wanted you could borrow my notes."

"Really?"

"Y-yes," she said.

His eyes brightened and his lips turned into slight u shape. "Thanks Inoue you are a real life saver," he complimented. He was oblivious that his praise made the girl's face turn 3 different shades of red.

"It's no big deal, Kurosaki-kun. It's the least I can do," she said barely above a whisper.

Seeing an opportunity to advance Orihime's love life and feeling a bit sadistic in seeing her friend's embarrassment, Tatsuki decided to push things along. "You know Ichigo you could always go to Orihime's apartment after school and copy her notes down." The short haired girl smirked as she saw Orihime shot her a stare that asked: Why? Tatsuki continued to smirk. "That way you two don't have to worry about staying in the library all night and have to deal with everyone giving you weird looks."

"That makes perfect sense Tatsuki." Ichigo nodded in agreement. "You don't mind me coming over do you Inoue?"

"What? I mean of course not. I would love for you to come over. I mean yes I would like you to come over." '_I am babbling again. Why would do something so mean to me Tatsuki-chan?' _

"Good. Since I have to come over to your house anyway I could walk you home with Tatsuki," he reasoned.

"I can't walk home with Orihime today." Both carrot top teens gave her a look that said: explain. "You see my karate team has called a last minute practice," she lied through her teeth. Orihime continued to glare at her in her own comical manner, but Ichigo bought it.

"Looks like it's just you and me then Inoue."

Orihime chuckled lightly. "Looks like it," she repeated. She still couldn't believe her best friend would throw her to the dogs like that."

"Oh crap," Ichigo uttered.

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked hoping that wasn't directed at their walk home together.

"I was so pissed that I left my lunch in the classroom. Now I have to go get it," he explained. "I'll see you guys in a little bit." He walked off.

As soon as he left Ishida walked up to Tatsuki leaned in her ear. "Could you be any subtler?" he said sarcastically.

"Oh like your refusal to give Ichigo your notes were any better."

"Touché," the Quincy complimented her. He was certain no one had seen through his charade. Tatsuki was more cunning than he originally thought.

"What are you two talking about?" Orihime asked with suspicion in her stare.

"Nothing," they said in unison causing her to frown. If she hadn't known Ishida better she would have sworn he had help Tatsuki set up her study date with Ichigo. She immediately disregarded the idea. '_Ishida-kun trying to set me up with Kurosaki-kun is ridiculous.'_

Little did she know just how wrong she was.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. I don't remember if Keigo calls Sado by his name or by Chad like Ichigo, so I stuck with Chad. Too lazy to check out 400 something chapters plain and simple. Ishida playing match maker will get explained in the next chapter. Until next time. **


	3. People, Probability, and Promises

**This chapter turn out to be way longer than I intended it to be. I am happy how it turned out. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this and especially those who have reviewed this story. My interest in Bleach has been growing again with the new arc. Last week's chapter gave me so good material to use in this chapter. I'm sure you wondering how could that be since the current manga is one year ahead of this story and that this story is set during that year in between arcs. Just read on and you'll find out. There a few flashbacks in this. One is flashback to the manga chapter, 283 or Ichigo vs Grimmjow the final fight and another flashack is purely fan made by me. I better review the flashback format: Remember flashbacks are in italics, but they will be in quotes or no quotes, while thoughts will be in italics, but they will have aposterphes. Example:**

'_Thoughts'_

_"Flashbacks"_

**Warning more Ichigo whinning in this chapter, but you know how he is when he feels guilty. He's not going to notice Orihime's lack of sleep yet because he is still too focused on his own problems right now. Hopefully people stay interested enough to see when he finally notices. I'm done talking. I'll let you guys get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do not own Bleach. I have to say it twice because I forgot to say it last time.**

* * *

He was officially bored out of his skull. There was no way he could even pretend to think that this was interesting. Ochi-sensei was lecturing about probability and sampling. There was just no word strong enough to describe how much he hate, noloathed math. It wasn't that he thought it was useless or that he was too dense to get it (give him some credit he wasn't Keigo), but he just didn't see the point in learning the likely hood of a dice rolling on 2 eight times. What was the point of that? In his opinion the only math that should be taught to students was basic math and then if you had an interest in a career that was math oriented students would go on to the more advance math. The irony of Ichigo's dislike of math was that it was one of his best subjects. Not many students could say that their least favorite subject was also one of their best ones.

Keigo would always complain about Ichigo's love/hate relationship with math, often citing that he hated math just as much if not more than him, but was still struggling to understand it. He didn't quite comprehend his odd relationship with math himself to be honest. Perhaps the reason he hated it was because he always constantly deified the odds time and time again. He had one time beat 20 people (yes he actually counted once they went on the ground) on his own. That right there totally defied the laws of probability right there and that's not counting the unbelievable victories he achieved when he was a shinigami.

'_No wonder I hate math so much. It's always against me,' _he thought. The former vizard slammed his head on his desk, making sure he was careful not disrupt the lesson or injury his own head. Ichigo's eyes closed while he imagined himself being anywhere other than this building right now. He strolled down memory lane. It took him to that time when his family went to the beach when he was eight. His father was his usual idiotic self; he tried to teach him to swim by throwing him in the water. He insisted that Ichigo would learn how to swim if he didn't want to drown. His mother had been so angry with his father that day. It was the only memory he had of her actually being angry. She threw his father in and told him: "If my baby dies you better not come back on shore or you'll be joining him!"

A rare and genuine smile graced his lips. He wondered if Karin and Yuzu remembered that day. They were only four at the time, so he doubted if they could actually recall such an event. It was precious memory to him, because it was one of the few memories he could still recall with all five of them together and happy. With that his smile disappeared. He missed his mother terribly. Some days were easier than others, but the hole in his heart had not closed up even a little bit. It didn't hurt as much as use to when he was younger, but still. He had never told anyone this not even Rukia, but he had always hoped that with his ability to see spirits that one day, just one day that he would see his mother. He knew it was stupid especially since learned of about how souls passed on to Soul Society, but there was still a small part of him that held on to that hope.

Now however with his ability to see spirits gone, he no longer even had that to hold onto anymore. Ichigo fell into the grips of the depression. He promised himself that he would stop bitching about the loss of his powers and start to enjoy normal life. Why was it that every time he tried to think about something else that his mind would drift back to that? Had he become so immersed with being a substitute shinigami that he could no longer identify himself as anything but a shinigami? Deep down perhaps he enjoyed the thrill of the battles or the glory that came with being a hero. Was he truly that vain? Was the only reason he fought in the Arrancar War because he wanted to fight stronger opponents or that he just wanted to be hailed as the one who defeated the omniscient and omnipotent Aizen?

'_What kind of person am I?' _he asked himself. He was very concerned about where his priorities were. The war was over and they had won. He no longer had to worry about any of his friends being harmed or captured. He saved them, so why couldn't he be satisfied with that already? '_I could sure use Zangetsu's advice right about now.'_

The orange haired teen knew that communicating with Zangetsu was an impossibility. His partner had already given his tearful farewell four weeks ago. Now that the old man/young man had departed he regretted not talking to him more. He broke his promise about getting to talk to Zangetsu and getting to know him. He hadn't meant to, but as soon as they returned to the Human World after rescuing Rukia, Aizen had already started the war and sent his arrancar to Karakura Town. Of course he had to train to control his hollow with Shinji and the other vizards. After that he had to learn to maintain his hollow form and then of course Orihime's abduction side railed things as well.

'_Inoue,' _he thought. Ichigo's chocolate colored eyes opened and went to the red head two rows ahead of him. Her back was to him, but he could see that she was fiercely scribbling down notes. It looked like she adjusted to normal life with relative ease. He envied her ability to return to her normal life with no scars or baggage from her time at Hueco Mundo. Finally some satisfaction had arrived to the former vizard. '_At least Inoue was spared of all the hardship she had to endure. Look at me, I just complain about me losing my powers when Inoue can be so content. I can't even compare to Inoue in terms of hardship. Yeah I lost mom, but I still had dad, Karin, and Yuzu to help me. All Inoue had was her brother and he died when she was relatively young. She was alone for so long, but she never complained once. How can a person be so strong? If I didn't have my sisters and dad when my mom died, there is just no way I could have handled it. Inoue shouldn't have to go through any more than that, but that bastard Aizen had to send his underling Ulquiorra to capture her and then make her feel like crap.' _

His blood boiled at the thought of the traitorous ex-captain who had turned all of their lives upside down in his mad quest to become a god. Sure he understood Aizen better now and how he felt lonely, but that didn't excuse everything he did and put them through. That smug bastard almost killed Rukia just to get the Hogyoku; even when he got the orb he was going to kill her anyway just because he could! What did he do after that? He only kidnapped Inoue to lure him and his friends there so he could attack Karakura with little resistance. He put her under the care of the most emotionally deprived flunky he had, Ulquiorra. He didn't know everything that went on between Inoue and Ulquiorra, but he could tell he abused her emotionally judging from how he talked to her during his fight with the cuatro Espada.

A growl escaped his mouth as he clenched his fingers on the side of his desk. His anger was steadily increasing as he remembered how frightened she was at him when he hollowfied. His anger wasn't directed at Orihime, but at Aizen for making her see that. He didn't blame her, he probably reminded her of her brother when he became a hollow. Someone as gentle as Orihime should never have to put through such traumatizing experience. Still he would be lying if he said it didn't hurt him when she looked at him with those horror filled eyes and recoiled at him. It was the first time he ever really considered how he might appear in his hollow form from another person's perspective. Memories of the shame that latched on to him after he saw those beautiful hazel eyes stare back at him in fright as though he were one of them.

While it was true that the alluring princess had caused him such grief she had also given him the strength he needed to continue. The trademark Kurosaki scowls fade away into the rare Ichigo smile, the smile that left with his mother, as he remembered his final battle with his rival Grimmjow.

_Ichigo was battered, exhausted, and was losing his resolve. Grimmjow's darts had taken more out of him then he realized. The sexta Espada's movements was becoming harder and harder to follow and his body's response time had gotten slower and slower. To make matters worse his mask was reaching its limit and breaking off. Only the upper right side of his mask remained. Grimmjow knew it was over and merely stared at him in what looked like a mix of pity and sorrow._

"_It's over Kurosaki," he told him._

_For once Ichigo could not disagree. His body was no longer responding to his orders. It cried out to him to just submit. He couldn't believe it for once he could not go against probability. It had finally gotten its revenge on Ichigo for deifying it so many times in the past. It was over he had lost._

"_DON'T DIE KUROSAKI-KUN!"_

_Ichigo's black and gold hollowfied eyes widened in surprise, he turned his head around to see if his ears had been playing tricks on him. What he saw made his heart stop; rather this was a good thing or bad thing he still did not know. He saw a woman with tear stained eyes, gazing down at him with so much worry and concern that he wondered if it was the really same person who looked at him in fear moments ago. _

_Once she saw that he was looking at her she continued. "I don't care whether you win or not. You don't have to keep going." Her words still contained the fear however this fear was not directed at him, but rather it was for him. Her tears were threatening to escape her now. "Just please don't hurt yourself any more than this," she pleaded with him. _

_Just like that her fear of him was gone. Inoue saw through the hollow tainted eyes and dark reiatsu. He was still her Kurosaki-kun and that lifted a huge weight off his heart. She was behind him all the way and the only thing she asked was for him not to die or get hurt any more. He could do that_ _much at least. Grimmjow's claw came at him at extraordinary speed, but he caught it as though it was nothing, much to Grimmjow's own surprise. His body felt as light as a feather and it no longer cried for him to submit. Now it urged him to continue, for her sake, to not allow her plea to fall on deaf ears, to renew his strength and determination with her concern and selflessness._

"_Sorry, Grimmjow," he said in a tranquil voice. The sexta Espada could only continue to watch the vizard in shock. Ichigo shifted his head to give his rival a clear view of his eyes. He could see the disbelief in the arrancar's eyes. Unlike their other encounters Ichigo's eyes were not filled with anger, determination, hatred, or even fear. Instead he found that his eyes were serene. "Looks like, I'm not allowed to get hurt anymore," he told him. Before Grimmjow could even react Ichigo sliced through his chest with his Tensa Zangetsu spilling his blood. That was his way of promising Orihime that he wouldn't die and that he would continue to fight and win. He would not break this promise and he would not falter. _

That moment would forever be etched into his brain. Ichigo had essentially given up on himself. Grimmjow had him beat and he was going to accept it, but then her angelic voice echoed through the dome. Orihime didn't care if he won; she just wanted him to live. Her desire for his safety is what fortified his resolve and restored his strength. She allowed him to cheat probability once more, the only person to help him cheat the odds. Sure Rukia, Chad, Renji, or Ishida had helped him in his war against probability by actually fighting side by side with him, but Orihime was the only one of his friends who gave him the strength to fight off his long time enemy. For that short moment their hearts were connected.

'_Thank you, Inoue.' _He took his eyes off of her and returned his attention to Ochi-sensei. The black clouds looming over his heart had been broken by glimpse of sun light in the form of Inoue Orihime's return to their home with her heart free of suffering or so he thought. Had his eyes remained on her longer he would have saw the figure to drop from fatigue.

* * *

The last bell had just ringed, giving the students of Karakura High something to rejoice about. Another day was under their belts and they took one more step towards the end of the term. While many students were blissful one particular orange haired student was a victim of anxiety. Normally she enjoyed when school ended because that is when she got to walk home with her best friend Tatsuki. They would simply talk about what was going on in their lives, what shows they watched, and school work, what boy they were crushing on (more like Orihime's feelings for Ichigo). Today was different; today Orihime would be walking home with man she was head over heels in love with, Kurosaki Ichigo.

To say that she was nervous would an understatement. She was completely petrified at the prospect of Ichigo actually being in her apartment alone with her. Yes he had been to her place a few times in the past, but there was always someone else there with her, like Rukia, Tatsuki, or Rangiku. There was also the fact that Ichigo missed two months of school and had to copy all of those notes, do the work, and still keep up with the current assignments they were getting. All that meant was that he would be at her place for a long period of time, hours or days even. He could even be there for weeks.

"_Oh my god! Kurosaki-kun could be at my places for weeks,' _she thought, placing her hands over her face. '_My place is such a mess. He'll think I am such a slob. I haven't done my shopping yet either. I can't even offer him a snack. What kind of hostess doesn't even have refreshments? Tatsuki-chan, this all your fault! Now Kurosaki-kun is going to think I'm some disorganized, un-polite, and ditzy girl.' _

"Orihime," called the familiar feminine yet strong voice.

Looking up from her hands and putting them down, Orihime found her traitorous best friend staring at her with concern.

"What's wrong?" Tatsuki asked.

An uncharacteristic frown formed on the healer's face. "How could you do this to me?"

Tatsuki was clueless about what her best friend was talking about. "You lost me. Do you mind going back and elaborate a little?"

Orihime looked offended at Tatsuki's oblivious behavior. "You convinced Kurosaki-kun to come to my apartment to copy notes instead of the using the library. Now he's coming over today and my apartment is a mess, I have no refreshments, and we are going to be alone at my place!" she screamed so loud that she attracted onlookers. Realizing that she had been too loud and that people were now staring the orange haired girl found herself blushing uncontrollably. '_Why does this always happen to me?' _she wondered.

Across from Orihime, Tatsuki was grinning widely at her eccentric friend's outburst. That seemed to only revive Orihime's scowl (which on her looked funny and made Tatsuki's smile grow even more). "I'm sorry Orihime. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

Skepticism took the place of anger on the beautiful young woman's face.

The short haired woman put her hands up gesturing surrender. "Ok, so maybe I did sort of mean to put you on the spot," Tatsuki admitted. "But you have to admit that you were hoping to spend some time with Ichigo." Orihime opened her mouth to say something, but Tatsuki interrupted her. "If you didn't you wouldn't have offered him your notes," she challenged.

"That's not true! I was just trying to be a good friend," she defended. However Tatsuki did not look convinced.

"Why do you and Ichigo think you can hide things from me? I've known both of you long enough to tell when you are lying."

"I am not lying to you," Orihime tried again.

"Maybe you aren't even aware that you are lying, but you do want to spend time with Ichigo. If I am wrong I could just give Ichigo my notes and let you off the ho…."

"No!" she quickly interrupted her putting her hands on Tatsuki's left arm. This caused Tatsuki's smirk to return in all of its glory.

"You are getting pretty worked up for someone who does not want to do this," she teased the healer.

She let go off Tatsuki's arm and looked away, clearly embarrassed by her overreaction. "So maybe I do want to spend some more time with Kurosaki-kun, but at my apartment alone," she finished with a bit of uncertainty.

"I'm not seeing the problem here. You are totally into the guy and you have him all to yourself at your place."

"Just what are you implying?" Orihime raised her left eyebrow in a questioning manner.

Tatsuki gave her a look that conveys both knowing and deviousness. "Come on Orihime. Do you mean to tell me you haven't at least thought about trying "something" with Ichigo?" she put emphasis on something.

Orihime had a sneaking suspicion on what Tatsuki meant, but she didn't want to presume anything. She thought it best to keep up her questioning stare, which made her best friend roll her eyes.

"Come on Orihime! You are a bombshell for crying out loud!" She ran her hands up and down at the princess' direction as if presenting her to a crowd. "You have an hour glass figure, flawless skin, nice ass, and most importantly…." She paused trying to create a sense of suspense. "….you have those huge breasts! And you are expecting me to believe you haven't once thought of seducing Ichigo?" she feigned outrage.

"Ah," squeaked Orihime. Her face burned such a deep shade of red that one would have thought she got a sun burn. How could Tatsuki think that she would even consider seducing Ichigo! It was laughable at best. Could she have said that any louder? Orihime was sure that all the bystanders walking home heard her tomboy friend. She wondered if tomorrow she would hear rumors about her "doing it" with Ichigo. Now that would be humiliating, especially if he heard them. "Tatsuki-chan!" she exclaimed in hushed voice. "It's not like that," she urged.

Tatsuki merely rolled her eyes again. "Oh please, he's a guy. They always think about that Orihime. I'm sure a few ideas popped up in his mind when I suggested you go to your place to study."

Offended by Tatsuki's accusation of Ichigo and since he was not here to defend himself, she decided to come to his defense herself. "That's not true Tatsuki-chan. Kurosaki-kun is not like that. He's one of the most modest people that I know."

"I'm not calling him a perv, but even the most modest guy in the world has at least thought about sex. No offense to you, but you are the kind of girl who makes frequent guest appearances in guys' fantasies."

"Tatsuki-chan!" she screamed. It was obvious that this conversation was making her uncomfortable.

"I'm just saying," the darker haired girl insisted.

"This is silly. All we are going to do is study and nothing more," she emphasized the last part. The last thing she needed was for Ichigo to not only think she was sloppy, a bad hostess, and a loose girl. He hated when Yoruichi teased him by taking her clothes off in front of him. There was no telling what kind of reaction he would have if she did as Tatsuki suggested.

Seeing that Orihime was bothered by this Tatsuki decided to drop the conversation and start a new one. "Ok, ok, you two are just studying."

"That's right. Just studying," she repeated.

"But," the orange haired healer groaned. "Just hear me out. Would you be offended if Ichigo saw you like that?"

Her mouth opened up, but no words came out of it. She was unsure how to answer Tatsuki's question. Contrary to popular belief she was not oblivious to her admires. She felt guys or Chizuru's eyes leer at her all the time, as though she were a piece of meat. It would make her feel uneasy, but over time she just learned to ignore it. It helped that Tatsuki threaten most of her admires away, so their stares became less frequent than they were originally. Would she feel the same uneasy if Ichigo leered at her like her admires? Or did she secretly want him to pay attention to her physical characteristics?

'_Is it wrong to want Kurosaki-kun to look at me that way?' _she asked herself.

After about a minute of awkward silence Tatsuki decided to try another approach. "Do you ever think of Ichigo in a physical manner?"

"T-Tatsuki-chan!"

"If you can't tell me this than who else can you talk to?"

Why Tatsuki felt the need to ask her these very personal questions was beyond her. It was not only embarrassing to discuss sex out in the open like this, but she didn't like the idea of breaking down her attraction to the orange haired protector as purely physical. Her attraction was due to his strength of character, his desire to protect everyone close to him, his courage, his reserved personality, and even his short temper. She loved all of those quirks and more. Of course there was the fact that he went to hell and back to rescue her. As cliché as that sounded it really did woe her and made her love him even more if that was possible.

That didn't mean she totally ignored his broad shoulders or his defined muscles (which she couldn't help, but noticed she healed him in Hueco Mundo after his fight with Ulquiorra). His scowl gave him a rugged and bad boy attitude that she couldn't resist. Then when he smiled sincerely it gave him this tranquil look that. It took all of her strength not to run up and kiss him when he smiled at her like that. Yes she did appreciate his physical characteristics. Maybe there was that one dream she had about him once or twice, but she couldn't control her subconscious.

"Yeah I figured as much," Tatsuki said smugly.

"Well there are a few dreams I've had," she whispered just low enough for Tatsuki to hear. Said girl smirked at her, making her regret revealing that bit of info to her. '_She's never going to let me live this down.' _

"I knew you were holding back on me," the tom body continued to speak smugly. "I don't suppose I can get you to describe those dreams to me," she joked.

Orihime not seeing the humor in Tatsuki's words became the incarnation of bashfulness itself. "Tatsuki-chan! I am not going to tell you about those dreams!"

"What dreams?"

The healer's body went completely rigid. There was just no way life would so cruel as to have Ichigo show up when she was having this….mortifying conversation with her best friend. '_Please be my imagination, please be my imagination, please be my imagination,' _she repeated her mantra, hoping that if she said it enough times it would make it true. Gathering up all of her courage, the red head princess slowly turned around to find the man who was the topic of their conversation staring at her with interest. It was official life loved to tease her. "Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted in surprise.

"Yo," he greeted the girls. "What dreams are you two talking about?" he asked again.

"Oh, what where we talking about?" she repeated. He nodded his head. "We were….umm just talking about….my umm…. strange dream about me being chased by giant cake."

Tatsuki shook her head while looking at her best friend as though she lost her mind. The sad thing was that even though Orihime's lie was horribly unconvincing, she was just odd enough that someone would buy that excuse.

As if to prove her point Ichigo nodded at her without batting an eye. He knew Orihime well enough to know that the girl before him had unusual dreams and that trying to interpret them was best left to a therapist. "Tatsuki, why are you here? I thought you had karate practice after school?" he questioned.

"Yes, Tatsuki-chan, why are you here?" Orihime joined Ichigo. This was the perfect time to get a little pay back on her friend for her earlier actions.

"Oh that, well practice is starting a bit late, so I decided to keep Orihime company until you dragged your sorry ass here," she replied.

Annoyance hit Orihime. She couldn't believe how easily Tatsuki could lie when she tripped over her own tongue when she had to lie.

"Well I'm here now. Go off to your practice before you get in trouble."

Tatsuki scuffed at his nonchalant attitude. "Like I need you to tell me that," she said. "You just take care of Orihime and be nice to her. She doesn't have to share her notes with you."

His classic scowl made its appearance. "Like I need you to tell me that," he mimicked her previous response. He threw his bag behind his shoulder then turned to the healer. "You ready to go, Inoue?"

"Yes," she replied.

The odd pair was off on their journey. Tatsuki continued to watch them until they were out of sight.

"Not going to watch the fruits of your labor."

Tatsuki jumped at sound of the voice. She found the reserved Quincy besides her. "Ishida, how long have you been there?"

"I just got here a few seconds ago actually," he revealed.

She sighed in relief. '_Good,' _she thought. It was bad enough that Ichigo nearly heard her conversation with Orihime, but if Ishida heard it there was no way Orihime would forgive her.

"Something wrong Arisawa-san?" he asked.

"Oh nothing is wrong at all." She shook her head lightly while trying to disguise the nervousness she was feeling. Her glasses clad friend observed her curiously, but he said nothing. The good thing about Uryu was that he did not pry into people's business. In the short time she had known him, she had found the rumors of him being stuck up genius were fabricated (for the most part anyway).

He was good listener and cared about his friends deeply, but like Ichigo he tended to hide behind a neutral demeanor. It was no wonder the two of them were friends, they were so similar that it was scary. Though she knew that neither one of them would even admit to there even being a minuscule chance of having any similarities. The pair's earlier argument from today flashed into her mind. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked him.

"I was on my way home," he answered her in his even tone. "What about you? You usually spend time with Inoue-san after the two of you walk together."

Surprised by the Quincy's keen attention to details, the second strongest woman in Japan raised her eyebrow to show she was impressed. "Well aren't you full of surprises," she jested.

"Just what are you implying, Arisawa-san?" He had the same accusing gaze that Orihime had moments ago.

"Well the way you refused to give Ichigo your notes to give Orihime a chance to spend more time with him was definitely surprising. I never pictured you as being the type of person who would play match maker."

Ishida snorted at her comment. "Your instinct was correct. I am not the type of person to play match maker."

Confusion fell on Tatsuki's face. "I don't understand. Why did you want Orihime to give Ichigo her notes?"

"You've noticed it too right?" He stopped to see if she was following him. However she looked lost. "Have you noticed how strangely Inoue-san has been acting this passed month?" he elaborated his question.

Realization cast aside her confusion as her eyes widened and mouth opened. "Yeah, I've been noticing her odd behavior. I mean odd for Orihime," she added. "But up until now I thought…."

"….Kurosaki being absent and in coma was the reason for her odd behavior," he finished for her.

She nodded her head. Obviously there was more going on with their Hime than any of them had realized. "Does this have anything to do with that guy who kidnapped her? What was his name?"

"Ulquiorra," he replied darkly. He had more of his fill of the Espada even though he only met him briefly compared to Kurosaki or Inoue. Hatred swirled into the man's heart at the thought of cuatro. The way he spoke to Inoue absolutely disgusted him. There also the way he taunted her by using Kurosaki which was despicable. The man had no sense of chivalry what so ever. He despised anyone who treated women poorly, but anyone who could inflict such suffering on someone as kind as Inoue, earned a whole new level loathing.

"Ishida," Tatsuki brought him out of his thoughts.

He noticed that she had the same concern that Orihime had on her face so many times. '_I guess Inoue-san must have rubbed off on her.' _"I think that he is part of the problem, but there is more to it than that," he continued as though he didn't stop at all.

"There is more to this than you are letting on." Her tone wasn't accusing or even angry. It was shockingly calm and even.

He put his head down, suddenly finding the ground more interesting. Arisawa was right there was more than what they told her and the others. Not even Kuchiki, Abarai, or Sado knew what happened outside of the dome of Los Noches. None of them knew about Kurosaki's transformation.

"Ishida." This time her tone was ore stern. Most would associate her tone with a scolding mother.

An internal battle was waging on within the Quincy. One side was represented revealing what happened to Ichigo in Hueco Mundo and the other side championing on keeping her ignorant on the whole matter. He and Inoue never even talked about what happened and since Kurosaki had just woken up he didn't get to speak to him about it. How could he simply talk to Arisawa about this? She wasn't there so how could she understand the terror he felt as he watched Kurosaki brutally destroyed the cuatro? What if this changed how she perceived Kurosaki? He didn't want to be responsible for creating a rift between Kurosaki and his eldest friend.

"Ishida, please," she pleaded.

One look into her eyes which exuded such apprehension and the war was over. He had no choice but to tell her. "I'm sure Inoue-san told you how Kurosaki fought Ulquiorra to rescue her." She silently replied with a quick nod. "Well Ulquiorra was stronger than we imagined, much stronger. He completely overwhelmed Kurosaki in their battle, so Inoue-san wanted to go to him to try and help him. I took her to him and when we got there, we saw him holding up Kurosaki defeated. That bastard took notice of us and he told Inoue-san she was in time to see Kurosaki die."

He paused again when he heard Tatsuki gasp. "He fired a cero." When Tatsuki gave him another lost look he decided to explain what a cero was. "Cero is a huge burst of energy, made from reiatsu."

With her new found understanding she urged him to go on.

"The cero went right through Kurosaki's chest and it looked bad. I was sure he was dead…"

"Oh my god!" she interrupted. Tatsuki was unsure what she was so surprised about. Once she heard the story from that man in the hat and sandals and Orihime's explanation she knew that they were in grave danger, but it never hit home just how much danger they were actually in until now. "And Orihime saw this. The poor girl must have been crushed."

That was an understatement. He could still clearly see just how broken Inoue was when they watched Kurosaki fall. That scream still haunted him in his dreams. "I held him off, while Inoue-san went to heal Kurosaki, but things went bad. Ulquiorra severed my left hand and Inoue-san's power wasn't working for some reason. She panicked and cried out for Kurosaki to save us and that's when it happened."

"It," she repeated.

"Kurosaki was somehow healed, but he transformed into some kind of hollow like form. He quickly turned the tables on Ulquiorra, but he wasn't fighting him anymore. He was destroying him."

"That doesn't sound like Ichigo. Even on his worst day he'll just beat the crap out of someone."

"I've never seen anything like this before. It was like he was possessed. Once Kurosaki defeated him, he proceeded to try and hack his body up, but I got in his way. I tried to convince him to stop, but that's when he stabbed me."

"What? Ichigo would never…."

"It wasn't him exactly. He wasn't in his right mind at the time," he tried to convince her. He and Kurosaki may have pretended to hate each other, but he knew deep down that Kurosaki would never intentionally harm him or any of their friends. _'What attacked me was that hollow not Kurosaki,' _he thought. "He turned to Inoue-san…."

"Oh god, please tell me he didn't hurt Orihime!"

"No that was the furthest thing from his mind. He told her that he was going to save her. He transformed to save her Arisawa-san, even in that warped state he was in he retained enough of himself to recognize Inoue-san. To him I was a threat to her safety."

Engrossed by Ishida's tale and unsure what to say to the revelation Tatsuki stood there and remained silent. She knew how protective Ichigo was of his loved ones, but this was an entirely new level. He attacked Ishida, but he told Orihime that he would save her. What made her different from Ishida? Didn't Ishida say that Orihime asked Ichigo to save both of them? According to him the transformed Ichigo's only concern was for Orihime's safety. '_This is odd. I wonder what that means?' _she thought.

"After he said that he renewed his interest in me. He was preparing to fire a cero at me when Ulquiorra attacked him. I'm not really sure what happened, but Kurosaki returned to his normal self and shortly after that Ulquiorra died from the injuries that the berserk Kurosaki inflicted. He was pretty shaken up afterwards."

"I bet he was." Ichigo hated when any of his friends got hurt, especially if he felt he was the cause. Now that he or rather his body had actually done the damage to one of his friends he must have felt broken.

"That's when Inoue-san stepped in."

_Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu had watched Ulquiorra turn into ashes and scattered across Hueco Mundo by the wind. The three friends simply stayed were they were at, each one of them lost in their own thoughts. They were unsure of what they should say to one another and how to cope with the situation at hand. Uryu was using his remaining hand to stich up the large hole in his abdomen, which was stained with blood, his blood._

"_Ishida," Ichigo finally spoke. He did not speak in his usual loud or aggressive tone. This tone was low and so flat, almost like he was dead. "You alright?" he asked in the same defeated voice._

_It made the Quincy sick to hear his rival so….pathetic. Where was the man who boasted that he would save everyone? The one who told him to protect Inoue even if he had to use his body? This man before him was not Kurosaki; no this was shell of the man he knew. "I'm fine."_

"_Are you kidding me? You are anything, but fine. Your left hand is missing and you are bleeding pretty badly." Each word he spoke was laced with self-loathing and regret. There was a long awkward silence. Neither he nor Inoue knew what to say to him. "I did that?" he finally said breaking the silence._

_Uryu snorted. "You are giving yourself too much credit. Most of these injuries are from that arrancar, Ulquiorra." He tried to play it off as if he was annoyed. He was hoping that if he acted like he didn't care that Kurosaki would follow suit and they would go back and forth with their usual banter._

"_But I stabbed you. That was my sword in your stomach." _

_Much to Uryu's dismay Kurosaki was still in his funk. "Look Kurosaki I don't know what happened, but get over it. It wasn't you who was in control. I don't blame you, so wipe that pathetic look off your face." If that didn't piss him off and get him back to his usual self than he was out of ideas._

"_Is that suppose to make me feel better? I lost control of my body and what's worse I can't even remember what just happen." His tone remained as hollow as it was before. "I could have killed you, or Inoue. What kind of person hurts his own friends?"_

"_Kurosaki," Uryu said helplessly._

"_It wasn't suppose to be this way. After I trained with them I should have gotten rid of him once and for all! But that didn't happen! I lost control again and this time I hurt you guys!" he screamed. Although his voice had risen, his tone was still so barren. "I'm no better than Ulquiorra or Grimmjow or even Aizen. I would have killed all of you and not even cared," he said the last part barely above a whisper._

_Uryu was at lost at what to do. Kurosaki was beating himself up and no amount of insults would snap him out of it. What could he do?_

"_You're wrong," a small voice said. _

_Ichigo and Uryu turned their attention to the woman they had come to rescue. She stood there with tears still fresh from her ordeal._

"_Inoue," Ichigo called._

"_You're wrong Kurosaki-kun. You are nothing like them. Like Grimmjow or Ulquiorra or Aizen. You are a kind and gentle soul, who wants the people he loves to be safe. Grimmjow just wanted to fight you to settle a vendetta. That's why he forced me to heal you. I saw you fight him with such conviction that you would win and then take me, Ishida-kun, Kuchiki-san, Sado-kun, and Abarai-san home. You raced here to save me from Ulquiorra, you fought for me. You even refused to wear your mask because you didn't want me to get harmed."_

_She paused to wipe away new tears from forming. "You saved us from him, Kurosaki-kun. You did everything within your power to save all of us, to save me. I should be saying sorry to you for making you go so far."_

"_Inoue/Inoue-san," the vizard and Quincy said in unison._

_She looked him straight in the eyes, making sure he was listening to her. "You are a kind and gentle person, Kurosaki-kun. And you think you are anything like them. You are not someone who fights for the sake of fighting like Grimmjow. You care about the people around you and understand what a heart is unlike Ulquiorra. You aren't cruel and self-serving like Aizen. If you were anything like them you wouldn't be hurting so much for harming Ishida-kun."_

_Uryu's eyes went to Kurosaki's direction. Thankfully he stopped beating himself up long enough to listen to Inoue's words. _

"_Thank you Kurosaki-kun. Thank you for rescuing me and keeping your promise."_

"_My promise," he said dumbly._

"_Come here so that I can heal you," she said._

"_I'm fine. Heal Ishida first he is much worse than me."_

"_No, I have to heal you first." Both men looked at her strangely. Neither of them had the faintest idea on why she was so insisted about healing Ichigo first. "Don't you sense that, from down below. Kuchiki-san and the others are fighting someone really strong. They need you! I have to heal you so you can go down there and rescue them!" she defended._

"_Inoue…"_

"_That's what you want to do right? You want to rescue Kuchiki-san and Sado-kun because that is the type of man you are. That's why I admire you so much. I wish I was as strong as you Kurosaki-kun, that way I could put an end to all the fighting and we could just go home," she confessed._

_The orange haired vizard walked up to her. He had an unfamiliar gleam in his eyes that Uryu couldn't understand why it was there. He collapsed on the ground and allowed Inoue to heal him. Strangely Uryu felt as though he were intruding on the pair. _

"_Inoue," Kurosaki finally spoke again._

"_Yes," she answered._

"_I promise you that I will end all of the fighting so we can go home. I swear I'll keep this one to you."_

_Again they were talking about a promise. He definitely felt out of place now. Inoue smiled at Kurosaki and he actually smiled back. After she was done she told him that his reiatsu would take time to return and asked him to be careful. Kurosaki waved at her than jumped down to the dome. After seeing him off she returned to him and began to heal him._

"That was the last time we saw Kurosaki before we went to the Soul Society," he finished his story.

Tatsuki was speechless. She was truly impressed with Orihime; she was not the same cry baby who couldn't take care of herself anymore. She had calmed Ichigo down and even renewed his faith in himself. '_That's my girl,' _she thought.

"There is something there between those two, a special kind of bond. Kurosaki is the best person to get it out of her. That's the reason I helped push Kurosaki to Inoue-san." He turned around and walked off, leaving Tatsuki alone with her thoughts.

'_Ichigo, please help Orihime. You may be the only person who can.'_

* * *

The door to her apartment opened up and the two carrot top teens walked in. The place had looked the same the last time Ichigo was there with the exception of the giant television that Histugaya and Matsumoto had brought with them to communicate with the Soul Society. He frowned as he remembered Yamamoto ordered him to stay in Karakura Town and abandon Inoue. He was grateful that television was gone. It would have just brought back bad memories. The ex-substitute slipped of his shoes on the welcoming mat and followed his study partner.

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, but I haven't gotten the chance to go shopping yet. I don't have any snacks or refreshments to give you," she said apologetically.

"It's no problem. That just means fewer distractions for me. I really have to get to work soon."

"Right," she said. Thankfully he was not offended by her lack of food or drinks. However her place was still a mess. She hadn't gotten around to cleaning up the mess that hurricane Rangiku had left when she stayed at her place a month ago. Orihime had spent most of her time either with Tatsuki or at Ichigo's house last month waiting for him to wake up.

There were clothes scattered all over her place. The clothes were what Rangiku had bought and then gotten bored with. Her solution to getting rid of clothes that she no longer fancied was throw them all over her apartment. She loved Rangiku she really did, but the elder woman had not one shred of manners. Now Orihime was the one paying the price. '_He probably thinks I'm such a slob.'_

"I am sorry for the mess. I haven't gotten around to cleaning up yet." The anxiety in her voice was so apparent that even Ichigo detected it.

"Hey it's no problem. I know you had Matsumoto living with you and she is….." He knew that Orihime was friends with the blonde, so he tried to find words that did not sound insulting. "….careless with other people's belongs." '_That doesn't sound too bad.' _He mentally patted himself on the back. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Inoue's feelings.

"Phew," she breathed out silently. Life had finally given her a break by making Ichigo understanding enough of her situation. '_Thank goodness he does not think a bad hostess or a slob,' _she thought happily.

The pair walked over to Orihime's table which was clear of any clothing or mess. It was the only spot that Orihime cleaned off. She thought that she needed a place to eat and do her homework at so she made time to clear it off when she returned to school. Orihime got on her knees and placed her bag down. She used her hands to motion Ichigo to follow her lead. He did as he was instructed and sat down beside her, leaving only a few inches between them. Being this close to him made the butterflies in her stomach twist and turned, like they were throwing a raging party.

"Are you alright Inoue?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Your face got all red for second. I thought maybe you were coming down with a bug or something."

'_Not again. Please body no more blushing around Kurosaki-kun.' _She really hoped that her body would listen to her mental command. "I felt flushed for a moment. It's nothing serious though."

Accepting her answer, he opened his bag and retrieved his books and papers. While he placed his books on the table he found something that caught his eye. '_Is that…. No way, I can't believe Inoue would like that.' _He was about to question Orihime until he saw that she was getting her own notes out and decided to wait for her to finish setting up. Once she put the last note book on her table he preceded it with his question.

"Inoue, do read Z the King of Tamers?" he asked her, unable to hide the surprise in his tone.

She froze at the mention of the manga title. '_How does he know about that?' _The healer searched her table until she found the book that would lead to her ruin. '_I forgot I left that there this morning! Its ok maybe he was just making general conversation. But he sounded surprised, when he said it. He thinks it's stupid and that I am childish for liking something like that. This is all Tatsuki-chan's fault! If she hadn't tried to set me up for this study date than he never would have found out I like Z the King of Tamers! What if he makes fun of me now or if he stops talking to me? I'll just die if starts to ignore me.'_

"Inoue, did you hear me?"

His voice brought the panicking girl out of her dreadful thoughts. What was she going to do? She couldn't say no when he obviously saw a volume of it on her table. There was no way she could just ignore him less she wanted him to think her rude. Orihime was trapped between a rock and a hard place. "Yes, I heard you Kurosaki-kun. I was just wondering why you wanted to know." That was perfect. She just needed to feel him out a little bit. If he said no reason than she could just play it off and pretend no. If he said because he saw the manga volume on her table than that would complicate things for her.

"I saw that," he pointed to the title on her table, much to her dismay.

'_Why does life hate me?' _she asked herself. There was no way she could lie about this and say it was someone else's. For one she was the only person who lived here. Two being that her last roommates did not exactly spell manga reader types like Rukia was. She took a breath and braced herself for his reaction. "Yes, I read Z the King of Tamers," she answered in low tone.

Like she was expecting his expression turned into a surprised one. If her face was burning before than it must have been exploding now, she wished that she could just go hide under a rock or in space somewhere.

"That's cool. I didn't think anyone I knew actually read it besides me."

This time it was her turn to be surprised. "What?"

"I've been reading it since it came out in the weeklies," he revealed. "Keigo doesn't get it and Mizuiro and Tatsuki don't find it interesting at all. Chad just isn't a manga kind of guy. It sucks when you have no one to talk to you know."

Orihime could not believe her ears. He, Kurosaki Ichigo the master of all that is serious and hater of silly things actually liked Z the King of Tamers! This had to be some kind of sign from fate or something. What were the odds that out of all their friends they were the only ones who liked that?

He continued, "So who's your favorite character?"

"Shuichi without a doubt!" she said with a little more enthusiasm than she intended to.

"No way, you actually like that arrogant, conceited brat? He is so annoying."

"You just don't understand him," she argued. "He comes off as conceited guy, but he really cares about his friends. He's changed a lot since he met Z."

"Name one thing that's changed."

"Remember when he got Yoko as his new partner?"

"Yeah, go on," he urged.

"Before he actually tamed him, he made friends with him. He tried to help him save his people from Gaito. He didn't do it just to tame Yoko. He did it to help him because he felt something. At the end of the arc Yoko joined forces with him and he was so surprised, but he tried to play it off like he didn't care. The old Shuichi would have just taken Yoko by force and made him his partner, but after meeting and fighting with Z and Starstream he learned the value of friendship and became more caring. Any person who can change like that is just inspiring."

He was stun. Never before had he ever looked at Shuichi like that before. The character pissed him off so much that he had totally missed the evolution of the character. A small smile formed on the usually scowl laced face. '_It figures she would like him. Inoue is so kind that she believes that anyone can change regardless of what they did. I don't know if that is good or bad thing. But I do know it takes more strength to not harm someone than it does to harm them. In that regard she's stronger than me. If I had been through what she went been through I would hate the world. Yet she's the one who thinks I am strong. That's a joke.'_

"Who is your favorite character?" she asked.

"Mine is Z. When that guy sets his mind to it there is nothing that can stop him. I admire how he never falters in the face of adversity. No matter who he fights he'll never back down and he'll keep going until he reaches his goal and becomes king of the tamers."

"He's a lot like you," she said in realization.

Ichigo snorted at her claim. "I'm not like Z. I'm far from it. I mess up a lot and when things look bad I give up. I'm not as strong as him."

"That's not true. Kurosaki-kun is the strongest person I know." He turned away from her seemingly ignoring her comment. "You always keep trying even when things look bad. When you set your mind to do something you do it."

"If that were true I would have kept my promise to you," he whispered.

"What did you say?"

"I said that I've just gotten lucky. There was so many times I almost got all of you killed." His mind took back to that day lost control of his body, the day he defeated Ulquiorra, and the day he nearly killed Ishida. His eyes narrowed in shame. "Inoue if I hurt you, you would say something right?" he asked hesitantly.

Baffled by her savior's question all Hime could do was stare blankly at the back of his head. "I don't understand Kurosaki-kun. Why would you ever hurt me?"

"I wouldn't, at least not intentionally. But if I lost control of my body then maybe I would…." He stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

Now she knew where he was going with this. He was still bothered by what happened on the tower. He still felt guilty about harming Ishida and now he thought he had hurt her. Her conscious flared up. He wouldn't have transformed if it weren't for her. All of those painful memories wouldn't be plaguing him. She couldn't let him carry this around. It wasn't his responsibility to bear it was her's and she was going to do something about it.

"You didn't hurt me Kurosaki-kun." Even though his back was still to her she could tell by his body language that he was listening. "You just wanted to save me. When you….lost control and attacked Ishida-kun you turned to me…."

"What did I do?" he shouted turning around to look at her. His eyes were polluted with fear, anger, and concern all at the same time. "Inoue, I'm so sorry for hurting you. I promised I would protect you and instead I ended up hurting you!"

"But you didn't hurt me!" she interrupted his rant. "Do you know what you did? You looked at me and you said you would save me. Even transformed all Kurosaki-kun could do was think about my safety. You hurt Ishida-kun because you thought he was going to harm me. You weren't in your right mind. Ishida-kun knows that and I know that. You think you didn't keep your promise to me, but it was because of your promise that you went so far. That's the kind of person you are Kurosaki-kun."

He said nothing. Instead he just sat there and listened to her.

"Please stop blaming yourself. I am fine I promise you there is nothing you did to harm me." She gazed into his brown orbs. They glistened with all of the remorse, self-loathing, and pain he was feeling.

"Are you sure I didn't harm you?" he asked again.

"There is nothing you did that harmed me Kurosaki-kun." She hoped that he was truly listening to her.

He stared into her eyes and saw sincerity, compassion, and most importantly forgiveness. It warmed his heart. She saw in him what he himself did not see. She saw a devoted man whom would do anything for his friends. She looked through all of his flaws and mistakes. She saw the man he wanted to be rather than the one he was. For that he could not even begin to express his gratitude.

"Inoue." The orange haired healer kept her gaze on him. "Thank you for telling me that. I'm glad I didn't hurt you, but I'm still sorry you had to see that. I'll make you a new promise."

"You don't have to Kurosaki-kun." There was no need for him to put any more burdens on himself. He shouldn't have to.

He ignored her and continued. "I promise you that I will be the man that you see me as. Even if I fail or stumble I swear I will keep trying."

"Kurosaki-kun, you don't have to do that for me."

"It's not for you, at least not entirely. I want to see that man that you see me as looking back at me in the mirror. I'll definitely keep this promise."

A laugh escaped her lips. "Kurosaki-kun already kept his promise to me, all three of them."

His eye brow rose in questioningly at her. '_What is she talking about I never kept any of my promises to her.'_

Her lips curved into a u shape, smiling beautifully. Unbeknown to her the smile made his heart stop. "You protected me just like you promised. You stayed alive just like I asked you too. And then you ended all of the fighting and took us all home."

"Inoue," he said for what felt like the tenth time that day.

"See you are just like Z after all." Her smile grew wider.

Seeing how much faith Orihime had in him and her revelation that he had indeed he kept his promises to her, brought him out of funk. He had indeed saved this girl who despite all reason still had such devotion in him. It was hard to believe that all came from a simple discussion about a stupid manga they both enjoyed.

"Oh that reminds me." Orihime got up from the floor and walked away, leaving him wondering where she was going. In mere seconds she returned with a stack of magazines. She dropped them on the table, causing him to jump.

"What's this?" He picked up the magazine. On closer expectation he saw that they were Weekly Shonen Jump.

"You missed a whole month of Z the King of Tamers and it will probably be hard to find back issues now. You can borrow mine and catch up."

His face lit up in excitement (as excited as Ichigo got anyway). "That's great Inoue, but you sure you won't miss this?"

"No I've read them all like five times already. Once you catch up on it then we could talk about it," she said excitedly. "Tatsuki-chan doesn't read it, so I have nobody to talk about it with."

"That sounds good to me. Would be nice to talk about something I like for a change. Keigo and Mizuiro keep killing me with Don Kanonji show, but never want to talk about stuff I want. You have yourself a manga buddy."

She squealed in excitement.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "We can talk about it later, but right now I have to copy your notes."

"Oh right. Sorry, I totally got you side track when you should have been copying notes down."

"It's no big deal. I was the one who brought it up anyway. It's my fault not yours." He moved her manga aside for now and opened his notebook.

Orihime opened her own note book and put it besides Ichigo's notebook. The orange haired ex-substitute began to scribble down her words. Not wanting to distract him she decided to start the homework they had gotten today. The two of them sat there and doing their homework together just like she always dreamed, her study date was a success.

* * *

**The manga bit was inspired by chapter 429, when Ichigo tries to return a manga that he borrowed from Orihime and she insisted that he didn't need to return it right away. I figure hey they like the same manga, so I had to put that in here. Now there is no title given in the chapter, so I had make up one for the story. I couldn't go around saying manga in the story lol. Hey its cannon evidence they at least share some of the same hobbies, so I'm not complaining. I know I went back in forth between given names and surnames, sorry about that. My goal was for the surnames to be used when I was explaining what the charcaters were feeling or thinking and to use given names I was talking in general. Man I hope that made sense. I hope you guys like it. **


	4. Bearing the Burden: The Friendship

**Finals have just ended for me and I am looking forward to a nice long break. To be honest I wasn't sure I would get this chapter up this week because of studying, but luckily yesterday was a free for me so when I should have been studying I wrote this lol. This chapter introduces the lovable Kurosaki family! They are bring a necessary comedic touch for this chapter, but you'll see what I mean. **

**I can't say much, but more Ichigo drama, which I am sure people are tired of, but I have to write it. I want to keep him in character as much as I can and he tends to be a downer and a little self-centered when he feels guilty or sad. Once again please bear with me. Thank you to everyone who read this. 500 views in one day blew my mind away. Looks like I am doing something right to at least capture people's interest. Hopefully I keep it up.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did would I be writing this fan fiction? **

* * *

"Where is Ichigo?" screamed the energetic and lively voice of Kurosaki Isshin. The shinigami turned physician jumped onto his dining table, putting his right hand above his eyebrows trying to increase the range of his vision. He turned his head left than moved it right, conducting a search for his son, despite him not being within eye shot.

"Good grief. Why can't you ever just act your age?" asked the disinterested voice of Karin. She was sitting at their dining table trying to eat her meal in peace. However her father had ruined all hopes of that when he jumped on the table to start his ridiculous search for her brother.

Isshin started to whine at Karin's criticism. "You are too cold Karin. Why can't you ever have daddy's back?" he whined.

"Because you do stupid things that I cannot in good conscious support," Karin revealed, while continuing with her meal.

Isshin sank down to his chair, his whining grew louder, and water began to stream down his eyes. He pulled his legs up to his chest and put his head down as though he were a child who was just scolded by his parent. "Children should not call their fathers stupid," he whispered.

"Karin," came the scolding tone of the youngest and yet most responsible member of the Kurosaki family, Yuzu. "You know how he gets. Why do you have to hurt his feeling?" Yuzu's maternal side came out. She walked out of kitchen in her apron. Her face scrunched into its scolding frown.

Karin shrugged her shoulders; she still wore her straight and bored expression. "He's a man and our father Yuzu. It should take a lot more than that to hurt his feelings. Besides aren't you the less bit embarrassed that you are more mature than your own father?"

The light haired twin's eye brows rose up and her mouth opened slight; getting into her thinking position. "Well…."

"See it does bother you as much as it does me and Ichigo," Karin insisted. The two girls turned their attention to their father whom was still sulking in his chair, completely oblivious to his daughters' conversation.

Putting her right index finger to her chin, the light brunette recalled all of her memories of her father, trying to find at least one moment when he was serious. The only times she ever seen her father serious was on the anniversary of her mother's death and she caught him with a solemn look on his face. He only had that look on when he was sure that none of them were watching him. The other times were when he was looking over a patient at the clinic. Despite her father's goofy nature he took his job as a doctor very seriously.

That was it his job. "Dad takes his job as a physician very seriously," she defended him from her more cynical twin. She gave a triumphed smile.

Karin snorted. "Still he could be a little more mature when it comes to being a dad. Honestly it is embarrassing that I act more mature than my own father."

"I guess you do have a point," she finally conceded. "Where is Ichigo?" Yuzu had finally taken notice that her eldest sibling was nowhere to be found. She moved her head to her left then to her right, mimicking her father's earlier actions.

"He's not home yet, Yuzu." Karin put her bowl down on the table again now that her father was stationary.

Worry set in on the youngest Kurosaki sibling. "He's usually home by now." Her eyes went to her sulking father to her neutral sister. "Do you think we should look for him?" she asked them.

Karin sighed causing Yuzu to look at her questioningly. "What?" Yuzu asked her sister.

"Yuzu, Ichigo is old enough to take care of himself. He'll be back when he feels like it."

Karin's lack of interest both annoyed and angered Yuzu. How could Karin care so little about their older brother? He disappeared for a month and did not explain to either of them where he went. For all she knew Ichigo could have died. Did Karin even care? All month Karin just said Ichigo would be back when he felt like it and her father seemed to be ok with Ichigo's disappearance. They were just too carefree for her liking. They already lost mom, they didn't need to lose Ichigo too.

"But Onii-chan could be seriously hurt. What if he is hoping that we go look for him and we don't because we assume he's just staying out late?"

The black haired girl shrugged her shoulders again. "If he is in serious trouble someone would find him and bring him to the hospital," she countered.

Yuzu's anger only intensified. "Karin, don't you even care about our brother at all?" she screamed, causing both Karin and Isshin to look at her in surprise.

Karin's feature revealed more of her surprise than her father's, whose face surprisingly went from shock to straight in mere seconds. "Yuzu," she said.

Realizing that her outburst had created an awkward atmosphere in the room, Yuzu tried to rein in her feelings of uneasiness. "I'm sorry Karin. I am just really worried about Ichigo. He was missing for month and afterwards he was in coma for such a long time." Her frown grew and her eyes dropped. She felt a warm protective hand pat her shoulder. Yuzu looked up to see her father. "Dad," she uttered.

Isshin smiled at his youngest daughter, not his usually goofy smile, but a sincere one. He looked her right in the eyes trying to ease her of her worries. The truth was he was never a very good at being a strict or reassuring kind of parent. Masaki was the one with the sage like wisdom. He was the one who could bring a smile to his children's faces when they were feeling down, so when Yuzu took on Masaki's role he convinced himself it was for the best.

That he would have been terrible at trying to do Masaki's role of care taker and stable of the Kurosaki family. At times like this when Yuzu would let her mask of nurturing mother crack and she allowed the innocent little girl she truly was out, made the former shinigami feel incredible guilty. "Yuzu, I promise you that your brother is alright. He's just a little late nothing more." He spoke in uncharacteristically even and yet reassuring tone. He hoped that for once his fatherly voice was not lost on them.

"You really think so?" Yuzu still looked uncertain about her father's claim.

Isshin closed his eye lids and smiled in a manner that was akin to his orange haired son. "I promise you Yuzu." To his joy Yuzu's lips curved into a small smile. Her eyes brighten, restoring the shine that normally resided in them.

The black haired twin could not help but smile herself. Just when she thought she had her old man figured out and he did something that was actually fatherly. 'I guess you are not all bad,' she thought.

The front door opened causing the three Kurosakis to jump out of their seats and go to the living room.

"Hey, I'm home!" Ichigo called out. He closed the door and made his way to his house, after taking off his shoes. "Sorry, I'm late, but I…." before he could finish a knee cap collided straight into his face, the force was so great that it pushed him back to the door. "What the hell!" he cried out in both annoyance and pain.

"Ichigo you are late!"

Ichigo didn't need to look up; he knew who the culprit was as soon as the knee hit his face. "Damn it old man! What if you broke my nose?" He put his hands together and rubbed his nose, trying to assess the damage.

Isshin looked unsympathetic to his son's plight. He shook his head and waged his finger in a lecturing manner. "A broken nose is nothing compared to a broken heart," he stated in a matter of fact tone.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Ichigo continued to yell. Isshin responded by throwing his fist at Ichigo's face. This time the orange haired teen was prepared; he caught his father's fist and then retaliated by throwing his own fist. Unfortunately for Isshin, but to Ichigo's pleasure his fist hit its mark, landing squarely on Isshin's nose and sent him flying across the room. Karin and Yuzu arrived just in time to see their father crash to the ground.

"Oh no," Yuzu cried in panic. "Dad, Onii-chan stop fighting."

"Just leave them be Yuzu." Karin shook her head disapprovingly. Just when she was gaining some respect for father, this happened. "You know how they are like when they get started."

Karin was right of course. Isshin and Ichigo's fights/arguments couldn't be stopped. They had to run their course until they ended on their own. Yuzu sighed. "I know, but Onii-chan just came home and dinner is getting cold. This is the first time all four of us have been together in some time. I wanted us to have a nice normal family meal."

Karin felt like a real ass now. Here Yuzu was working on a big dinner along with the house work and her homework to celebrate Ichigo's awakening and Karin did not lift one finger to help. She just thought Yuzu was doing what she always did, playing mom. She was wrong. Yuzu wasn't acting maternal in this instance. She was acting like the girl she was; who just wanted her family to sit down and eat dinner together.

"I'm sorry Yuzu." Karin words were filled with remorse and guilt she had been feeling. Yuzu smiled at her and shook her head.

"It's ok Karin. I am just glad that everything is back to normal," she said truthfully. It was not the ideal family dinner she was hoping for, but it was definitely a Kurosaki dinner and that made it ten times better in her humble opinion.

"You've become stronger Ichigo. At least don't have to worry about you getting jumped." Isshin was on his feet in no time and jumped at Ichigo. Surprised by his father's counter attack Ichigo stood there, while Isshin head butted him.

"Ah!" he cried in pain. '_His skull is rock hard! It's almost as hard as Inoue's, almost. What's with this burst of energy? Usually when I hit the old man he goes down.' _

Isshin stood tall grinning at his son's fall. "I surprised did I? I am no longer holding anything back, now that I know you can take it! You are still a hundred years too early to take down your old man when he's serious," he bragged. The black haired physician let out mocking laugh.

"Damn you old man." Ichigo was still nursing his head. "Doing all these unnecessary things, when are you going to grow up?"

"That's my line Ichigo," Isshin shot back. Ichigo gave him a curious look. His son was obviously unaware of what he was talking about. "You should know better than to come home late without calling. I expect you to be a responsible man Ichigo."

Ichigo snorted loudly. His father, Kurosaki Isshin, the man who couldn't be responsible if his life depended on it was lecturing him on responsibility.

He frownedat Ichigo's lack of respect, which unnerved Isshin. Sure he was in no position to lecture his son about responsibility, but it was do as I say not as I do after all. "Ichigo, you were late and that made Yuzu worried. You were already gone for a month and in coma for another month. You should have known better than to be out so late without calling."

Ichigo turned his attention to Yuzu standing on the side. He was ashamed to say that he forgot about his youngest sister. The familiar feeling of guilt moved back in. Of course Yuzu would be worried about him being out so late. His gaze shifted to Karin. She had neutral and blank expression that she always wore, but Ichigo could tell that she had been worried about him being absent as well. This wasn't right he was their older brother. He was suppose to protect them from harm, not have them be worried about him.

"I'm sorry for not calling," he said much to everyone's surprise. "You guys don't have to be so surprised," he muttered under his breath. He stopped rubbing his head.

Isshin grinned widely. He was savoring his victory over Ichigo. This was mistake because he did not see Ichigo's foot which hit him directly in his stomach. The breath from the poor former shinigami was kicked out of him. He collapsed to the ground and tried to desperately grasp for oxygen. "W-what was that for?" Miraculously he was able to form words.

"That was for not calling my school and verifying my absences." He walked over to his father then elbowed him in the back, causing the elder man keel over in pain. Even though his old man was on the ground Ichigo found himself not caring one bit. "Ochi-sensei thinks I just ditched school and now she's given me a load of work as some kind of revenge. Thank you so much for that dad. Do you have any idea what it is like to catch up on two months of work and still have to keep up with the current load, which is also a handful?"

Isshin remained quiet, partly because he was still catching his breath and partly because he was afraid of son's continued retaliation.

"Thank god for Inoue letting me use her old notes or I would be in serious trouble here."

Suddenly the atmosphere of the room changed once again. Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu all glued their eyes on to Ichigo. Noticing his family's odd looks the ex-substitute crossed his arms in annoyance. He felt very uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting now. It felt like he was an animal in an exhibit. '_Next time I go to the zoo I will not gawk at the animals. All these stares are really starting to irritate me,' _he thought.

"What's with all the stares?" he finally snapped.

Yuzu was the first to speak. "Onii-chan, were you with Orihime-chan this whole time?"

Ichigo nodded his head. "That was the reason I was late. She let me copy down her notes, but there so much of them I could only copy down a few. I thought it would be pointless to go home and do homework when I was already copying notes down, so I stayed at Inoue's and did the work there," he explained. Instead of relieving the shocked expressions of his family, his words seemed to have only increased them. Even Karin who usually looked so disinterested about everything had her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly opened.

"Ichi-nii you were at Orihime's house, not the library?" Karin asked.

Once again Ichigo nodded his head. He still wasn't sure what the big deal was. Before he could ask Karin why she was so surprised their father jumped on his back. This time he did not seem to be attacking Ichigo, but rather hugging him (to Ichigo there wasn't much difference).

"Why didn't you just tell me you were at a girl's house?" asked the elder Kurosaki. His previous grins palled in comparison to the one he wore now. He increased the power of his grip in enthusiasm. "My son has become quite popular with the ladies. First Rukia and now Orihime! And you went to her place! Taking the initiative I see."

Mortified at what his father was insisting, Ichigo's cheeks began to burn red (like that time Matsumoto unbuttoned her shirt and he just got all red) "Shut up, it's not like that at all!"

His father was not listening to him at all. "I should discipline you for being late and staying over a girl's place un-supervised. But I cannot control the hormones of teenage boy. I cannot approve of your actions as a parent, but as a man I understand that you have needs. I will allow this, because I am such a cool dad."

His ears had to be playing tricks on him. They had to; there was no way his father would be so stupid as to talk about his sex life in front of his little sisters! Hell he couldn't even say he had a sex life! He just went over to study with a friend and his father made all kinds of assumptions. Ichigo couldn't even find the strength or courage to look at either Karin or Yuzu, but he could just picture their looks of disgust and horror.

"I told you it's not like that! We were just studying nothing more!" he tried again. Isshin continued on with his talk about men would be men and how he could relate to Ichigo. God he hoped his father wasn't going to tell them a tale about his mother. No child should ever have to hear or even think about their parents and that. '_No he wouldn't do that. Dad has more sense than to talk about mom in that way. Not in front of us. He wouldn't want to tarnish mom's image for us!' _

"Ichigo," the former shinigami called, bringing Ichigo outside of his head. "I need to talk to you about something very important."

The orange haired teen gazed into his father's eyes. The playfulness and mischievousness that was normally in his eyes had gone. He knew that his father was actually being serious.

"Ichigo," Isshin started again. "There is something that you need to know." Ichigo still had his eyes on him, giving him his fully attention. Catching sight of Karin and Yuzu, the former shinigami walked up to Ichigo and closed the gap between them so that his daughters could over hear them. He leaned his head into Ichigo's ear. "I have a pack of condoms for you to use," he whispered. He failed to notice that Ichigo turned into a very bright shade of red.

"If you are going to do this you need to be safe. I am way too young to be a grandfather. Don't worry these aren't old. As a physician I keep condoms stacked for some of my patients. Now this isn't a license for you to go around and do….." He didn't finish his sentence because his face met with Ichigo's face for a second time. The black haired man collapsed to the ground yet again, rolling around on the floor.

Karin and Yuzu shared a look of confusion. They wondered what their father had done now to anger their brother.

"GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!" he screamed so loud that the entire neighborhood heard him. They paid no attention to it. They had learned long ago that the Kurosaki family was a rowdy bunch.

"But I was just….."

"We were studying! Do you hear me? We were just studying!" He balled his hand into a fist and shook it menacingly. His eyes became like roaring fire that so strong that it could consume a forest.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard," complained Isshin.

"Ichigo," Karin called ignoring her father's sniffling. "You really didn't try anything with Orihime?"

"Karin, not you too!" he yelled in frustration. What was up with his family today? They never made a big when he went over to Tatsuki's house. Why was Inoue so different?

Yuzu followed her twin's lead. "Onii-chan, please tell us you were nice to Orihime-chan. She is such a nice girl I hope you didn't make her feel uncomfortable."

Dumbstruck by his youngest sister's comment the former vizard mouth fell open. "Yuzu, you are the one who is usually on my side. How could you think like those two?" He pointed at Isshin and Karin.

"Onii-chan," she continued.

"Nothing happened! Inoue was kind enough to lend me her notes when my other so called friends refused! I'm not some pervert who would take advantage of her like that!" His eyes went to Yuzu, then to Karin, and finally stopped on Isshin. "Can we please stop with all the accusations and eat?" he begged them. His family's lack of faith in his chivalry was deeply disturbing to him.

Satisfied with her brother's answer and finding no hint of deceitfulness in his words, Yuzu lead them back into the dining room. The group of four made their way to their seats and began to eat in silence. All of the hectic that Ichigo had experienced in the hallway seemed to have faded away.

"Onii-chan," Yuzu spoke lightly, but loud enough for Ichigo to hear.

"Yeah," he replied. He put his bowl down to give her his full attention. He still felt a pang of guilt for making her worried from before.

"Are you going to be late tomorrow as well?" she questioned.

"I'm afraid so," he replied. "I still have a whole bunch of work to do. I'll probably be getting in the same time as today. If you need to reach me just call Inoue's place, I'm sure she won't mind."

Yuzu let out of breath of relief. At least she knew where he was going to be. That made all the difference.

Seeing Yuzu relax brought a smile to Ichigo's face.

"If you are going to be this late you might as well eat at Orihime's house," Karin suggested. Ichigo looked at her as though she were crazy. "What?"

"Inoue's taste in food is….different from ours. Let's just leave it at that."

Isshin gave Ichigo a disapproving glare. "Ichigo, you should always eat a woman's cooking no matter how bad it is. Your mother was a terrible cook when she started off, but I ate every bite of it anyway. Sure there were a lot of stomach aches and trips to the bathroom, but it made her so happy to see me swallow every last bit of it. It worked out in the long run because I encouraged her to keep cooking she got a lot better and Yuzu inherit those skills."

"Nice story, but I fail to see what that has to do with me."

"If you are going to make Orihime your future wife you are going to have to endure her cooking," Isshin replied.

Ichigo swallowed his food prematurely, causing him to choke it down. He had pound his chest to make sure it went down.

"Onii-chan, are you alright?" Yuzu asked in her worried tone.

Ichigo ignored her and turned his attention to his father. "Stop saying stuff like that! Inoue and I are just friends."

The black haired man merely shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so, but you are fool if you do not see how beautiful she is. Plus she's totally in love with you," he said nonchalantly.

"What?" he half asked and shouted.

"Keep your voice down while we are eating Ichigo," lectured Yuzu.

Isshin continued with his meal before answering his short tempered son. "When you were in your coma she came over here every day. Honestly I think I saw her more than Rukia and she lived here."

Ichigo scuffed. "That doesn't mean anything. A lot of my friends were here visiting me."

"How would you know?" Karin asked. "I mean you were unconscious," she added.

"Keigo wouldn't shut up about all the times he visited me. When I woke up I saw, Chad, Ishida, Rukia, and Inoue all around me. It stands to reason the rest of my friends came to visit me to," he reasoned.

"Your friends came over, but the most frequent one was Orihime," Isshin revealed. "That poor girl looked absolutely heartbroken seeing you lay there. She would stay here for hours, every day."

This little bit of new surprised Ichigo. He expected Orihime to visit him every day, because she was just that kind. She would have done that for any of them, but to stay here for hours just to watch over him. She had definitely risen to the ranks of sainthood as far as he was concerned. "You are reading too much into it," he told his father. "Inoue would do the same for anyone."

He couldn't believe how dense his son was. How could he not know Orihime was in love with him? Hell he knew and he barely saw the girl. '_I hope I wasn't so blind when I was his age,' _he thought. He decided not to push the subject any further. Ichigo would discover Orihime's feeling in his own time. He just hoped Ichigo discovered them before he reached Isshin's age.

Karin shook her head at her brother's less than stellar observational skills. Anyone with half a brain could see that Orihime's feelings for were anything, but platonic. '_Boys are so stupid,' _she thought.

Even Yuzu could not defend her older brother this time. The man was totally oblivious. She liked Orihime ever since she met her when she and Karin played with Tatsuki all those years ago. The girl was kind, polite, a good listener, and she adored her brother. If Ichigo dated anyone she wanted it to be Orihime. She needed another girly, girl around. Karin was great sister and always looked out for her, but she could never really talk girl to girl with her. She ran into the same problem with Tatsuki and Rukia when they were over.

"Onii-chan, you should invite Orihime-chan over for dinner to thank her," she suggested hoping he would take the hint.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow to Yuzu. Something just seemed off about Yuzu's smile. "Yeah I guess I could do that," he said with uncertainty.

"Good, you should do something nice for her at least."

He groaned quietly. He could do without being nagged by his younger sister. He just nodded and went back to eating. '_Ask Inoue over for dinner. The last thing I need is for dad to make all his accusations and embarrassing me. No thank you. I'll think of another way to thank her,' _he thought.

* * *

A mighty yawn escaped from Orihime's mouth. Last night had been exhausting. Her nightmares were persistent as ever. It seemed like she was destined to have more sleepless nights and she had such a good day to. Ichigo was over her place, they talked about one of her favorite manga, and they did their homework together. It felt like they were real couple, if only that were true. He was so cute when he promised her that he would be the man she saw him as.

To her it was ridiculous he was already a great man. He was just too hard on himself to see it. '_Kurosaki-kun is much too hard on himself. I hope he feels better today,' _she thought. Another yawn came over her. She needed more than three hours of sleep, but every time she closed her eyes she would those cold and passionless eyes and hear that inhuman roar. She had told Ichigo to stop feeling guilty about what happened in Hueco Mundo, but she found herself still carrying her guilt with her.

A frown formed on her face. Would she ever be able to live this down or would she forever be haunted by the ghosts of her past?

"Hey, Orihime!" called a familiar voice.

The orange haired woman put on her smile and turned around to greet her best friend. "Good, morning Tatsuki-chan."

Tatsuki lips curved upside down in a small frown. Orihime's smile was fake. Ever since she had known Orihime she could tell when her pure hearted friend smile was genuine and when it was forced. When they were younger and people would tease her about her hair, she would always smile at Tatsuki and tell her she was alright. That smile had none of Orihime's charm or vibrant energy in it. Most people missed that, but Tatsuki didn't. Lately Orihime had been giving her that fake smile. '_I guess Ichigo didn't get her to talk.'_

Orihime noticed the frown and became worried. "Tatsuki-chan, are you alright?" her voice filled with concern.

Tatsuki frown turned into a slight smile. "Yes I am fine," she answered. "Orihime are you ok?"

"Yes, I am fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked her tomboy friend.

"You tell me," Tatsuki replied. She crossed her arms and stared Orihime down. She hoped that her gaze would make her friend break down and confess what had been bothering her, just like when they were younger.

'_Oh no, Tatsuki-chan is giving me that look,' _she thought. '_I'm not kid anymore that look has no power over me,' _she told herself. Orihime did her best to resist Tatsuki's piercing glare. "Tatsuki-chan there is nothing wrong with me."

"I hate when you lie to me," Tatsuki finally revealed. "It hurts me that you can't trust me enough to tell me what's wrong with you."

The guilt the healer was feeling earlier intensified. Not only had she forced Ichigo to become a monster to protect her, but now she was pushing away and hurting her best friend since middle school. "Tatsuki-chan…."

"Don't you dare say you are fine. For the last four weeks you have been acting odd. Sleeping in class, keeping everything bottled up, lying, you're always so sad now, and even your smile has lost its charm."

Orihime shocked to say the least. She was sure that she had masked all of the feelings of guilt and sadness well. However it seemed that Tatsuki was able to see through all of that.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened with Ichigo and that Ulquiorra guy?"

The red head princess remained silent. It wasn't that she wanted to lie to Tatsuki. She just couldn't explain what she was feeling now. How could you tell someone that you were the reason that one of her best friends was in a coma for a month? She averted her gaze from Tatsuki, choosing to look at the ground instead. "We'll be late for school if we don't hurry." She hoped that ended this conversation at least for now.

"Fuck school!" Tatsuki yelled. "Tell me what is wrong with you, Orihime! Please opened up to me like you always do," she pleaded.

"I can't," Orihime uttered.

"Why can't you?" she urged on. She placed her hands on Orihime's face and forced her to look her in the eyes.

Orihime looked directly into Tatsuki's eyes. She saw that her short haired friend's eyes were begging for her to let her in. "I just can't," she said again.

"Ishida told me what happened to Ichigo, how he changed to protect you." The brown orbs finally lit up, it was unfortunate that they only lit up in shock and not in joy as they normally did. "I am not going to give you some b.s. about how I know what you are going through because the truth is I have no idea what you are going through. Maybe you are just trying to protect me or you don't think I can understand, but I am here for you Orihime. Just please let me be there for you. I'm a pretty good listener if you remember," she joked hoping to ease the tension.

Her merit was not totally lost, because Orihime actually smiled at her, a real smile that she had not seen in a while. "You can't keep all of this in or you are going to exploded," she warned.

"I don't want to keep you out, but I don't want to burden you."

"Forget about me and think about yourself for once, Orihime. You cannot keep putting all of this burden on yourself. You need someone to help shoulder it for you."

"No, I don't want to rely on others to help me."

"Why not?" a frustrated Tatsuki yelled.

"I am tired of being helpless damsel who has to rely on other people to save her!" Orihime snapped back. Pushing Tatsuki's hands away from her and moving out of her grasp.

Tatsuki was taken aback by the healer's outburst.

Orihime continued, "All I did in Hueco Mundo was sit back and wait for other people to come rescue me and I am so sick of it! I am sick of other people getting hurt because of me! I am sick of being this weak little girl who can't do anything on her own! I am sick of causing all of my friends' grief! I am just sick of everything!"

"Orihime," was all Tatsuki could say. She had no idea what to say to that.

It felt good to unload some of what she had been feeling the last four weeks. She decided to keep talking and unleash more her pent up emotions. "It was my fault that Kurosaki-kun experienced so much pain. It was my fault! Doyou have any idea what it is like to cause the person you love so much that it hurts, so much stress and hurt?" she asked. Before Tatsuki could even say anything she went on. "Ishida-kun told you Kurosaki-kun transformed to protect me, but did he tell you how hurt he was afterwards? Did he tell you that he felt so guilty that he hurt him or that he hurt me that he couldn't even look me in the eyes? Or how Kurosaki-kun begged for my forgiveness for transforming into that thing yesterday?" Her voice had risen with every sentence.

"Tatsuki-chan, it kills me how he blames himself for what I caused! I am the one who begged him to save me, I was the one who made him made him make all of those impossible promises! I am the reason he can't see the person he loves! I am the reason he lost his shinigami powers! Everything is my fault! Is that what you want to hear? Is that what you want me to burden you with?" she screamed.

She collapsed into her best friend's arms and started to cry. She hated how always cried. It made her feel so weak and vulnerable and she didn't want to nor needed to be vulnerable. "Everything is my fault," she repeated.

Tatsuki didn't say anything. She hated to admit it, but she could not help Orihime through this. After hearing everything the compassionate healer had said she realized that Ishida was right. The only person who could help Orihime through this was Ichigo. All she could do is just be there for Orihime and allow her to cry on her shoulder until all her pent up emotions finally settled down. It was funny how a like Ichigo and Orihime were. They both blamed themselves for things beyond their control. Perhaps that was the reason Orihime was drawn to him.

"I don't want him to see me like this," she whispered to Tatsuki. "If he sees me like this he'll just blame himself. Can we please not go to school until I stop crying?"

"Of course we can," Tatsuki replied. "But we probably shouldn't miss the whole day if you don't want Ichigo to worry."

"I know. He is always worrying himself over me because he knows how weak I am."

Tatsuki frowned at Orihime. "That's not true Orihime. Ichigo does not think you are weak."

"Then why is he always worrying about me so much? He never worries about Sado-kun or Ishida-kun as much as he does me. He knows they can take care of themselves, but he knows I can't. I'm not strong like Kuchiki-san."

"Inoue Orihime, you are one of the strongest people I know."

Orihime looked up at her, giving her a look of disbelief. "Do I look so strong now?" There wasn't any sarcasm or edge in her voice. She just asked this simple question because she did not feel strong.

A small smile formed on Tatsuki's lips. "Yes, even now you look strong. What you don't realize is that there are all kinds of different strengths. Your strength isn't the same as Ichigo's or Ishida's or Sado's or Kuchiki's. You don't like to hurt people, but you are always there for them. You think it is weakness to not be able to harm someone, but you are wrong. Hurting people is easy, but being able to forgive them and move on is so much harder. It takes a lot of strength to be able to do that."

Orihime listened to the black haired woman's words, while her tears continued to pour out.

"It's true that there are some people who do not deserve forgiveness or will not change their ways. That does not mean you should throw away that kind heart of yours though." She rubbed the red head's back trying to sooth her. "Ichigo worries about you so much because of your heart. He doesn't want all of these hollows or arrancar to take that away from you. Like you said he wants to protect you because that's his nature. He always wants to protect people that are special to him. You shouldn't be sad you should be happy because that means you are special to him just like you wanted."

"Do you really think that?" Orihime finally looked up to Tatsuki.

"I know that," she replied. Her lips curved into her familiar reassuring smile.

Seeing Tatsuki smile at her evaporated some of the stress she was feeling. The healer returned the smile with one of her own. "Thank you."

"What are best friends for?" She continued to smile.

The two friends stayed in their embrace. The task of rebuilding their strained friendship had finally begun. "Doesn't it feel better now that you let all of that out?" Tatsuki asked.

"Actually it does feel better," Orihime agreed.

"You know what you'll feel even better if you tell Ichigo how you feel."

Orihime jumped out of Tatsuki's embrace and looked at her as though she had grown two heads. "I can't tell Kurosaki-kun. He's worried enough about me and besides I want to get over this on my own."

"Orihime, you won't get over this unless you talk with him."

"You don't know that. I just need more time," she insisted. However she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Tatsuki or herself. "Please don't tell him about this."

"Orihime…"

"Promise me Tatsuki-chan." Her voice had more force in it.

"Ha," Tatsuki breathed out. "I promise I won't tell Ichigo, but at least consider it."

The human goddess turned her back to Tatsuki, which confused her. Did that mean Orihime would not tell Ichigo or she would consider it? "Please consider it Orihime," she tried one last time.

Hearing the worry was still present in her best friend's voice Orihime nodded her head. "I'll consider it, but I don't think I can."

Satisfied with her response and tot wanting to press her luck any further Tatsuki decided to change the subject. "Speaking of Ichigo how was your study date?"

The mention of her study date brought a suppressed smile to the red head princess' face.

"It was that good huh?" Tatsuki asked in her smug tone.

"Kurosaki-kun likes Z the King of Tamers!" she blurted out. "When we took a study break we talked about and for once I wasn't nervous and didn't make a fool of myself!" she said excitedly.

Tatsuki's grin grew wider. "That's my girl!"

The two women chatted away excitedly. Both of them failed to notice that they were being watched by the observational eye of certain Quincy. It was stroke of chance that he decided to check on Orihime that day and stumbled on her confession to Tatsuki. Wanting to spare Orihime the embarrassment of being overheard by him and seeing some of the old Inoue return he decided to take a different route to school.

* * *

She wasn't here. He had just walked into class and the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't greeted by the usual "good morning, Kurosaki-kun" that he had become accustomed to for the past two years. Curios why she didn't say anything he searched for her to see what she was doing, but he didn't find the usual perky and joyous princess. In that instance dread had overtaken his heart.

What if something had happened to her? Maybe she was attacked by hollows or even some the arrancar that survived the war. It was possible after all Inoue did have a good deal of reiatsu, much higher than a normal human it would certainly attracted a hollow. Immediately he started to feel out her reiatsu, but felt nothing. He panicked before he remembered that he could no longer sense reiatsu.

'_Calm down. You are just getting worked up for nothing. Inoue can handle a normal hollow. Plus there is still that afro guy out there to. Of course he's useless and if an arrancar did come to the Human World it maybe too strong for Inoue to handle. Damn it! I should have gone over there to see if she was alright. Stupid, why didn't I go over there to check on her after everything that happened?" _He mentally berated himself for his carelessness.

"Ichigo, is something wrong?" Mizuiro asked him. He had just walked in behind Ichigo along with Keigo.

"Have you guys seen Inoue this morning?"

Mizuiro put his phone down and shook his head no. Keigo shrugged his shoulders. "She's probably just running late," Keigo suggested. He didn't see the big deal of Inoue being late. For the past month she had be getting to class by the skin of her teeth.

Ichigo started walking to the door, confounding his two friends. "Ichigo class is about to start. Where are you going?" Keigo asked.

"To find Inoue," he said as though it were obvious.

"Why are you so worked up?" Mizuiro asked. "It's not that unusual for Inoue to be running late," he argued.

Ichigo ignored him and opened the door only to find his glasses wearing friend looking right at him. "Ishida," he muttered.

Noticing that the orange haired man who had been both rival and friend was about to leave piqued Uryu's interest. "Ditching class after only being back for a day, Kurosaki?"

"Out of the way, I need to find Inoue," he spoke with what little restraint he had left.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" the ex-substitute redirected the question.

Ishida's face conveyed no emotion. Like usual it was the perfect image of reservation and composure. It was the quite opposite of Ichigo's face which contained anxiety and unease. "Why do you need to find Inoue-san?" He elaborated his question in hopes of getting an actual answer.

Ichigo gritted his teeth in annoyance. He was wasting time. He could have been half there to her apartment by now.

"Well are you going to answer me?" Ishida continued.

He knew that Ishida would not move unless he answered him. "Something bad has happened. I can feel it."

The Quincy just snorted. He thought it might have been something important. His reaction angered Ichigo.

"What was with that response? You don't care that Inoue is in trouble?" The anger in his voice was unmistakable.

"If Inoue-san was in any real danger than I would be concerned, but she isn't it," he said in even tone.

"How do you she's not?" he challenged.

"I can sense her reiatsu and it is perfectly fine, just like it was yesterday. If she were in trouble I would have certainly felt a spike in her reiatsu and depending on what kind of trouble I would most likely sense the reiatsu of an attacker. I also see that Arisawa-san is not here either. That means she is with Inoue-san and her reiatsu though small is perfectly stable as it was yesterday and right next to Inoue-san's."

"But what if you are wrong?" Ichigo tried to reason.

Ishida continued to look uninterested. "Kurosaki, you are getting paranoid."

"What?" He was seething. Ichigo was concerned for Inoue and here Ishida was telling him he was paranoid.

"You can usually feel reiatsu of everyone around you and since Inoue-san developed her powers you have been able to sense her no matter where she was in town. It's a second nature to you. Now that you can't sense her reiatsu anymore it's got you worried. Worried that if something happens to her you wouldn't know about it, it's perfectly understandably especially considering what happened to her a month ago. But you are going to have to get use to it. Otherwise you are going to get yourself worked up every time you do not see her," he reasoned.

Hearing Ishida's logic did relieve his anger and everything he told him made a lot of sense. But he was still worried.

As if reading his mind Ishida said, "If it makes you feel any better I saw Arisawa-san and Inoue-san talking on my way to school and they were both perfectly fine."

The knot in his stomach had finally loosened. He now knew she was safe. She didn't need him after all. Although he wouldn't have been much help to her if she was in trouble. He couldn't even see a hollow much less fight one if she was in danger. Then it hit him. For the first time he realized that he could no longer protect her. Not from hollows or arrancar or even renegade shinigami. He wouldn't be able to keep his promise to her after all.

As he watched Kurosaki he could see that the former vizard realize his new limitations. The feelings of inadequateness and devastation flowed from Kurosaki's body. Ishida knew those feelings well. He had felt the same way when he had lost his powers when they returned from the Soul Society. "Kurosaki," he started, but the bell rang interrupting him. The two men quickly took their seats and not long after Ochi-sensei came to class.

She called roll and noted that both Orihime and Tatsuki were absent before starting her lecture. Ichigo wasn't paying attention to her. His thoughts returned to a certain red head princess. He had been worried for no reason. He hated feeling so useless. If he still had his powers he would have sensed her just like Ishida did. Thinking about it now if she was in trouble than Chad would have certainly left the room in a hurry like he always did when one of them were in trouble.

'_Ishida and Chad can take care of Inoue,' _he thought sadly. He could never be there for Orihime the way that Uryu and Chad could be there for her now. Without his powers all he could do was leave things to those three and hope that they managed. He wondered if Chad or Ishida had felt the same way he did now when the arrancar first invaded Karakura Town. It was a good thing that Zangetsu no longer resided in Ichigo otherwise he would be soaking wet from the storm that his feelings were no doubt producing.

* * *

**That ends the fourth chapter. Uryu isn't a stalker he just wanted to see if Ichigo talked to Orihime and knowing how hard it would be to get answers out of Ichigo he decided to talk to Orihime. Tatsuki confronting Orihime sort seems out of no where, but keep in mind she has been staying silent for over a month now, hoping that Orihime would finally confide in her. You know how frustrated you get when someone you love is feeling really bad and they won't let you? Tatsuki has been feeling that for a month. I remembered how she finally snaped when Ichigo lied to her about not knowing where Orihime was, so I thought it would be the same way with Orihime (without the hitting though). The person Orihime was reffering to that Ichigo loves is Rukia if you didn't pick up on that. Ichigo and Rukia are so close that she is threaten by that. It is obvious in the begining of the Arrancar arc that she thinks Ichigo's feelings for Rukia are romantic. After watching that tearful good bye they gave each other at the end of the FKT arc it brought that feeling back at least for my story anyway. Of course this only what Orihime thinks. **

**Self-pity Ichigo keeps feeling which is probably getting on people's nerves well let's just say it's going to get on other people's nerves as well. I'm not saying that will happen next chapter, but just keep that in mind. **


	5. Bearing the Burden: The Confidant

**This is another long chapter. I didn't intend to make it this long, but it just happened. Consider it a Christmas treat (if you celebrate Christmas if not than just consider it a treat). I am proud to say that this chapter is not so sad. I even manged to get some fluff in it and make Ichigo be in character I think. Spoiler alert for anyone who has not read chapters 388-422 of the manga or watched the current sub of the anime. A lot of what happened in the Deicide chapters will be mentioned. A lot of reviewers seemed to like that included the Kurosaki clan, so good news is they will be featured again in this chapter. Two of them play a key role in this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

* * *

"Pathetic," said a strong, yet even toned voice. "You expect me to teach you that technique when you can't even lift your sword against me?" he spoke again. This time the man's voice held a hint of arrogance and disappointment.

"Shut up," a second voice said. This voice contained both anger and defiance. "Don't worry about me. I'll keep getting up until I beat you then I'll force you to teach me the Final Getsuga Tensho!" The man picked himself up and pulled his sword in front of him. His grip tightened on the hilt of his black blade. His chocolate colored eyes burned with their usual determination and focus. For once his lips were not curved into a frown; they were even which made him look even more intimidating.

The right sleeve of his black shikakusho was completely torn off from his latest bout with his opponent. Miraculously that was the worse thing to happen to him so far. He wasn't even bleeding. He wished he could say that reason he was still in peak condition was his skill, but he knew that was a lie. His opponent was strong, much stronger than him. The only reason he still stood in one piece was because of his opponent's lack of interest. He was just an annoyance to him, just like he was only an annoyance to Aizen.

His white and black clothed opponent snorted at his claim. "You still believe you can defeat me, Ichigo?" he sneered. The right blue eye and the black left eye stared him down, trying to break his resolve. Each eye seemed to be conveying different emotions. The left black eye exuded condescension and disdain, while the right blue eye radiated with disbelief and pity. There was one emotion that both eyes produced; disappointment.

The white and black clothed man took steps towards him. His own black sword was held away from his body. The man's eyes never once left his own. He was unsure of what his opponent would do, so he braced himself for the worst. His heart was racing and beating so loudly that he was sure that his opponent could hear it. Perhaps that was one of the reasons his black eye looked at him with such smugness.

'_I have to win this. I have to win this. I have to win this,' _he chanted to himself. His father did not tell him much about this technique, but he knew from watching the fight in the Fake Karakura Town that he needed to get stronger if he wanted to stand a chance against Aizen and his Hogyoku granted strength. He put all of his hopes in this new technique, the Final Getsuga Tensho. He needed it if he was going to defeat Aizen and save Karakura Town. _'And keep my promise to Inoue,' _he thought.

His opponent disappeared instantaneously, alarming him. Frantically he searched for his opponent, but he found a black blade held up to his throat. "You can't even follow me and you think you can defeat me, Ichigo?" he whispered into the orange haired man's ear. His body began to shake uncontrollably, his trepidation was palpable. How did he lose sight of the old man? He wasn't exactly old anymore, but that was beside the point. Was the difference between them this big?

"That's laughable at best. You can't even stop yourself from trembling and yet you speak as though you can still win," he continued.

He cursed himself for showing weakness in front of an opponent. What was wrong with him? He had only experienced this kind of fear a few times. The first time was when he trained with Urahara and the shopkeeper revealed that he was fighting to kill him. The second time is when he first met Kenpachi and he was overwhelmed by the insane amount of reiatsu he possessed. Those times had instilled him with terror, but he also found a way to rein in his fear and renew his resolve. Even against Grimmjow and Ulquiorra two opponents whose powers were far greater than his own when he challenged them never produced this much fear from him.

Ever since he came to the Human World to fight Aizen, no if he was honest with himself ever since he lost control of his body during his battle with Ulquiorra his fear had been out of control. Originally his fear stemmed from losing control of his body to his hollow again and going berserk. Now however his fear had taken on a new form in Aizen. The renegade shinigami was already so much stronger than him before and now that his reiatsu was growing rapidly thanks to the Hogyoku the gap continued to widen between them.

"That's why you can't defeat him," his opponent spoke again.

"What are talking about?" Even though he asked he knew who the white haired man was referring to.

His opponent scoffed again. "You know perfectly well what or whom I am talking about. You can't defeat Aizen with a sword filled with nothing, but fear. And you cannot defeat me with a sword filled with fear either!" The white clothed foe took his black blade off of his throat. Before he could even think to mount a counter assault he was kicked in his right shoulder. The substitute was sent flying into building ten feet away.

"What happened to you, Ichigo? When did you become this pathetic excuse of a shell of your former self?" He pulled his leg down and waited for the substitute to recover.

The rubble of the demolished building was blown away by the force of his reiatsu. He took to the sky traveling at speeds that rivaled a rocket. His opponent gazed at him with disinterest, the same disinterest that Aizen looked at him with. His blood boiled as the grip on his Tensa Zangetsu tightened so hard that his blisters popped. He hated that look. That look told him that he was powerless to do anything. That wasn't true. No matter how powerful his opponent was he was not powerless. He was Kurosaki Ichigo; the man who defied the odds time and time again. He would do that again!

"Getsuga…" His black blade was enveloped with its usual black reiatsu. "…Tensho!" He swung down his blade with all of his might, unleashing an enormous crescent moon shaped wave of black reiatsu.

His opponent's gaze still held no concern. He merely watched the black crescent moon as it came crashing down towards him. He made no signs that he was going move out of the way or that was he going to counter it. "What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo shouted. "Are you just going to sit there and get killed?"

"You think this can kill me? I told you once before that this was my move. I taught it to you Ichigo and you think you can defeat me with this?" The white sleeved arm went up to his chest with his hand which held his blade being stationed by his left shoulder. The Getsuga was inches away from him, but in that instant he slashed through it as easily as one tore through paper.

The vizard watched on in horror as his strongest technique was crushed with so little effort. He was at a lost as to what he could do. If his opponent was so much stronger than him than how could he hope to defeat him? If he didn't defeat him than he would not learn the Final Getsuga Tensho and Karakura Town along with his family and friends would all be destroyed.

"You might as well give up. It's obvious that you cannot defeat me, you hollow shell of a man." He turned his back to him and walked off. "Give up on learning the Final Getsuga Tensho. You can't possibly defeat Aizen."

"T-that's not true." His voice echoed with doubt and uncertainty that his opponent snorted. "I'll defeat Aizen no matter how much stronger he is. I have to defeat him," he said the last part in a low tone.

"How do you expect to defeat Aizen when you can't even keep a promise to Inoue?"

He shuddered at the mention of the orange haired woman who had become a big part of his life. "How do you know about her?" His voice had risen. Zangetsu never mentioned any of his friends when he visited the zanpakuto spirit. It disturbed him that his partner would mention one of them now. What was even more disturbing was the fact that if Zangetsu knew about Inoue then his hollow did as well.

"Why are you so surprised? I see everything that you see; I am a part of you Ichigo." His back was still to him.

"Why did you mention her just now, Zangetsu?" He received no answer. Zangetsu started to walk away again. "Zangetsu, answer me!" Much to his surprise he was able to muster actual force and put it into his voice. His mentor and partner must have been surprised himself because he turned around and gave him an odd look.

"Why did I mention her you ask? Are you truly that dense Ichigo or maybe you are thinking that you can conceal your emotions from me," he mocked.

His very short fuse was lit. He hated how arrogant and smug that his partner had gotten. It had to be the hollow affecting the normally humble zanpakuto. "You didn't answer my question!"

With another smirk the zanpakuto/hollow hybrid put his own version of the Tensa Zangetsu on his shoulder. "Inoue has been on your mind for quite some time. She is one of the main reasons you are here now. You wish to protect her, from both Aizen and yourself. That's why you left her on that tower. You are terrified that you'll lose control again and that you will hurt her. It's a good thing you did or she would have seen just how far you have fallen from the man that she knows." He jumped into the air, soring towards Ichigo's direction.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked as soon as Zangetsu closed the gap.

"It means that your precious Hime would have her heart broken seeing you tremble before Aizen. Didn't you promise her that you would end all of the fighting so you all could go home? You broke your promise to her again. How pitiful," he lectured.

He remained silent while Zangetsu continued to berate him. Everything he said about him was true. He just made Inoue promises and never kept them; he even failed to stay alive like she asked. Even though he swore that he would keep this promise to her he was still failing. How could he fail her again? "I can't give up. I have to learn that technique, the Final Getsuga in order to defeat Aizen. I have to end all of the fighting and protect Karakura Town for everyone! I have to keep my promise to Inoue!" With a swipe of his arm he made a slash at the white haired man.

Zangetsu easily blocked the slash with his blade. "You have already broken your promises to that girl, so what is one more? Why keep pushing yourself when you know you will fail her again?"

"Shut up! I won't fail her ever again!" He pushed his blade against Zangetsu's own blade, but the zanpakuto/hollow hybrid would not budge even an inch.

"What makes this time any different from the other times, Ichigo?" he asked hm.

"I am tired of seeing Inoue cry. I am tired of being the one who makes her shed tears. She shouldn't have to endure all of this pain. That's why I'll defeat you, Zangetsu! That's why I'll force you to teach me the Final Getsuga Tensho! Then I'll defeat Aizen and save Karakura Town!" He forced the zanpakuto/hollow hybrid back surprising the white haired man. "I'll put a smile on her face. I owe her that much."

The white haired man gave him a half smirk. "Your last swing wasn't filled with fear," he stated. He saw it, the passion and determination that his eyes normally radiated with. "She means a lot to you doesn't she." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "It's not surprising that mentioning her would produce this effect and get rid of that fear of yours. After all you did come back from the dead to save her." He readied his sword. "Perhaps you aren't completely worthless after all. Come at me if you want to make Inoue smile."

He did just as he was told. The two warriors clashed with one another. Zangetsu dove further into the ocean created by the recent storms, with Ichigo following him. As soon as he reached the ground level of the water filled world he found a black blade coming to his head. Fortunately his reflexes allowed him to stop it. He smirked at his accomplishment. Little by little he was gaining more ground on the source of his power.

"I must admit I am intrigued by Inoue. She has the power to make this world storm on end and make its sun shine so brightly that I think those happy days will last forever. Your desire to protect her was so strong that even the hollow couldn't take full control of your body. What is the nature of your relationship?"

He nearly dropped his sword as soon as Zangetsu's words reached his ear. "W-what?" he stuttered. "Why the hell would you ask that?" he cried.

"I already told you. I am intrigued by her," he stated bluntly as he backed away from Ichigo. "She obviously holds a special place in your heart. I just want to know why that is."

"Inoue is my friend. Of course she is special to me, just like all of my other friends."

"That's a lie and you know it." Zangetsu rushed towards him. Once again the two crossed swords. "Inoue is different from the rest of your friends. Not even Rukia produced this kind of effect on you."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

A laugh escaped from his foes lips. "What's sad is that you actually believe that. Tell me Ichigo if she is no different from the rest of your friends than why did you abandon your quest to rescue Rukia when Ulquiorra told you he was the one who kidnapped Inoue?"

His brown eyes widened in realization. That was right he did attack Ulquiorra rather than go to where Rukia was. "Inoue needed me more," he replied feebly.

"Really, even though you could no longer sense Rukia's reiatsu and she was closer than Inoue; you thought Inoue was in more immediate danger?"

He could hear the skepticism in Zangetsu voice. For some reason he was bothered by his zanpakuto's interrogation of him. "Just what are you insinuating?" he asked unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Don't forget that I am a part of you; a part of your very soul Ichigo. I feel everything you feel and I see things that even you yourself do not see because you are too close to see them yourself."

"That doesn't answer my question!" He got enough of people judging and implying things about him at school. He didn't need Zangetsu to do it as well.

"There is no need to get angry at me. All I was saying is that she is special to you. You seem to hold her in a different regard than your other friends. This feeling is strange to me. It's similar to how you feel about your family yet it is even unique from that. So I ask you again. What is your relationship to Inoue?"

"I…."

"Ichigo!" a voiced called out to him.

"I…."

"Ichigo!" the voice called again.

"I…."

"Ichigo!" the strange voice kept calling him. It was making it hard to concentrate.

"Answer me, Ichigo! Both Zangetsu and the unknown voice demanded."

Before he could answer Zangetsu or the voice he felt a huge jolt. Suddenly Zangetsu and his inner world became nothing more than blurry images than everything faded to black. His eyes snapped open and his body shot up in haste. His eyes darted back and forth; taking in the images of his desk, posters, and clothes. He was in his bed.

"A dream?" he wondered aloud. "No, that couldn't have been a dream. I remember having that conversation with Zangetsu during my training. Why am I dreaming about that?" While the former vizard pondered that he failed to notice a lion plushy standing on his lap.

"Finally you are up. God you have no idea how difficult it is to wake you up. I swear I've been trying to get your sorry ass up for at least fifteen minutes now. Hey are you even listening to me?" When he heard no response from the odd hair colored teen his blood or stuffing began to boil. "Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you!" He leaped into the air and gave the ungrateful teen a round house kick to the cheek. Despite his small size he was able to force Ichigo's head to turn around much to his delight.

"That will teach you to pay attention to someone when they are talking to you," he gloated. The poor mod soul would soon regret his actions. His roommate did not appreciate being kicked. In one swift motion Ichigo knocked Kon off his bed. The poor mod soul was sent crashing into the closet door head first.

"Damn it Kon! Why the hell did you do that?" He wasn't angry. He was beyond that now; he was pissed. The first thing he woke up to was an annoying stuffed animal screaming in his ear and hit him.

"Why did I do what? You mean wake you up?" It was obvious to Ichigo that the lion plushy was insulted. "I woke you up because you asked me to!"

"You little liar, it's Saturday! Why would I ask you to wake me up on a Saturday?" he screamed without taking into consideration of the other members of his family. "What's more why wouldn't I set my alarm? There is no way I would rely on you to wake me up," he accused.

"Screw you! You little, ungrateful, emo brat!" he screamed back.

"E-emo! You are calling me emo?"

"If the shoe fits wear it!"

"That's it Kon I'm kicking you out of my room!"

"What? You can't kick me out. Where would I go? The world is cold and cruel place for a mod soul trapped in a lion's plushy body." He got on his little knees and put his tiny paw like hands together. "Please don't kick me out. I have no other place to go. The world will eat me alive."

He knew it was impossible, but Ichigo thought he saw tears falling from the black eyes of the mod soul. "Clean your ears Kon. I said I was kicking you out of my room, not the house."

Relief washed over Kon. Thank the Soul King that he was still a resident of the Kurosaki clinic. Soon that relief turned into confusion. "Wait if you are kicking me out of your room then where am I going to sleep?"

Ichigo widened his lips into a devious smirk. Kon gulped at this unnatural sight. _'Why do I get a bad feeling about this?' _

"You are going to share a room with Yuzu."

If he had been in a flesh and blood body he knew his skin would have turned white. Ichigo had sentenced him to a fate much crueler than if he had simply kicked him out of the house. The smiling, hug obsessed, and daunting little girl who had taken a frightening interest in him. "No, you can't. Have mercy! Kick me out of the house, but don't make me sleep with Yuzu!"

Ichigo shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "You brought this on yourself. If you didn't wake me up and lie about it you wouldn't have to move in with Yuzu."

"But I'm not lying to you!" he insisted. "I can prove it!"

"This should be amusing. Alright go ahead and try to prove it."

Kon jumped back into Ichigo's bed and walked over to his stand. Normally Ichigo's clock would be there, but it was nowhere to be found. "Hey where is my clock?" Ichigo questioned him.

"You broke it yesterday," Kon replied. He could see from Ichigo's face that the ex-substitute did not believe him. "Remember your father came in here jumped in your bed and you threw the clock at him and screamed for him to get out."

The memories of the incident that Kon was talking about went flashing through his mind. "Oh yeah that did happen. But that does not explain why I would have you wake me up on Saturday."

"The answer is simple Ichigo." He hopped down the stand and returned to the bed. "Your exact words were: "Kon, wake me up at 8'oclock tomorrow. Inoue is expecting me and I want to get there at a decent hour," he said giving his best imitation of Ichigo.

The cogs finally started to turn inside his head. Yesterday Inoue said that she had no plans and that if he wanted to come over and copy more notes down that he could. He told her that he would come over in the afternoon. Normally he slept in on the weekend, but since Inoue was kind enough to allow him to come over on a Saturday he decided to get there by noon so she wouldn't have to waste her entire day.

"What time is it?"

"What no I'm sorry Kon? Or Kon thank you for waking me up?" His words were laced in indignation.

Ichigo ignored Kon and got out of his bed. He walked over to his desk and picked up his watch. The long hand was on the four, while the little hand was on the nine. _'9: 20, that's later than I wanted to wake up. That still gives me enough time to eat breakfast and get ready with an hour or two to spare.' _"Yo, Kon forget about moving in with Yuzu. Since you weren't lying I won't kick you out for now."

Realizing that was as close as to an apology as he was going to get Kon decided to savor the fact that he had avoided the nightmare of Yuzu. "Wait before you go can ask you something?" he called out to Ichigo as he was about to reach for the door.

"Go ahead."

"Can I come with you to Orihime-chan's place?"

"No," he answered swiftly.

"Why not?" Kon whined.

"You are pervert who says things like: "I'm going to snuggle myself in those plump mounds of hers." I would have to be out of my right mind to let you come along with me."

"But I get lonely when you aren't here and now that Nee-san is gone there is no one else for me to talk to."

"Sucks to be you," he said. Ichigo opened the door and went through it. The mod soul found himself alone once more.

"I hate my life," he complained.

* * *

"Good morning, Onii-chan." Yuzu greeted her elder brother with a heart melting smile.

"Morning, Yuzu," he greeted her. Ichigo spotted toast on the dining table. Feeling his stomach grumble about its lack of food intake in the last hour, he walked towards the table. "I'm surprised there is still food left. The old man is such a glutton."

"When I woke up this morning he was leaving the house," she revealed.

His eyebrow had risen in bewilderment. "Why is dad leaving so early? I don't remember him saying anything yesterday."

Yuzu was uncertain herself at why their father had left at such an early hour. "I think he said something about catching up with an old friend, but he wouldn't say who."

"An old friend," he repeated dumbly. His thoughts went to the shopkeeper who wore a hat and sandals. _'Did he go to see Urahara-san?' _he wondered. It was possible. After all it was obvious by the way his father fought with Urahara and Yoruichi with such coordination that he knew Ichigo's old master. There were so many things about his father that he still did not know. While he was eager to hear those answers he did not want to force his father to tell them to him unless he was ready. His dad had done the same with him even though he knew his son had become a substitute shinigami and all the exploits he participated in.

'_I don't understand. If dad has been shinigami all this time than why didn't he stop the Grandfisher when he attacked us last summer? Despite his behavior I cannot imagine that he would let me fight a hollow that strong on my own, especially since this hollow took mom away from us.' _Just as quickly as it had formed an idea shot through his brain. His brown eyes widened slightly. _'Dad knew about the Final Getsuga Tensho. Does that mean he used it? If that was the case does that mean he lost his shinigami powers just like me? Maybe he didn't fight the Grandfisher because he was unable to.' _

"Onii-chan."

Yuzu's voice brought him out of his head. "Yes, what is it Yuzu?"

Yuzu took a long and hard stare at Ichigo. Lately her brother had been getting this peculiar expression. He seemed like he was a million miles away even though he was standing right beside her. Did this have anything to do with ghosts? She hadn't heard him talk about ghosts or spirits ever since he woke up a week ago. "Onii-chan, you spaced out again."

"Oh really, I didn't even notice." He turned his attention to his toast and started to devour it.

Watching her brother quickly wolf down his piece of toast made Yuzu forget all about his odd behavior; she went back to her own breakfast. Once Ichigo had completed his third piece of toast Karin entered the room.

"Ichi-nii, you are up early," she said surprised. "You usually sleep in late on Saturday. Why are you up at this hour today?"

Yuzu put her index finger on her chin; getting into her thinking mode. "That's right. I forgot that today was Saturday. Are you meeting your friends for something?"

"Yeah, I am meeting Inoue later to copy down more notes and study. Monday I take my first make up exam and I need to be prepared," he replied.

Karin sighed and closed her eyes to show her disapproval. "You have been going over to Orihime-chan's place all week. Give her some time to herself."

Yuzu nodded in agreement with her twin. "She might want to spend time with Tatsuki-chan today. Don't take advantage of her kindness."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his sisters' lecturing. "For both of your information Inoue is the one who told me she wasn't doing anything today. I didn't force her into doing anything." The Kurosaki sisters stared at him as though he was a clueless child. "What?" he finally asked.

Karin replied, "Of course she told you she didn't have anything to do today. She didn't want you to feel guilty about asking her to study more today."

"Onii-chan, does not understand a woman's heart at all," Yuzu stated. Karin nodded in agreement with her.

"He is really dense about this kind of stuff," Karin continued.

Ichigo's eyes twitched in irritation. His fuse was nearly gone and he was about to exploded on his little sisters. "Hey don't talk about me like I'm not here!" he screamed at them, but neither sister looked intimidated in the slightest. "I made it clear that if Inoue wanted do something else tomorrow that she could!"

"How did you say it?" Yuzu questioned.

"What?" His voice was clearly mystified.

"How did you say it?" she repeated more slowly this time, so he could follow.

"I don't see how that has anything to do with it," he added. Once again he was met with disapproval by his younger sisters. It amazed him how despite being their senior by four years that they treated him as though he was the youngest of the three of them.

"Ichi-nii, the way you said it Orihime-chan could either mean you wanted her to stay in and study with you or that you didn't," she explained.

He scoffed at the black haired Kurosaki's claim. "That's ridiculous. I made it perfectly clear that she didn't have to stay in to help me if she had other things to do."

"Did you say it like that?" Yuzu tried again.

"I said, "Inoue if you have something else to do tomorrow you don't have to help me. I mean it's no big deal." Both girls groaned once he finished. "What's with that?"

"You guilt tripped her into staying in today!" they cried at the same time.

"What? You two are reading way too much into this. Inoue knew what I meant," he argued.

"No she didn't," they insisted. "Ichigo the way you said it made it sound like you really wanted her help you," Yuzu continued.

"The last part makes it sound like Orihime-chan would be abandoning you if she did something else," Karin added.

He opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He replayed the event of discussion in his mind. This time he listened very carefully at his words. To his dismay he heard exactly what his sisters had heard, the pleading in his tone and the double meaning of his "no big deal" comment. _'Damn, they are right. I made Inoue feel guilty and that's why she's staying in. What is wrong with me?' _

"Now do you see what we are talking about?" Karin had crossed her arms and continued to glare at her brother. "You have to make it up to Orihime-chan."

"Karin is right. Have you even thought of a way to repay her kindness?"

The orange haired teen felt as though he was shrinking. He hadn't even thought of a way to thank Inoue yet. When he did not reply to Yuzu both of his sisters' expression changed from disapproval to anger.

"Are you for real Ichi-nii? Orihime-chan goes out of her way to help your sorry butt and you haven't even so much as thanked her!"

"Not exactly." He averted his eyes from Karin and Yuzu.

"Onii-chan you better do something nice today for Orihime-chan or else I won't make you dinner for a week," Yuzu threatened.

"What?"

"You heard me." She was being cruel, but her brother's insensitive behavior towards Orihime really upset her. She wanted Orihime to be her sister and she wasn't going to let Ichigo screw that up for her. "If I were you I would think of something before you go over there."

"Unless you want to eat at Orihime-chan's place all next week," Karin finished. She gave Ichigo an evil smirk.

His blood froze and the hair on the back of his neck stood, while a lump formed in his throat. One week of eating dinner at Orihime's apartment. He wouldn't survive the week. "I'll think of something."

"Good," the Kurosaki twins said in unison. They returned to their breakfast as though nothing had even happened.

How he had gotten force into an ultimatum with his little sisters? He was going to repay Inoue for her kindness, but he was still trying to think of one. True he did forget with everything that happened this week, but he would have remembered on his own. Now he had to think of something today or else. _'Time to think Kurosaki,' _he told himself.

* * *

"And that does it!" Orihime exclaimed. She washed her brow of sweat. The healer had succeeded in her greatest challenge yet, cleaning her room after the storm of Rangiku. Her apartment was finally free from discarded clothing, unwanted magazines, and food wrappings. She even vacuumed her floor to get all of the dust and grime that had built up from her neglect.

"My place is spotless!" she cheered excitedly. Orihime raised her duster in the air proudly. Today was going to be a good day she decided. True her nightmares were still plaguing her and depriving her of hours of sleep. However Orihime realized that there was nothing she could do about that, so she decided to make the best of it. Besides she had so much to be grateful for.

Once she told Tatsuki what had been bothering her, the barrier that had been separating them had broken. Their friendship was slowly, but surely rebuilding itself. Having someone to confide in about her experience in Hueco Mundo made things easier for her. Although Tatsuki was a great listener and had great insight Orihime did not feel entirely comfortable about telling her about her nightmares. She told Tatsuki that she was having nightmares, but never went into detail about them. Thankfully Tatsuki did not push her into telling her. It seemed that now that Orihime was no longer keeping her out that Tatsuki was far more forgiving about her not telling her everything.

Another thing that she was happy about was the fact that all of her friends were alive and well. Ishida's arm was completely restored with no problems. He had even become kinder to the club members of the handcraft club at school. Sado's injuries had fully healed as well. The silent giant said she had managed to get rid of an old scar that he had gotten as a child. To show his appreciation he gave her a thumbs up and bought her a new stuffed animal; an adorable unicorn. She already put it with the rest of her cuddly friends.

Even Ichigo seemed more relaxed and less sad than he had been acting since he woken from his coma. A smile formed at the thought of her Kurosaki-kun. He had come to her place all week to study and copy her notes. In that time she had started to lose more of the tension that formed every time she saw him. He still made her heart race when he looked her in the eyes or when he gave her a half smile. At least now she could hold conversation with him without having to second guess what she said. Yesterday when they were studying she found herself stumped by a pesky math problem. Ichigo came to her aid. He scooted closer to her and went over step by step how to solve the problem. He was so close to her that she could smell the rugged field scent from his hair. What was more amazing was that she did not faint! That was a huge accomplishment for her.

Their study dates had quickly become the favorite part of her day. For a few hours a day she had Kurosaki-kun all to herself. Yes she knew that sounded incredible selfish, but she couldn't help it. She would dream of spending time alone with Ichigo with no Tatsuki, or Asano, or Kojima hanging around them. By some supernatural force her dream had become reality. She was discovering that they had more in common than either one of them realized. Z the King of Tamers had been the gateway for that.

Both of them had been singled out for their oddly colored hair. They were reserved and quiet (when they weren't being harassed by others i.e. gangs for him or Chizuru for her). Out of all their friends they were deemed the odd balls of their groups. In Tatsuki's words they burdened themselves with things that were beyond their control. While one wall was coming down another one laid underneath that one.

Orihime had learned a little more about Ichigo, but she could sense that he was keeping something from her. He always felt so guarded around her. Everything he said was just enough information for the topic at hand or to show that he was listening. He put on that big fake smile of his whenever she caught him scowling. Orihime was a kind and gentle soul. She rarely felt or used the word hate; at best she simply disliked someone. However she hated Ichigo's fake smile. It was much worse than his normal scowling expression.

When he scowled she could tell he did not mean it most of the time. It was just his way to mask his true emotions. He was such a private person and he didn't like to broadcast his emotions to the public, which was ironic considering everyone knew his expression by heart. Tatsuki said he probably developed his mask when his mother died, because he didn't want people to see how heartbroken he was when she died. It made perfect sense to her. She did the same thing when Sora died, so that people around her wouldn't look at her with so much pity.

Ichigo being the selfless person that he was would always smile when something was bothering him. He kept his problems to himself and tried to deal with them himself. He would plaster that smile on to ease the people around him. It had the opposite effect though. The bigger he made the smile the worse he felt on the inside. Words could not fully express just how much she despised the ex-substitute's fake smile. She would rather see his normal scowling face any day of the week if it meant she never saw that false smile again.

'_I wonder if this is how Tatsuki-chan feels when I use my fake smile,' _she asked herself. The proclaimed human goddess put her duster away in her closet. She returned to her living room and sat down on the couch. Her thoughts were still on Ichigo. _'Now that I think about it Kurosaki-kun started to give me his fake smile the day I told Tatsuki-chan about my feelings. Did she tell him? No, Tatsuki-chan wouldn't do that. But what else could it be? He can't still feel guilty about transforming into that thing.' _There was one thing that she could think of that could have cast this dark cloud around him, but she did not want to think about it. _'Is he still upset about losing his powers?' _

It had to be that. Now that his mind was free of guilt from his ordeal with Orihime and Uryu his mind had to have gone back to his missing powers, the powers that she had caused to disappear. She sighed. The clutches of depression had found their way to her heart once again. _'I went to Hueco Mundo to save my friends and instead I did the opposite.' _No she wasn't going to get down. Today she promised herself that she would not get sad. There were plenty of things for her to be happy about. So Kurosaki-kun missed his powers and she was the reason they were gone. That was just one bad thing. There was no need for her to keep dwelling on it.

"I can't be sad when Kurosaki-kun comes over or he will just worry about me. I have been doing a great job of keeping him from being concerned about me. I can't ruin that hard work in just one day." Orihime got off the couch and went to the shrine dedicated to her deceased elder brother, Sora. "Onii-chan, please look after Kurosaki-kun for me. He is really hurting right now, but he doesn't want anyone to know. You already know this because I keep talking about him to you, but he is really special to me. Please don't think I'm replacing you with him. That's impossible; Onii-chan holds a special place in my heart that no one else can occupy. But Kurosaki-kun also has a special place in my heart that no one else can occupy. That's why I am asking you to please watch over him. Right now he needs you more than I do. So please do me this favor."

She paused as if to wait for his response. After some time went by she started to smile. She took the silence as a sign of his agreement. "Anyway how are you doing in the Soul Society?" she asked. She knew she wouldn't get a reply, but it always made her feel better to talk to her brother. She never wanted him to think he forgot her ever again. That was unbelievable, how could Orihime forget her wonderful and loving brother? Even still it didn't hurt to let him know from time to time.

* * *

He was standing outside of Orihime's front door. Today he wore his casual attire; dark navy blue jeans, with gray tee shirt that had the words badass in red lettering. He wore a coat as black as his old Tensa Zangetsu blade over the shirt. In one hand he his bag with all of his work and books. The other hand held a plastic shopping bag. He had taken his sisters' "advice" and did something nice to repay Inoue.

"I hope she likes this." Taking another breath the scowling teen knocked on the door. The wait was short; Orihime opened the door within seconds of him knocking on it. When she caught sight of him her lips curved into U shape and her eyes lit up so brightly that they could easily have rivaled the rising sun.

"Hello, Kurosaki-kun," she greeted him. Orihime was wearing a long golden yellow skirt. She wore a matching three button vest; beneath it was white shirt.

"Hey, Inoue." He would have waved his hand as he normally did when he greeted her, but his hands were full.

"Oh," she said. Her eyes had landed on the plastic bag he was holding. "What do you have there?" She pointed at the bag in question.

"Oh you noticed this." He lifted the plastic bag to eye level. "I wanted to get you something to thank you for all the help you've been giving me this past week." A nauseating feel crept into his stomach. The bag became more difficult to hold on to. Somehow it was slipping across his fingers; like his hands were wet. He hoped that had maintained his composure on the outside. What the hell was going on with him? He never felt like this before.

"I saw how much you liked that unicorn plushy that Chad got you yesterday." Oh god she was looking at him with those adorable puppy dog eyes. There was no way he could meet her gaze when she had that look on. He averted his chocolate colored eyes from her hazel colored eyes. "On Monday you told me that your favorite character from Z the King of Tamers was Shuichi." Unconsciously he started to rub the back of his head with his right hand. He always seemed to do this whenever he was nervous. "I was in the store getting Yuzu some ingredients for dinner tonight and I umm….saw this in the store." He shook the bag slightly to indicate he was talking about it. "I thought you might like it, so um….here you go." He nearly shoved the plastic bag into her chest.

Orihime took the plastic bag from him. It was taking all of her will power not to jump up and down. _'Oh my god, Kurosaki-kun got me a gift! Kurosaki-kun got me a gift!' _The red head princess eagerly opened the plastic bag and looked into the contents inside. Her heart had stopped the moment her eyes landed on it. It was the most adorable, cutest, sweetest, and most precious thing ever. _'I can't believe he bought this for me'_

The silence was murder. He expected her to have made some comment by now. Did she hate it and not know how to tell him? Or did she already have one? He should have paid more attention to the setting of her apartment. She kept her stuffed animals on a shelf to. There was no excuse for him not to have checked if she one of those already before he bought it. _'This is all Karin and Yuzu's faults. If they hadn't forced me to get her something today I could have checked her apartment first. Now I've gotten her something she already has.'_

"Inoue I can get you something else. I just got that…."

"I love it!" she squealed; surprising him.

"Y-you love it?" he repeated.

"Of course I love it!" She raised her new silver/gray fox plushy into the air in excitement. "You got me a Yoko plushy! Thank you so much Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime throw her arms around him pulling him into hug.

Caught completely off guard by the healer's un-expected display of affection the orange haired teen was unsure of what to do. One thing he did know was that nauseating feeling he had earlier had gotten ten times worse. Unbeknown to him his cheeks were burning so red that even a tomato paled in comparison. Without even realizing it he wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug, albeit awkwardly. He wasn't exactly use to hugging people other than his sisters. Hell even than he barely did that.

Orihime realized what she was actually doing when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her (they stopped inches from actually touching her). She was hugging Ichigo! Anxiety that had slowly dissolved during the week had remerged even stronger than before. It reached to her face causing it to become even redder than Ichigo's cheeks were moments ago. The pair quickly let go of each other and backed away.

"Thank you for the gift again, Kurosaki-kun." Her hazel eyes were staring at her feet.

"No problem." His own eyes glued to his school bag. "Can I come in?"

"Y-yes, of course you can come in." She stepped aside and ushered him in.

Ichigo went to their usual study spot at Orihime's table. He set his bag down, while Orihime went to her stuff animal shelf. She introduced her newest one to the rest of her collection. He couldn't help, but smile at the sight. _'She's so cute. Wait did I really just think that? I'm getting soft or something. Why would I say Inoue is cute? Because she is cute,' _he answered himself.

"Ok now that Yoko has settled down with his new friends I am ready to help you study," she proclaimed, breaking him out of his train of thought. "What make up exam are you taking on Monday again?"

"I'm taking a makeup exam in Biology," he replied.

"That's great!" She jumped out of her seat.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Biology is one of my worse subjects."

Orihime's smile did not waver. "But it is one of my best subjects."

"Really?" Orihime nodded her head in giddy. "With your help then I might just be able to pass this thing."

"I am surprised that you are not good in Biology."

"Why is that?"

"Well I thought because your father was a doctor that this kind of stuff would be second nature for you."

"Afraid not," he said. "I have to take after my mother. My old man and I have nothing in common. I think the only thing I inherited from him was my shinigami powers…." He stopped mid-sentence. His father had revealed to him that he was shinigami, but he wasn't sure if that meant he could tell people.

She caught the panic in his eyes. _'He looks so cute when he worries,' _she thought. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. I saw your father in shinigami clothing when we took you back to your body."

He sighed in relief. Thankfully he did not out his father as shinigami. If he didn't tell anyone that meant he had to have a reason for keeping it a secret.

"I was shocked that Kurosaki-san is a shinigami, but I guess it made sense considering how much spiritual power you had."

"You were surprised. Imagine the look on my face when my old man showed up standing between me and Aizen wearing those black robes and carrying a zanpakuto."

Orihime's interest had definitely risen. This was the first time that he had mentioned anything that had happened in the final battle with Aizen. She was dying to find out what had happened, but did not want to intrude on his privacy. However now that the subject had been thrown out there she could easily question him without feeling like she forced him into it.

"Your father helped you fight Aizen then."

"Yeah, he, Urahara-san, and Yoruichi-san all teamed up against him, while I fought Ichimaru. That captain we ran into at the gate Jidanbo was guarding. Aizen did something strange with the Hogyoku and somehow used it transform into some crazy form. He was too strong for all of them combined. I was so….scared."

"You were scared?" She was unable to hold back the shock in her voice. In all the time she had known him she had never seen him actually scared to fight someone. All the times she saw him afraid had been when he feared letting someone down. When he fought Ulquiorra who was much stronger than him he didn't show any fear towards the cuatro Espada.

"Is it really so surprising that I was scared?"

"It's just that every fight I have seen you in you are always so confident that you will find a way to win."

He chuckled. "Usually I do, but this time was different. Aizen was ridiculously strong. Even when I hollowfied he still effortless dodged my attacks and lectured me and that was before the Hogyoku enhanced his power. I was so terrified that I couldn't even hold my zanpakuto straight." He looked down at his hands. They were steady now, but he would never forget how he lost control of his body to terror.

She was silent. Inoue wasn't judging him on his cowardice. She just sat there and listened, waiting for him to continue. That was one of the good things about Inoue. She would wait for someone to finish before throwing her own opinion in. He found it easier to talk to her than some of his other friends like Keigo or Mizuiro. Chad and Ishida were good listeners, but they had the same problem Ichigo had. They were just bad at expressing their feelings as he was; at least in words. The three of them expressed things better with their actions. There was no way he would talk to Tatsuki about this. It just seemed wrong considering how he lied to her about Orihime's abduction.

"The captains and the vizards tried to create an opening for me, but Aizen stopped all of their attacks. He played them all by using his shikai to make them attack his former vice captain. That bastard cut them all down. He even had something prepared for jii-san and took him out. If it weren't for my dad showing up I don't think I would have been able to move."

"I knew Aizen was strong, but I never imagined he was that strong," she replied.

"It only got worse from there. Like I said earlier the Hogyoku started to transform him into this weird form."

"That's what allowed him to defeat, Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, and Kurosaki-san?" she asked.

"Yeah, his reiatsu it's hard to describe. It was like it was trying to push me away, but at the same time it wanted to draw me to it. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. He made Ulquiorra's reiatsu feel like a child's in comparison." He stopped when he heard her gasp. If he had any doubts that Inoue had forgotten what Ulquiorra's reiatsu felt like they were expelled the minute he heard the gasp.

He continued, "I remember thinking that there was no way I could win against him. When he landed in front of me he looked at me like I was such a disappointment. He told Ichimaru to open the Senkaimon and they left."

"What did you do next?"

"I gave up," he said plainly.

"What?" She must have heard him wrong. There was no possible way that her Kurosaki-kun gave up.

"It's just like I said. I gave up. He was just so much stronger than me and he kept getting stronger. I just didn't see the point in opposing him anymore."

"Kurosaki-kun…."

"I know I was being selfish and didn't even think about everyone who had fight by my side. Everyone who had been willing to give up their lives to stop Aizen and all I did was stand there trembling like a coward. I was pathetic," he said remembering Zangetsu's word.

"I understand." He looked at her in surprise. "I understand how it feels to be overwhelmed by fear that you give up all hope. That was the same way I felt when I saw you get shot through the chest by a cero."

"Inoue, I didn't know."

"Please continue."

She didn't want to talk about that incident today, so he respected her wishes and went on with his story. "My dad called me a crybaby and reminded me what would happen to Karakura Town, Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and everyone else if we let Aizen have his way. We went after him to try and stop him. Dad stopped me when he realized that Cleaner thing we ran into was destroyed by Aizen. Apparently in the Dangai time is faster than it is in the Human World and Soul Society. He explained it in detail, but I don't remember it. All I knew was that I could train for three months in there and only have an hour pass in the real world."

"That's why your hair was longer!" she exclaimed. Orihime had always wondered why his hair had grown so much in only hour. Ichigo's stare went upon her reminding her that he was in the middle of the story. "Sorry, please go on."

"Anyway dad told me to get Zangetsu to teach me this technique called the Final Getsuga Tensho. He was so sure that it would help me and since the gap between me and Aizen was so big I decided to do it. Man that had to be the hardest training I ever endured. First I had to go to my inner world…."

"Kurosaki-kun," she interrupted. "I am sorry for interrupting you again, but what do you mean by inner world?"

"That's right I never told you about my inner world before. The inner world is a place that resides in a person's soul. For shinigami the inner world is the place their zanpakuto spirits live; like my Zangetsu use to live in me when I still had my powers."

"Oh I get it. Kurosaki-kun's inner world is like a big house that his zanpakuto lives in." She traced the outline of a house with her arms.

Sweat formed on the back of his head. "You were pretty close. My inner world was a city with all these tall skyscrapers."

"There is an entire city inside of Kurosaki-kun! But how can you fit skyscrapers inside of you?" she wondered aloud. "Having an entire city for just one person, must be really lonely for him. I feel so sad for Zangetsu. Does he have any friends in there?"

"I never really thought about that before now. I guess there was the hollow…."

"Hollow!"

"The reason I had hollow powers was because there was a hollow inside of me. He used to try and take control of body all the time. He got in my way when I fought that big guy, Yammy on the day he and Ulquiorrafirst came to the Human World. After training with the vizards though I got him under control."

'_Was he the one who took control of Kurosaki-kun's body during his fight with Ulquiorra on top of the dome?'_

Orihime had become silent, which he took to mean that all of her questions on his inner world had been answered. "I went into my inner world and everything was out of whack. All the skyscrapers were gone and everything was underwater." He stopped to answer more of her questions, but she remained silent. "I ran into Zangetsu and asked him to teach me the Final Getsuga Tensho, but he flat out refused."

"Why would he refuse though?"

"He told me that we wanted to protect different things than he pushed me away. I thought it was odd since he always helped me whenever I needed it. He blamed me for letting the inner world being destroyed and berated me for giving up. The hollow got involved and the two of them fused into one being and told me I had to beat them in order to learn the Final Getsuga." He omitted out the part were Zangetsu ripped his hollow out of him for her sake. "I fought with Zangetsu for three months straight without a break. He pushed me past my limit and then some. But it was worth it. Once I realized to stop fighting against him and just accepted his blade I gained everything I needed. Zangetsu, the hollow, and I became as one. I knew everything they did and they knew everything I did. That allowed me to go beyond even Aizen himself. It was wild."

"I had the hollow's instinct and love for battle, but I also had Zangetsu's wisdom and knowledge. I felt like I was both me and someone else; an entirely new Ichigo. There was a price though."

"You would lose your shinigami powers," she finished for him.

He nodded his head. "At that moment I didn't care. The only thing I could think about was defeating Aizen and finally putting an end to this meaningless war. It was so odd; when I saw Aizen he looked so small. I couldn't believe I had been so afraid of him before. His reiatsu felt so shallow from what I felt before. I thought that maybe he had gotten weaker, but the truth was that I didn't close the gap between us at all. I increased it, but our roles had reversed. Now it was Aizen who couldn't reach me. What was more surprising is that Aizen couldn't even sense it himself. He thought I lost my reiatsu, but he just couldn't sense it because I was at a higher level than him."

A smirk materialized on his face. "A part of me, I think the hollow wanted me to make him suffer and show him just how powerless he was now. The other part, Zangetsu told me to end the fight quickly and not give him a chance to grow even stronger."

"Which side did you listen to?"

"The hollow," he answered. "I took Aizen away from Karakura Town so that Tatsuki and the others wouldn't get hurt. Then I humiliated Aizen. He parried all of his sword strikes and watched him as he tried to figure out what I did to improve so much. It was so satisfying to see that for once Aizen was clueless and totally powerless to do anything. The look on his face when I stopped his sword with my hand and when effortless destroyed his level 90 kido was priceless." The image of Aizen's horrified expression came into his mind as clearly as he saw Inoue before him.

"I know it was wrong, but I wanted him to suffer for all the things he did; to the vizards, to Urahara-san, to Rukia, and to you. I needed him to know that he couldn't do whatever he pleased. I needed him to feel genuine fear and become hopeless. That when he was about to achieve his dream by taking over all three worlds and become a god that it was nothing more than just that a dream. Even when the Hogyoku transformed him into another new form he still couldn't harm me. I realized that Zangetsu was right and that I had to end the fight soon. I used it."

"The Final Getsuga Tensho," she finished again.

"Yep, I totally destroyed his body, but the Hogyoku prevented him from dying. Ironically as soon as I used the Final Getsuga to try and finish him; my powers started to evaporate. Thankfully Urahara-san had another fail-safe in play. Once I destroyed Aizen's body a sealing kido activated and the Hogyoku basically abandoned him. Then he was imprisoned. Not long after that you guys showed up."

Silence fell into the room. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. There wasn't a need to say anything else. Inoue understood that and so she tried to respect that by not asking anymore questions, even he knew she probably had some on her. He certainly had a question for her. "Did you think of me differently?"

Not understanding what he meant she decided to ask him to elaborate. "I am not sure what you mean."

"Now that I told you how I acted how I wanted to make Aizen suffer, do you think of me differently?" Time stopped. Everything outside and inside of the apartment was blocked out, quiet. The only one who was not frozen was Inoue. Her full pink lips were upside down in a frown. Her alluring hazel eyes' gaze had fallen upwards looking at the ceiling. Her mind was lost in thought; processing his question and analyzing it. He held his breath in as he waited for her reply.

As he sat there and waited for what felt like an agonizingly long time Ichigo wondered when he started to care of other people's opinion of him. Last year he didn't give damn what people thought about him as long as his family understood him the rest of the world be damn. He was a decent person he never went out looking for trouble, it came to him. He did his school work and was even reached the top 20 of his class. The bottom line was he did what he was supposed to do and what other people thought didn't matter. So why was it that he was agonizing over what Inoue thought of him?

Last year he barely talked to the girl and now her opinion of him meant so much to him that every fiber of his being was focused her, so he would not miss her response. Suddenly Zangetsu's words rang through his mind.

"_She has the power to make this world storm on end and make its sun shine so brightly that I think those happy days will last forever."_

Zangetsu was right. Inoue's opinion of him had a huge effect on him. When she looked at him with fear when he hollowfied in front of her for the first time he felt as though a fist had rammed into his stomach and knocked the wind out of him. And when she smiled and sent him off to help Rukia and the others his body felt so light and free of burden. When did the beautiful girl before him become such a central part of his life?

"_What is the nature of your relationship?"_

He never did answer Zangetsu. He thought they were just friends, but he wasn't sure now. Inoue had a role in his life that his other friends clearly did not. He loved all of his friends and he did not want them to be upset with him, but he could handle Tatsuki being pissed at him. Keigo's temper tantrums didn't make him bat an eye. There was no way he could ever pretend that Ishida being pissed at him bothered him. They both got under each other's skin so much that if one of them wasn't annoyed by the other one something was wrong. There was no danger of Rukia having a bad opinion of him. She understood him and how he acted. She knew when he needed a good ass kicking and when to leave him alone. Her opinion of him frequently changed when the situation required it to be. At the end of day he knew she had faith in him. Inoue's opinion of him is the one that really mattered though.

'_Say something. This is torture just waiting like this,' _he thought.

At long last Orihime's mouth opened, ready to give her reply. His mind immediately went blank as he eagerly waited for the answer he had longed to hear. "Yes, my opinion has changed…." His heart sank and his eyes widened in disbelief. He thought the wind was knocked out of him during his fight with Grimmjow in Hueco Mundo, but that time could not compare to this one. "….I think that Kurosaki-kun is even more amazing," she finished. Relief washed over him and his heart started beating again.

'_She doesn't think I'm an awful person.' _"You really think so?"

"Of course I do. Even though you were afraid you still went to the Soul Society to fight Aizen. That was really courageous of you."

"It wasn't bravery. I just wanted to protect everyone from Aizen. If I was brave I would have gotten involved sooner."

Orihime shook her head in disagreement. "Being brave does not mean you have no fear. Being brave is doing what you have to do even when you are afraid. That's what my Onii-chan always told me."

She smiled at him. That smile made his heart flutter and renewed his resolve. For once he didn't make her shed tears. He had done what he boldly declared to Zangetsu weeks ago; he made Inoue smile. Her smile was becoming addictive to him. "Your brother was a really smart guy." He gave her his half smile.

"Yes he was." She returned it with her own. Orihime was overjoyed to see Ichigo give her a true smile. "We should get started."

"Huh?" He had totally forgotten the reason he was over here. "That's right. Time to study Biology," he groaned.

"Don't worry Kurosaki-kun. I'll make this as enjoyable as possible!"

"I have no doubt in that, Inoue." The smile remained on his face. As much as he hated Aizen there was one thing he was grateful to him for. His manipulations and schemes had put Inoue in great danger, but it also brought him closer to her. _'Funny he wanted to use the Hogyoku to dissolve the barrier between godhood and morality and instead he dissolved the barrier between Inoue and me.'_

While one barrier was dissolved another one laid beneath it. Both Ichigo and Orihime had barriers in place trying to keep the other one safe. It would take more than a deranged shinigami to dissolve this one.

* * *

**Kon makes his appearance! No real reason for him to be in here other then I missed him. The dream sequence at the beginning with Ichigo fighting Zangetsu was in there because I wanted Zangetsu observation and insight on Orihime, but since Ichigo is powerless it had to be during the time he training to learn the Final Getsuga. I hope you guys like it. Please forgive any typos. I re-read this twice, but it is over 12,000 words, so I may have (and probably did) miss a few things. Happy Holidays! **


	6. Seeing Through the Illusions

**Well here I am with another chapter for you guys. I actually finished this yesterday, but didn't have the time to upload it. It's another long chapter, but judging from the reviews you guys do not mind the long chapters. This chapter will be drama and angsty filled. Unfortunately Orihime will have a bad day :( Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. I am glad you like it and hope you continue to find joy with this story. This will be my last chapter for 2010. Happy New Year to everyone out there I hope 2011 is very good to all of you. Read and hopefully enjoy.**

* * *

She let out a mighty yawn before putting her head down on her desk. Ochi-sensei was lecturing the class about something. She hadn't really been paying attention. Her hazel eyes had been closing and opening for the last hour now. Her brain had all, but shut down. There was no point to even try to take notes in her current frame of mind. This wasn't like her. Normally she was very attentive in class. She copied down all the notes, paid attention to lecture, and was the model student. Orihime couldn't help it. She was exhausted.

The healer's three hours of sleep a night had finally caught up to her. No longer could she keep alert in class. At this point she couldn't even fake it. Eight weeks with only three hours of sleep a night would drain anyone to the point of passing out in class. Ochi-sensei was once again on her for her abnormal behavior. What could Orihime do? She couldn't exactly tell her teacher that she was having nightmares about Ichigo transforming into a monster and killing all of their friends to protect her? Nor did she want to tell anyone about her nightmares.

Tatsuki's concern was flaring up even more as well. The tomboy tried to get her to open up and tell her about her nightmares, but Orihime just didn't feel right about telling Tatsuki about her nightmares in detail. It was just hard to explain it to someone who had not experienced what she did. She loved Tatsuki so much, but no matter how much she wanted to she just could not understand what the red head princess was going through. Of course once Orihime declined to tell Tatsuki about her nightmares she insisted that Orihime talk to Ichigo about it. As far as Orihime was concerned that was not even an option.

Inoue Orihime was passive about a lot of stuff in her life like school, friends, her love life, and even food. Every chance Tatsuki got she would force Orihime to eat her mother's home cooking. She claimed that Orihime needed to eat normal healthy food every now and then or she would die. After about twenty arguments with the short black haired girl Orihime just realized it was easier to agree with her and take the meal. However, the one thing she would not budge on was telling Ichigo about her nightmares. She just refused to burden the orange haired teen with anymore of her problems. As far as she was concerned he had done more than enough.

He went to Hueco Mundo, a lifeless void full of hollows, arrancar, and megalomaniac shinigami to rescue her. He fought battle after battle to insure her safety. He even went as far as coming back from the dead to defend her. It would just be selfish to ask anymore of him. At least that is how she felt about the subject. Tatsuki did not see it that way. She said that because Ichigo and Orihime had experienced the same bloody, destructive, emotion taxing war that he would be the one person that she could talk to and help her through this.

What Tatsuki did not understand though is that Orihime was fed up with always being rescued. Seeing Ichigo transform into **that** as she called it really opened her eyes to how much she depended on him. The whole reason Orihime went to the Soul Society with Rukia was to train and get stronger. She wanted to help her friends out in the war against Aizen. She didn't want to be useless like she was on their rescue mission for Rukia. Those long weeks of training, honing her skills, becoming more adept to battle, increasing her mental strength were wasted. When Orihime left to go home to help her friends fight he appeared, the cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. She would never forget his cold and emotionless stare. He told her that she had no rights and was a prisoner and that if she resisted that all of her friends would be killed. To show that he was not bluffing he showed her images of her friends losing their respective fights and on the verge of being killed. She held her breath when she saw the blue haired arrancar, Grimmjow, was easily batting around her beloved. The arrancar went as far as kicking him out of the sky and into the hard asphalt of the street. Once she saw that the healer knew what she had to do. Orihime agreed to go with him. Despite being successful the green eyed man still had the same blank and neutral expression on his face.

Ulquiorra gave her twelve hours before he came back to take her to Hueco Mundo. He gave her a bracelet that would hide her presence from everyone around her. He had told her that this was a reward for complying with Aizen's wishes. To show Aizen's gratitude the ruler of Hueco Mundo instructed him to allow her to say goodbye to one person, only one person. As soon as she heard his words her mind had already been made up on who she would say goodbye to. The healer wanted to say goodbye to all her friends and thank them for becoming the family that she had never had, but if she could only say farewell to one person than it had to be Ichigo.

The rest of the agreement was that the person she was saying goodbye to could not know she was there, but that suited her just fine. If Ichigo had known what she was going to do he would have stopped her. Ulquiorra would have come after her. Ulquiorra would have killed Ichigo and forced her to go. Yes the irony was not lost on her. She spent her twelve hours writing down instructions for Rangiku and Hitsugaya knowing that they would be lost in the Human World without her. She watched Tatsuki for a little while. Afterwards she just wandered around Karakura Town memorizing all of the sites of her home. She realized she may never see it again. When her time was nearly up Orihime found the courage to see Ichigo and say farewell to him.

That memory had brought a smile to her face. Ichigo was sleeping soundly in his bed, while Karin and Yuzu slept on the floor with their plates. It reminded her of how she was with her own brother when he was among the living. He looked terrible with all of his injuries and before she realized it she was already healing him. Thankfully that did not violate Aizen's terms. Unsure of what to really say she poured her heart out to the sleeping man. She told him her dreams, about all the people she wanted to say goodbye to and that if she could live five different life times that she would always fall in love with him. The princess was inches away from kissing him before something stopped her at the last second. That moment was so embarrassing for her. She had almost kissed Kurosaki-kun! At that moment Orihime was actually grateful to Aizen for his presence masking bracelet.

She would have died if he had caught her just inches away from his lips. He probably would have thought she was a pervert who was trying to have her way with him while he slept! And there wasn't really a way she could have covered that up. It was completely obvious what her intentions were_._

_'Kurosaki-kun would have never looked at me the same way again,'_ she thought. Feeling Ochi-sensei's disapproving glare the auburn haired woman decided she should sit up and at least attempt to scribble down notes. Picking her head off the strangely comforting desk Orihime rubbed her eyes and focused her attention on the board. The first thing she noticed was new information had replaced what she saw on it the last time her eyes laid on the board. Another yawn escaped her mouth, drawing the attention of her desk neighbor. She stared at Orihime until the red head finally stopped yawning. She took notice of her observer. Her neighbor had a look of annoyance on her face. This caused Orihime to blush. Muttering an apology she started to write down all of the information on the board. Despite her being exhausted she was able to copy down everything on the board in five minutes.

Once she was done with her notes she tried to listen to Ochi-sensei's lecture. Unfortunately for Orihime her teacher's words lulled her back to her half alert state. _'Have to stay awake. Need to stay awake. Need to take more notes,' _she chanted to herself hoping it would keep her awake. Her chant was failing. Within seconds her eyes were dropping close. She mentally cursed herself for losing to the sandman. Why couldn't he come to her at night? The last thing she needed was to fall behind when she spent so much time catching up the previous month. Her brown orbs found their way to her ever so inviting desk. It was calling for her to just lay her head down for a few minutes. All she needed was a few minutes of rest and she would be recharged enough to stay awake for the rest of the lecture. She laid her head down again and closed her eyes going off into dream land.

* * *

He dropped his pencil having copied down Ochi-sensei's last sentence. "Ha," he sighed. Why did they have to get so much work to do? The term was nearing its end. She could have given them a break. Between all the works he was doing in class and the makeup work he had to do all his time was now focused on school. He hardly spent any time with his friends outside of lunch anymore. Something that Keigo had gracefully reminded him of everyday much to his annoyance. Needless to say this work load was killing him. There were still the makeup exams he had to take. In the last month since he had returned to school he had only taken two of ten exams.

'_How can I take eight more make up exams and get ready for finals?'_ he asked himself. The ex-substitute sighed again. _'Thank God for Inoue. She has really helped me out on those last two exams.'_ He had been dreading his first makeup exam which was on one of his worst subjects, Biology. However, his study partner Inoue had helped him out immensely. The orange haired woman had made up a little game for him to help him to remember terms. The game was unusual to say the least, but it helped him out.

_'I still can't believe I played that game with her,'_ he thought with a laugh. His mind wandered off to that day.

_"Ok Kurosaki-kun I am going to show you a trick that I do that helps me memorizes all the material," she said in her cheery and lighthearted tone._

_His brown eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You have a trick to help you memorize the material," he repeated._

_Orihime closed her eyes and gave him a large smile. "That's right. I found that it is much easier to go over and material and remember it using this method than if I just read it over and over again," she explained in an excited manner. _

_Ichigo stared at her in astonishment. He never imagined that someone like Orihime would have a trick for studying. That seemed like something Keigo would have than her. He had always figured that Orihime was one of those genius students who could read something a few times and instantly recall it perfectly. After all she was ranked third in their entire class. _

_"What's wrong, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked noticing his surprised expression._

_He shook his head lightly so as not to worry her. "Nothing is wrong. I just never would have thought you would have a trick for studying," he said truthfully._

_She blinked twice then gave him a questioning look. "Really?"_

_He nodded his head once. "Yes, I figured since you were ranked third that you picked this stuff up right away."_

_Orihime shook her head and put her hands up, denying his assessment. "No, no, no! I am not really smart like that."_

_He scowled at her. "What do you mean? Of course you are really smart."_

_She continued to deny his claim. "No, I am really average and a bit of an airhead." She lightly punched herself in the head and stuck her tongue out, playfully._

_Ichigo did not like what he was hearing. He knew Inoue and she was definitely smart. He didn't like anyone even her saying otherwise. "Stop saying that you are not smart, Inoue. You are one of the most observant people I know. You are always the first person to notice when someone is bothered by something and you always give good advice. I know some people in our class think you are an air head, because of the way you act, but they are idiots who don't even know you."_

_Her cheeks turned bright red. His praise lifted her spirits so high that she felt like she could literally take flight. "You really think I'm smart, Kurosaki-kun?" Her hazel eyes met with his chocolate ones._

_"If I didn't think you were I wouldn't have just said what I said. You are very smart, Inoue. Screw anyone who says otherwise." _

_Her blush intensified. She had to turn away from him in order to hide her treacherous face. It had gone another shade of red at his continued praise. She both loved and hated that his words had this much effect on her. She ran her left hand in her hair with her gaze still averted from Ichigo's. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," she muttered. _

_His eyes narrowed slightly. Inoue's face went red again. She seemed to always get red around him and he didn't know why. He thought that she was coming down with something in the past. She did eat those weird combinations of food and he was certain she did not take care of herself as much as she should. Inoue was always spending so much time worrying about others that she over looked her own needs. However, lately he had begun to notice that when she was around him that her face would just flare up. 'Could she be allergic to something I wear?' he thought._

_Once the redness in her face went down and she was confident that she could look him in the eye she returned her gaze to him. "This game really helps me out, so I am hoping it will work for you."_

_"Are you sure this works, Inoue? Keigo has a bunch of tricks to and none of them works."_

_The innocent beauty merely nodded her head up and down. "This is a game that my Onii-chan taught me to help me study," she explained._

_Upon hearing that her brother came up with the idea he decided to hear her out. He really did not want to say anything that she might find offensive to her brother. He knew he would be pissed if anyone said anything bad about his mom. "Alright so how does the game go?" he asked._

_"First you write down what you want to know on note cards." She got a stack of blank notes cards out and put them on the table. "You write down Photosynthesis is the process that converts carbon dioxide in organic compounds using sun light. Then you turn it over and write down a little melody."_

_"A melody?" he blurted out in disbelief._

_"Yes a melody," she assured him. "I would write something like this. The sun is shining and the plants are starving. Carbon dioxide comes along and the plants gobble it up. They say yum and make sweet sugar. This is photo-syn-thesis." _

_Ichigo stared at her as though she had grown two heads. There was no way she could be serious. Did she actually expect him to repeat that ridiculous song? For one thing it was way to cutesy and for another one if anyone he knew found out about this they would never ever let him live it down. Keigo and Ishida would be merciless with him. Just the thought of their taunts was enough to make his blood boil. The ex-substitute shook his head trying to erase the image of their mocking glares out of his mind._

_"What's wrong?" she asked. The concern in her voice was evident._

_"Nothing, but do you really expect me to sing that?" Ichigo asked her._

_Confusion formed on her face. "Well yes," Orihime answered plainly._

_The disbelief on his face grew. Ichigo's eyes twitched as sweat fell off the back of his head. "T-there's no way I can sing that."_

_"But why not?" she questioned._

_"It is way too embarrassing!" he blurted out. "I mean Keigo and Ishida would massacre me if they heard me sing that!" He tried to make her understand his dilemma._

_"I am telling you that this will definitely work though," Orihime argued._

_"No," he repeated. This time he folded his arm defiantly, putting on his most serious and straight face._

_Orihime pouted at his stubbornness. "But Kurosaki-kun you have to know all of this by Monday for the exam." Why did he always have to worry about his image? If he didn't pass this exam then it would hurt his already bad grades. He needed try and regain as much of his lost points as possible. _

_"I would rather fail than!" he continued. Orihime continued to pout. It started to weaken Ichigo's resolve. "Come on. We can just study the normal way. It has always worked for me in the past," Ichigo argued._

_"That is true, but you can't possibly remember everything you need to know that way. All week your focus has been split between several subjects. I do not think you can read and retain all of this knowledge just by reading it."_

_He opened his mouth to argue, but instantly closed it. She was right. Normally he would have had a week or two to study for this exam and focus on it. He had only been back for a week and with the term close to ending he did not get the luxury of weeks of studying. Of course with all of his attention being divided in six other subjects he didn't remember any of the material the exam would cover. Essentially he would have to learn everything in two days, since he had a hard time focusing on Biology without day dreaming. That would be a challenge. If he was honest with himself he could never learn it in time. Suddenly Inoue's game was looking more favorable. But still his pride would not allow him to give in so easily. _

_"I can still try," he stated. Ichigo said that, but both he and Inoue heard the doubt in his voice. _

_"Ha," she sighed in frustration. Orihime expected a challenge, but this was downright impossible. There was still one card she had yet to play. Tatsuki had taught her how to do this in the eighth grade, but she hated to do it. It felt so wrong to manipulate a person like that. To use it on her Kurosaki-kun was beyond wrong, it was criminal. But desperate times called for desperate measures. She stuck her bottom lip out, raised her eyebrows slightly, and mustered pleading and charm into her eyes. "Please, Kurosaki-kun, do this for me," she said in her most earnest tone._

_She won. The minute Inoue had given him that adorable and pleading face he knew he had lost. It was unthinkable. He had defeated all sorts of opponents, wannabe thugs, bullies, punks, soul eating hollows, battle loving shinigami, blood lusting arrancar, and even the most broken being in all three worlds. How in the world could he lose out to a face? If Aizen had known his vulnerability he would have used Inoue to fight him instead of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. No matter how hard he tried to resist that face of hers would win against him every time. And her voice, the way she begged him was the final nail on the coffin. _

_'Damn it,' he thought. "Alright I'll try it," he finally gave in. Her face quickly transformed into a joyous one. Seeing her bright smile made his stomach feel nauseous. That was the second time that happened today. He hoped he was not coming down with an illness himself. "So how did that song go again?"_

_She continued to smile at him. "Listen closely," she urged him. Once she was sure she had his attention she started her song again. "The sun is shining and the plants are starving. Carbon dioxide comes along and the plants gobble it up. They say yum and make sweet sugar. This is photo-syn-thesis," she repeated. "Now you give it a try."_

_Ichigo took one big sigh. 'Remember this is to pass Biology. You don't want to be held back,' he told himself. "The sun is shining and the plants are starving." He stopped to look at her to confirm he gotten the line correct. Inoue nodded her head and encouraged him to continue. He sighed again then continued. "Carbon dioxide comes along and the plants gobble it up. They say yum and make sweet sugar," he paused again. God he felt like such a tool. One reassuring look from Inoue gave him the strength to continue. "This is photosynthesis." Once he finished Inoue started to clap._

_"That was great Kurosaki-kun!" she cheered him on. She hoped giving him positive reinforcement would encourage him to continue. _

_"Clapping really isn't necessary you know."_

_"Now you write down something else on the note card and come up with your own melody." Orihime passed him a note card and pencil. _

_"Do I really have to?" he complained. "You are better at coming up with melodies than I am."_

_She shook her head disapprovingly. "It is more effective if you make up your own melody. Just write down anything that comes to mind. If you want you could even use a melody from your favorite band."_

_"I guess that might help a little," he begrudgingly admitted._

For the five hours the duo spent their time making up melodies for all the material the exam would cover. While Ichigo was very skeptical at first by the end of the day he had been able to recite all the melodies they had come up with. With each memorized melody he had under his belt the more of the material he knew. By the time he came home he knew everything there was to photosynthesis all the way from the Calvin cycle to how much ATP it produced, and glucose. Sunday they went over cellular respiration by making more melodies.

Inoue's game as she called it worked, when he took the exam after school on the following Monday he knew most of the material. He got an 89 on the exam! That was his best grade in Biology this term. He was so grateful to Orihime for making him make all those stupid melodies. Sure he would never tell another soul that he actually sang those melodies, but he would start thinking about using her game to study, at least for Biology anyway.

He really did need to find a way to show his appreciation. Ichigo thanked her and got her that Yoko plushy, but that just didn't seem like enough. Here Inoue was spending her last month helping him play catch up. She was sacrificing most of her time to help him. Hell she barely even saw Tatsuki anymore, but the tomboy wasn't exactly making an effort to see Inoue either. For the last four weeks Tatsuki had something to do after school and left Ichigo to walk Inoue home alone. The first two weeks Tatsuki said she had karate practice which was understandable. On the third week the instructor was out for a week she suddenly had to be home after school to help take care of her ill mother. Now normally Ichigo wouldn't question it, but when he went over to Tatsuki's house to return her karate dvd Tatsuki's mother looked perfectly healthy.

Tatsuki said her mother was getting over her bug, but he had serious doubts the woman was ever ill to begin with. If Tatsuki had indeed lied like he thought she was then she was deliberately forcing Ichigo and Orihime to walk home alone. He was very interested in why his oldest friend would do such a thing. Tatsuki was very protective of Orihime even more so than him. Any guy who so much as leered at the healer would get a death glare from the short haired woman. People like Chizuru who pawed at her would meet with her fury. As close as Ichigo and Tatsuki were he was still male and Orihime was Karakura High's goddess. Nearly every guy in the school wanted to go out with her or at the very least spend a passionate night with her. Ichigo had been walking Inoue home for four weeks and staying over her place for many hours there. The Tatsuki he knew would have checked on them from time to time and made sure he was on his best behavior. That wasn't happening though. It was very odd. It was almost like she was going out of her way to give them alone time.

_'Why would Tatsuki want me to spend time alone with Inoue?' _The orange haired teen pondered his friend's peculiar behavior, when he heard terror filled, ear drum shattering, shriek. Ichigo went for his substitute badge on reflex. He squeezed it before he realized that he was powerless. Mentally he criticized himself for his forgetfulness. He turned his gaze on the direction of the shriek. He recognized that voice. He had heard that same shriek in his nightmares. The entire class including Ochi-sensei all had their eyes on frightened Inoue.

* * *

Her heart was pounding rapidly and her breathing was labored. It happened again just like clockwork. Tired from her lack of sleep Orihime had given in to her body and shut her eyes. She told herself that she would only rest her eyes for a few minutes. Surely her nightmares would not plague her if she was only asleep for a few minutes. She had been very, very wrong.

_Start of the Dream_

At first everything was going well. She had one of her usual dreams, the ones she had before her abduction. She had become a skyscraper sized missile wielding robot. She was destroying cities and battling giant monsters all over her dream world. Then things went dark. Orihime found herself on top of the dome, racing to that tower. Ulquiorra stood on top of it with Ichigo in his grasp. He taunted her then killed Ichigo. Her powers had failed to save him, Uryu was defeated, and Ulquiorra was about to finish him. Like always she screamed for Ichigo to save them. He transformed into that and destroyed his foe then turned on Uryu along with the rest of their friends. She saw Uryu getting blown to bits, Renji's head brutally ripped off his body, Sado being impaled by his horns, and Rukia getting her life choked right out of her. The raven haired shinigami turned to her and begged her with her fear contaminated eyes to stop Ichigo's assault right before she was consumed by the blood colored cero.

Here she was sitting in her seat, trembling uncontrollably, with her heart racing, and the entire classroom's eyes staring at her as though she were mad. Orihime didn't care though. It was horrible this time it had gone longer than it normally did. Her dreams always ended with Ichigo unleashing a cero at Rukia, but not today. After Rukia's body turned into ashes he turned to her. His hand, the same hand that had strangled Kuchiki-san, went into her orange hair. His clawed fingers ran through it while his gaze was fixed on her. He was seemingly fascinated by her for some reason.

She had been both terrified and calm. No matter how dark and fierce his reiatsu felt she knew he wouldn't hurt her. He made it abundantly clear when he declared he was going to save her. When his hand moved to her cheek he caressed circles on it. She placed her own hand over his. His other hand also moved to her face. This time he wiped the tears that had formed out of her eyes.

"Sa….ve….you….I…saved….you," he uttered.

New tears formed and fell from her face. "Yes, you saved me, Kurosaki-kun," she cried out.

Like before he wiped her tears away. "In….Inoue," he spoke.

Her heart skipped a beat. He recognized her and even called her by name. She saw him as a monster, but the truth was he was still Ichigo. He was still her Kurosaki-kun deep down on the inside. He was not a monster at all. He was a gentle soul who just wanted to protect her at any cost. He killed their friends, but he didn't know any better. The fault wasn't his. It was with her. She was willing to live with that guilt for the rest of her life, so long as she could stay by his side. This man had sacrificed everything even his humanity just to save her. She would stay by his side forever rather he be a human, shinigami, or hollow. "Kurosaki-kun," she uttered. His hand found its way in her hair again. He stroked it lovingly. "I love you," she revealed to him.

"How touching," a new smug voice said.

Instantly she turned around to find herself staring at the man who had ordered her abduction, the same man who started this senseless war, Aizen Sosuke. He wore his usual half smirk and had his wolfish gleam in his eyes. "Hello, Orihime," he spoke in his mock polite manner.

"Aizen," she spoke in fearful and hushed tone. Why was he here? He had to pick now of all times to appear.

"There is no need to be afraid," Aizen said. "I am not here to harm you or Kurosaki Ichigo."

Her eyes went to her protector. She noticed that his gentle nature was being replaced by his destructive one. Panic overwhelmed her. "Please calm down, Kurosaki-kun. He said he wasn't going to hurt me. I'm safe, so please don't fight him. Please just stay calm."

"So you to realize that even though Kurosaki Ichigo has obtained this new power that he still incapable of harming me." His voice held a hint of amusement. "You are an intelligent woman, Orihime. It seems when I chose you to join me that I was correct."

"What do you mean? I thought I was just a distraction?"

Aizen merely shook his head. "It is true that I ordered Ulquiorra to abduct you in order to lure Kurosaki Ichigo and the rest of your friends away from Karakura Town, so that I could attack it without any resistance. However, that was merely one of the functions you served."

Confusion remained on her face. "My abduction served more than one purpose?"

He smiled at her, yet it was empty. It was completely devoid of any true compassion. It made her skin crawl. "You see when I had Ulquiorra and Yammy invade Karakura Town it was to assess Kurosaki Ichigo's power. However, it was during that mission that I noticed something interesting." Aizen paused for some reason.

The renegade shinigami seemed to be staring at something or someone. Her eyes followed the direction his gaze was and found Ichigo turning rabid once more. Instead of seeing Ichigo displeased or angry she saw anticipation. She put her hand in Ichigo's this seemed to calm him down. Aizen continued once he had settled down. "I saw fear in Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes."

"Fear," she repeated.

"Not fear for his wellbeing, but rather fear for you. When Yammy attacked you the fear in his eyes was most apparent. Of course given Kurosaki Ichigo's protective nature that is the reaction I could expect if any of his friends were harmed. Still his reaction interested me, so I decided to observe you more. My intuition proved to be correct. I saw him vow to protect you. I also saw it."

"It," she repeated dumbly.

"His eyes were hardened, determined, and unyielding. It was the face of man who would do anything to fulfill his promise. From that moment I knew that if I acquired you he would chase after you. I hypothesized that Kurosaki Ichigo's need to rescue you would allow his power to develop even more."

She remained silent unsure of how to react to Aizen's revelation. Her body started to tremble. The healer discovered the cause was Ichigo's reiatsu becoming more feral. Despite the change he remained at her side.

Aizen smiled at the odd pair again. She was growing very tired of that smile. "From there it was a simple matter of planning your abduction. I instructed Ulquiorra to give you twelve hours to yourself, so that the Soul Society would think that you left on your own accord. They would brand you a traitor and abandon you. Without their help Kurosaki Ichigo would be in an even direr situation. It was only in that dire situation that his power would blossom. If I may be so bold he did what I expected him to."

"You are saying that…."

"That the moment that Kurosaki Ichigo stepped a foot in Hueco Mundo he has been in the palm of my hand," Aizen boasted. "I must confess even I could not foresee how much of an effect on his development you would have. For that I must thank you, Orihime. You have helped me further my ambition much further than even my own Espada."

"N-no, that can't be," she muttered helplessly. This couldn't be. She couldn't have helped their greatest enemy further his goal more than his own minions.

"I can see by that face you are making that you cannot accept my words. However, this is the reality. By coming here to protect your friends you only put them in more danger. As unpleasant as it is hear that is the truth and you must accept that. Those who are not strong cannot shape their own path and thus will be forced to walk the path that the strong have created for them. Do you understand my words, Orihime? What I am saying is that because of you lack the necessary strength to forge your own path you will always be the slave to will of the ones who possess strength."

Her brown eyes were irradiating disbelief and trepidation. She felt another spike of reiatsu from Ichigo. He must have sensed her anxiety and realized that the man before them was the cause of it. This was bad. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold him back now. She squeezed his clawed hand hoping to keep him pacified. Her attempt seemed to be successful. She felt him squeeze back and his reiatsu simmered down once more.

A light laugh escaped the traitorous shinigami's lips. "It is truly fascinating that even though he is transformed and unaware of his own identity that he not only recognizes you, but even concerns himself with your wellbeing. You have such an effect on him, Orihime."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I observed Grimmjow's battle with Kurosaki Ichigo. I saw just how much power you have over him. When your eyes were filled with fear at his hollow powers Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes were filled with a great pain. However, when you begged for him to not die you renewed his strength. With his strength restored he triumphed over Grimmjow. It was during that battle that he learned to wear his mask for extended periods of time. That wasn't enough. I still needed his power to develop more, so I had Starrk re-acquire you. I put Ulquiorra in charge of Hueco Mundo and said that I had no more use for you. When in reality you were still serving a very important function for me."

"You wanted Kurosaki-kun to fight him," she said in realization.

"Yes," he replied. "In order to develop his power further I needed to instill within Kurosaki Ichigo true terror."

"Terror," she repeated.

"I had to instill within his heart the terror of your death, Orihime. Ulquiorra was much stronger than Kurosaki Ichigo and by all rights he would or should have been crushed by Ulquiorra at his level of power. If your life was endangered I knew that it would force his power to evolve to the level it needed to be to defeat Ulquiorra. This transformation was most unexpected though. To think that Kurosaki Ichigo's devotion to you would not only spark this transformation and even resurrect just to defend you. Rejoice Orihime for the man whom you declared your love for holds your life above everyone else's."

"That's not true….it can't be…"

"Even though your words are infected with fear, somewhere down in your heart you must be overjoyed."

"What? How could I be overjoyed!?" she screamed at him. "Kurosaki-kun transformed into this state and killed all of our friends! How can I be overjoyed by that?"

"But he did all of this for you," Aizen said calmly. The red head princess eyes widened in shock. "As I said before I observed you to discover how strong your connection is to Kurosaki Ichigo. I saw your dissatisfaction and jealousy of Kuchiki Rukia's connection to Kurosaki Ichigo. Didn't you wish that it was you who had such a strong effect on him?"

"No….not like that….not like this…."

"He went all of the way to the Soul Society to rescue her. There had to be a part of you that resented that. A part of you that resented the fact that you went there to help the man you love rescue another woman."

"That's not true! Kuchiki-san is my friend! I could never hate her!"

Aizen closed his eye lids and shook his head as though he were lecturing a child. "She is your rival for his affection. It is not possible to hold no ill will towards her. Even if the ill you hold toward her is small, it still exist somewhere in your heart. Despite your friendship with Kuchiki Rukia you yourself said that you are jealous of her and the effect she has on Kurosaki Ichigo. Beings cannot have jealousy without resentment. With resentment comes animosity. People wish not to accept these facts. They deceive themselves into believing they do not hold these emotions. However, they create an illusion for themselves that they can have one of these emotions without the other. Reality is not like that. To have jealousy is to have resentment and to have resentment is to have hatred."

"Stop talking as if you know what is going on in my heart!" she screamed again. "I do not hate Kuchiki-san! We were friends, we trained together in the Soul Society, and we vowed to help one another," she spoke in a hush voiced.

"Just now when Kurosaki Ichigo killed Kuchiki Rukia with a cero why didn't you shield her?"

"W-what?" she asked. Her tone was low. Her voice was shaken.

The smirk on Aizen's oh so smug face grew even wider. "It is a simple question. Why did you not attempt to shield Kuchiki Rukia?"

She had no answer for him. The truth was that it never even occurred to her to try to use her Santen Kesshun to shield Rukia. Why hadn't it? Why didn't she even think of that?

The wolfish grin was still glued to his face. He threw it at her full force. "The reason you did not think to do it I quite simple. Deep down in your heart you wanted her to disappear."

"N-no…." she uttered. Her voice was cracking.

"In your heart you were happy that he killed her to protect you," he explained.

"That's….not true…." She tried to convince both him and herself.

"Subconsciously you may have even gone with Ulquiorra willingly to see if Kurosaki Ichigo would come for you like he did Kuchiki Rukia."

"No. I left to protect him, to protect all of them! I never wanted this to happen!" The rage and disgust vibrated so strongly in her voice that even Aizen was taken aback, albeit only slightly.

The white clothed man took steps towards her and her protector. The transformed Ichigo called his black blade to him mentally. As soon as it fell into his hands he stood in front of her. "Take comfort in the fact that the man you love has gone to such great lengths to save you. Your wish to mean more to him than Kuchiki Rukia has been granted. You should thank me, Orihime," Aizen openly mocked. He opened up his white coat to reveal the orb that she had planned to erase from existence was imbedded in his chest. The strange, heavy feeling that she had felt the last time she saw it came back in full force. "Now the time has come for me to assimilate Kurosaki Ichigo."

"What!?" she screamed in fright. "You said you were not going to harm him!"

"And I do not plan to harm him. By assimilating Kurosaki Ichigo into me he will become a part of an entirely new being, a being who shall transcend both the limits of shinigami and hollows. This being will achieve godhood."

"What are you saying? You'll kill Kurosaki-kun if you absorb him into your body!" Her voice had completely broken down now.

"That is only your version of reality. In my reality Kurosaki Ichigo shall live on as a part of me. Since you have so much devotion to this man and have served me well, I shall reward you by allowing you to stay by my side."

"Do you honestly think I would ever stand by your side?" she spat.

"Do not reject my offer, Orihime. If you think about it you will realize it makes perfect sense. You will always be by Kurosaki Ichigo's side. This is your greatest desire." He disappeared from sight catching the healer by surprise. Suddenly she felt the touch of fingers on her cheek, caressing it. This touch was unlike Ichigo's. While her beloved's touch was light and protective this touch was possessive and demanding. "I will give you what your heart craves most of all…." Her heart skipped a beat. "...Kurosaki Ichigo's love."

Her eyes widened while her mouth dropped opened. "Kurosaki-kun's…..love," she repeated slowly and longingly.

"Yes. All you must do is ask for it and I will grant it. Stand by side and you shall have everything you desire." Ichigo had gotten behind Aizen. He swung his black sword down at the renegade shinigami, but the villain easily blocked it with his own blade. Aizen never turned around from Orihime. "You cannot create your own path with your power, but I can create one for you, one that you desire. All of your life you have been forced to walk a path of hardship. Unloving and abusive parents, cruel and envious peers, the death of your brother, and having to endure the man you love bond with another woman. This is the path your selflessness had gotten you. Embrace your selfish and dark desires."

"I…I can't…" she argued, but her will was weakening.

"Your friends who risked everything for you are all dead, all except for one. Kurosaki Ichigo is fighting a losing battle right now for you. You know deep down you are happy. His soul and his heart belong to you already. Why should his love not belong to you as well?"

Each word he spoke chipped away more and more of her resolve. She was just so tired. Tired of being the perfect girl the world expected her to be. She had been given so much hardship. Her parents never loved her. She was always the object of ridicule rather by uncaring children or catty and jealous high school girls. Her only family who actually loved her was taken away from her. Her best friend, the person who erased some of that loneliness away, was always being harmed because of her. To top it off the man that she loved was now a mindless killing machine because of her. It would be so easy to give in and finally get everything she wanted. No more loneliness. No more seeing friends get hurt. His love would be hers. With tears streaming down her silky white and smooth skin, she nodded. "I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to lose everything I care about. I don't want to lose Kurosaki-kun. I'll stand by your side if you give me all of that."

His smirk widened even more if that was possible. He parried the black sword away, pushing the hollow crazed man back. Not wanting to give up the berserk Ichigo charged at Aizen. Aizen's response was to smirk. An unknown white substance was produced from the Hogyoku. It ensnared the transformed Ichigo. It tied his arms together then his legs. It wrapped itself around his torso. The vizard opened his mouth and let out a mighty and inhuman roar. With another smirk the traitorous shinigami started to pull his prey in towards him.

Orihime watched on making no attempt to stop the man. Unable to face him she averted her gaze from him.

"Do not despair, Orihime," Aizen spoke causing her to look. "Kurosaki Ichigo shall live on as a part of me. I will in turn love you as Kurosaki Ichigo and give you everything you desire."

She remained silent and folded her arms in shame. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't care. For once she wanted to be selfish. The red headed princess could not resist anymore. It was pointless now. Aizen had the Hogyoku. He was going to absorb Ichigo and win the war anyway. There was no point in defying him any longer. At least by submitting to him she would get to be by her love's side even if he was now a part of Aizen.

Ichigo's body was being swallowed by Aizen's much to the man's glee. As the orange haired man was sinking further and further into him, his bull mask started to crack. Within seconds it broke open revealing her beloved's trance induced face. His eyes were hollow and emotionless just like Ulquiorra's. It hit her that she was the cause of this look. More tears fell.

"In….Ino….Inoue…I…will…sa….save you," those were his last words. Aizen completely consumed him.

What had she done? He was consumed by their greatest enemy and she stood there and watched. Despite this his last words were a declaration to her; to save her. Orihime dwelled on her thoughts as he lifted her face up by her chin. She looked into his cold and yet charismatic brown eyes. A half smile formed on his lips, not his arrogant and smug one, but a warm and reassuring one. It was the same smile that Ichigo had.

"Orihime," his voice was strong and rough, with a hint of kindness. It was not Aizen's voice, but his voice. Against all reason her hope skyrocketed. He was in there. He was still alive in there. "Orihime," he spoke again. "I love you." The words she wanted to hear from him for so long had been spoken. All the strength in her body left and she fell into his arms.

"Kurosaki-kun, I've wanted this for so long. Please say it again," she pleaded.

Once again he put his lips to her ear and whispered the words she yearned for. "I love you." He lifted her face again. His eyes were full of so much love and concern. Her heart melted. Without warning his lips planted themselves on hers. The kiss was long and passionate, but it was wrong. She didn't feel any love in it at all. It was just going through the motions. Her illusion was shattered. She was not being kissed by him. It was not his words that serenaded her with love. This was all one giant illusion placed on her by the man weaved nothing, but illusions and half-truths. Now she would have to live in this illusion for the rest of her life. "I love you, Orihime," Aizen spoke again. She opened her mouth letting out a mighty shriek.

_End of the Dream _

Here she was shivering in terror, shame, and self-loathing. The things that she had felt and done in that dream were unforgiveable. Even though they did not happen she couldn't help, but feel guilty of her actions. She had let Rukia be killed and allowed Aizen to consume Ichigo in exchange for a mere illusion. If dreams were a gate way into ones desires then that had to mean she had wanted this on some level. She wanted Rukia to go away so that the shinigami would be out of her way with Ichigo. She wanted Ichigo to rescue her to see if her connection to him was as strong as Rukia's.

_'I am a horrible person,' _she thought. Orihime got out of her seat and ran out of the classroom.

* * *

Chattering suddenly broke out among the class. Nobody understood why Orihime had screamed or why she departed, but that didn't stop them from putting together theories. Ichigo was both confused and worried. Something was very wrong with Orihime and he had no idea what it was. He looked around to Chad and Ishida to see if it was hollow related.

Chad gave him a look that said he was just as unsure of what happened as Ichigo. He did notice that the silent giant's grip on his pencil tightened. Ichigo knew Chad long enough to tell that little gestures like that was how he expressed his concern. Ichigo turned his attention to Ishida and found an expression of worry and anger. When the Quincy caught sight of Ichigo that anger was casted on to him. This only caused Ichigo's confusion to grow even more.

_'Great now I have two mysteries on my hand. Why Inoue is so upset and why Ishida would be angry at me?' _

He decided to turn his gaze to Tatsuki, but the short haired woman had already left her seat to race after her best friend. Ichigo got out of his seat and prepared to go after the pair himself when Ochi-sensei finally called the class to order.

"Sit down Kurosaki! Everyone else settle down! Despite Inoue's….outburst we are still in class. We still have an hour left of class and I intend to use every last second of it," she declared.

Ichigo raised his hand. He couldn't wait for an hour not when Inoue was in pain. He needed to get to her and find out what had upset her so much. "Put your hand down Kurosaki."

"But…"

"Every time I let you leave class this term you never come back. There is hour left until the day ends. You can wait that long," she barked.

"But…" he insisted.

"No," she stated bluntly and sternly.

He gritted his teeth and cursed to himself. He knew by her tone that there was no point in arguing. He was going to have to wait for an hour to talk to Inoue. His eyes went to the clock and saw that he had 58 minutes left of class. _'Come on you stupid piece of junk and move!'_

* * *

"Orihime!" Tatsuki called out for healer. Tatsuki had successfully followed her out of the school, but once she reached the street level she had lost Orihime in the crowd. She kicked herself for losing sight of Orihime. She circled the area again to try and catch sight of her best friend, but it was no go. "Damn it!" she cried. "Where in the world could she be?"

Realizing that she would never find Orihime if she continued to panic Tatsuki took a deep breath. "Alright, I just need to calm down and try to sense where she is." Being around Ichigo so much had allowed Tatsuki to develop a bit of spiritual awareness. She could now see ghosts and hollows as clear as she saw a living person. The added benefit of her new awareness was that she could now sense reiatsu from other people, although her ability to sense reiatsu was elementary at best. In order for her to sense anything it required her to concentrate. She closed her eyes and blocked out everything around her. It did not take her long to pick up Orihime's reiatsu.

Immediately she knew something was up. Normally Orihime's reiatsu was warm and peaceful, but now it was restless and out of control. One moment it was warm and inviting and the next moment it was cold and hostel. All of her feelings were swirling out of control and it was affecting her reiatsu. "Hang in there Orihime. I'm coming." She started running. _'It feels like she is at that place. I should have known she would go there. I should be there in ten minutes,'_ she thought.

She was sitting on the bench of her park. This was the park that her brother had always taken her to whenever he got time off from work. When Sora was fortunate to get the entire day off he would wake her up early in the morning and make her breakfast. While she was eating he would tell her about the big day he had planned out for them. She would always get so excited on those days that she wolfed down her breakfast and hurried her brother along so they could get going. Sora would take his time just to annoy her. She would get upset of course and call him mean for making her wait.

When they got to the park Orihime would run to the swings and beg her brother to push her. He smiled at her and complied with her wishes. He used to push her as high as he could. Orihime was never afraid. She knew her brother would never allow anything to happen to her. She would always tell him to push her even higher than that to which he would reply with a laugh. Those days were so long ago. Life had changed considerably since back then. She wondered what her brother would say if he saw her now.

_'He would probably be disappointed in how selfish I have become,'_ she thought. When did she become such an awful person? Had she always been this awful and just never realized it. Orihime knew she felt jealous of Rukia at times, but to actually wish she was dead. Rukia was her friend. They had spent so much time together helping each other train and getting to know one another. Only now did she realize that it was all an act. She had tricked herself into believing she had made friends with the raven hair shinigami when all the while she resented her.

_'Kuchiki-san risked so much to rescue me as well. I can't face her again. I can't ever face Kurosaki-kun again. Is this the reason I am still having my nightmares? This is punishment for my selfish wishes.' _

"Orihime," called out the familiar voice of her best friend.

"Hi, Tatsuki-chan," she greeted without turning around. She heard footsteps drawing closer. Assuming it was Tatsuki walking over to the bench she scooted over and gave her a space to sit. Tatsuki made it to the other side and sat down beside her. For a long while neither woman spoke. They sat there basking in the presence of the other one. The pair watched a pair of little girls on the swings. The girls chatted and swung away.

"That brings back memories doesn't it?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah, it does," Orihime replied.

"You were such a baby about everything back then, but whenever you were on a swing you would go as high as you could. Hell you even stood up trying to get as high as you could," she continued. Orihime chuckled.

"Onii-chan would always push me on the swings, so I was never afraid. That's why I always wanted to go on the swings even though we were too old to be on them back then," she confessed.

"This is the park he always took you to right?" Tatsuki asked. Orihime confirmed her question by nodding her head. "I wish I could say I knew you would come here, but the truth is I sensed where you were. I guess that makes me a bad best friend for forgetting what this place meant to you."

"You are not a bad friend unlike me."

Confused by what the healer meant Tatsuki looked at her questioningly. "Why do you think you are a bad friend?"

"I am really selfish and nasty," she replied.

Tatsuki couldn't stop herself from laughing. Orihime looked at her a bit offended by her friend's inappropriate laughter. "I'm sorry, but you selfish and nasty. That is just absurd. Why on Earth would you even think that?"

Taking a deep breath Orihime prepared to finally tell Tatsuki her dream. She told her about seeing Ichigo being killed by Ulquiorra, his transformation, and how he brutally murdered everyone. She told Tatsuki her latest dream with Aizen and how he revealed that she resented Rukia so much that she wanted her to disappear. Orihime even told her about the deal she made with the dream Aizen. Tatsuki did not say anything. She only listened until Orihime was finally done.

"I can't believe you were holding all of this in all this time," the black haired woman finally said.

"I really am awful aren't I?" Orihime asked her.

"Of course you aren't!" Tatsuki exclaimed. "Orihime these are just dreams they don't mean anything."

"But dreams are a gate way to the subconscious. When Kuchiki-san first came back I was so jealous of how she got through Kurosaki-kun! What if all this time I have just been fooling myself? What if I've really hated her? What if I really wanted her gone? I didn't even try to save her in my dream."

"Orihime, listen to me. It is perfectly natural to feel jealous of someone. Just because you were jealous of Kuchiki doesn't mean you wanted her to die." Orihime still looked doubtful. Tatsuki was unsure what to do. Orihime wasn't listening to her at all. She had convinced herself that she was this horrible person for feeling a natural harmless emotion. "Orihime, please talk to Ichigo about this," she urged.

"Haven't you been listening? I can't talk to him about this. I can't tell him that I wanted Kuchiki-san to die!"

"You didn't want her to die!" Tatsuki shouted back trying to get her to hear her. "You have been through this really traumatic experience and are having a hard time adjusting to it. You need to talk to someone."

"I talk to you," she defended.

"But that isn't helping you, Orihime. I hate to say this, but for the first time ever I can't defend you from something. I can't fight this for you. You are the only one who can fight this and in order to do this you have to talk to Ichigo."

"Tatsuki-chan…."

"No listen to me. I think the reason this is getting worse is because you feel guilty about everything that has happened to Ichigo. All these dreams revolve around him and his transforming to help you. I think this new part has to do with you feeling responsible for him losing his shinigami powers and not being able to see Kuchiki. I don't think you are ever going to get over this unless you talk to Ichigo about it."

"But I can't Tatsuki-chan."

"Why can't you?" she asked. "He talks to you all the time, so why can't you lean on him for strength?"

"If I tell him he will feel guilty and blame himself."

"Wow that sounds really familiar," she said sarcastically, while she rolled her eyes.

"It's not his fault, but it is my fault. If I hadn't been jealous maybe I would have fought Ulquiorra instead of going with him."

Tatsuki stared at Orihime as though this was the first time she had really seen her. "You are really hurting and I can't reach you," she stated. "I'm not sure what I can do," she finally admitted to herself more than Orihime. The two women became silent again and continued to sit on the bench. They watched the girls swing and remembered simpler times when the world made sense and these nightmares were out of reach.

* * *

The bell had at long last ringed. The moment it did Ichigo shot out of his seat and ran through the door. He stopped at the hallway trying figure out where Orihime might have gone. "Damn. This would be easier if I could sense her reiatsu." He was about to run again when he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. The ex-substitute turned around to see his glasses clad friend staring at him. "Ishida," he spoke.

He noticed that the Quincy was still wearing a vexed expression. This time however he seemed to be trying to suppress it. "Come with me, Kurosaki," he said.

"I will talk to you later. Right now I have to find Inoue." Ichigo started to run off.

"You won't find her without being able to sense her reiatsu," he called out to Ichigo causing him to stop. "I on the other hand know exactly where she is. I'll tell you where to go if you come with me and listen to what I have to say."

He narrowed his eyes at Ishida. This was unlike him. No. It was like the old Ishida. The one who was Ichigo's enemy and wanted to prove he was superior to him in every way. He didn't need to sense reiatsu to feel the bad blood between Ishida and himself. Although, he wanted to look for Inoue without being able to sense her reiatsu he could spend hours looking for her. If he did what Ishida wanted he would save considerable amount of time. Plus he was curious to what had put him back at odds with the Quincy. "Alright, let's go."

"Ichigo," Mizuiro called out. He, Keigo, and Chad had just walked up to the pair. Judging from the look on their faces they too could see the change in Ishida. "What's going on?" Mizuiro asked. The concern in his voice was un-mistakable.

Ichigo just smiled at the trio and waved his hand. "It's fine. I just need to talk to Ishida for a bit. Go on without me. I have to get to Inoue's afterschool anyway to study."

"Ichigo," Mizuiro said again, but this time Keigo grabbed his shoulder.

"Come on, Mizuiro. If Ichigo needs to talk to Ishida then we should get going. The three of us will just hang out like we've been doing the last few weeks." He gave his cellphone obsessed friend a huge grin. Luckily it had the effect he desired. Mizuiro smiled back at Keigo. "Come on Chad," Keigo called back.

Sado gave Ichigo and Ishida one final look before leaving. "Try not to kill each other. It will only upset Inoue more," he muttered.

Once the three of them left Ichigo turned his attention back to Ishida. "Ok, so where do you want to go?"

"The roof," the Quincy replied.

Ichigo nodded in agreement and the two of them departed to the roof of the school. The journey was silent. While Ishida appeared to be focused on where they were going Ichigo was still trying to ponder on what had changed between them since this afternoon when they were having lunch. About five minutes later they had reached their destination.

"Ok Ishida we are here. What is this…." Before he could finish his sentence Ishida's fist had rammed itself right into Ichigo's face. The former vizard was knocked off his feet and on to his ass. Surprised by his friend's sudden aggressive behavior Ichigo just sat there stunned. He looked up to see Ishida's face was full of rage. "What the hell was that for?" he shouted at the Quincy.

"You disgust me," he replied.

"Excuse me? Do you mind telling me why you are pissed at me?" Ichigo continued to interrogate him.

"The fact that you have to ask is what pisses me off." He glared darkly at Ichigo.

"Well getting sucker punched really pisses me off! If you want to go I'll go! I don't need my shinigami powers to kick your ass!"

"As much as I would love to knock that thick skull of yours in, Sado-kun had a point. If we fight each other and Inoue-san finds out it will only make her feel worse than she already does."

He blinked in confusion. "Is that what this is about? You think I have something to do with Inoue being upset?" Ishida did not answer him and only continued to stare darkly at him. "I didn't do anything to her! I would never do anything to harm Inoue! How dare you…."

"How dare I?" Uryu spoke interrupting Ichigo. "How dare you! You claim to be her friend, but you can't even see what is right in front of your face!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Kurosaki, you've been in a daze since you woke up from your coma. While you have been wallowing in self-pity you failed to notice Inoue-san's suffering, despite spending all that time with her. She blames herself for everything. She blames herself for your transformation in Hueco Mundo. She blames herself for all the battles you fought. She blames herself for you losing your powers. She even blames herself for you not being able to see Kuchiki-san."

The ex-substitute's anger was absorbed by both disbelief and skepticism.

"You really are an idiot, Kurosaki. Can't you see that Inoue-san feels guilty about what happened to you? Or are you that self-absorbed in your own sorrow to notice?" Uryu spat.

He felt like such a fool. How could he have not seen how much she was suffering? All the time he had spent with her and he never once picked up on what was bothering her. What did he do all this time? He talked about himself and all of his problems. He never once thought to ask how she was doing. She was hurting and he had been oblivious to it.

"What have you been doing this last month? Didn't you notice how Inoue-san was sleeping in class? Or did you not notice how tired she has been?" Uryu pressed on. His fury roared and refused to be quelled. The Quincy spewed it at the ex-substitute shinigami.

Ichigo thought back to all of their study sessions. He recalled at how Inoue yawned during most of their study sessions. Her lack of energy had become more apparent to him now.

"I've been trying to be patient and allow you to cope with your sudden power lost. I understand how you feel better than anyone, but you are not the only one affected by it."

"What?" Ichigo uttered.

When I was powerless I felt the same way you do now. I felt hollow and unsure of whom I was anymore. I defined myself as a Quincy. When I lost my power I felt like I lost a part of myself. However, I never once failed to see how much trouble that you, Sado-kun, and Inoue-san were in!"

"Ishida," he spoke unsure of what else to say.

"You risked everything to save her, Kurosaki, but did you think your job was done just because she was unharmed physically?"

Suddenly Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's words came into his mind. _"Did it relax you to see her unhurt? I bet you didn't even wonder what was going on inside of her!"_ Grimmjow said.

_"That woman is already one of us. That won't change no matter how hard you try."_

Ishida sighed. "Look, Kurosaki, you saved everyone and in order to do that you had to sacrifice a lot. I know you can no longer see spirits or Kuchiki-san, but if you keep focusing on what you lost you are going to lose what you still have. Please for your own sake and for Inoue-san's sake, talk to her. Ask her what is wrong." His tone was not one of anger this time, but one of warning.

Ichigo nodded his head. "Tell me where she is and I'll take care of it."

"She's at the park west from here and five blocks away," he replied.

He ran towards the door, rushing of like always to rescue the princess. Uryu watched as Kurosaki departed. _'I hope you are ready for this Kurosaki. This will not be as simple as fighting off some opponent. This time Inoue-san is being held captive by her own heart. We cannot reach her, Sado-kun, Arisawa-san, and me. You are the only one who can reach out to her. You are the only one who can save her.'_

And he ran towards his next opponent, he ran towards her heart.

* * *

**Well now Ichigo knows and knowing if half the battle (prize to anyone who knows what this line is from). In case you wondering how dream Aizen knows so much about Orihime remember it's her nightmare. Of course he would know all of this stuff since it is her head. Orihime knows that Aizen "helped" Ichigo grow stronger because Ichigo told her about it during the last four weeks. This new detail is what sparked the new part of her nightmare. Like Tatsuki said Rukia's death in the dream represents Ichigo not being able to see her anymore due to his power loss. Orihime feels bad about getting closer to Ichigo during this last month because she thinks it is happening because Rukia isn't around anymore. Now she is starting to wonder if she or her subconscious if this is what she wanted all along. The nightmare is now all the hardship she experienced and her guilt. In short keeping it all to herself is causing her to break. Hope you guys like this. Please review and again Happy New Year.**


	7. Bearing the Burden: Her Heart

**I got this chapter up a little earlier than usual. I like how this chapter turned out. I am hoping you guys like it (crosses fingers). It's hard to keep Ichigo in charcater when he has to express his feelings to people, when he is not actually fighting anyone. I am dying to for the next Bleach chapter, but still have another week before it comes out. I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting. **

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Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I do not own Bleach, I do not own Bleach, amd did I mention I do not own Bleach. That should make up for forgetting to type this on the last few chapters.

* * *

He was an idiot just like Ishida, Rukia, his sisters, and various other people said. No, maybe idiot wasn't the right word. Perhaps the right word was oblivious. Or maybe he was both an idiot and oblivious. Whatever word best described him and his situation then he was that. Trying to figure out exactly which word fit him did not matter now. What mattered was finding Inoue and saving her.

Ichigo was running at his top speed, trying to reach the park; the park Inoue was in right now. He prayed that she did not decide to move until he got there. His lungs were killing him now. He hadn't stopped once since Ishida told him where Inoue was. While his legs were rebelling against him his heart was racing. But rather his heart was reacting to the adrenaline or the familiar feeling of dread he didn't know.

'Inoue,' he thought. He turned a corner sharply nearly running into a boy. The kid put his arms in front his face to try and shield himself. Ichigo jumped over him much to his surprise. His body really adapted to all the training and battles he experienced during the past year.

"That was cool!" Ichigo heard the boy exclaimed. He was in hurry, but Ichigo allowed himself to turn around to see the boy. He looked like he was about eight or nine.

"Phew," he sighed. He would have just felt awful if he knocked that kid down in his hurry. "Sorry about that kid!" he called back. He gave the kid a quick wave before starting his run again. His back was turned to the boy so he missed his frantic waving at him. Ichigo took another corner except this time turning right. It was a good thing he knew the location of this park. He would have been lost otherwise without being able to sense her reiatsu.

A smile formed on to his face. Despite his rather grim or critical situation he couldn't help, but smile remembering what Inoue's reiatsu is felt like. It was warm, so warm that it even the sun's rays paled in comparison to her reiatsu. And it was always hospitable. No matter what he felt from her rather it was fear, worry, or even despair there was always traces of that warm and hospitable feeling. It was almost as if Inoue was inviting him to join her in grieving or encourage him to continue. There was more to it than just that. It was all of those things and it was more. It was reassuring, rejuvenating, joyous, amorous, and more. Essentially her reiatsu was the incarnation of happiness itself.

He never appreciated it until he could no longer feel it. It was definitely a feeling he savored. On the day of her abduction he had woken up to find all of his injures from his previous bout with Grimmjow were healed. He was amazed and stun for about a minute until he felt her unique reiatsu. From there it was easy to deduce his healer. That memory was tainted by Hitsuagya's arrival.

The captain brought him to Orihime's apartment. He can still see Rukia's fear and worry laced orbs. Ukitake told him that Inoue had been missing for an entire day. His world was shaken. How could she have been missing for an entire day? How could he not notice it? If she could find him in a barrier that sealed him off into another space how could he not sense her disappearance in between worlds? He should have been able to tell, he should have been able to sense her.

The white haired captain went on to say that there was a possibility that she had been killed. His heart overwhelmed by terror. Inoue Orihime, the girl he saw every day, the girl who always said good morning to him, the girl who had become one of his best friends, being dead. No, that couldn't be right. It didn't even sound right. For Ukitake to just throw that out there with no evidence was absurd. Out of all captains in the Gotei 13 Ukitake was probably the only one that Ichigo both saw as a friend and treated him with the respect one normally associated with captains. However on that day he omitted all of his respect for the captain of the thirteenth division. He screamed at him for jumping to conclusions and revealed his healed arm to him and the entire room.

Instead of being a cause for joy it became a source of despair. Yamamoto appeared on the screen and deemed her a traitor. To this day he was still pissed off at the captain commander's hasty judgment. Where did he get off deeming Inoue a traitor? He didn't even know her. He forbid the shinigami from mounting a rescue party and even ordered Ichigo to stay put. That was indeed a terrible day. He went to school and found himself depressed. He missed her presence at school. Without the feeling of her warm reiatsu Karakura High, no Karakura Town in general felt darker and grimmer. He hated that feeling and he never wanted to feel that dark feeling ever again. He already made up his mind before his first class ended. He would rescue Orihime.

'I remember that day I swore I would rescue her. But after everything Ishida said. Did I really rescue her at all?' he wondered. He knew that he had rescued her physically. Did that count if she was suffering so much? How did he miss it when Ishida saw it? To him Inoue seemed to have gotten back to normal instantly. She smiled all the time and was so cheery about everything that he just assumed. 'Has everything just been an act? But why would Inoue hide what she was feeling? Didn't she trust us to help her? Didn't she trust me to help her? After everything she's done for me I would have gladly listened to her problems,' he thought.

He hated that she was in pain. When she shrieked in their class an hour ago it brought him back to Hueco Mundo when he heard her scream with the same terror when he was clinging desperately to life. Ichigo only wished he caught a look at her face. He didn't understand why, but he needed to see her eyes. If he saw her brown orbs he felt as though he would have been able to do something.

'Calm down, remember Tatsuki went after her. She will be able to keep Inoue calm until I get there. Why are my feet, so damn slow? Please let her still be at the park. Please let me catch her before she leaves. I need to be there for her. I need to protect her.'

His resolve was strengthened there was still a part of him a very small part that was unsure that he could rescue her from this.

"That woman is already one of us. That won't change no matter how hard you try."

Ulquiorra's words continued to haunt him. What if he had been right? What if all the hardship she endured was simply too much for her to ever return to normal? After all Ichigo had no idea what went on in Hueco Mundo. What did Aizen and his minions do to her? He was fool to think that just because she was fine physically that she was alright. She was only there for a day, so he made himself believe she fine. The less time she spent there the easier it would be for her to return to normal.

'I was really naïve to think that. It might have only been a day, but so much happened. All those battles she was forced to watch. The way that underling of Nnoitra grabbed her and forced her to watch me get my ass beat by the quinto Espada. Getting recaptured by that one guy and taken to Aizen. Of course Ulquiorra stood guard over her threatening to kill her. Fuck! Aizen you really are a bastard and whatever punishment you got from the Soul Society wasn't enough!'

His anger at Aizen had gone up another hundred points. While Ichigo was enraged at Aizen for forcing Orihime to Hueco Mundo he was angrier with himself for allowing it to happen. Between Orihime's abduction from the Dangai and to her arrival to Hueco Mundo there was a time where she returned to Karakura Town. He was certain because she healed his injures. How could he have missed her reiatsu? She healed him and he didn't wake up. If he had just woken up that day then he could have stopped her.

Everything would have been so different if he had just listened to the vizards and stayed and continued his training. He refused to listen he wanted to redeem himself from his crushing defeats against the Espada. In his haste to play the hero he ran into Grimmjow and challenged him when he was still getting a handle on his power. He was such a child; an arrogant and conceited child. He honestly believed that he was the only one who could have defeated their enemies. That line of thinking led him straight into another ass whooping from Grimmjow.

At first he had the upper hand, but his time limit expired. Grimmjow got his revenge and quickly defeated him, delivering crushing injures. Those injures were so bad that he was unconscious for most of the day. They were so bad that he didn't even wake at her arrival or when she healed him. It was funny how a person could always trace back string of tragic events to a single moment. A moment could define an entire history, a moment could determine how a person lives the rest of their lives, and a moment could be the fine line between life and death.

He was putting all of his hopes on this moment. The moment he was about to create. Hopefully this moment would be the one that would lead to Orihime's recovery; the moment where her warm and happy presence fully recovered.

'I'm coming Inoue. Just stay strong until I get there.'

* * *

"Orihime," Tatsuki called to her breaking the goddess out of her train of thought.

"Hmm," she replied.

"I was asking if you wanted to leave," Tatsuki repeated.

Orihime shook her head no. "I want to stay here for a bit longer."

The second strongest girl in Japan nodded her head. She moved her hand over Orihime's in an attempt to comfort her. Orihime seemed to appreciate the gesture because she leaned her head onto Tatsuki's shoulder. They had been sitting in the park for over an hour now. Those two girls that they saw on the swing set had left a while ago.

For the most part they had just sat there in silence. One of them (mostly Tatsuki) would attempt to start a conversation. Tatsuki occasionally asked how Orihime was doing, but she would always receive the same answer, horrible. There had to be some way for Tatsuki to get it through that incredibly hard and thick head of hers. Orihime was not a bad person. The fact she was feeling so bad right now was a testament to that.

'Come on Arisawa think. You need to get your best friend out of this funk. What can I do though? I've tried everything I could think of,' she thought.

While Tatsuki was busy thinking of ways to help Orihime the healer was lost in her own thoughts. Her nightmares had opened up the door to all of her insecurities and selfish desires. Wanting Rukia to disappear to leave Ichigo open for her, Ichigo's transformation into that monstrous form, going to Hueco Mundo to test Ichigo's bond with her, even being happy that his powers were now gone preventing him from seeing Rukia again.

Dream Aizen had been right about everything. Orihime resented Rukia and that led to all of their conflicts and hardships. Her friends journeying Hueco Mundo, Kuchiki-san nearly being killed, Sado-kun's fall, Ishida-kun's lost arm, and of course Kurosaki-kun's tragic death and the loss of his powers. None of that would have happened if she had been stronger. If she didn't feel threatened by Rukia or if she fought Ulquiorra off or told her friends rather than listen to his demands.

All her actions did was bring more trouble upon all of them rather than relieve them as she hoped they would. Looking back on it there was so much she could have done at that moment. If Aizen wanted her she could have ignored Ulquiorra and tried to use her importance to protect herself. She could have tried to fight him off. It was true that she couldn't hope to win, but it was better than just submitting to him. Orihime could have gone to Urahara. Someone as smart as him could probably have seen through Aizen's little bracelet and found a way to get her out of this. But she didn't do that. She didn't do anything except listen to him and joined Aizen's army.

'Kurosaki-kun thinks I am smart. That's a lie. If I were smart I would have thought of something else. Instead I choose to be a helpless little girl and did what Ulquiorra and Aizen wanted. Why did I do that?'

Suddenly she remembered what the dream Aizen told her.

"Those who are not strong cannot shape their own path and thus will be forced on to the path that the strong have created for them. Do you understand my words, Orihime? What I am saying is that because of your weakness you will always be the slave to will of others whom are strong."

Orihime couldn't help, but smile. Even in her dreams that despicable man was still one for giving lectures on his own person view of the world. However this time she had to agree with Aizen or rather dream Aizen's thinking. The reason Orihime was so easy to give in to Ulquiorra as because she is weak, both physically and spiritually. She had no confidence in her friends' abilities and assumed they would all be killed. If she had just had faith she would have seen that her captor's comrades were going to be defeated.

Orihime later found out from Rukia that Ichigo was saved by Grimmjow from first herself and then the un-official leader of the vizards, Shinji. Apparently the vizard had completely humiliated Grimmjow to the point where he was about to release his sword when Ulquiorra stopped him. While she would never know for sure if Shinji would have defeated Grimmjow once he released his sword she was confident that he would have based on her observations from Ichigo's final bout with the blue haired Espada.

Matsumoto had told her how Histugaya had turned the tables on their opponent and of course how Urahara had appeared and easily conquered Yammy. In the end all of her friends would have been fine. Orihime doubted them though. She doubted that they could win and listened to her enemy. Worst of all she did what she never ever thought she would do.

'I doubted Kurosaki-kun,' she thought sadly.

It was the cold and hard truth. Orihime had doubted Ichigo, doubted his ability to win, doubted that he could take care of himself, and doubted that he would come back to her alive.

'How could I doubt Kurosaki-kun? He always comes through for me, always. I saw him getting beaten by Grimmjow and I was just so scared that he was going to die. I wanted him to be safe or at least I thought I did. It was stupid for me to doubt him. I should have had more faith in him.'

Her lack of faith may have been tied to something else. Her nightmare did suggest that she had ulterior motives. Specifically dream Aizen told her that she went with Ulquiorra willingly to see if Ichigo would come after her like he did Rukia. How disturbing would that be? Actually allowing herself to be abducted to test Ichigo. That would be completely selfish, petty, and unbelievably cruel. Unfortunately it was something that she would not put above herself. Orihime was a incredibly selfish person deep down. Her nightmare had revealed that to her.

She took her head off of Tatsuki's shoulder. Orihime sighed before cupping her face then moving them to the front of her face. All of this was exhausting. This guilt was eating her up inside, sapping all of strength away. She was fighting a losing battle and it was time she admit it. No matter how hard Orihime tried there was just no way she could beat this nightmare. Her weakness was preventing her from creating the path she wanted to walk on once more. Perhaps she was destined to be damsel in distress all of her life. But that couldn't be. She wanted so desperately wanted to change that. She thought if she got over these nightmares on her own without Ichigo that she would truly become strong enough to stand on her own. She wouldn't be the girl who needed Tatsuki-chan or Kurosaki-kun to fight her battles for her.

Her weak heart would not allow her to do that though. The nightmares were getting worse. What would she see the next time she closed her eyes? Would she be the one luring Ichigo to Aizen so he could absorb her? Maybe she would be making love to Aizen because he whispering sweet nothings using Ichigo's voice.

'There is no point in even fighting anymore. I am just a weak little girl after all. I don't deserve to have such great friends or to have someone as amazing as Kurosaki-kun,' she thought. Taking her hands off her face the healer turned her attention to the swing set her brother would take her to. 'I am sorry Onii-chan. I am sorry I turned out so bad despite everything you did for me.'

On a whim Orihime got off the bench and walked over to the swings. It wasn't long before Tatsuki followed her. The black haired woman was at a lost as to what her best friend was doing until she saw the direction they were going.

'Of course the swings.' Tatsuki mentally slapped herself for not realizing it sooner. Lately her Orihime knowledge had been lacking. She couldn't help, but wonder if she hadn't allowed such distance to grow between them by giving Orihime her space two months ago if her ability to predict what Orihime would do would have weaken to this extent.

Orihime walked up to her old swing. Her finger tips touched the cold metal surface of the chain holding the seat. She found herself wondering if this swing set could talk what would it say. Would it tell her stories about all the children that swung on it every day? Would it tell her stories about herself or even Sora?

Tatsuki examined Orihime. Her normally sparkling and dazzling brown eyes were so lifeless and dull. It was such an odd sight. She was so use to Orihime's happy go lucky face that this new one was almost foreign. That is not to say she had never seen Orihime sad before. When she had first met Orihime the girl was frowning. One thing that she had always admired about the passive young woman before her was her ability to bounce back.

Orihime was always able to bounce herself back from her bouts with depression and sadness and look on the brighter side of things. Tatsuki envied Orihime's ability. On the rare occasions that Tatsuki did find herself saddened it took her a bit of time before she overcame it. This time however it did not look like Orihime would overcome this so easily or if she would overcome this at all.

After caressing the swing chain a few more times the gentle healer flopped down on the swing seat. Her hands went to the chains grabbed on to them. She was so much bigger now than she was back then. Now her feat reached the ground. She really was too big for swing sets now. A small smile formed on her lips at that thought.

Tatsuki caught notice of Orihime's small smile and felt some relief of her own. She wasn't sure what had actually brought that smile to her face, but it was welcome change considering the last hour of her frowning.

"I know you are probably sick of me asking you this, but I have to ask. How are you holding up now?"

"Confused," she answered truthfully. "I'm not sure who I am anymore. When did I start to derail from the path I was on? Or maybe I never strayed at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't remember them much, but I remember that they yelled a lot." She paused to see the obvious confusion on Tatsuki's face. She had no idea what Orihime was talking about, so the healer had to explain it. "I'm talking about my parents." Tatsuki's eyes widen in realization. She nodded her head and urged her to go on. "My parents yelled a lot that's really all I remember. I think one time I cried because I got scrape and I remember someone slapping me in the face. But I'm not sure if that really happened or not."

Tatsuki was speechless. Orihime never really talked about her parents much. She knew they were bad people from what little Orihime told her. It made the short haired woman grateful for her loving parents even if they did get on her nerves every now and again.

"Onii-chan said they were horrible people. They use to beat him whenever if missed behave he told me once. I know our mother got in contact with him once when I was ten. He screamed at the phone. He thought I was still on my way home from school, but the truth is I was outside the door. I stayed outside because I curious about what my mother would want after all this time," she explained.

"You never told me this before," Tatsuki said stating the obvious. "Why didn't you?"

"It was a conversation I didn't really want to remember," she replied plainly.

"What did you mother want?" Tatsuki had apparently accepted her answer and moved on.

"From what I can tell she wanted money. Sora was so mad. He screamed at her for getting in touch with him after all this time just to ask for that and not ask him how I was doing. I guess she must have asked for more money because his next words were: "Why don't you just whore yourself out for money? You might as well get paid for spreading your legs out for anyone who asks you at least." Then he told her to never call him again and hung up. I waited a few more minutes before I went in so he wouldn't know I heard anything."

"Oh, Orihime." Her voice was just dripping with pity and concern. She started to rub Orihime's back trying to ease her hardship. It was times like this when Tatsuki wished she knew Orihime back then. She could have really used Tatsuki back in those days. "I don't know why I am surprised with what you told me about them, but to not even ask about you."

"They were bad people Tatsuki-chan, just like me."

"No you are not a bad person. You are not your parents," Tatsuki said firmly.

"But how do you know? I have been so…..selfish and petty. What if my parents are like that. From what my Onii-chan told me and what I heard on the phone that day I know my mother only thought about herself. That's all I have been doing lately."

"No you haven't," she insisted.

Orihime shook her head. "I really have been. When I offered to let Kurosaki-kun copy my notes and to help him I wanted to spend more time with him, alone. I thought it would be a good time to get to know him without everyone else being around, without Kuchiki-san being around," she admitted. "Don't you see Tatsuki-chan? Kuchiki-san had only been gone for a day and I was already thinking taking advantage of her absence."

"Orihime, that doesn't make you a bad person. You just wanted to get to spend time with Ichigo," Tatsuki reassured her.

"But…."

"But nothing! Listen to me. You. Are. A. Good. Person. Do you hear me?" Orihime averted her gaze from Tatsuki's to her annoyance. "You have feelings for the guy. It is not a crime to want to spend time with him alone. Honestly you being jealous of Kuchiki just means you are human."

"I still feel really bad though. Kuchiki-san has been nothing, but nice to me. Here I am happy that she is gone."

"That's not true and you know it. Just because some dream villain told you that you wanted Kuchiki to die doesn't mean you do." She finally stopped rubbing back. "You are…." She paused. She couldn't believe her eyes. Tatsuki wasn't sure if she should be happy to see him or angry at him for being so late.

Orihime was eagerly awaiting Tatsuki's response to what she was, but the black belt was suddenly quiet. What could possibly make her stop talking in mid-sentence? "Tatsuki-chan, why did you stop talking?" She turned her head to Tatsuki to see the girl staring at something or someone across from them. Curious at what had captured her best friend's attention. Her brown spheres followed to where Tatsuki's gaze was. As soon as her eyes landed on the point of interest her heart start to beat rapidly and a lump formed inside of her throat. She wasn't ready for this. In fact she was very far from being ready for this. Why did he have to be here now? Why did she have to face Kurosaki Ichigo right now?

* * *

His eyes landed on her familiar orange hair immediately. Just like he thought Tatsuki was indeed with her. Though he wasn't sure if Tatsuki being there made him feel better or worse. What he did know was that his heart was beating so loudly that he could hear it. Rather it was beating so fast was because of his long run there or because he was anxious he didn't know.

Seeing her again brought back so many memories and feelings. This particular scene for instance reminded him when he finally made it to Aizen's tower. He came crashing in there coming before an indifferent Ulquiorra and a frightened Inoue. Now he was standing in front of Tatsuki who wore an unknown expression and Inoue whose eyes once again held fright. It was frightening how similar these two confrontations were. Another thing that both these moments had in common was Ichigo standing there with an indomitable expression, determined to rescue the woman who could make his world storm or shine.

With how Orihime departed from the class in such a hurry he was sure she would be in tears. However he did not see one drop of water on either of her eyes or he cheeks. That didn't make him feel any better. If she had been crying as much as he hated to see her in tears he would at least know what she feeling. Even with the fear he saw in her eyes he still could not pick up the exact vibe Inoue was giving off. This was going to be more of a challenge than he originally thought.

Both women continued to stare at him. Neither of them said a word or acknowledged his arrival at all. Once again he found himself wondering if this was good or bad. Taking a deep breath the ex-substitute took his first steps forward. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought.

'Oh no he's coming over here! What should I do?' Orihime turned her head to her left to get Tatsuki's insight. Her friend was still staring at Ichigo however. This left Orihime more uncertain of what to do. She couldn't hide this from Ichigo, not anymore. She broke down in class and he most certainly saw that. For him to be here meant that he wanted to talk to her. But she wasn't ready. She just couldn't face him now. Orihime needed some more time, time to come up with a battle plan.

'Should I run?' she wondered. It was too late for that now. Ichigo was just inches away from her now. The healer's stomach became plagued by butterflies as usual. Her feet became very interesting all of a sudden. 'I can't look him in the eye. How sad is that?'

"Inoue," he spoke in a quiet tone, almost an intimate one.

Her heart became aflutter. The way he said her name it was so different from the way he usually said it. There was no hint of disinterest or annoyance. There was no concern or worry or even fear this time. If anything there seemed to be pleading attached to her name.

"Please look at me," he asked in the same pleading tone.

Unable to resist him the goddess looked up from her feet and into his eyes. His brown orbs were clear and focused. It was a look she was very familiar with. That was the look he had when he was on a mission. She had seen it many times when he battled with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. A new emotion was added to his eyes. This one was harder to identify.

"Hey, Tatsuki." His words were for Tatsuki, but his eyes never left Orihime once.

"Yeah," Tatsuki replied. Like Orihime, Tatsuki was trying to understand this new emotion he was giving off.

"I know this is a lot to ask for, but could you leave me and Inoue alone?" The two Karakura High women were surprised by his request. "You are probably pissed at me like Ishida is, but I have to talk to Inoue alone. So could you please do me this favor?" he asked again.

'Finally he gets off his ass to do something! He has an entire month and doesn't do anything. Oh well I guess it's better late than never.' She folded her arms and closed her eye lids giving off as though she could care less. "You have a lot nerve you know Ichigo. I'll give you alone time with Orihime. Don't make me regret this though."

He gave her a quick nod.

Tatsuki gave him a half smirk and opened up her eyes. "I'll be waiting for you two at the bench. It's far enough that I can't hear you two, but close enough to keep an eye on you. Ichigo you better not make her cry," she threatened.

Instead of getting a witty or sarcastic or even irritated response Tatsuki got silence. Ichigo was focused on the task at hand. He realized just how serious this was. She hoped that Ichigo could get through to Orihime unlike her. "Good luck, Ichigo," she whispered to him. Tatsuki walked off to the bench.

He decided to wait until Tatsuki was out of ear shot before he started this long and probably awkward conversation. "What happened today?" he blurted out. Subtlety was never his strong suit. Ichigo was always direct and to the point. He didn't see the point in dragging this out.

Orihime wanted to look away from him, but his stare was so intense that she couldn't. Ichigo was supposed to be powerless; however he had this ability to paralyze her. 'What am I going to tell him?' Panic flowed through her veins. "I um…." Her eyes darted back and forth. "….um you see…" She didn't know what to do. Then suddenly it hit her. "Well you see it's really embarrassing. I would rather not talk to you about." She rejoiced at her own resourcefulness.

A scowl formed on his face. She was stalling and he didn't like it. Normally he would have dropped it, but he knew that was not an option. "Inoue," he urged. "Please talk to me."

"Kurosaki-kun, I'm sorry but I can't."

Frustration was forming inside of him. Why was she trying to keep him out? "Yes you can. Tell me why you freaked out like that in class."

The healer did not reply this time. Instead she sat on the swing and started to sway it right and left. Her silence made him realize that he was going to need to change tactics. He was being passive, but now he had to be aggressive. If she wasn't going to tell him what was wrong he would have to force it out of her.

"Does this have anything to do with you feeling guilty about what happened on top of the dome?" he accused. He saw the shock in her eyes quite clearly.

"What are you talking about?" She was hoping to cover up her momentary loss of control. Unfortunately for Orihime the ex-substitute was not buying it.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Ever since we got home you've been feeling guilty haven't you?" He received no response once again. He wanted to be patient with her, but he was getting fed up with her closed mouth. Didn't she understand he wanted to help her? He was trying to rescue her just like he always did. Why was she being so difficult this time around? "Inoue," he said more sternly.

That was as effective as his last attempt. The princess remained silent much to his dismay. "Damn it, Inoue talk to me!" he shouted. "I know you are in pain right now. You think that what happened on that dome was your fault! Ulquiorra was trying to kill me Inoue! There nothing you could have done or did that was going change that!"

"But you were only fighting him for me," she remained.

"And?" he asked. "Ulquiorra was asshole looking for a fight. I guarantee you he would have still picked a fight with me. Stop blaming yourself."

"Do you really think it's that simple?" she yelled back at him; surprising both of them. She had never raised her voice at Ichigo before. "How do you know what I am feeling? You have never been powerless before!"

"That's not true," he argued back.

She shot him a look mixed of irritation and outrage. "Really then tell me Kurosaki-kun. Please tell me your experience with being held captive and used as bait to lure the people you love into a trap! Tell me how you felt when you saw all your friends fall one by one and not being able to do anything! Tell me how painful it was for you to say goodbye to everything you knew! Tell me how you were constantly harassed by two jealous women or how you healed a murderer!" Every word she spoke her voice rose higher and higher. It was fortunate that the park was now empty with the exception of Ichigo, Orihime, and Tatsuki.

"Inoue, I didn't know you felt like this."

"How would you!" she spat back. "You have always been able to protect yourself. You don't know what it is like to be alone, to be weak, and to cause your friends nothing but grief." Hot wet tears were starting to form in her brown eyes. Orihime quickly wiped them away. She was determined not to cry this time. "Aizen kidnapped me because he knew that I was the only one who wouldn't resist. He knew that I was so desperate to help my friends that I would do anything even go with him! He knew that I would lose faith in your power!" She paused again. "He knew I would lose faith in you." The last part was said in a soft tone.

Ichigo stood there frozen in place. To say that Orihime's outburst caught him off guard was a gross understatement. The man was hit with mountain. All of these emotions were inside of her. How could she have kept all of this to herself? How could she have kept all of this from him? "It wasn't your fault," he tried again.

"Yes it was!" she screamed again. "I went with Ulquiorra to Hueco Mundo willingly. I could have gotten help, but I didn't. I was too afraid and too stupid to even do that."

"You are not stupid!" he screamed back at her. "You were only doing what you thought was right. You were just trying to protect us," he reasoned. "If anyone is at fault it's me. I should have protected you then."

She mentally sighed. Orihime knew he would blame himself. This was the reason she didn't want to talk to him about this. His desire to protect his loved ones drove him to feel responsible for every bad thing that happened to them. "It wasn't your fault though. There was nothing you could have done without being told."

"But it is. I mean you healed me that day. I should have woken up then and asked you what was going on."

"You knew I healed you?" she questioned, interrupting his self-criticism.

"Of course I did." He couldn't believe she thought him so oblivious that he couldn't read her reiatsu. "Your reiatsu was hard to miss. I would have to be an idiot to have missed it. But I guess I am one, because I didn't seem to sense you when you were in my room." He started rubbing the back of his head. The realization hit him. She was in his room. Why had she been there? "Inoue…."

"I knew you would be like this," she blurted out interrupting him once more.

"What?" he asked genuinely confused.

"I knew you would blame yourself for what I did," Orihime elaborated. "That's why I didn't tell you any of this." She turned her head away from him.

He wasn't sure what to say. Being aggressive was not helping him at all. If anything he seemed to do was make her upset with him. Inoue being upset with him was entirely new territory for him. She was the only one of his friends that had never gotten upset with him. While he could deal with Tatsuki, Chad, Rukia, Keigo, or Ishida he was not even sure how to start with Inoue.

He gave a long sigh. "I want to help you." He spoke from his heart this time and hoped this response would fare better.

"I know you do," she replied back just loud enough for him to hear. "But I can't let you." She got off the swing and started to walk away.

Unsure of what was happening Ichigo stood there for a good while before he realized what was going on. Shaking his head he went after her. "Inoue!" he called. The healer did not turn around and picked up speed. "Damn," he swore. He picked up speed and started to jog to her. However just as he started to jog, Orihime started to run. Not wanting to lose her the former vizard urged his legs to increase their speed.

She was faster than he thought. Orihime had escaped the park and made it the street by the time he had finally caught up to her. When she was about to turn the corner he grabbed her shoulder. "Got you," he exclaimed. This was obviously the wrong thing to do because the minute his hand landed on her shoulder, she jumped. He was about to apologize when she grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder and threw him. "Fuck!" he screamed as he landed on his back on the hard concrete.

"Oh my god, Kurosaki-kun!" Her voice was full of worry. "I am so sorry, Kurosaki-kun." She ran up to him. Bending down she reached out to him. "I just felt your hand on me and suddenly all of Tatsuki-chan's training rushed into my head and I acted," she half explained and half apologized.

"It's fine. I…. should have…. known better…..than to just grab…. you." The wind had been knocked out of him when he hit the sidewalk. 'Tatsuki taught her that! God she's tougher than we give her credit for. I'm still trying to catch my breath.'

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he said again. "I know next time not to sneak up on you," he joked. Orihime did not smile and continued to look on with worry.

"I can't believe I hurt you again. Why do I always do that?"

Ignoring his pain the ex-substitute turned his attention to Orihime with surprise on his face. 'What does she mean?' he wondered to himself.

"I am really sorry, Kurosaki-kun." She gave him a light bow. Then Orihime got up and started to leave again.

"Wait, Inoue!" He tried to get up, but his back had yet to recover and he was still catching his breath. All he could do was watch until she was no longer in sight. "Ha," he sighed in frustration and anger. "That went well," he told himself sarcastically.

"Geese, Ichigo that was just pathetic."

He turned around to see Tatsuki standing behind him shaking her head. "That was just sad," she continued.

"Hey, I tried!" He wasn't in the mood for Tatsuki's criticism. He not only failed to get Orihime to open up to him, but also drove her off to who knew where. All in all this was by far one of his worst defeats ever. "What went wrong?"

Tatsuki couldn't believe her ears. How the hell did he not know what went wrong? Ichigo was denser than she thought. If he wasn't hurting right now she would have punched him. She was still tempted to do so. "Are you for real? Ichigo all you did was yell at her and accuse her of stuff."

"That's not true! That was just what you heard. You didn't hear the other stuff I said," he defended.

"Whatever. All I know is that you can't just scream at someone and expect them to open up to you."

"I didn't mean to scream at her. I was trying to get her to open up, but she didn't respond so I tried to be more aggressive."

She shook her head. "That worked so well for you."

"Shut up! Instead of tearing me down you should be trying to help me."

"I am helping you." Ichigo snorted at her claim causing her to scrunch her brow. "You started off good, but you just told her to get over it. I mean it's not that simple. That probably kills you because you are so use to the direct approach and being able to immediately fix things. However Orihime has been hurting for quite some time." Tatsuki examined him. He appeared to be focused entirely on her. "Look Ichigo you can't just fight this problem or beat it until it goes away. You just have to talk to her. I mean really talk to her."

"I'm not sure I can," he admitted. "I am not exactly the best person in the world at expressing myself or getting others to open up." His eyes narrowed slightly. He was ashamed at his lack of empathy.

"I know you can."

His eyes widened and he looked up at her. Tatsuki was smiling at him. "All you have to do is open up to her like you've been doing."

"Does she tell you what we talk about?" he asked unable to hide the mortification in his voice.

"Don't worry, she doesn't tell me details. She just says that you guys talk a lot. Orihime is really happy that she is getting to know you better."

He didn't say anything. Somewhere deep down inside he was happy at that Orihime liked talking to him.

"Ichigo." She brought him out of his head. "Do you at least know you are important to her?"

"Yeah I know that much. She's important to me to. That's why I am so mad."

"Mad?" she repeated in confusion. "Mad at Orihime?"

He shook his head. "I'm not mad at Inoue. I'm mad at myself." Seeing her confusion he knew he had to elaborate. "I should have protected her."

Tatsuki groaned. "You two are way too similar. Always blaming yourself for the other one's suffering. Quiet blaming yourselves and blame that Aizen guy."

"I do blame him. I hate him for what he made Inoue go through. She's the most gentle and pure hearted person I know. She never complains once. When I started off as a shinigami one of the first hollows I fought was Inoue's brother."

"I remember that," she admitted.

"During my fight he told me that their parents were so awful that he ran away with her when he was eighteen. He was the only family she had and then he died. How fair is that? Instead of being mad at the world for handing her even more crap she's so happy. Tatsuki when I lost my mom I was just so mad at everything. How stupid and spoiled was I. I had dad, Karin, and Yuzu, but Inoue had no one. Why did this happen to her? Why did Aizen have to go after her? Inoue should never be in pain. She is too kind and pure to be in pain."

"Ichigo," Tatsuki uttered.

"I am so tired of seeing Inoue cry, tired of seeing her suffer. That's why I have to protect her. I should be able to protect her from everything."

"Your heart is in the right place, but you are going to drive yourself crazy trying to protect her from everything. Just take one step at time. Tell her everything you told me." She offered her hand to him.

He took it and helped her pull him up.

"And you think you can't open up. You aren't the brooding loner you make yourself out to be," she quipped. "If you were you wouldn't be surrounded by so many people."

"You are such a pain in the ass. Thinking you know everything about me," he complained. Ichigo started to walk off. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks to her surprise. "Tatsuki," he cried out.

"What?" she called back.

"Thanks." He was off again and left her in his wake.

"You're welcome," she said even though he was long gone.

* * *

Here he was at her door again, unsure if she was behind it or not. He wished he had asked Tatsuki to sense her reiatsu for him, so he knew for sure where she was. It couldn't be helped now. On the chance that she was not in her apartment she would return to it eventually. All Ichigo needed to do was wait. The former vizard put his fist on the door; knocking on it.

'Now I wait.'

He hated waiting. Waiting gave you time, time to think about everything that could go wrong. Right now he was thinking about everything that could go wrong. Knowing himself he was certain he would probably screw this up, just like he did at the park.

"Just take one step at time. Tell her everything you told me."

That was what Tatsuki had advised him to do. She had to know what she was talking about. After all she was Inoue's best friend. There was no other person who could give him better advice on how to talk to Orihime.

Click.

His ear picked up the un-mistakable sound of the door unlocking. He readied himself for the beautiful and pure hearted healer. The door knob started to turn. It felt like time had decided to slow down. Everything felt like it was slower, the door knob turning, his heart, hell even the local children's laughter. It figures that time would decide to break its own law just to make him suffer. It must have been friends with probability. That was the only explanation for time's sudden deceleration.

At long last the door had finally opened up. There she was staring up at him. She wore the same look of sorrow she had when she left him. He felt a sharp jab in his chest. Ichigo couldn't really explain it, but seeing her so defeated made him hurt. He wasn't an unfeeling monster who felt nothing when he saw someone was sad. He just never felt such a strong reaction at seeing someone else in pain either.

"Please listen to me before you close the door." Orihime didn't respond, but she kept the door open just as he asked. That had to be a good sign. "I am not sorry for what I said," he said bluntly. Orihime looked confused and then a little taken aback. "What I mean is I am sorry for how I said it. But I am not sorry for saying it." This put her at ease.

"I suck at this. I mean talking about my feeling with words. I can convey my feelings way better with actions. I guess that's why I can find a way to relate to my opponents. But with you that's different." Her face scrunched up in bewilderment. "What I mean is I can talk to you. I mean really talk to you. With everyone else, Keigo or the others I just can't tell them how I am feeling. I don't know why. I guess I don't want them to worry about me. You are like the only one who just talks to me."

"I bother you?" she asked finally breaking her silence. Her words were attached to hurt and embarrassment.

He knew he would screw this up. She was already feeling bad and now she felt even worse. "No you don't bother me!" He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I mean you talk to me. You don't force me to tell you what's wrong. You trust me to tell you what's wrong and just stand by me to comfort me. That makes it easier for me to talk to you then it is for me to talk to Chad or Ishida."

She nodded her head. Thankfully she was able to follow him.

"You are patient with me. I should have been patient with you. Instead I just dumped all of my frustration on you. For that I am sorry." He turned his head slightly left. Heart to heart talks were still new for him. Even with Rukia he had to throw an insult or two so things didn't get too sappy. "I want to try this again. Inoue can you please tell me what is wrong."

"I can't. I just can't talk to you about this. I've put you through so much."

"You didn't put me through anything. It was all Aizen's doing. You were victim in this just like Rukia was when she being held captive in the Soul Society."

She shook her head in disagreement. "I'm nothing like Kuchiki-san. She had no choice when she was captured. I could have done something."

"And I could have done something," he said. He decided to try a new tactic. "I mean if I had been there I could have protected you. If I had listened to the vizards and stayed out of that fight I wouldn't have been injured. Then when you came to my house to heal me I would have woken up and stopped you."

"Stop blaming yourself Kurosaki-kun. There was nothing you could have done. You were trying to help everyone and it just didn't work out. You can't keep blaming yourself for things that were out of you control," she urged him.

"You are saying that even though bad things happened because of my actions that I shouldn't blame myself as long as my intentions were good?" She nodded her head. A smirk formed on the ex-substitute's face. "Now tell me why you don't listen to your own advice?" The smugness in his voice was overflowing.

"That's different," she said.

"How is it different?" He went on the attack.

"I could have gotten help. Ulquiorra gave me twelve hours before he took me to Hueco Mundo. I could have gone to Urahara-san and asked for help, but I didn't." Her eyes dimmed with regret once more.

"Why did you go with Ulquiorra?" he asked.

"What?" She was unsure where he was going with this.

"Why did you go with Ulquiorra?" he repeated.

"I thought it was to protect my friends, but now I'm not sure."

"Do you know why I, Chad, Ishida, Renji, and Rukia all went to Hueco Mundo? We went there because we wanted to protect you. Do you get what I'm saying? Our motivations were to help protect one another because we are friends."

"But I…."

"No buts," he interrupted. "Inoue, you went with Ulquiorra because you believed in your heart that was the best way to protect us. Like you told me you have to stop beating yourself up over it. You are a good person."

"No, I'm not I am selfish and petty," she replied.

Like Tatsuki he to chuckled at her claim. "Inoue, if you are selfish than there is no such thing as selfless."

She continued as though Ichigo said nothing at all. "When you fought Ulquiorra I was so scared that he would kill you. I made Ishida-kun take me there even though I knew it was dangerous. I didn't care about his safety. I just had to get to you," she explained.

Ichigo decided to remain silent this time and listen to what else she had to say.

"When we got there I saw him holding you by the neck with his tail. He blasted you through the chest with his cero. I was so sure you were dead." Orihime had to stop to remind herself that he was here in front of her. "Ishida-kun tried to hold him, while I healed you. But I couldn't heal you and he got his arm cut off. I was so frightened that I was going to die that I screamed for you to save me. That's why you transformed Kurosaki-kun. It was my fault. I was weak and selfish that is why you attacked Ishida-kun."

She couldn't face him anymore. The healer turned around to close the door, but she felt her hand being grabbed. She looked up to see his hand over hers.

"Stay." It wasn't a command, but it was not really a request either.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be."

"W-what?"

"Don't be sad. I wanted to protect you from Ulquiorra. My body reacted because you reminded me of my desire."

Her eye lids closed and her lips curved into a frown. "If I didn't scream for you to save me you wouldn't have transformed."

"I would be dead," he reminded her. "If I didn't transform I would have died then. That transformation was unpleasant, but it brought me back, you brought me back."

She was speechless. Never once did she think of the alternative. Kurosaki-kun being dead, just the thought didn't sound right. He had to live on. He was a good person who wanted to protect everyone. If there was any justice at all in the universe he would live.

"You weren't selfish by calling out for help. You were just scared. I should know. Remember when I told you I was so afraid of Aizen that I gave up?"

Her mind went to the conversation they had weeks ago. She remembered his confession of giving up. If someone like Kurosaki-kun could be afraid than maybe, just maybe she was not as bad as she imagined. She doubted he wanted Kuchiki-san to disappear though.

Her face still wore such a sorry expression. Did his words not reach her heart at all? Was he forgetting to mention something? 'My shinigami powers! That's why she is still so down,' he thought. "I don't blame you for losing my shinigami powers."

His words pulled her back into reality.

"Ishida told me you blamed yourself for me losing my shinigami powers and not being able to see Rukia," he explained.

'How does Ishida-kun know about that? Did Tatsuki-chan tell him?' she wondered.

"Inoue, Aizen was ridiculously strong. Once he got the Hogyoku there was no way for me to beat him, but to use the Final Getsuga Tensho. You being abducted wouldn't have changed that at all."

"Maybe if you stayed and continued to train with Hirako-san and the others you would have gotten strong enough to defeat him without using the Final Getsuga Tensho."

"As much as I improved training with Hirako and the other vizards there is no way my power would have increased to the level I was on when I fused with Zangetsu and the hollow. In the end I would have needed it anyway."

Orihime still wasn't convinced. He was probably just saying all of this to ease her guilty conscious.

"I hate seeing you like this."

Her eyes shot open.

"When you are in pain it makes me sick. I know you keep telling me not to blame myself, but I can't help it. You should never feel bad about yourself, Inoue. I hate Aizen and Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow, and those two slutty arrancar women, and that Yammy bastard. I hate them for everything they did to you. I don't know everything that happened, but maybe you can tell me about when you are up to it. I just want to protect you from all of that, but I know I can't. I have to settle for just being here for you now. If you don't want to tell me what happened today that is fine. I'll leave now, but I want you to know that I will always be ready to listen to you. Never be afraid to talk to me. You are important to me."

"Kurosaki-kun," she cried. She never knew he could express himself so eloquently. He didn't blame her for his power loss and even credited her for his revival. The weight she had been carrying all this time felt lighter. Her fears seemed unjustified.

"I guess I'll get going." Ichigo turned to leave, but something stopped him. He found Orihime's hand was still holding on to his. "Inoue…"

"I've….been having nightmares," she stated.

"Nightmares?" he repeated. "What are they about?"

"They are about when you transform except in them you don't turn back to normal you kill Ishida-kun than Abarai-san, Sado-kun, and finally Kuchiki-san. They feel so real," he voice started to crack. Tear that she was trying to hold back now flowed freely. "I….can't get them to stop….I haven't slept more than three hours a night since we got back."

"Inoue," was all he said.

"I fell asleep in class today I had the nightmare again, except it was worse." Her voice was becoming high pitched. She was unloading everything she had been locking away for so long.

"Tell me what happened today."

"Today Aizen was in it….and he called me his greatest ally…..He used me to absorb you and…..and I let him…." Orihime fell on him; crying into his shoulder.

Ichigo felt odd having her so close to him, but she obviously needed him now. He would have to suck up his uncomfortable feelings about being touched. He closed his arms around her. He did the only thing he could, he hugged her.

'I hate seeing her cry, but I am kind of glad she is. She's getting it all out. Now maybe she can really start to heal. Tatsuki was right we really are alike. We both wear masks of the stereotypes people have of us. She wears the ditsy and happy go lucky mask. I wear that loner and bad boy mask. I hope you know this, but you never have to wear that mask for me. With everything we have been through we have gone beyond that. I'll be there for you, just like you are there for me.'

This wasn't a fairy tale. His words didn't magically make her nightmares go away and her guilt and sorrow was still there. He still felt responsible for her hardships. They were humans after all and they had a way of stumbling backwards. But it was a start. It was the start of wall between them breaking down. It was the start to their recovery.

* * *

**He fought all of his life. He cut down enemies to protect those he loved. He could only express himself through his sword. But his sword was gone now. That did not stop him though. He still reached out to her. He reached out to her and touched her heart; for although his sword was gone he still had his words. His words had succeeded in reaching her heart. **

**Is the poem part too much? I just thought it up towards the ending and really liked it, so I put in there. There you go my first chapter of 2011. I hope you guys liked until next time. **


	8. Return to the Days of Normality: Day 1

**In case anyone was wondering if the story was over the good new is it is not over. Here is the next chapter on time. I do want thank all of the people reading this story once again. I wanted to give a personal thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter.**

**Krishyana: Thank you for the praise. I hope that you continue to enjoy the story. I am glad that you were happy to see update when you logged on.**

**nypsy: You have been one of my first reviewers for this and your insight helped give me a few ideas for future chapters. I did put the not a fairy tale part so readers wouldn't think everything was fixed. ;)**

**Shinigami School Girl: Thanks for the compliment. That put a smile on my face when I read it. I am trying to keep them in character and sometimes I get worried I am straying a little bit, but your review helped put me at ease.**

**Somerial: You are another one of my first reviewers, I am sorry to hear you are sick. I hope you are feeling better. Thanks for sticking with me. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well. I added a little bit of the what is going on in the current Bleach manga into this chapter. Obviously it is nothing major since this is still set before that arc actually takes place, but I thought it would be good idea and treat to the readers to have it in here. I needed something to get the conversation at the start of this chapter to happen. I think you guys will like it. Even if you aren't keeping up with the manga it's nothing that really gives much of it away. Enough of my blabbing and enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Today had been another long and aggravating day. He swore that interns were getting dumber every year. The patients were becoming ungrateful. Just today he saw a doctor trying to treat a man with a broken leg. The man was ordering the doctor around telling him how to do his job; as if he knew how to do the doctor's job better than the doctor. He was sickened by the sight so much that he went in the room and boldly told the man to shut the hell up or go to another hospital. Both the doctor and the man looked at him in shock. He didn't care though and left before he could hear that idiot trying to come up with a pathetic come back.

He didn't want to think about that idiot patient. This was his down time and he was going to enjoy it. No moron was going to ruin this for him. His hands went into his pants pocket. He discovered what he was looking for and pull out his favorite silver and white lighter. There was little cross engraved in it. His hands went inside his suit and retrieved one of his eldest and yet destructive friends. Sticking it into his mouth he ignited his lighter, preparing to light it when a rather annoying voice stopped him.

"For a doctor you sure do smoke those a lot," the loud, overbearing, and annoying voice spoke.

He sighed along with rolling his eyes. He didn't need a lecture. He was a grown man for god's sake. He heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming closer. _'Great, another one of his visits,' _he thought begrudgingly. He lit his cigarette before he closed his lighter. The white haired man inhaled the addictive aroma, savoring it as he was taken back to fonder the days of his youth before finally exhaling.

The footsteps had stopped which meant his visitor was right behind his desk. "What do want now, Kurosaki?" he asked not even trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Damn you are still giving me the cold shoulder," the voice said in mock hurt tone. "If you keep treating me like this I may stop visiting you all together."

He snorted at his visitor's claim. "Please you are like a mutt. The worse I treat you the more you cling on to me," he mocked. He took another puff of his cigarette before continuing. "I am tempted to treat you nicer just to see if that will keep you away, but I fear it will only make these visits more frequent."

"You know you love it when I come over," Kurosaki said cheeringly. He could feel the huge grin on his face without even looking.

He finally turned around to see the grinning face (which he had deduced correctly) of his longtime acquaintance, Kurosaki Isshin and in full shinigami attire no less. "I know you must be ecstatic about your powers returning, but you could always come in your body every now and then. That way if one of my doctors is eavesdropping they don't think I am talking to myself."

Isshin chuckled at this. "As if you actually care about what your doctors think of you, Ishida."

Ryuken exhaled making sure the smoke went into his annoying acquaintance's direction. "You have me there," he said with a shrug. "To what do owe this unexpected and unwanted visit?" he asked.

This time the shinigami shrugged his shoulders. "Boredom mostly," he replied.

Once again Ryuken snorted. "I know you Kurosaki and you don't visit me without a reason. I have had two visits from you past month alone. That is more visits from you than I have had in the last ten years. Now tell me what is it this time?" His tone was rather demanding.

Instead of frowning like Ryuken was expecting and secretly hoping Isshin merely grinned even more. "You always were the observant one," he joked. He walked to the other side of the desk and took a seat in the opposing chair.

"Please make yourself comfortable," the Quincy said sarcastically. He exhaled even more smoke at Isshin's direction. It really bothered him that he could never annoy Kurosaki even one tenth of the way said shinigami could annoy him. Perhaps the smoke would piss him off enough to leave.

The black haired man shook his head disapprovingly. "You really shouldn't be smoking. For one you are a doctor and know full well what that is doing to your lungs. How can you tell your patients to quit smoking when you yourself smoke and in your own hospital?" he challenged.

"I remember you use to smoke yourself. Or did you conveniently omit that from your memory, Kurosaki?"

"I quit though," he retorted in smug tone that he knew pissed Ryuken off.

The white haired man rolled his eyes. He put his cigarette out. "Happy now?"

"Very."

"Now can we please get to the reason you are annoying me," he urged. Ryuken put his hand together on his desk. It was a habit that he had gotten into whenever he talked to anyone in his office. Being director of this hospital required him to take an interest or at least fake it to anyone who came in. Despite the complaints he had Ryuken took his role as a doctor very seriously.

His eyes narrowed. Kurosaki's demeanor had completely changed from before. Before he was goofy and grinning like the village idiot he was, but now his lips stopped forming a wide smile. His brown eyes stopped glimmering with the blissful nature that they were known for. They were replaced with an intense and steely gaze. He had not seen that look on Kurosaki's face in a long time.

"I have information from Urahara," he stated.

His interest had peaked. If Urahara sent Kurosaki to talk to him than this must have been serious; as much as he could not stand the shopkeeper (in fact he annoyed him more than Kurosaki did) he knew that whatever the man had to say was serious. "Go on," he insisted.

Isshin started to lean back in his chair. "Well it is a good news and bad news kind of deal."

"Just get on with it."

"Well he finally got some answers out of the new Central 46. Aizen was sentenced to the lowest level of the Muken for 20,000 years."

"It's nice to know that even under new direction that the Soul Society is still as ineffective as ever. I know they can't kill him thanks to the Hogyoku, but do they honestly expect for Aizen to be reformed 20,000 years from now? That is absurd."

Isshin put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, hey don't shoot the messenger. I feel the same way you do, but there is nothing we can do about it."

"I suppose not. It's not really something to concern ourselves with anyway. 20,000 years from now we won't be here to care."

"Knowing Urahara he has a plan set in motion to prevent Aizen from stirring up trouble when he's released anyway," Isshin reasoned. He put his hands down and on the arm rest.

"As much experimenting and plotting that man does I wouldn't be surprised if he lives the next 20,000 years himself. Is that the bad news or the good news?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that," he joked with the reluctant Quincy. Ryuken did not look amused in the slightest. "There has been an unusual spike in the amount of humans with spiritual power in Karakura."

"This is supposed to be news? For the past year all the residents in Karakura have been becoming more spiritual aware. I believe your son's inability to control his reiatsu was the cause of that." He couldn't resist taking another jab at the shinigami. "There is the fact that Karakura was transported to the Soul Society with this business with Aizen. It only makes sense that even more people would become spiritually aware."

Isshin closed his eye lids and smirked. "Ichigo did cause a lot of people to become more spiritual aware. But that's not what I am talking about."

He raised his eyebrow at Isshin questioningly. "What are you talking about then?" he asked again.

Isshin opened his eyes which once again held the same intense stare as before. "The spike is not related to normal humans becoming spiritually aware. This spike is from more people with spiritual power appearing in Karakura," he revealed.

The white haired Quincy narrowed his eyes slightly trying to conceal his surprise. "Are you suggesting that humans with powers like Sado Yasutora and Inoue Orihime are coming to Karakura." It was a statement not a question.

Isshin answered with a nod. "According to Urahara anyway," he replied. "The spike is small though, probably only about three or four people give or take. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing."

"If Urahara finds the situation curious than it could develop into one," he stated. He noticed Isshin giving him a strange look. "That's what you wanted to tell me right?"

A light laugh escaped the lips of the shinigami. "You know me too well, Ishida."

"Believe me I wish I didn't." He let out another sigh much to Isshin's delight.

"You might want to tell your son to watch out. Never hurts too be too careful," he lectured to the Quincy again.

Ryuken closed his eyes and shook his head. "He's old enough to look after himself."

Isshin chuckled at his friend's nonchalant act. This drew Ryuken's attention back to him. "What's with that look?" he asked Isshin.

He laughed again before answering. "I just think it is funny how you act like you can't stand your kid when it's so obvious you love him." Ryuken turned his chair around, putting his back towards him. Isshin believed this was meant for the Quincy to mask his true emotions. There were few things that could break the stoic mask of Ishida Ryuken. Mentioning his love for his son was one of the few things that could break it. "There is no need to be embarrassed. I mean we are talking about your own kid after all. It is only natural for parents to be worried about their children."

"My relationship with my son is none of your concern, Kurosaki." The annoyance from earlier was replaced with indignation. "You should be more concerned with your own relationship with your son," he spat back.

'_Looks like I struck a nerve,' _Isshin thought.

"How did he take it when he found out you were a shinigami?" Ryuken was attempting to turn the conversation away from him and on to Isshin. He really did not want to discuss his rather strained relationship with Uryu. Truth be told they barely talked since he returned from Hueco Mundo. It was enough for Ryuken to know that Uryu was in one piece. He supposed he had Inoue Orihime to thank for that.

He caught on that Ryuken did not want to discuss Uryu, so he decided to drop it, at least for now anyway. He could have more fun taunting his friend later. "Surprisingly he has not asked me any questions yet." Ryuken raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "That surprised me to. When we were fighting Aizen he told me he would wait for me to tell him. He's really matured during this past year," he said proudly. His mind went to his eldest child. A half grin formed on his face.

"How is he adjusting with the loss of his powers?" Ryuken asked, bringing Isshin back to his senses.

Isshin snorted this time. "You know Ichigo. He puts on a brave front, but I can tell he's really hurting."

Ryuken chuckled for the first time since Isshin's appearance. "I thought my son was the only one for melodramatics. He was walking around like a zombie when he lost his own powers," he revealed.

In a rare moment the two of them quiet trading insults and double meanings and actually talked and about their sons no less. "Tell me about," Isshin added hoping to keep the conversation up. "The day Ichigo woke up he stood outside of the clinic looking at the moon like the saddest guy in the whole world. You wouldn't have known that he saved both the Soul Society and the Human World." He shook his head in disbelieving manner. "I guess it was expected since he saw Rukia fade away before his eyes though."

"That shinigami our sons went all the way to Soul Society to rescue?"

Confusion found its way to Isshin's face. "How did you know about that?"

Ryuken snorted again. "Like you I make it a habit to keep an eye on my son. His ridiculous grudge with the shinigami is what caused him to challenge your son to a hollow hunting contest."

"If you knew about that than why didn't you help him out?" Isshin questioned in genuine interest. "I mean my powers were gone at the time so I couldn't exactly help."

Ryuken turned his chair around to look Isshin in the eyes again. "I didn't help him because it was his mess to clean up," he said bluntly.

He almost lost it and laughed at Ryuken's answer. He was the type of man who would rub his child in the mess he made in order to teach him a lesson. He was not one to judge. He also let Ichigo brave into danger and learn from his own mistakes the difficult way. They weren't the same as these new age parents who bailed their kids out over every little thing. If you didn't let your kid smell his own mess what would stop them from doing it again?

"I supposed you were able to sense Rukia was a shinigami even in that gigai that Urahara made?"

"Of course," Ryuken replied bluntly again. "What's the deal with your son and that woman?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he in love with her?" Ryuken asked point blank.

Isshin widened his eyes. Ryuken's last question had caught him off guard. "Since when are you interested in my son's love life?"

"I'm not. I just find it interesting that he was so concerned with one woman and then jumps to another one."

Suddenly he understood what his old friend was talking about. He couldn't help, but smile. "I could say the same about yours. He went to both the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo as well."

"I supposed you could, but that is not answering my question," he pointed out. "From what little I actually got from Uryu your son has fairly strong bond with both women."

"Honestly I have no idea. Before this business with Aizen I would have sworn he had feelings for Rukia, but he's so protective of Orihime that now I think he may have feelings for her. Hell he may even be in love with both of them."

"Teen drama," Ryuken said. "I'm so glad to be passed that will they or won't they stage."

"Tell me about," Isshin agreed with him. "While we are on the subject of my future daughter-in-law…." Ryuken rolled his eyes again. "….I have to admit I am rooting for Orihime."

"What's wrong with Kuchiki?"

"Nothing I like Rukia, but when Ichigo was in a coma for a month Orihime visited him every day. She came in the morning and left at night. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she is really in love with him. It reminds me." He paused and looked out of the widow to his right.

"Reminds you of what?"

"The way Masaki looked at me," he said silently. Another small smile formed on his face as he remembered his late wife. He missed her so much.

He saw the change in his acquaintance. Ryuken decided to give Isshin time to recall old memories he had before he started the conversation anew. He may have come off as an emotionless bastard, but even he had respect for man who obviously missed his departed spouse.

"I'm really fine with whoever he ends up with," he said coming out of memory lane.

Ryuken looked unconvinced. "But if you had to choose between the two, Kuchiki or Inoue as a daughter-in-law it would be Inoue right?"

The shinigami merely shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Like I said I'm rooting for Orihime. You are surprisingly interested in Ichigo's love life. Why is that?"

"Curiosity and boredom?" the Quincy replied.

Isshin shook his head and narrowed his eyes deviously. "Or you are trying to snag Orihime into your family," he teased.

For the first time since Isshin's arrival Ryuken's stoic mask completely broke into shock and what seemed like embarrassment. "Don't say such absurd things."

Isshin was like a dog with a bone. Now that he tasted a stake bone he wanted more. "Don't think I've missed how Uryu is with Orihime. You are trying to get me to push Ichigo on Rukia so he can swoop in and take her." He shook his finger back and forth as though he were disciplining a child. "You sneaky bastard, I would never have figured you as that type of person."

The Quincy slammed his fists on his desk. "I told you not to say such absurd things! I could care less who my son ends up with unlike you!"

Isshin shook his head. "That won't work on me a second time. I will not allow you to take Orihime away from my family." He balled his right hand into a fist, squeezing his fist tightly. "From this day forth I will dedicate my efforts to pushing Ichigo and Orihime together! Mark my words she will carry the Kurosaki name! I cannot allow her to bear the name Ishida!"

Sweat flew down from the top of Ryuken's head. Like so many times and the past he questioned his own sanity for being an acquaintance to Kurosaki Isshin. "When are you going to grow up? Everything is not a competition you know."

"Sounds like loser talk to me," he continued to joke.

"Kurosaki, do you know you give me headaches? Isn't it time for you to leave yet?"

"Actually I probably should get back soon. I don't want to worry the kids."

"You don't want to do that. You should go now." He waved his head in a motion that gestured Kurosaki out.

Isshin prepared to go through the widow (remember his spirit body can go through solid objects in the Human World), but then stopped. Ryuken mentally sighed in exhaustion.

'_What is it now?' _he thought.

"Ishida, keep an eye on Uryu though." All traces of humor and teasing where gone. "It's odd that these humans with powers are showing up right after Aizen's defeat. They may be trying to recruit more people. You two are the last of the Quincy you could prove very valuable to them."

"You are speaking as though these people are already the enemy. Has this business with Aizen made you that paranoid?"

"More like opened my eyes. Aizen came way too close to making it to the Soul King. We got very lucky this time. What about next time though? We can't afford to have our guard down like that again."

Ryuken closed his eyes once more. "There is no need to tell me that. I'll keep an eye on Uryu, but what about Ichigo? His powers are gone, but that does not guarantee that he is not a target for this possible group."

"I intend to. I'll keep an eye on him, Orihime, and Sado. Those four are unique and their battles with the Soul Society and Aizen's forces have drawn the wrong kind of attention."

"I'll say," Ryuken agreed. "They are odd bunch and their abilities could very well attract the next Aizen."

"Let's just hope that Urahara's concern is unwarranted and that this spike doesn't lead to anything serious. They deserve to enjoy normal life for as long as they can. They shouldn't have to worry about hollows, renegade shinigami, or mysterious humans." Isshin was about to depart when Ryuken stopped him.

"Wait Kurosaki before you go let me ask you one more thing."

"Shoot."

"When your son was born did you also pray he didn't inherit your power?"

A small laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah I did," he replied. "The day Ichigo told me he could see ghosts was also the day I realized that he would never have a normal life."

"My day was when my father told me Uryu had the "gift" of the Quincy."

He turned around and shared one last knowing look with Ryuken. With that Isshin departed leaving Ryuken to ponder this new development. "I need another smoke," he uttered.

* * *

He sat on her couching watching the woman beside him sleeping. Her head was leaning on his shoulder, while her hands were on his thighs. While he was a little uncomfortable by how close she was, especially to where her hands were located he did not want to move her. He just didn't have the heart to.

After Orihime had revealed she was having nightmares she cried on his shoulder, while he held her letting her know that he was there for her. She cried until she fell asleep. He sat her down on the couch and joined her then she fell into the position she was in now. She was such an emotional wreck. He couldn't believe how badly she was hurting and he missed it. No wonder Ishida had punched him. He almost felt like Ishida hadn't punched hard enough, almost.

"I'm sorry for missing this," he told her softly so as not wake her. She really needed her sleep. "I've been in my own world, worrying about my own problems that I totally missed your suffering. I won't do that again."

She looked so peaceful in her sleep. Hopefully that was a good sign. Now that she told him maybe her nightmares had passed. Although his instinct told him that this was not over.

"Kurosaki-kun," she muttered.

Hearing his name from her lips caught his attention. _'What could she be dreaming about that involves me?' _he wondered. It couldn't have been her nightmare because she still looked peaceful. That meant it had to be a good dream. As if to prove his point a small smile formed on her lips. His eyes had widened with even greater interest than before. _'She is smiling now. Knowing Inoue she is probably dreaming of being an alien, but she mentioned me. Am I the one making her smile?' _He shook his head. _'What an ego on me. I'm probably just helping her blow up cities or something.'_

Orihime snuggled up to him even closer than she had been before. Ichigo's cheeks turned into a nice shade of red. She was definitely going beyond his comfort zone. A part of him liked having Inoue so close to him. It felt right in some odd kind of way. "I guess you must be having one good dream," he muttered to himself. He noticed a strand of her hair had gotten in her face. Without thinking he pushed it out of the way.

His eyes became transfixed by Orihime. Like on the day of his awakening from his coma he was stunned by her beauty. Even after her breakdown her beauty was still transparent. Her milk white skin was still flawless and smooth. Her oddly colored hair still possessed that eerier and yet alluring shine. It was easy to see why she had so many male admires and some female ones. Seeing her small frame inhale and exhale somehow made her seem even more unapproachable.

"How could anyone want hurt someone so beautiful?" he said aloud. It was a good thing she was sleep. He didn't know what he would do if she heard him. He continued to stare at her unable to look away. It wasn't just her physical beauty that captured his attention, but her character. With her looks most people would have thought Inoue would be one of those bitchy and snobby girls who were queen bees. She was so far from being one of those type of girls that it was laughable to even suggests there was a comparison.

Inoue was the incarnation of kindness. She was always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt. She didn't care about the supposed social circles (after all she was friends with him) and talked to anyone. She listened to other people's problems and tried her best to help them out. She was also furiously loyal to her friends and would do anything to help them. Her powers of rejecting events suit her. Rejecting all injures and sometimes death to help others was her nature to a letter.

Even her quirks added to her beauty. Her clumsy nature while at times was annoying, but he secretly thought they were cute. She had these crazy and way out there dreams and fantasies about being an alien or 50 foot robot that ironically made her seem more down to Earth. It made you feel better about yourself knowing that even someone seemingly as perfect as her had her flaws, not that he really considered them flaws. Inoue didn't give damn about what people thought of her. She was herself regardless of what people thought of her. Plus she was as smart as a whip. There were some idiots in their class that thought she was a classic airhead, but they were dead wrong.

Truth be told Inoue was the entire package any man would be lucky to have her. He just hoped whoever was lucky enough to win her affections appreciated her for more than just her body. She was much more than that and she deserved a guy who knew that. Inoue Orihime was indeed one of a kind. Ichigo did not realize that his lips had curved into a U shape smile.

Soon that smile was replaced by a frown. Orihime had started twisting and turning in her sleep. He could tell by that terrified expression she was making that her nightmares had finally decided to invade her dreams. He was tempted to wake her up from it, but something held him back. What could he do? It wasn't like he could go into her mind and fight her nightmares away. Waking her up may have done more harm than good. He was truly lost at what he should do.

'_Damn it! I can't just sit here and do nothing.' _Despite his determination to aid her he could not find a way to do it. Instead he was forced to watch her body start trembling and hear her whimper in fear. He wanted to protect her, but he couldn't. Inoue was right he had never felt truly helpless before. Against even the strongest opponents he had some shred of hope or chance to fight them off. This situation was completely different. Ichigo could not fight off a nightmare no matter how much he wanted to. He hated this feeling of total helplessness.

Her breathing became heavier while her grip on his thigh got tighter. He wondered if the dream version of himself had killed Ishida yet or if he moved on to Rukia. The only thing he could take solace in was that his dream version's transformation signified it was near the end.

'_Unless the new extended version with Aizen is playing now,' _he thought bitterly. How could the man be captured and sealed away in Soul Society and still be causing trouble? The bastard had a talent for shattering people's perceptions without even being in their presence. From what little Inoue had told him about the dream Aizen he sounded just as big as of ass as the real Aizen. Calling Inoue his greatest ally and making her feel like crap just made his blood boil. He wished he had beaten the crap out of the real Aizen even more now.

'_I should have cut off both his legs and his arms and left him limbless. No, I should have ripped his stupid lips off of his face so he couldn't talk ever again. He loves the sound of his own voice so much that would have been more punishment than him being sealed away by Urahara.'_

Orihime had still not wakened up yet. His anger was transforming to concern. Did her nightmares usually last this long? Suddenly the idea of waking her up seemed so much better now. What was the worst that could happen if he woke her up anyway? If anything he would just be rescuing her from more bad memories. Before Ichigo could wake her the healer's eyes shot open and she jumped up startling him with the same shriek from earlier.

Orihime was struggling to catch her breath and her heart was beating so fast that she heard it. The nightmare struck again. She sunk her fear laced face into her sweaty hands. Would these horrible visions ever go away? She was so tired of being exhausted and emotionally drained. She was tired of being so helpless and scared. She sighed in both defeat and sorrow. The entire situation was overwhelming her. Then she felt a strong and reassuring grip on her shoulder. The healer turned to her side to see her protector and new found confidant.

"Kurosaki-kun?" she uttered in perplexity. What was he doing here?

"Are you alright?" he asked. His grip had tightened, but he was careful not to add any pressure to it. "It looked like you were fighting for your life."

Her eyes lids closed slightly and she turned away from him and shrugged his hand off of her shoulder. She was both ashamed and angry that he saw her in that state. She didn't want him to see her vulnerable anymore. He didn't need to worry about her constantly. He had his own problems to deal with and there were his sisters to consider.

Taken aback by her behavior Ichigo stared at Orihime blankly. Did he do something wrong? What could he have done to irk her? The only thing he could think of was that he did not wake her up when her dreams went bad. That could be more than enough to hold grudge against him. She had told him how badly these nightmares affected her and he just sat there and watched her endure another one. What was wrong with him?

"Inoue," he spoke.

"It's getting late," she replied cutting him off.

He was unsure what she meant by that. It didn't sound like she was angry at him. If she said more he could get a better understanding of her feelings. This would be so much easier if he could just cross swords with her like he did with Grimmjow.

"Your family will get worried if you are out too late," she spoke again. "Did you call them yet?"

He shook his head before realizing that her back was to him and that she couldn't see his him. "I haven't talk to them yet, but…."

"Then you should get going. Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan will be worried about you for staying out so late," she reasoned.

Why was she pushing him away? Didn't he already go through this earlier? "I can call them and tell them I'll be a little later than usual," he replied.

Orihime shook her head rather forcefully. "No, you should go home," she insisted. She couldn't face him like this. "I'm sorry we didn't get any studying done today. Tomorrow I promise we will work extra hard to make up for today." She tried to put the pep in her voice, but failed miserably.

Was she serious? She had just had another traumatic nightmare and she was worried about his stupid make up work? There were much bigger things going on than him having to repeat a year. Her mental health was far more important than Ochi-sensei's revenge work that was for sure.

"I'll see you…."

"Don't do this," he finally interrupted her. Even with her back towards him he could see that he caught her by surprise and confused her. "Don't push me away when you are obviously hurting," he stated. She did not respond at all. "I already told you not to be afraid to talk to me. I won't judge you. Let me be there for you the same way you were there for me when I needed it." His tone was even, but his words were laced a touch of pleading.

"I know you told me that, but….." She couldn't finish. It was embarrassing to always be seen as this fragile and helpless girl by everyone, but especially him. Once again she felt his touch on her shoulder. Her lips curved into one of her own small smiles. It was short of amazing on how he could do so little and yet it would have such a profound effect on her. His grip told her that he was there and he would do everything within his power to help her. Suddenly she felt herself being wrapped inside his protective aura just like she always was. The nightmares seemed more bearable now.

"I don't want you to always see me so vulnerable and weak," she finished truthfully. "I'm tired of being weak."

"That's insane," he replied in disbelief. "You are anything, but weak."

Orihime shook her head. "That's not true and you know it. I was so helpless against Ulquiorra and Grimmjow." The horrifying memories of the Espada, their man handling and verbal abuse came flying through her mind. She folded her arms and slumped down depressingly. "I was dead weight."

"I wouldn't have beaten Grimmjow or Ulquiorra without you," he blurted out. The orange haired woman turned around to look at him. Her brown eyes were possessed by bewilderment as if she was unsure if she heard him correctly.

"I don't understand what you mean." Her eyes were still filled with confusion, but they also lit up with interest. She was very eager to hear his answer.

Glad that she no longer had his back towards him the ex-substitute prepared to elaborate. "Do you remember when my mask was breaking off and Grimmjow had me corned?" She nodded her head. "I could barely even move anymore. My body was hurting so badly that I thought I was done for. Grimmjow thought so to. Just when things were at their bleakest I heard your voice." He paused to look away from her. Every time they had their little heart to heart talks that he could never keep his eyes on her. There was something about her that made it hard for him.

"You asked me not to die. And you went on to say it didn't matter if I won just as long as stopped getting hurt."

She put her hands over her mouth. He actually remembered that. It wasn't that big of a deal, but he remembered her words and took them to heart.

He continued, "At that moment I knew I couldn't lose. I got up and stopped Grimmjow's attack. I doubt you heard this since you were so far up, but I told him I wasn't allowed to get hurt anymore and so I slashed him."

Her heart melted. Her words had this much of an effect on him. They inspired him to continue to fight. Never in her wildest dreams did she think her pleading would have led to him attributing his victory over the sexta Espada to it.

"When Ulquiorra nearly cut my head off you blocked his attack for me," he reminded her. "I think you know how else you helped me during that fight." He turned his attention back to the healer. The sparkle in bliss had returned to her eyes. A warm feeling swelled up in his chest. At least he accomplished something today. "You are not dead weight." He noticed that he still hand his hand on her shoulder. Immediately he let go of it albeit reluctantly. Orihime gave him one her own small smiles; the smile that was reserved for him. He was becoming quite fond of this smile.

He always had a way of making her feel better about herself. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. You made me feel a lot better about myself," she admitted.

"I'm glad. I hope you believe me because you are one of the strongest people I know." Confusion returned to her beautiful face. "Being able to retain who you are and your beliefs after this whole ordeal is proof of that."

The goddess flared up as usually whenever he complimented her. She really hoped that he didn't notice her constant blushes. Unfortunately for Orihime her wish would go un-granted. Ichigo noticed her blush and wondered why she always went red around him. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" he questioned cautiously.

Orihime's expression changed from blushing into depressed so quickly that the ex-substitute was wondering if he blinked and missed the change. "It was the same as before. You transformed again."

"Was Aizen in this one?" He continued to question. Ichigo didn't want to make her relive these bad experiences, but keeping all of this inside was no good for her.

"Yes," she simply replied.

'_Great it looks like Aizen wasn't just a one-time thing,' _he thought. "Did he call you his ally this time?"

She nodded her head this time. "He absorbed you again and I couldn't stop him."

He cursed himself for ever telling her Aizen's claim of devouring him. He only added to her grief even more. She looked so down and un-Inoue like. He had to say something to ease her mind. But comforting someone with his words was still new to him. _'Why do I suck at this? Inoue is always there for me to talk to. I should be able to do the same for her.' _

"Dream Aizen like the real one is full of crap. He loves to hear his own voice and lecture people on his own twisted vision of life. He's dead wrong about you."

"What makes you so sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Aizen told me that I didn't hate him because you were not hurt when I arrived to the Human World. But I really did hate him for everything he had done to you. He was pulling things out of his ass and didn't know what the hell he was talking about. That's why I know that Aizen dream or real calling you his greatest ally or asset is dead wrong. The guy doesn't understand a person's heart at all, let alone Inoue Orihime's heart. You are just too pure and selfless for someone as selfish and impure as him to understand."

His words had once again rescued her from her own insecurities and doubts. She couldn't help but smile modestly at his praises. "You are making too much of me. I am not as good as you make me out to be," she said humbly.

He snorted at her claim. "I doubt I am that far off. You are practically a saint. Going through all of this and you were worried that we didn't get any of my makeup work done. You really are something else," he praised causing her to blush again. Seeing her smile and blush again was refreshing. She was slowly turning back into the old happy Inoue that he knew and loved.

"It really is getting late." She looked out of her window to see that the stars had come out already. "You should probably get home Kurosaki-kun."

He shot her a look that asked if she was for real. "I'm not going home," he said bluntly surprising the healer.

"Umm, what do you mean?" An air of wonder and confusion set in around her.

"I can't leave you alone after you had another nightmare. I'm staying with you tonight," he said as matter of fact tone.

"Umm," she squeaked. "B-but Kurosaki-kun your family will be worried if you are out all night! Plus you are a boy your father will have a problem with you staying at a girl's place alone! What will he think of me if you tell you are sleeping over? My place is a lot smaller than your house! I haven't even made dinner! What are you going to eat?"

He understood the first two things she said before she went light speed and went beyond his ability to comprehend. At that point all he could do was look at her dumbly. The girl could gab with the best of them. He wasn't sure if this was just a girl thing or an Inoue thing. She was still talking! He had to put a stop to this here and now before she fainted from lack of oxygen.

"Inoue," he tried. She obviously did not hear him because she continued with her rant. "Inoue," he tried calling her again. Once again she did not hear him and kept on blabbering. "Inoue!" he shouted. This time he was successful and she stopped. Sighing in relief the ex-substitute could finally address her first two questions. "I'll call my family and tell them I am staying over here tonight. Believe me my dad will have no problem letting me stay here." That was true, last month Isshin essentially gave Ichigo permission to stay at Orihime's place. His father may have had perverted thoughts in mind when he gave him the green light (he offered to give him condoms for crying out loud!), but it was still approval.

"I don't want your father to think poorly of me!" Noticing Ichigo's confused stare she realized that she was going to have to elaborate more. It was embarrassing telling him this. "Well….I….um….think if you tell your father that you are staying here tonight that he will get the wrong impression of me." She hoped that was enough for him to understand. It was bad enough discussing this with Tatsuki, but with Ichigo it was mortifying.

"Sorry I'm still not following?"

She silently groaned at her beloved's inability to read between the lines. "He may think you and I are doing things we are not."

He raised an eyebrow at her still not sure where she was going.

"He may think you are staying here because we having sex," she said quietly.

Suddenly he widened his eyes in realization and then embarrassment. Man he was really, really dense. He blamed his concern for her for his inability to follow her meaning. Hell any other day he would have gotten that. "Oh, well don't worry. I'll make it clear we are not doing that." His father wouldn't believe him though. He could hear his sly and wolfish laugh now. "I'll sleep on the couch," he added. He wanted to ease her mind and let her know there was no ulterior motive here. He just wanted to be there for her.

"Of course," she blurted out. "If you are sure you want to stay here. The couch isn't really comfortable."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I've slept on worse. I'll call my house now and let know what is going on. Don't worry about anything alright." Orihime nodded her head and smiled at him, putting him at ease. He got up from the couch and went to her phone.

The healer let out one long and nervous breath. Ichigo was going to be staying at her place tonight. It was both a dream come true and a nightmare. On the one side he was staying there so she wouldn't be alone. Knowing that made the dread she was feeling about going to sleep tonight more lighter. The other side was that he would see her freak out even more. Would he even get any sleep considering her track record of waking up screaming?

'_This definitely isn't how Kurosaki-kun stayed over in my dreams,' _she mentally whined. One thing she was sure of this would be an interesting and long night.

Ichigo had just dialed his phone number and was now waiting for someone to pick it up. The other end of the phone just kept ringing. He really hoped someone picked up he couldn't exactly just leave a message saying he was staying at Inoue's. On the fifth ring someone had picked it up.

'_About time someone picked up.'_

"Hello, Kurosaki Clinic," answered the unmistakable voice of his the middle Kurosaki sibling, Karin.

"Hey, Karin, it's me."

"Hey, Ichi-nii checking in again?" she asked.

"Sort of," he replied. "Put the old man on I need to tell him something."

"No can do. Dad's not home yet."

"What do you mean his not home yet? It's dark outside. He's leaving you two home alone?"

He could hear his sister's annoyed sigh. "We aren't exactly little kids anymore you know. Yuzu and I have stayed at home pretty late before when you and dad are out you know."

"Yeah, yeah I know," he grumbled. Despite having the most in common with Karin she was also the one sibling who annoyed him the most. Rukia told him the reason he got annoyed with Karin was because of their similarities and that what he felt is what she and their other friends dealt with on a daily basis with him. He still wasn't convinced that he was a big of smartass as his little sister. "Where is the old man anyway? Before you start I'm not implying you and Yuzu are too young to be home alone. I just really need to talk to him."

"When he left he said he had business with an old friend again."

He scrunched his eyes. That made the third time his father went to visit this old friend in the past few weeks. Once again he neglected to tell any of his offspring the identity of this old friend. Ichigo suspected he was talking to Urahara, but he was fairly confident that his father would have mentioned it to him in passing. Then again his father still had not told him about his life as a shinigami either. One thing was for sure he was determined to find out where his father was going.

"Ichi-nii, just tell me and I'll pass the message to him," Karin said.

Ichigo let out a sigh of his own. He didn't want to tell his sisters about this, but if he had to tell one of them Karin was better than Yuzu. Yuzu would jump to conclusions and not let him get a word in, but Karin would listen to him. "Karin, tell dad when he gets in that I'm not coming home tonight. I am staying over at Inoue's tonight."

"Well I give you credit for being up front about it and not giving me some lame lie about staying at Keigo or Mizuiro's place."

He could hear the implications in her voice which caused him to roll his eyes. "It's not what you think."

"Hey, I'm not judging you. Unlike Yuzu I am not naïve enough to think my brother is saint. You are at that age and Orihime-chan is babe. Do me a favor and be safe. We don't need another mouth to feed especially a baby."

His mouth fell open and his eyes bulged. What the hell happened here? His sister, his little sister just told him to not get a girl pregnant and she said it like it was so natural! What was happening with kids nowadays? He was fairly certain that he was not nearly as bold as Karin was being right now at her. "Shut up! It's not like that! Listen, tell dad that Inoue is having problem sleeping and I am staying here in case she needs me."

"Right, in case she needs you," she said slyly.

"You are just as bad as the old man! Do you know that! Nothing is going on!"

"If you say so," she said in the same manner as before.

He should have lied and said he was staying at Chad's than he wouldn't be getting all of this hassle. "Tell Yuzu not to make me a plate. I'll stop by in the morning to get a set of new clothes and shower."

"Which you will probably need," she said taking another shot at him.

"You are enjoying this aren't you?" he asked clearly annoyed.

"Yes," she answered smugly.

"Look smartass don't tell dad I'm shacking up with Inoue or something else equally perverted and or has a double meaning."

"You don't trust me?"

"I know you," he replied.

"You have me there," she admitted. "You want me to tell him anything else?"

"No."

"See you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, see you in the morning."

"Night, Ichi-nii."

"Night, Karin and tell Yuzu I said hi and good night for me."

"Will do."

He heard her hang up the phone on the other end. Another sigh escaped his lips. "Screw Rukia, there is no way I am annoying as Karin." He walked back into the living room. Orihime was still sitting on the couch. When he entered the room her attention went to him almost immediately.

"What did he say?" The nervousness in her voice was apparent.

"He wasn't home, but I told Karin and she said she would tell him."

"Uh," she cried. It was bad enough that he was telling his father he was staying at her place, but now one of his sisters knew. She was not making a good impression on the Kurosaki family. She desperately wanted them to like her.

"Don't worry Karin understood."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

Seeing the desperation and hope in her charming brown eyes made him feel guilty about deceiving her, even if it was to spare her feelings. "Yeah, she completely understood." _'I'm terrible for lying to her.'_

Orihime gave one big breathe of relief. Her image in the Kurosaki sisters was saved now she just had to worry about his father's image of her. He was such a nice man. Whenever she visited Ichigo when he was in his coma he would always offer her dinner and never told her to leave even she stayed much later than she intended to.

"Kurosaki-kun," she called.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Thank you for staying with me tonight."

His trademark half grin materialized making her stomach jump. "No problem. You are my friend Inoue and I want to help you." Another smile graced her lips, his smile. The strange nauseating feeling that he had been getting lately had settled in his stomach again. While he was still at a lost for why it happened he did noticed that it was a feeling he didn't mind.

* * *

Morning was always a drag. It always took him a long time to wake up. Today was different. He got up fairly quick. One reason was the sun hit him right in the face. The second reason he was laying on an unfamiliar surface not his bed. The third and final reason was an enchanting, pleasant, and lovely scent captured his attention.

'_This smells so good,' _he thought. It was like a meadow, but with a hint of strawberries to it. This was a much more enjoyable way to wake up than his loud alarm and crazy father busting his door down. _'I could get use to this.' _He ventured to crack open his eyes to found the orange haired goddess standing above him with that pleasant smile (his smile).

"Kurosaki-kun, it's time to get up." Her voice was so soft and gentle yet it had force in it to obtain its intended target's attention. She nudged him gently not noticing that he cracked his eyes open.

He used this opportunity to take in her beauty once more. Was she always this stunning? And if she was how did he not notice it before? He wished he had his powers at this moment. He wanted to sense her reiatsu to see if that would add to her charm.

"I'm up, Inoue," he finally spoke up. He saw her jump slightly, probably because she was not expecting him to wake up so abruptly. "What time is it?" He got up, but still laid on the couch.

"It's 6: 45. I know it's early, but I wanted to make sure you had enough time to make it to your house and get ready for school. I'm sorry you are probably tired from all the times I woke you up last night."

"Its fine I need to get back to my place anyway and this way I don't have to rush." He pushed himself up right, stretched his arms out briefly.

A frown formed on Orihime's face. She was really was being selfish by having him stay here last night for her, waking him up with her nightmares, and then getting him up early to change. She could have just gone to his house and got him a new set of clothes so he could rest more. The thought of going over to his house so early and getting him clothes was mortifying. The implications alone were enough to make her face burn. "Are you sure you aren't tired?"

"Inoue, I am fine. I stayed here to help you with your nightmares. I wouldn't be doing that if just slept while you woke up. Besides you only woke up three times and it didn't take you long to get back to sleep either. I was honestly expecting you to wake up more."

"Usually I do, but last night seemed different." Last night she had gotten the best sleep she had gotten in a very long time. Like Ichigo said she did wake up a few times because of her nightmares, but they didn't appear as often as they usually did. With Ichigo here she found it much easier to get back to sleep. It was a small, but satisfying victory none the less.

"This could be a good sign," he suggested.

"I think you are right." Things were indeed looking up.

"I better get going if I want to shower and get something to eat." He headed towards the door with Orihime following behind him. "I'll see you in school later." He heard an aggravating sighed. "What's wrong?" His disinterested demeanor was gone in an instant and in its place was his usual concerned expression.

"It's nothing, I mean it's nothing really big," she insisted putting her hands up. His expression did not change. She knew that she would have to tell him everything or else he would not budge and he really needed to get home. "I was just thinking about having to face everyone after I made such a commotion. I don't mind so much about people talking, but all the stares are just too much sometimes."

"Yeah I know exactly what you mean. But you know avoiding them is only going to make it worse."

"I know, but…"

"Having people who look past all the crap and stereotypes and sticking by you really helps. Take it from me, you'll find it a lot easier to endure all the stares with us."

"Us," she repeated.

"Tatsuki, Ishida, Chad, and me," he replied. "Keigo and Mizuiro won't care either. If you don't feel up to eating with the rest of the girls at lunch today just come and eat with us on the roof."

She blinked a few times. Was he inviting her to eat lunch with him? She had lunch with him and the others a few times in the pasts, but she was never actually invited. Did that mean anything or was she just reading too much into this? "Um…ok I'll do that," she muttered nervous.

He acknowledged her with a nod and opened the door to depart. With one last wave he was gone leaving her with alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"Hey guys, I'm home!" he called out. He received no reply at least with words. He was blindsided by a blurry figure that was in pouncing on him in midair. On instinct he quickly got of the way causing his attacker to completely miss him and crash into the door.

"Aaaahhhh!" cried the voice of his father. He was rolling on the ground grabbing his now very sore foot. "That hurt!" he screamed.

Ichigo as usual was unsympathetic towards his father's plight. "If you stopped jumping me like a maniac you wouldn't be in pain right now."

"You are too cold Ichigo!" he whined.

He waved his hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah, I don't have time for your antics today old man. I have to take a shower, brush my teeth, and get something to eat before school and it's…" He checked his watch. "….7: 15, so I have to hurry." He left his father preparing to go upstairs.

"Wait, Ichigo I wanted to talk to you about that." Isshin got off the floor and shook away the pain in his foot. "Karin told me you stayed at Orihime's place last night."

There was not even a hint of his usual cheery or goofy nature. He silently gulped. His father was actually acting like his father. There was no way that was good news for him.

"Ichigo, you just can't call and tell your sister to tell me you are staying at a girl's place." He paused to gather the rest of his thoughts. "I know I am not the most conventional parent, but even I have draw the line somewhere. I am glad you were honest with me and I can't say you shouldn't be doing what you are doing, but at least tell me about it and not Karin or Yuzu."

"I get it dad and I'm sorry, but we weren't doing that."

He didn't sense any deceit in his son's words and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Even still, Ichigo it gives your sisters the wrong idea."

"Believe me I didn't want to tell Karin or Yuzu that, but you weren't here when I called and Karin had no idea when you were coming back."

A grin formed on his face. He caught the implication his son was making. "I guess I had that one coming."

"Dad," he called drawing his father's attention. "Everything is fine, right?"

What should he do? He could tell Ichigo about the small spike in spiritual energy, but that would only worry him. He wasn't the best father that was for sure, but he wanted Ichigo to be happy and be a kid for as long as he could. He already had to send his son off to fight Aizen and hope for the best. Things worked out, but he had no right to do that again, not unless it the situation was just as dire as that day. Plus without his powers there nothing Ichigo could do, so there was no point in worrying him. He didn't want to completely lie to him, not anymore.

"Dad?" his son cried again bringing him out of his thoughts.

"I was visiting Urahara he told me the situation with Aizen. Then I had a talk with an old friend for laughs that's it."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure Ichigo."

He looked his father straight in the eye and saw that they were as clear as window. The knot in his stomach untied itself. At least he knew nothing was wrong, but this friend was not referring to Urahara than who was it?

"So I guess when Karin told me Orihime was having problems sleeping you were telling her the truth?"

"You know everything that happened with her right?"

"How Aizen kidnapped her? Yeah, Urahara told me that. It was the reason you and the others went to Hueco Mundo." Ichigo nodded his head. "What's wrong?"

"She's been having these nightmares about her time there. Apparently she's been having them since we got back."

"She just now told you," Isshin finished for him.

"Actually no, Ishida told me about."

"So she told Uryu and not you?"

He shook his head. "I wish that was the case. Turns out he just noticed all of her changes and put two and two together. I completely missed it."

"Knowing you, you are kicking yourself for missing it."

"That and Ishida punched me too, so yeah."

"When are you going to stop moping about messing up?" he asked his son. "I know you feel bad about missing this, but the important thing now is you know. Stop dwelling on the past and focus on the here and now."

"You're right," he admitted.

Isshin's eyes bulged in astonishment. He was expecting some sarcastic and smartass remark, but instead Ichigo just agreed with him. This thing with Orihime must have been pretty bad. "What are her nightmares about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"They are about my losing control of my body and transforming into a hollow during my fight with one of Aizen's Espada, Ulquiorra."

"That really happened I take it."

"Yeah, it did and she blames herself."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her thank you. The only reason I am alive right now is because I transformed. She worries too much about things out of her control."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," he joked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked indignantly. Isshin stared him down giving him a knowing look. "Ok, I get it."

"It sounds like she could have post-traumatic stress disorder."

"Don't soldiers get that?"

Isshin shook his head. "It's not just soldiers who get it. They are usually who you hear have it, but anyone can get it. When a person suffers from a traumatic and or life threatening event they sometimes develop an anxiety disorder. Sometimes it manifests having flashbacks to said events triggered by something they see in everyday life. Some people feel detached or numb about everything around them, others get survivors' guilt, and others have nightmares and sleep problems."

This was one of the rare moments it paid to have a father who was a doctor. "How do you fix it?"

"It's not that simple. You just can't take a pill and fix everything. Some people never get over it." As soon as he said it he regretted. Ichigo's eyes widened so much and the fear and apprehension that set in made the shinigami jump slightly. "Calm down I said some people don't. That doesn't mean Orihime will be one of those people."

"What do I do?" He was trying to keep the uneasiness out his voice, but was failing.

"The best way to get her through it is to just to get her to talk about it," he replied.

"That's it? Just talking about it will help her?"

Isshin heard the doubt in his son's voice. "Talking helps more than you think. I know you are a man of action, but if you want to help her you are just going to have to get her to talk to you. Keeping all that stuff bottled up isn't good for a person."

Ichigo was silent and took his father's words in. Everything his father was saying made sense. Inoue did say she felt better after talking to him. _'It's not like there is anything else I can do. Inoue needs to get all of this off her chest anyway.'_

"I'll let you go now and get ready for school."

"That's it? You aren't going to tell me to not stay at Inoue's anymore?"

"I can't really come down on you for helping your friend. She is really vulnerable right now and needs you. Besides I trust you, you are a good kid and pretty responsible. That being said I am going to offer you an alternative."

"An alternative?" he repeated in mystification.

Isshin gave Ichigo a very wide and toothy smile.

* * *

"So what happened yesterday?" Keigo asked.

"What do you mean?" came Ichigo's reply.

The trio of Ichigo, Keigo, and Mizuiro were walking to school as they normally did in the morning. Mizuiro had his face in his phone, texting one of his girlfriends. Keigo and Ichigo had their eyes glued to the road ahead and making sure their short friend didn't run into anything.

"What do I mean?" he asked as if his orange haired friend was crazy. "I mean all of the craziness that happened yesterday! You know with Ishida calling you out and Inoue freaking out in class!"

"Oh that," he answered.

Frustrated and annoyed by Ichigo's lack of enthusiasm and secretive nature, Keigo pouted. He was supposed to be one of Ichigo's best friends and yet he was treated as though he were a background character of an anime. "Don't say oh yeah like it's nothing! Something really big went down with those two and I want to know what!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes having already grown tired of Keigo's antics. "It's nothing to concern yourself over."

"Why do you always keep us in the dark?" He shook his arms up and down in a fit of annoyance. "Mizuiro and I get worried about you and want to know if you are alright you know."

"Actually I am fine if Ichigo doesn't want to talk about it," the cell phone obsessed man chimed in.

Keigo's heart sunk even further while Ichigo grinned at Mizuiro's acceptance of his decision to keep quiet. It wasn't his place to go around telling people about Inoue's problem. If she wanted to tell them than that would be different, but she gave him no indication what so ever that he could tell anyone outside of his family.

"Come on Ichigo tell me!" he continued to whine.

"Forget it Keigo. Don't go harassing Inoue about it either alright. She will tell if she wants and if she doesn't then respect her decision."

"Whatever," Keigo grumbled.

"Look Keigo it's not that I want to keep you in the dark, but this has to do with Inoue. I want to respect her trust. Like I said if she says its ok I'll tell you. If she feels uncomfortable telling you what is going on than I won't tell you."

"Alright, that sounds fair," he conceded.

The trio walked in silence for the reminder of their trip. There wasn't anything left to say. Their friendship was strong enough to endure this, endure the secrets and silence. Keigo and Mizuiro knew the depths that Ichigo would go to for a friend. That was one of the things they admired about him. Right now his friendship with the Karakura High it girl was what was keeping him silent, the same way that their friendship would keep him quiet if she asked him anything they wished to keep secret.

When they reached the gates of Karakura High they found their giant and quiet friend waiting for them outside.

"Yo, Chad," greeted Ichigo.

"Hey Chad," Keigo called.

"Chad," Mizuiro also greeted.

Sado gave them a nod. "Hey, Ichigo, Keigo, Mizuiro. Did things with Inoue go well?"

"Yeah, things are fine."

Keigo's mouth fell open. "W-w-what? Why did you just tell Chad when you made this whole big deal about keeping it a secret earlier?" he cried in his usually energetic way. He received no answer. Ichigo, Chad, and Mizuiro went through the gates leaving him behind. "Why do I get the background character treatment?" he asked with tears streaming down his eyes. "Hey guys wait for me!"

"I'm just saying you guys take me for granted," Keigo cried. "I mean you basically ignore me and don't take my feelings into consideration at all. And are you even listening?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo said not really paying attention. Keigo just wouldn't shut up. It wasn't even like he told Chad anything that was detailed. He just told him Inoue was fine. The way Keigo asked was completely different from how Chad asked. Keigo's question wanted specifics while Chad's just wanted a summary of how the healer was doing.

"You aren't even listening to me Ichigo!"

"You were saying we take you for granted," he repeated surprising Keigo. Ichigo wasn't listening at all, but he had this conversation with Keigo so many times that he knew the subjects he whined about by heart. He learned a while ago how to fake a conversation with Keigo when he was being particular annoying.

"Well, yeah that is what I was saying." Keigo was flabbergasted. He thought Ichigo was just ignoring him, but now that he knew his friend was listening he couldn't really complain. He went silent, much to Ichigo's pleasure.

'_Finally he shuts up! Now maybe I can enjoy the rest of my walk to class in silence…'_

"Kurosaki-kun!"

He didn't need to turn around to see the owner of the voice. He would recognize her voice from anywhere. The orange haired teen turned around to see one of his comrades in arms. "Inoue," he greeted her. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that she was alone. "Where is Tatsuki?" he asked once she reached him.

"I'm not sure. She didn't meet me like she usually does today. I thought maybe she had left earlier, but I haven't seen her anywhere."

"That's odd. It's not like her to let you walk here by yourself."

Orihime nodded in agreement. "I am a little worried, but I can still sense her, so I know she is ok."

"That's good at least."

Keigo jumped into the conversation. "Arisawa is missing?"

"She's not missing she is just didn't meet Inoue today," Ichigo spat out with more than a little edge. The last thing Orihime needed was to be worrying about Tatsuki.

"That's really strange though," Keigo continued. "I mean I would think she would tell Inoue if she would be late."

Worry formed on Orihime's face. When Ichigo saw this he frowned and turned to Keigo; shooting him the darkest look he could muster. Keigo smiled nervously. Ichigo would not stop glaring at him.

"I mean I am sure she just forgot to tell you," he added hastily. Ichigo continued to glare at him, silently threatening him to do more. "You said you could sense her right, so she can't be in any trouble right. Don't mind what I said earlier sometimes I just talk just to hear myself talk," he continued. His eyes went to Ichigo. The orange haired teen stopped glaring at him to his relief.

"Inoue you heard him he just talks to hear himself talk." He gave Keigo one last glare before returning his sympathetic gaze back to Orihime. "She's fine, if she wasn't you or Chad or Ishida would have sensed something and gone after her."

She looked up to see his reassuring face looking back at her; with that compassionate gleam in his that she found adorable. "You are right. If something was wrong we would sense it."

"Are you ready to go in class?"

"Yes," she replied.

They walked side by side behind the rest of their friends. Orihime was still not feeling up to the challenge of all the looks and stares she was bond to get today in class. But with the man standing beside her she felt like it was manageable. When she walked through the door and whispers started to circulate through the room she inhaled than exhaled lightly.

'_It's alright you can do this,' _she told herself. She felt all of her classmates' lingering eyes, but did her best to ignore them. _'Just ignore them. Just ignore them. Just ignore them.' _She felt her hand being nudged. The culprit was her savior and object of her affections. Her browns eyes found their way to his own. Within them she found his courage, strength, and compassion. They gave her the strength to keep moving. She went to her seat without looking at anyone and sat down, while Ichigo continued to walk to his own seat.

She was smiling again, really smiling. Kurosaki had gotten off his ass and did something after all. The Quincy was very glad he said something to his friend. Things were at last going back to normal. _'Good job, Kurosaki,' _Ishida silently applauded.

Tatsuki came through the door minutes later followed shortly by Ochi-sensei. The short haired woman was indeed in one piece just as Ichigo had told her. She gave Orihime a little wave and mouthed an apology before going to her seat. Ochi-sensei started class without making one mention of her outburst yesterday. The whispers died down and the leers stopped. All attention was now on their teacher as she started lecturing. At least she wouldn't have to endure the stares until lunch time. Like Kurosaki-kun said she could eat lunch with him today and not face the other girls yet. She was very glad to have someone as amazing as Ichigo in her life.

'_Thank you, Kurosaki-kun.'_

**I think this chapter has the most characters by far. Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Uryu, Isshin, Karin, Ryuken, Keigo, and Miziuro all with speaking roles no less. I left a some things up to be developed in later chapters, like Tatsuki's disappearance and what Isshin told Ichigo. Pay attention to those because they will be plot points for future chapters. The Isshin and Ryuken conversations was actually hinted back in chapter 5, which was the first mention of Isshin visiting a friend to catch up. Pay attention to little things like that folks you never know if it will become something bigger or not :) Speaking of Isshin and Ryuken I loved writing that scene. I was dying to put that in for a while, but it just didn't seem to fit in the other two chapters. This time was perfect place for it. Two old friends taking shots at each other, annoying the other one, talking about their kids and future daughter-in-laws was funny to me and hope you guys liked it. Even though they had only one scene together in the manga they were quite the pair and I for one want to seem interact more in the series (They have the same relationship as their sons lol). I actually read up a little about PTSD and found that talking is actually one of the best ways to deal with it, so I put that into the story. Not saying it is the only way and I'm not expert I only read a little info on in it and got enough info for my purposes. Again I'm not saying it is the only way so please no reviews screaming at me for not knowing what I am talking about. If you felt I should have added something more or didn't accurately portray it please tell me politely and calmly and I will fix it later on (I already have to fix chapter 6 because a bunch of words got pushed together when I uploaded it on here). That's it for now. **


	9. The Normal yet Abnormal Lunch

**Here is the next chapter a bit earlier than usual. Before I start I want to say I am glad you guys enjoyed the Isshin and Ryuken scene last chapter. That was one of my favorite scenes to write and it was good to see people enjoy it even if it didn't really have much to do with the plot. There isn't that much for me to say except that this chapter is light hearted compared to the last three. There is fluff, comedy, and some more Isshin. To answer Somerial's question I am not sure when I will end the story, but it will be pretty long. I want to bridge the gap between the Fake Karakura Town arc and the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc, the current arc in the manga. I want to cover a lot of things, such as when the kids get jobs, new hair styles, Uryu doing jobs for Urahara and other stuff. I have a few ideas of my own to execute. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

* * *

"Finally my favorite part of the day, lunch!" exclaimed Keigo in a thunderous and merry tone. He threw his arms in the air as soon as he set foot on their usual lunch spot, the roof. "I have been starving for the last forty minutes!" he continued. Keigo went to his spot and collapsed on his backside and eagerly took his lunch out of his bag. His eyes widened in anticipation and marvel at the container.

"Huh," breathed out the exhausted and clearly annoyed Ichigo. It was ridiculous that despite being sixteen that Keigo thought and acted like an eight year old. And he wondered why they treated him like an annoyance. He shook his head disapprovingly with his eye lids half closed in his usually irritated expression. "You are too cheerful," he announced.

Keigo for once did not look phased by Ichigo's remark. On the contrary he seemed to look even cheerier, giving him a teeth revealing grin. "Not even you can get me down now Ichigo. I missed breakfast today and need this pick me up!"

Like Keigo, Ichigo's expression did not falter. "I can respect and understand being happy after missing a meal, but you could still tone it down some."

"Leave him be, Ichigo," Mizuiro jumped in. For once he did not have his face in his cell phone. He had already started eating his meal. He sat to Keigo's left side and across to where Ichigo was standing. "Would you rather have him complaining about something like he was earlier this morning," he warned his friend.

This time Keigo's smile disappeared and was replaced with a light frown. "Hey, I was not complaining!" Both Ichigo and Mizuiro shot him glares of doubt and skepticism. "Ok, ok I get it," he muttered. "But I only complain because you guys totally take me for granted!"

"Not this again," Ichigo said with a sigh.

Mizuiro swallowed his food before he started his gloating. "I told you," he said in a manner of fact tone.

The famous and equally infamous Kurosaki scowl materialized on the ex-substitute's face. As much as he disliked Keigo's childlike behavior he disliked Mizuiro's I told you so much more. It was times like this with Keigo babbling like an idiot and Mizuiro's jabs and distant behavior (even by Ichigo's standards Mizuiro was distant that's how bad it was) that he realized just how much he missed his old life. His double life as shinigami had caused a rift to form between the three of them, but after one month of normality things seemed to be going back to normal.

"Yeah, yeah, Mizuiro," he said. Ichigo brushed off his cell phone obsessed friend with a half wave. He took his seat across from Keigo and to Mizuiro's left. "Where are Chad and Ishida?" His brown orbs had started searching for the other members of their party, but found them absent.

Keigo's eyes lit up in surprise. "Ishida is going to eat with us still. I guess you guys patched things up then."

Ichigo gave Keigo a look of curiosity. "What makes you think there was anything wrong with me and Ishida?" he asked.

Keigo snorted which only added to Ichigo's confusion. "We all got that strange vibe from you guys yesterday after school. I thought you two were going to get into a fight. I mean an actual fight not an argument," he added.

Ichigo's neutral expression made its return to his face. "We settled things. It's not like we are petty enough to stop talking to each other because we got into a little disagreement." He opened up his lunch and found a note in it. He raised his eyebrow questioningly at it.

"How mature of you," Keigo teased. He immediately stopped when he saw Ichigo staring intensely at a piece of paper. "What's that?" He pointed at the paper in Ichigo's lunch.

"A note," he replied.

"From a girl," he said renewing his teasing of the orange haired broody teen.

Ichigo merely scoffed and rolled his eyes. "As if, it's just from Yuzu," he replied. To prove his point he opened up the piece of paper and began to read the note. His eyes swelled after reading it. The note was not from Yuzu like he originally thought. The note was from his father!

"_Dear, Ichigo_

_This is your incredibly handsome, super cool, and all around wonderful dad. When Yuzu finished making your lunch I slipped this in there. Knowing you I am sure you forgot or rather decided not to take my advice, but let me reiterate it again. Invite Orihime to stay at our house tonight! I am serious Ichigo while I cannot make you do this I am confident that you will do it. You realize I will keep bugging you until you actually do it and don't bother trying to lie to me. Remember I can always come to school and check in shinigami form. Don't think your friends will tell you they see me. I am an expert on keeping myself hidden. I am like an ultra, super, awesome spy that way. To keep this short, invite Orihime over or expect me to hassle you until you do. _

_Love dad!_

_P.S. I can be way, way, way, way more annoying than I am now. You really want to risk that? _

His eyes twitched in both fear and astonishment. _'No way, the old man was actually serious?' _he thought. The orange haired teen's mind went back to his conversation with his father earlier this morning.

_Ichigo stared at his father in bewilderment. "An alternative?" he repeated in mystification._

_Isshin gave Ichigo a very wide toothy smile. "Have Orihime stay with us tonight."_

"_W-what?" stuttered Ichigo. _

"_I said have Orihime stay with us tonight," he repeated with the same enthusiasm as before._

"_I heard you the first time!" he shouted._

_He blinked at his son's sudden mood change. "What's the problem?"_

_Mortification formed into his eyes. Was his father actually for real? Didn't he see how big of a deal that it was for him to invite Inoue to their house? Yes he stayed at her place last night, but she was alone. That sounded bad, but there was no one to silently judge him or her for sleeping under the same roof. Karin and Yuzu would ask a lot of questions and make a lot of assumptions. His friends occasionally came over to walk with him to school. What if they decided to walk with him on the day after Inoue stayed at their house? Mizuiro would shoot him this knowing look, while Keigo would tell everyone at school. He didn't care about himself, but he would be damned if Keigo destroyed Inoue's good name._

"_It's just not a good idea dad. For one thing it looks bad for her to stay with me."_

_Isshin shook his head. "No, it looks bad for you to be staying at her place alone and unsupervised. However if she stays with us no one will bat an eye because they know I am staying here with you," he reasoned._

_He couldn't argue with that logic. He himself had not even considered that. Of course a lot of people who knew Isshin also knew him as a non-strict parent. People and by people he meant Keigo would probably assume he didn't do bed checks. _

_As if reading his son's mind Isshin came up with a counter. "If you are worried that people will say something she can leave our house before your friends show up so no one will be any wiser." He rubbed the back of his head in a similar manner to his son. "Give me a little more credit than that Ichigo. I don't want Orihime to get hurt any more than you do."_

_Ichigo felt regret wash over him. He knew his father was only trying to help and he did nothing, but object to it. Part of him wanted to be the one to help Inoue all on his own. While his father had only offered her a place to stay for tonight he still felt very defensive about his father's offer. It was stupid to fight about who helped Inoue when the goal was to help her. It didn't matter who helped her more, but if that was true why did he still feel a little off put by it?_

"_Ichigo," his father called bringing him back to reality. He stared at Ichigo with an odd look in his eyes. _

"_Where would she even stay?" Ichigo questioned._

"_Are you serious?" Isshin asked with his eyes raised slightly. When Ichigo continued to stare at him to answer the questions he silent groaned to himself. "She can stay with Karin and Yuzu. It's not like Rukia is still staying with us. We have the room."_

"_Shouldn't you check with Karin and Yuzu first before you go offering up their room?" Sweat formed at the back of his head while he gave his father a look of disbelief and disapproval. _

_Isshin shook his head. "The girls won't mind. You are running out of excuses. Ask Orihime today at lunch or something. It's not as big of a deal as you are making it," he stated._

_Ichigo still had doubts about his father's words. He didn't even feel good about Rukia staying with them originally. He had to warm up to the idea. Inoue staying with them was completely different. Despite her false personality Rukia was rough and trash talking midget. Her staying in his closet and later his sisters' room didn't seem like such a big deal (after he warmed up to it anyway), however Inoue was a girl, a girl, girl. His room was a mess, there was Kon and his perversions, Isshin's constant attacks, Karin's smartass remarks, and Yuzu well she was ok. There was a reason he never followed Yuzu's advice of inviting Inoue over to dinner. His family would scar the poor girl._

"_I don't know dad." The uncertainty in his voice was apparent. "I have to get ready for school now. Let's talk about this another time." He walked up the stairs to get ready. He didn't hear his father protest so he assumed he had agreed with Ichigo's wishes. If he had looked back he would have seen a huge, trademark Isshin grin on his father's face._

"That bastard," he whispered to himself. He crumpled up the note and stuck it into his pocket for safekeeping. He would dispose of it later at a safer location.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" Mizuiro had noticed Ichigo's quick emotion shifts in the last few seconds or so. The orange haired boy went from surprised, to horrified, and to angry.

"My old man is a real piece of work," he stated as if that answered everything.

Keigo and Mizuiro knew that Ichigo's relationship with his father was a rather interesting and strange one. They decided long ago to avoid many topics involving him so as to avoid Ichigo's dark glare and wrath. True to their vow they once again remained silent and continued to eat their lunch. They ate in silence until the door opened up to announce the arrival of Chad and Ishida.

The pair made their way to their usual places without saying a word. Sado waved the trio, while Ishida gave them a nod, his own way of greeting them.

"You two were pretty late," Keigo pointed out. He looked back from Sado to Ishida trying to will answers from them. "What's up with that?" he continued.

Sado was the first one to answer. "I was running a little late because I needed to ask Ochi-sensei something. I saw Ishida talking to Arisawa so I decided to wait for him."

"Ishida, you were talking to Arisawa?" Keigo turned from Chad and focused his attention on the Quincy. This was news for him. To Keigo's knowledge the only people that Ishida even associated with was them, some people in the crafts club, and Inoue (after all she was a part of the Fantastic Four as Keigo dubbed them). A large grin suddenly formed. "Were you asking her on a date?"

Ishida remained silent and continued to eat his meal. Keigo's eyes scrunched up and his lips curved into a frown. He hated to be ignored. Why did all of his friends have to be so hurtful? "Come on Ishida you can tell me. I can keep a secret," he insisted.

Ichigo snorted at his claim. "Yeah right you are the biggest gossip I know." Keigo glared daggers at Ichigo, but the ex-substitute was unaffected. "It's true you blab to anyone who will listen. I can't remember how many of my secrets you've blown."

"I resent that!" he shouted. "I can keep a secret!"

Ichigo continued to disagree. "Name one secret you have actually kept," he challenged.

"I never told anyone about you guys and your fights with hollows," Keigo spoke triumphed. Rather than getting praise as Keigo expected Ichigo continued to look on at him as though he were a disgrace. "Oh come on that has to count for something. I kept a huge secret for weeks."

"Alright you get points for keeping a big secret," Ichigo finally gave in.

"Ha, see! So come on Ishida you can tell me why you were speaking to Arisawa."

Ishida took his eyes off of his meal and put them on to Keigo. He could see the anticipation and desperation in his eyes. From past experience he knew that Keigo would not give up until he got something. "I was asking her if she needed notes from yesterday. She left class early to go after Inoue-san, so she missed the rest of the lecture."

"Is that all?" Keigo's eyes dropped. He had gotten excited for no reason. It was his own fault to think that Ishida would have something interesting to talk about.

"Sorry to bore you," Ishida said sarcastically. He returned his focus to his meal.

"Are we ever going to talk about what happened between you two…" Keigo pointed at Ichigo and then Ishida. "….yesterday? I mean I know you said not to ask about the Inoue stuff Ichigo, but what happened yesterday couldn't all have been about that."

Ichigo turned his attention to Ishida to see the Quincy looking back at him with the same questioning gaze that he had. Mizuiro and Sado looked up from their meals. Like Keigo they too were interested in what happened between the two rivals.

Keigo continued. "Well spill it guys."

Ichigo answered, "There is nothing to tell. We talked for a little bit then I went after Inoue."

Neither Keigo nor Sado, nor Mizuiro looked entirely convinced. While Sado and Mizuiro decided to let it go and go back to eating, Keigo whined. He muttered something about secrets and finished the rest of his meal.

"That reminds me guys. I said that Inoue could eat with us today, so she and Tatsuki might come up," Ichigo stated.

"Inoue and Arisawa are coming to eat lunch with us," Mizuiro said with interest.

Ichigo frowned at Mizuiro's interest. It was no secret that Mizuiro was a player. His voice had risen slightly. Did that mean he was interested in one of the girls? The thought of Mizuiro flirting with Inoue bothered him. She was so innocent and kind hearted and Mizuiro well he wasn't. He juggled multiple girls at once and constantly texted them to break up with them or make dates with them. He didn't want Inoue to be one of those girls being juggled. "Why are you so interested, Mizuiro?" He tried to keep the agitation out of his voice, but some of it leaked.

The shorter young man was taken aback by Ichigo's unusual hostility towards him. "It's just that we rarely have lunch with them and here you are inviting them or rather Inoue to eat with us."

Not sure what or where his friend was trying to say Ichigo looked perplexed. "And?" he urged him to go on.

"It's interesting," he replied back.

That didn't tell Ichigo anything at all. His chocolate eyes narrowed slightly at Mizuiro. When or if Inoue arrived he was going to have to keep an eye on him.

"I for one do not mind mixing it up by having two hot girls eating lunch with us," Keigo announced. A laugh escaped his lips causing the group to turn to him. "It gives us something to look at, at the very least." A perverted grin formed on his lips. "Inoue is definitely a sight to behold." He got a faraway look in his eyes.

Ichigo's eyes went from Mizuiro to Keigo. He had a feeling that if he could read minds that he would be very upset and pissed at what Keigo was thinking. Without warning he punched his loud friend in the arm snapping him out of it.

"Ouch," he whined as he rubbed his sore arm. "What was that for?"

"For thinking perverted thoughts about Inoue," he said plainly.

"It's not like it hurts anyone to fanaticize," he complained. He was still rubbing his arm.

"Whatever," Ichigo said. "When she gets here just don't do that kind of crap around her got it?"

"You think I'm going to jump her."

"I seem to remember you doing that with Matsumoto," Ichigo reminded him. To Keigo's credit he had the decency to blush. "She's been through a lot and doesn't need you to hit on her Keigo or you Mizuiro."

Mizuiro looked slightly put off at his friend's accusation. "I told you I go for older girls. Don't get me wrong Inoue is very attractive and I would be lying if I said I didn't check her out every now and again. But unlike Keigo I do have tact."

"Hey!" Keigo cried.

Sado broadened his eyes slightly. He had never seen this side of Ichigo before outside of his sisters. He knew his friend was very protective of his friends especially Kuchiki and Inoue, but this seemed unusual even for him. The silent giant wondered if this had anything to do with yesterday. He felt out of the loop. Both Ichigo and Ishida knew what was going on, but he was still in the dark. Inoue was his friend as well and he was just as concerned about her as they were. He knew getting answers out of Ichigo would be next to impossible. The best option would be to ask Ishida or Inoue herself.

He shifted his gaze to Ishida while Ichigo and the others were arguing. "Ishida," he called drawing the Quincy's attention.

"What is it, Sado-kun?"

"How is Inoue doing? Her outburst yesterday and the way she's been acting has me concerned."

Caught off guard by the hollow powered human's question Ishida could not hide the surprise in his face. He should have expected this though. For the past few months, Kurosaki, Inoue-san, Sado-kun, and he had fought together as a team. They traveled to the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki-san battling shinigami and unraveling Aizen's plot. Then they went to Hueco Mundo to rescue Inoue-san and fight in a war against the arrancar and save Karakura. In that time the four of them had formed a bond of camaraderie. He felt closer to them than he did his own father; it was only natural for Sado-kun to feel the same way.

"Inoue-san has been feeling guilty about her abduction and for Kurosaki losing his powers. The pressure finally got to her and she broke down yesterday," he revealed. His tone was low enough that Mizuiro and Keigo could not hear, but just loud enough for Sado to hear. Sado gave him a nod to show he understood. "As for rather she is alright I am not entirely sure, but she looked better. Kurosaki must have done something."

"Ichigo, said things were fine," he responded. His eyes went to Ichigo briefly. "I trust Ichigo with my life. I know he helped Inoue," he stated.

Ishida nodded in agreement. _'Sometimes he is so dense, but every now and then Kurosaki comes through,' _he thought.

"It's kind of strange though," Sado spoke.

"I know what you mean. For Kurosaki to invite Inoue-san…."

"No that's not what I mean."

Confusion found its way to Ishida's face. He gave his friend a questioning gaze.

"I mean it strange how Ichigo is acting now. He's telling Keigo and Mizuiro not to hit on Inoue. He almost seems bothered by it."

Sado-kun was right. Kurosaki did indeed seem bothered by the idea of either Asano or Kojima coming on to Inoue-san. This was a very peculiar situation. When Inoue-san arrived he would have to observe Kurosaki closely. Perhaps the idiot was finally starting to take notice of their Hime.

The door to the roof opened up a second time, causing the trio to stop their arguing. The duo of Orihime and Tatsuki came through it each holding their lunches.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Tatsuki greeted.

"Hi," Orihime greeted in her own more hushed way.

They all greeted the pair and invited them to sit. Tatsuki took a seat in-between Sado and Ishida. Orihime sat next to Ichigo. The orange haired beauty's lips curved into a small and yet cheerful smile. She presented her smile to Ichigo. The ex-substitute felt his insides warm. It was his smile, the smile that Inoue reserved for him and him alone. He had grown to appreciate his personal smile from her. It made him feel special.

Tatsuki couldn't believe her eyes. Ichigo had such a serene look in his eyes and his lips curved into a half grin. This would have gone unnoticed to most people, but Tatsuki had known Ichigo long enough to notice. Was Orihime the cause of this change? She tried to steal another gaze, but Ichigo's usual scowl returned. "What were you guys talking about before we showed up?"

"I'm not allowed to speak to you according to Ichigo," Keigo spat out. This earned him a glare from Ichigo. Tatsuki couldn't help, but chuckle.

"So now you are trying to control Asano's stupidity, Ichigo?"

"Not you too Arisawa!" His fake tears came pouring out.

"Don't expect any sympathy from me. I agree with Ichigo you should exercise restraint and talk less," she said.

"Telling me to talk less is like telling Ichigo to stop brooding and sulking. It's just not going to happen."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" shouted Ichigo.

Ishida jumped in before Keigo could answer. "It means that you sulk and brood a lot."

"I do not!"

Uryu, Tatsuki, and Keigo all snorted at his claim. "Yeah right Ichigo, you would win contests for brooding," Tatsuki teased.

"You are the definition of sulking, Kurosaki."

"Your face has a permanent scowl on it. I bet if you smiled for too long your face would break because its muscles would be strained," Keigo finished.

His blood started to boil. A vein formed on his forehead. His friends were really starting to piss him off. "Don't pretend you guys don't have bad habits! Keigo won't shut up, Tatsuki you are way too intrusive, and Ishida you are humorless and arrogant." Now he would see how they liked to have their own flaws thrown into their faces. He didn't have a long wait; scowls that would rival his own formed on their face almost immediately.

"I am not intrusive!" Tatsuki screamed at him. Ever since they were kids he had a talent for getting under her skin.

"I wouldn't talk so much if I didn't have to carry the conversation for all of us. Between Mizuiro's constant texts, and you, Chad, and Ishida acting like talking is a crime we barely have conversations!"

Ichigo averted his eyes from Keigo and Tatsuki. "Don't blame your short comings on me Keigo. You were chatterbox long before I met you." His gaze went to Ishida who was surprisingly silent. He was sure he would have had a comeback for him by now.

"You certainly don't help any!" Keigo continued. "Ishida aren't you upset by what Ichigo said about you?"

"There is no need to get upset. Kurosaki only brought all that up because he hates to be reminded of his flaws. It's rather immature really."

"Don't talk like you are so far above me. You are just as bad as me," Ichigo said.

"Name one time." Uryu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"There was that time you told some guy off for making fun of you for being in the crafts club, there was another time when you gave this girl the cold shoulder when she asked for your help, and then there….."

Uryu interrupted. "Ok I get it already." Kurosaki smirked at his victory in that annoying manner.

Orihime not wanting her friends to be upset decided to step in and put a stop to this. "Please don't fight. Let's all just enjoy our meal together."

"As wise as you are lovely, Inoue," Mizuiro complimented her.

A light blush formed on Orihime's cheeks. She had never been called lovely before and it was flattering to hear someone say it. Ichigo and Tatsuki had different opinions on it.

'_Kojima is such a player. Knowing Orihime she doesn't even see it. I am going to have to keep her away from him,' _she thought.

'_I can't believe he's hitting on her after I told him not to. That sneaky bastard, there is no way I am going to let Inoue get near him.' _Unconsciously Ichigo scooted closer to Orihime. That was his way of telling Mizuiro to back off or else. "Hey, Inoue," he whispered.

"Hmm," she replied.

"Be careful around Mizuiro," he warned.

Not understanding the orange haired boy's concern she blinked a few times. "Why do I have to be careful around Kojima-kun?"

"He's a player; he dates a lot of girls. Every time you see him with his nose in his cellphone he is talking with one of them. He says he only goes after older girls, but that still doesn't mean you should trust him."

"I see. I'll be careful around him then."

"Good," he said with a nod.

She still wasn't entirely sure why she had to be careful of Kojima-kun, but she trusted Kurosaki-kun's judgment. She would be watch out for Kojima-kun. After all he had never steered her wrong before.

"So Inoue how are putting up with Ichigo?" Keigo asked. "I'm sure it can't be easy having him around all the time."

Ichigo growled at his friend's jab. He was going to get him back for this later that was for sure.

Orihime shook her head lightly. "Not really, I like helping out Kurosaki-kun," she answered truthfully.

"Still he has to drive you nuts sometimes," Tatsuki added.

What the hell was up with all of his friends? He asked them for help and they refused and now they wanted to scare away the one friend willing to help him avoid having to repeat a year. "I am right here you know."

Tatsuki paid him no attention and patiently awaited Orihime's answer.

"I like Kurosaki-kun why would he drive me nuts?"

The karate expert of Karakura High face fell. "Well for one he's pig headed."

"Always frowns and sulks," Mizuiro joined in.

"Quick to get irritated," Keigo added.

Uryu continued their berating. "Unbelievably dense."

"Pushes people away," Sado finished.

His mouth actually fell open. His so called friends really just listed off all of his bad qualities like it was nothing. Damn he was sitting right there! That was the kind of stuff you said when the person wasn't around. Even Chad joined in! Chad was his stable the one person he could trust not trash him. He thought that was true anyway.

Orihime let out a laugh. "I think you exaggerating a bit."

He relaxed a bit. At least one of his friends wasn't a backstabbing and insulting him.

"That reminds me, Kurosaki-kun you need help studying for your next make up exam don't you?"

"Yeah."

"I can help you out today," she said with her usual vigor and pep.

"That sounds good." He needed to get his ass in gear. He still needed to take eight more exams and the term was approaching its end fast. Originally he had planned to take one exam at the end of school today, but then the madness with Inoue occurred and he didn't get the chance to study for it. He didn't regret being there for Inoue when she needed him far from it. The orange haired boy still felt dread about how close he was to actually passing this term.

"You'll walk home with me today?"

He was about to answer when he remembered his father's note.

_Invite Orihime to stay at our house tonight_ _or expect me to hassle you until you do._

'_That's right he wants me to invite her over tonight. I can't ask her to sleep over now, not with everyone else here. But if I don't invite her over my old man is going to bug the hell out of me.' _Annoyance had stopped at one of its favorite faces and jumped on to Ichigo greeting its old friend. _'Knowing him he will be a hundred times worse tonight.' _He got a headache just thinking about what sort of things his father had in store for him should he ignore his advice.

"Is something wrong Kurosaki-kun?" His anxiety was dripping off his body and that worried her.

"No I'm fine," he reassured her. However his annoyance and apprehension did not leave.

Tatsuki shook her head at Ichigo's non-existent lying skills. "You have the worst poker face. Come on and tell us what's wrong already."

"Like I said its nothing; my old man just gave me a worrisome note."

"Worrisome," Orihime repeated. "Is something wrong with Karin-chan or Yuzu-chan?"

"No everyone is alright," he quickly replied. Inoue did not need any more problems on her plate. He had to ask her or else he would keep dwelling on his father's words all day. Thinking about his father's threats would make frown and that in turn would worry Inoue. _'This is not a big deal. I don't have to ask her to stay at my house right now. I can always ask her later on when we are alone. I could do this however.'_

"Inoue." The goddess graced him with her attention. Her brown orbs sparkled with some of joy that she had lost since her abduction. If he had any doubts on rather he helped her out at all yesterday they were gone the moment he saw her eyes. "You want to eat dinner over at my house?"

Then everything stopped in that moment. Uryu, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and Sado all glued their eyes to the two orange haired teens. Kurosaki Ichigo had just asked Inoue Orihime to come over to his place to eat dinner. If someone had told them that would have happened today they would have rolled their eyes, laugh or just brush the person off. It was unlike Ichigo to invite anyone let alone a girl over to his place.

'_What the hell happened between them yesterday?' _Tatsuki wondered.

Her stomach was invaded by the mutant butterflies once more. She could feel her face burning and knew she was blushing; it was embarrassing. _'Kurosaki-kun is asking me over to his house! Kurosaki-kun is asking me over to his house! Kurosaki-kun is asking me over to his house!' _she kept repeating. Her body would not yield to her commands. The butterflies were swarming in her stomach threatening to over run it. She was not confident that she would be able to speak without embarrassing herself. And her face kept burning more and more. Why did this have to happen in front of him? He was still looking at her waiting for a response. What was she going to do? What if she threw up on? He would never talk to her again! Why was her body betraying her at this crucial time?

She was blushing again. Ichigo scrunched his eyes; scanning her. Inoue was so uneasy and fidgety now, but she was so relaxed moments ago. He pondered on what could have changed in the last minute or so.

Anxiety was getting the better of her, but she had to respond or else he would take back his offer. That was the last thing she wanted. Actually being invited to his house was something she only heard in her dreams. This could easily be the one of a chance lifetime. Orihime inhaled, mustering up all of her courage, then exhaled and prepared to accept his offer. She hoped that she didn't throw up on him. "I would love to!" she finally blurted out quickly.

He blinked in utter confusion. Inoue's words had come out of her mouth so fast that his ears barely even picked them up, let alone comprehend them. "Um, what did you say?"

It was official the universe loved to mess with her. "I said I would love to, I mean not love, but like to go. When can I come over?"

"I was thinking tonight. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes, that's perfect. I mean not perfect, but good. That is to say that eating there wouldn't be perfect, but that it is fine time." Something was very wrong with her. That was the only explanation for why she kept talking and making a complete fool of herself.

"It's ok I understood what you meant." There was a bit of mirth in his voice. She was not normal that much was certain, but normal was vastly overrated. Her constantly stumbling over her own words and the way she blushed during the whole thing was cute. _'What the hell? I keep using that word. I never used it before, but lately whenever I think of Inoue that word keeps coming to mind.' _Pushing his strange behavior from his mind he decided it would be better to give the red head princess more details. "Since you are coming over tonight we might as well go to my house to study. That way we don't have to walk there later," he reasoned.

"Umm…Yeah that sounds good. It makes sense. I'll go over to your house afterschool." She was saying it to herself rather than talking to him. This was either a dream come true or one of her pre abduction day nightmares come to life.

"Good," he said plainly. The first part of his plan had been achieved. Inoue was coming over to his house today. When they were alone he could approach the subject of her staying over the clinic for the night. It would be far easier to ask her there than to try to do it at school. Tatsuki was glued to her hip and his friends were no better. The chances of them getting time to themselves at school for him to ask her were a dream at best.

"Should I change for dinner?" she asked nervously. This would be the first time she was properly introduced to his family. She had to make a good impression on them. After what happened last night his father probably already had a bad opinion of her. If there was a chance that she could change that then this dinner would be that chance.

"It's just dinner. There is no need to get dressed up. What you are wearing his fine."

"Are you sure? Because I could stop by my place and change into something else."

"Inoue, your uniform is fine. Believe me we are not the type to get dressed up just to eat. It's enough that we all get together and sit down."

Keigo leaned over to Mizuiro. "Inoue is sure making a big deal out of this," he whispered.

"Well look at it from her point of view. Ichigo's dad could quite possibly become her father-in-law. Of course she wants to make a good impression on him."

"I guess that is true."

Orihime was still worrying about her wardrobe for her meal with the Kurosaki clan. "What if you father decides to dress up because I am coming over? I don't want to look bad by wearing my uniform."

"You look great in anything you wear so stop sweating it." Ichigo went back to his lunch completely unaware of what he said.

Orihime was so red that she was sure most would tease her about being strawberry; although if they did she wouldn't have cared. Her mind was on what Ichigo had just said to her. _"You look great in anything you wear." _Those words, no this day forever be burned into her mind. Kurosaki-kun complimented her on her appearance. He went further than that by saying she looked great in anything she wore! He took notice of her appearance and he liked what he saw! She couldn't stop the huge smile that materialized on her face even she wanted to.

Tatsuki, Sado, and Uryu saw and felt the vibrant energy coming from Orihime and curved their own lips into smile, albeit smaller ones than Orihime's smile. Their Hime was happy and the war was behind them all now. For the rest of the hour they enjoyed light conversation, friendly insults, and arguments just like normal group of friends.

* * *

"Are you excited about tonight?" Tatsuki and Orihime had just walked outside of the school gates. They had successfully navigated their way through the busy student body which was not an easy task. Most of them wanted to get out of their dreaded prison as soon as possible.

Orihime smiled nervously at her best friend. "I am excited and frightened," she admitted. They stepped to the side of the gates to wait for a certain ex-substitute. Ichigo had to stay behind to schedule his next make up exam. He told Orihime to go on without him and to wait by the gate for him.

"There is no need to be nervous. You have met Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan a few times with me in the past. Ichigo's dad already knows you from all the visits you made to their house when Ichigo was unconscious. The hard part is already over."

That was true she knew them well enough. However tonight was completely different from all those other times. She was officially invited over to dinner at the Kurosaki house hold by her beloved Kurosaki-kun himself. Tonight she would be his guest and had to present herself in front the entire family which meant she had to be on her best behavior. The healer wanted their approval desperately. Then there was the little fact that Ichigo stayed at her place last night. His father had probably already written her off as some loose girl not worthy of his son. This was her chance to get him to change his opinion of her. However she was only going to get one chance at that and she had so much against her.

"I have to work really hard so they will like me."

"Why do you have to work hard? You are already halfway there."

"Because I have to…." Orihime stopped in mid-sentence. She almost let it slip that she had Kurosaki-kun stay at her apartment last night. She did not tell Tatsuki about the incident and wasn't planning on to in the near future. Orihime loved Tatsuki like a sister, but she was also very protective of her. The minute the words Kurosaki-kun stayed at my place reached her ears she would lose it and kill him. ".….repair my image. When I was over there I was really clumsy and ditzy."

The second strongest girl in Japan shook her head unable to contain the smile on her face. "You worry too much Orihime. Trust me I have known the Kurosaki family since I was a kid. They are very welcoming and accepting. They will love you as long as you are yourself." She rubbed the healer's shoulders to give her confidence.

"Just be myself," she repeated.

"That's right and your future family will love you." She added the last part to get a raise out of Orihime.

The healer flared up changing into a brilliant shade of red. "Tatsuki-chan!" she whined.

"Come on. We both know the reason you are stressing out so much is because you are thinking that too."

"Keep your voice down! I don't want Kurosaki-kun to overhear you!" she cried in a low tone.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "You know he likes you," she teased.

"Not in that way," replied the healer.

"How can you say that after what happened yesterday? He came all the way to the park and to your house to talk to you."

"He would have done that for any of his friends."

"He wants to protect you from everything," she quoted Ichigo's words back to Orihime.

"What?"

"Before he left for your place yesterday he told me how he hated seeing you suffer and declared that he should be able to protect you from all of that and everything."

Orihime was stupefied. Her brain had to process Tatsuki's words to see if she heard them right. "He really said?"

The short haired woman answered with a nod. The orange haired girl's heart became aflutter. Perhaps her goal of winning Ichigo's heart was not as out of reach as she had once thought. She certainly stood a better chance of achieving it now that the two of them had become so close over the last year. There was still one thing standing in her way or more of someone standing there, Rukia. They were so close and the way he looked at her.

"I can't compete with Kuchiki-san," she stated. "I'm not sure I should try with everything that's happened."

"I thought you were passed this? There is no harm in being jealous of someone. You just feel guilty about it because you are such a good person."

"But in my nightmare…."

"She died, but you didn't kill her. Orihime I've seen how close you and Kuchiki were when she was here. The two of you got along so well that I was jealous," she admitted. Orihime's eyes broadened in surprise at her best friend's confession. She chuckled at the healer's expression. In some ways Orihime hadn't changed at all from that shy middle school girl she first met. "The two of you had been fighting all of these battles together and you left with her to that Soul Society place. I felt like I wasn't needed."

Orihime's lips curved into an upside down U. She never meant to make her best friend feel like she was replaced. "Tatsuki-chan, I still need you. You are like my big sister. Kuchiki-san won't take that away from you."

"I know that now. You just proved both of my points. The first one being that your friendship with Kuchiki was genuine and that a person can feel jealous without making them horrible."

The ground suddenly became very interesting and the goddess gave it her attention. "Maybe you are right."

The black haired girl had to shake her head. Orihime had actually listened to her? The last four weeks of failing to convince her to talk to Ichigo coupled with the fact that she couldn't get her to stop beating herself up yesterday had made Tatsuki a bit cynical about getting through to her Hime. She was a little envious of Ichigo's success, but was happy to have her friend feel better about herself.

"Besides Kuchiki is gone and you are here. You just need to work your charm a little and you will snag him."

"I don't know Tatsuki-chan. I don't want to take advantage of Kuchiki-san's absence. I still feel bad that Kurosaki-kun can't see her." Tatsuki was about to open her mouth to protest, but she beat her to it. "I know it's not my fault, but I still feel that way."

"You are too kind hearted for your own good."

"Let's talk about this another time. Kurosaki-kun is coming."

Ichigo walked up to the girls wearing his usual scowl. Tatsuki just didn't understand Ichigo's appeal. Orihime could do much better than the brooding teen before them.

"You walking with us Tatsuki?" He asked instead of greeting them.

"No, I was just making sure my best friend was ok waiting for your sorry ass." She put her hands on her hips looking at Ichigo with defiance. "Remember just because you are going to your place is no reason to treat Orihime any differently," she nagged him as though she were a worried mother.

He groaned at his eldest friend's lecture. They went through that weeks ago there was no need to go over it again. "Don't worry mom I will take good care of her like I always do. Right, Inoue."

She nodded her head to relieve Tatsuki of any concern. Ichigo treated her kindly and always respected her. She didn't understand why Tatsuki was so mistrustful of him.

Once she saw Orihime confirm Ichigo's story she pulled him away from the healer and took him to the side to talk. She leaned over to Ichigo's ear. "This goes without saying, but you better not force yourself on Orihime."

His eyes bulged out of their sockets and he nearly fell to the ground. "What kind of man do you think I am?" He struggled to keep his voice down.

"I know, I know, but I have to make my big sister speech," she teased him, giving him a wink. She knew it would piss him off and that made it even sweeter.

Ichigo walked away from her his scowl even scarier than before. He turned to Orihime while trying and failing to conceal his dissatisfaction with Tatsuki. "Are you ready to get going?" he questioned in irritation.

She could tell by the look he was making that Tatsuki had questioned his character again by telling him to behave. "Yes, I am ready," she replied. She made sure to put as much of her charm into her words as she could. If she did that maybe it would infect him and change his mood. "Bye, Tatsuki-chan." She waved her hand before going after Ichigo who had already started to leave.

Now that Orihime was with Ichigo she could finish what she started this morning. She was grateful that Orihime did not question her on her whereabouts this morning. Tatsuki couldn't tell Orihime, not yet anyway. The black haired girl went in the opposite direction of her two best friends. She was a woman on a mission and nothing was going to stop her.

* * *

"Before you go in let me go in first. I need to talk to my dad and tell him you are staying for dinner." Here he was standing outside of his house with one of his closest friends. She was looking at him as though he lost his mind. Granted his request did sound odd, but he needed to tell his family that she was here or else all hell would break loose and they would scare her off. "I promise you'll only be out for a little bit."

Sensing the urgency in his tone and seeing his eyes begging her to comply she agreed to his unusual request. "Ok," she said with a bit of uncertainty.

"Thanks for understanding. I'll make this quick so you aren't out here long." He opened the door and left the healer to her own devices outside. He quickly discarded his shoes and went to his father's workspace to talk to him.

"Ichi-nii, you are home early." He turned to his left to see Karin coming out of the kitchen. "You are not studying with Orihime-chan today?" she inquired.

"Not exactly, Karin do you know if dad is at his workspace?"

"Actually he's in…." Before she could finish their father came running out of the kitchen. He pounced on his son tackling him to the ground where he proceeded to wrestle with him. "Never mind," Karin finished.

"Welcome home Ichigo!" he greeted. He had gotten his son into a headlock. "You are way too relaxed today!" he complained. "Just because you are in your house is no excuse to have your guard down."

Ichigo broke out of the headlock and knocked his father off of him. Instead of launching a counter attack like Isshin and Karin expected he offered his father a hand. The two black haired Kurosaki members were stunned by this action.

"Ichi-nii," Karin uttered dumbly.

"Are you feeling well, Ichigo?" Isshin put his hand on Ichigo's forehead, trying to feel if it was warm. He put his other hand on his own to compare. "Everything feels normal." His eyes were still clouded with confusion.

Ichigo knocked his father's hand off of his forehead. "I don't have time for this. Please tell me Yuzu is here as well."

As if on cue the light brown haired girl emerged from the kitchen. "Onii-chan, you are home!" she cried happily. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked in the same cheery manner as before.

He shook his head. "Good everyone is here. I am about to tell you guys something. But before I do I need you to promise me you will stay silent until I finish. I don't need any smartass remarks…" He eyed Karin, who looked offended. "….teasing…." His eyes moved to Isshin who still looked confused "….or to be judged." His glare found its way to his youngest sibling. "Do I have all of your words?"

"Ichigo, what is this about?" Isshin asked.

Ichigo put his hands up and stopped him. "First I want you all to promise."

Isshin tried again. "But…"

"Ah, I want you to promise."

Karin rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I promise."

"I promise too, Onii-chan."

The three Kurosaki siblings turned to Isshin and awaited his reply. "Yeah, alright I promise. Now get on with it and tell us what this is about Ichigo," he urged. He was eager to see what worked his son up this much.

The ex-substitute took a deep breath. _'Here goes nothing,' _he thought. "Look I am not at Inoue's today because I invited her to dinner tonight." Yuzu squealed in delight. One glare from Ichigo was enough to silent her. "She agreed to it so we thought it was better to study over here today. She is waiting outside right now." The three of them turned to the door briefly. "I have gathered you all here to tell you this because I know you all are already making assumptions in your heads. First of all we are just studying, second please do not embarrass me with insinuations, make stupid perverted jokes, or anything else. The third thing is please do not make Inoue feel out of place. She's already nervous enough about making a good impression on you guys. For her sake please do not make her feel embarrassed. It doesn't take much to do it. I am about to open that door and invite her in. Can I trust you guys to do me this favor?"

His family nodded their heads each held a different expression on their faces. Karin was still annoyed at his accusation from before. Yuzu had this big smile plastered on her face as though she had won something amazing. His father had this knowing smirk which made him frown. "Alright here goes nothing," he told himself.

He went to the door and prepared to open it. Against his better judgment and perhaps reason itself, Ichigo had done what he thought he would never do. He invited Inoue over to his place for dinner and now he had to trust his family not to embarrass him. His hand went to the knob; he slowly turned it and finally opened it. There she was smiling up at him with his smile. Some of the tension he was feeling subsided.

"Can I come in?" she asked. Her hazel eyes enticed him. They were so bright and warm. He would have found it hard to deny her anything at that moment.

"Yeah, come on in," he invited her. He opened the door for her. "I'm sorry about that, but I needed to tell my dad after that bombshell I dropped on him yesterday."

She shook her head. "I understand. It was no problem." She walked in and took off her shoes. Once she fully entered the living room she had full view of his entire family. A lump formed inside her throat and that sinking feeling returned to her stomach.

"Inoue, this is my family." He presented them to her.

"Um…Hi," she muttered nervously.

"Welcome, Orihime-chan," Yuzu greeted politely.

Karin gave her a quick wave. "Yo, Orihime-chan."

Isshin went up her and immediately took her hands and shook them once. "It is great to see you again Orihime. Let me thank you for gracing us with your presence tonight."

Honored and surprised by Isshin's welcoming nature the healer blushed. This was not the reaction she was expecting from the senior Kurosaki. "Thank you, Kurosaki-san. I am very honored to be here."

"There is no need to be so formal," he insisted. This only served to confuse the girl even more. "We have met so many times before that there is no need for you to be uptight. Just relax."

"R-right," she uttered just little too fast.

He smiled at her. She was cute and polite. It would be hard for his son to do any better. Ichigo rushed over and took Isshin's hands off of Orihime's. He shot his father a death glare. "If you guys need me we will be in my room studying." He put emphasis on the last word to expel any doubt his family may have had. He turned to Orihime. "You know were my room is right?" She nodded her head. That was stupid question she visited him enough to know where it was by now. "Let's go then."

Ichigo ushered Orihime up the stairs and went after her.

"Thank you for helping my idiot son Orihime," Isshin called up to them.

Orihime chuckled nervous and waved at him. Ichigo's eye brows were twitching fiercely. Against his better judgment and reason he invited Inoue to dinner and trusted his family not to embarrass him. What had he done?

'_I am so screwed,' _he thought darkly.

* * *

**Orihime finds herself having dinner with the Kurosaki family much to Ichigo's dismay. Can he trust his family to be on their best behavior? There was one member absent from the meeting and waiting for Ichigo in his room. That's right Kon is still here. I don't know who I feel sorry for more Ichigo or Orihime lol. And he still has to ask Orihime to stay for the night. Next chapter should have some Orihime interaction with the Kurosaki clan. I hope you guys got a good laugh at this. Please Review. **


	10. My Evening with the Kurosaki Family

**Time goes by; I can't believe this is the tenth chapter. This one chapter introduces a few more characters including my favorite one. I wonder if you guys will be able to guess my favorite character although it is kind of easy to figure out once you read it. A lot more fluff in this chapter, along with a good amount of comedy and seriousness. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did Ichigo and Orihime would be together now.**

* * *

All was peaceful in Karakura Town. There was no hollows attacking innocent souls, no arrancar invasions, and no megalomaniac shinigami trying to destroy it. From the surface everything seemed peaceful and tranquil. However upon a closer look one would see the chaos that was brewing.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" screamed three terrified voices. Three boys around the ages of ten and eleven were running as fast as their legs could carry them. One boy was plump; he had brown hair with matching eyes. Another boy was rather slim even for his age; his hair was black, while his eyes were emerald green. The last boy was the tallest of three. He had rarer hair color then his friends; he was blond. His eyes were blue. Why were these boys running? The answer was right behind them.

Behind the three boys was another boy, who looked to be the same age as the other boys. This boy had bright red hair and the eyes of a demon, with black pupils. He also possessed a huge vein on his forehead. The boy was not a demon; rather he was one very angry and unforgiving boy.

"F-faster guys, he's gaining on us!" The blond boy shouted.

"Oh man! I told you this was a bad idea Souta!" exclaimed the plump boy. His heart was threatening to beat its way out of his chest. He hated running, but even he would rather take his chances battling exhaust than their dreaded pursuer.

"Shut up already!" cried the black haired boy. "I didn't see any harm in playing baseball in the street!"

"We told you that it was too close to his neighborhood!" whine the brown hair boy.

"Playing by that old shop was a horrible idea!" the blond screamed. "Everyone knows that's were Jinta the Demon lives!"

"Come back here you assholes!" screamed the demanding voice of Jinta the Demon.

"This is bad he is gaining on us!" cried the brown haired boy in panic.

"Damn it, I don't want to die yet, not without kissing a girl yet!" cried the blond. "Ryo apologize to him already!"

The black haired boy looked at his friend as though he were insane. "Are you mental? If I stop he will kill me! Besides I already tried to apologize when the ball hit him! He just screamed and started chasing us!"

"Get back here and take your punishment! Running is only making it worst!" Jinta continued to holler. "You bastards will pay for hitting me in the head with your baseball!"

"Aaaaahhhh!" the three boys screamed in unison. They tried to apologize and he was still out for blood. What were they going to do? They were too young to die. If they knew this was going to be their last day on Earth they would have done so much more today. The flame head boy's speed steadily increased and he gained more and more ground. Soon the gap between them was minuscule. Jinta reached out with his hand to grab the plump boy when something snagged his legs and he went crashing face first into the ground.

"What happened?" the one called Ryo asked.

"Who cares? Just thank God and keep moving your legs until we leave this rundown neighborhood. The three boys continued to race out of the neighborhood. They did not dare look behind or stop until they made it to one of their houses.

Jinta got his face off the ground just in time to see his prey run out of sight. "Damn! They got away!" he screamed. The vein in his forehead grew three more inches as his temper was boiling. He was so hot that steam was blowing out of his ears. "Who the hell is stupid enough to trip me?" he continued to scream.

"Is that supposed to intimidate me, little boy?"

The red haired boy having lost what little and I stress little composure he had left. He jumped off the ground and turned around to see someone twice his height looking down on him. His attacker wore a high school uniform, had brown eyes, and had very short yet spiky black hair. They wore a frown on their face and glared at him to challenge him to attack. This person was one of the few people who could invoke fear into Jinta the Demon. He was staring into the eyes of Arisawa Tatsuki.

"Eh, you got silent all of a sudden. Where is all that fire you had earlier, little boy?" she mocked.

His eyes brows scrunched into fury. "Don't think just because you are a girl that I will go easy on you!"

"Oh I am so scared now. Please don't hurt me." The sarcasm was oozing out of her words. She rolled her eyes at the boy's unconvincing tough guy act.

"Well you should be scared! You don't even look much like a girl, so it will be easy for me to cut loose and go all out!" Jinta would regret his words. The poor idiot didn't even see the fist flying towards him nor did he see it collide with his face. But he most certainly felt the impact and the aggravating pain that followed it.

Jinta landed on his back. His hands went to his aching face. "Oooouuccchhh!" he hollered.

Tatsuki still had her fist outstretched as she watched the boy scream in agony. If the boys from earlier thought Jinta were demon they would have most certainly thought Tatsuki the devil with the horrible, terrifying, and evil scowl she was making. "You say I don't look like a girl, huh?" Her voice was low and venomous.

Jinta still on the ground nursing his poor face, merely shot her a hateful glare. "Well it's the truth! I mean your hair is so short that it looks like a boy's! And you call those things breasts! They are so small that you are almost flat chested!"

The boy didn't know when to quiet when he was ahead. The insulted and very pissed of Tatsuki grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. His black eyes were overwhelmed by fear. He cursed himself and his inability to walk away. Tatsuki pulled her fist back and prepared to throw it. Jinta closed his eyes and screamed.

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" he screamed.

She let him go. The flaming head boy landed on the ground, his cheeks were so swollen that he looked like a balloon. His left eye was black and half closed. "You are lucky I held back because you are kid," she said rubbing her right hand. "And for your information I am a C-cup!" she screamed.

Jinta didn't respond. He continued to lay there defeated and in unbelievable amount of pain.

"Jinta!" cried a new voice. Tatsuki turned around to see a girl who looked about the same age as Jinta. The girl had jet black hair with a purple tint in it. She wore her hair in pigtails. She wore a long pink skirt with white poke dots along with a white tee-shirt. She froze immediately when her eyes landed on Tatsuki. "Oh it's you," she cried. "It is a pleasure to see you again," she greeted politely yet meekly.

The second strongest girl in Japan's infuriated expression changed to a more welcoming one. "Hi," she greeted. "Your name was Ururu, right?" The girl nodded her head. "Do you remember my name?"

Ururu nodded her head again. "Arisawa Tatsuki," she answered.

"That's right," Tatsuki said.

"You wanted to see the boss. He is in right now, but he is expecting someone else to come by," Ururu revealed.

A frown materialized on her face. "That hat and sandals said he would see me afterschool today."

"Well he might be able to see you still. If we hurry you can get there before his next appointment comes."

The karate expert let out an annoyed breath. "That's better than nothing."

"I'll take you to see him," she said in the same monotone voice as before. The girl turned around and began to walk off.

"Hey wait!" Tatsuki called. Ururu stopped and turned her head. She pointed to the red head on the ground twitching. "Aren't you going to get him?"

The black hair girl walked back and picked up the injured Jinta. Once she lifted him on to her shoulder she turned back around and head to the direction of the Urahara Shop. She did all of this without making a peep. Her eyes broadened in surprise. _'This girl is kind of creepy,' _she thought. She followed the strange duo to their boss' shop.

* * *

"Ururu, did you find Jinta?" asked the deep voice of Tessai. He had just finished sweeping the shop when the young girl walked in.

"Yes, I found Jinta."

The former Kido Corps captain gave her a questioning gaze. "Where is he then?" As if to answer his question Tatsuki walked in carrying an unconscious body of Jinta. Upon seeing Tatsuki his face brightened. "Hell again Tatsuki-san, it is good to see you again."

She smiled at the polite yet strange shop keep. "Hi, Tessai right?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Thank you for bringing Jinta back."

Her cheeks became red. "It is the least I can do since I am the reason he is like this."

Tessai sighed in aggravation. "What did he do now?" he simply asked.

"He was chasing some kids around, scaring them half to death. I stopped him and then one thing lead to another and I beat him up." She laughed nervously. She didn't want to get on this man's bad side. As strong as she was even Tatsuki could not help, but be a little intimidated by Tessai, the guy was huge. He gave off this weird aura.

"I'm sure he deserved it. I'll take him off your hands for you." Tessai offered his arms to Tatsuki. She dumped the flame headed boy into his arms.

"Umm, Tessai," she said trying to commit his name to memory. "I came here to talk to the hat and sandals."

"Yes of course. He is in the back, just go right in there." He walked off to drop the kid off and nurse his injures. "Ururu, please show our guest the way." With that the former Kido Corps captain put Jinta down on the floor then got the first aid kit.

The reserved girl turned to their visitor. "Follow me," she uttered. She walked off. Tatsuki did as she was told and followed her. The walk was a quiet one. The silence was awkward at best. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this girl was off. She mentally berated herself for thinking badly of the polite young girl. Ururu was a big improvement to her counterpart Jinta. The brat said she was a boy and flat chested! She hated when people questioned her femininity just because she wasn't the stereotypical girl. He was just lucky he was still a kid or she would have used a lot more force than she did.

"We are here." Ururu's voice brought her back to reality. "He's behind here."

"Thank you, I can take it from here." Ururu gave her a quick nod. The younger girl left. Tatsuki opened the door. The shop owner was sitting in his office. He didn't appear to be doing anything except for sitting. If she had to guess he was waiting for someone. Ururu's words played back in her mind. Hat and sandals was expecting someone else come here.

He looked up when he heard his door open. The blond's lips curved into a huge grin. "Arisawa-san, it is pleasure to see you again!" Urahara greeted in his usual cheery manner. He brought out his fan and began to wave it. "To what do I owe this unexpected and welcomed visit?"

Tatsuki frowned at the former shinigami captain. "You damn well know I was coming! I told you that when I met you this morning!"

He blinked three times. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Urahara put his left hand on his chin and started to hum; getting into a thinking pose. "You did?" he questioned.

A vein appeared on her forehead and she shook her fist angrily. "Did you honestly forget that fast?" she screamed at him. Urahara nodded his head. "But we just had that conversation this morning!"

He turned his head left and then right; shaking it. "Sorry, I cannot recall having a conversation with you at all."

He was pushing all of her buttons. God how could Ichigo stand this man? She could barely tolerate him and she had only been there for about a minute. "What kind of man are you? Forgetting that you made a promise to a woman! That is completely and totally unforgivable!" she continued to scream.

He put his hands up and waved down, gesturing the short haired woman to calm down. "Easy, easy Arisawa-san I was only joking."

"What?" she yelled. Her voice so loud that children walking by the shop heard it. They immediately started to run away, thinking that they had heard the demon that lived in the shop.

Urahara merely waved his fan with his famous trademark smile plastered on his face. "It was a simple joke. I didn't think that you would get so bent out of shape. You really are Kurosaki-san's friend after all," he teased.

She threw her arms in the air in a fit. "You are unbelievable!"

"Your temper is about as good as Kurosaki-san's too," he said to himself.

"What was that?"

Panic swelled on his face. "I didn't say anything," he lied. No matter how powerful or brilliant he was there was one thing that even Urahara Kisuke could not overcome the wrath of a woman. He didn't bat an eye at Aizen even when the rogue transformed with his Hogyoku, but he would cower at infuriated Yoruichi. Arisawa-san was just as scary as her.

The second strongest girl in Japan narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but said nothing.

"I assume you want to continue the discussion we had earlier than?" Urahara asked. He invited her to sit.

She took his invitation and sat beside him. "Yeah," she replied.

"I take it you didn't mention your visit to Inoue-san?"

"I didn't tell her. I am not sure how she would react to this. Can you not tell her about this," she pleaded.

The mask of the carefree and zany old shop owner came off. The fan went down and his smile faded away. His aura felt completely different from before. It was calm yet intense. "I know this sounds bad coming from a man who has nothing, but secrets, but I don't think you should keep this from her. After all you are doing this to help, Inoue-san."

"I know, but if I tell her she might back out."

"Are you sure forcing this on her is good?"

"Call it tough love." Even though she said that Tatsuki did not sound very convincing.

Urahara shook his head disapprovingly. "By lying to her you are doing the same thing that Kurosaki-san and Inoue-san did to you. You did not appreciate their secret keeping," he reminded.

"I understand the irony," she said with a little edge in her voice. "I appreciate the advice, but I really think this is the best way. Orihime is recovering, but she still feels a ping of guilt that talking to Ichigo won't resolve. If she's ever going to fully recover she has to face this. Can I trust you not to tell her?"

"I won't tell her. Inoue-san does need help. With everything she went through I was expecting this. I guess it was a little too much to hope that Kurosaki-san would have caught it and fixed immediately."

"Ichigo can be dense that much is for sure. But he is a good guy and when his friends are in trouble he will do everything within his power to help them. He is also very protective of Orihime, now that he knows what's going on he will make sure she gets better."

His lips curved into a small genuine smile. "That is Kurosaki-san's greatest strength. It's what allowed him to defeat Aizen and save us all."

She smiled herself. Hat and sandals wasn't so bad after all, at least when he took of his mask. "When do you think this can be done?" she asked him.

"It's hard to say. It could happen anytime. I will keep you posted if that is your concern. It won't be a surprise to you anyway."

"Boss!" called out Tessai.

"Yes!" answered the shop owner, putting on his overly cheery persona on. Sweat fell from the back of Tatsuki's head.

"Your other guest is here," Tessai shouted back. "Do you want me to ask him to wait?"

The fan made its reappearance. Urahara waved it over his face. "No, send him in. There is no need to be private. Arisawa-san knows him after all."

Confusion fell on her face. What did Urahara mean? She knew his guest? The only people that she knew that were acquaints with him were Ichigo, Orihime, and the others. Ichigo and Orihime were at his place studying. Kojima and Asano probably wouldn't visit him. In fact they were probably hanging out with Sado now. That left….

The door opened up. Her eyes widened in surprise. The guest also looked stunned at her appearance here.

"Arisawa-san!" cried the guest.

"Ishida!" shouted Tatsuki.

Urahara's amused smile grew. "I believe you two know each other," he joked.

* * *

This was a dream. It had to be a dream. Kurosaki-kun not only invited her to his house for dinner, but also he invited her into his room! Orihime had been in his room before, but she had never been formally invited. His father let her in to visit him when he was in a coma for weeks. There was her goodbye where she visited his room to give her farewell to him. However this would be her first time inside Ichigo's room while he was conscious. She was going into his personal sanctuary.

'_Take a deep breath and calm down. It is just a room. You have been in this room before. Granted all those times he was unconscious. This time there won't be any other people in the room with. My heart won't stop racing. Oh no, my stomach is feeling nauseous. Please work with me body.'_

"Inoue," he called.

She looked up to find him watching her with worry in his eyes. They were standing right outside of his bedroom door.

"Are you alright? You look nervous."

The healer mentally cursed her body and its defiance of her will lately. "I am just a little nervous. I can't believe I am going in your room."

He raised his right eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about? You have been in my room before. I know you visited me when I was out for a month then there is when you healed me before you….left." It hit him. Inoue had been in his room on the day she was abducted. He always knew she was there because he knew she healed him. Until now it never occurred to him how she had gotten into his room and or why she was even there.

He was strangely quiet. First he was listing all the times she had been in his room and then he stopped. To be precise he stopped right when he mentioned the time she had visited his room at the dead of night to heal him. Panic started to wash over her. What if he asked her why she was in his room? They had briefly mentioned this a few times in the past and most recently mentioning it yesterday during their heart to heart, but never acknowledged why she was there. Orihime was thankful that he never asked. From the looks of it her fortune had run out.

"Kurosaki-kun…."

"Inoue…."

They both spoke at the same time. Their eyes met. Both teens felt a spark or jolt. They averted eyes from one another, while blushes formed on their faces. Neither of them knew what had just happened. That feeling whatever it was had been intense.

Orihime mustered the courage to speak. "I am sorry. What were you going to say?"

"It's nothing," he replied back. What the hell was that? The moment his eyes landed on Inoue's his heart skipped a beat and he felt this rush of energy. Now was not the time to think about whatever that was. Ichigo put his hand on the door and pulled it open. He walked through with Orihime behind him.

The ex-substitute threw he bag on his bed. He frowned at his room's disarray. He had a few clothes lying around his room. Normally he kept his room free from clutter, but this week he had just been lazy. Now he wished he had picked up a little before inviting Inoue over. "Sorry about the mess. I let my room go a bit," he said truthfully.

"I don't mind. My place was messier than this the first time you came over to study, remember?"

He shook his head. "But you had Matsumoto staying with you. It was her mess not yours. I don't have that excuse." He picked up the clothes by his desk and put them in his dirty clothes hamper. "You can sit on the bed if you want or the desk, your choice."

Before Orihime could decide where to sit a loud and annoying voice shouted. "Ichigo, you are finally home!"

The two oddly colored haired teens turned to their left to see the lion plushy inhabited body of Kon jumping at Ichigo in midair. Kon jumped to Ichigo's chest and started to hug him. Ichigo was unable to contain his surprise. The mod soul was rarely this affectionate to him.

"I am so glad you are here!" Kon spoke again. His head rubbed against the former vizard's chest. "I was so lonely yesterday when you didn't come home. I hate being here alone."

"What the hell? Kon get off of me!" The mod soul did no such thing. The grip of his hug increased. "I am serious get off!" He grabbed Kon off of him and threw him on the bed.

Kon was quick to get up. His short fuse had been lit and he was about to explode. "Is that anyway to treat someone who greets you?" he screamed. He jumped and kicked Ichigo in the cheek. "Take that you emo bastard!"

Ichigo grabbed Kon and threw him on the floor. From there he stepped on him causing him to cry in pain. Orihime merely watched the pair as they squabbled. Her eye lids closed and sweat formed on the back of her head.

"Get your foot off of me and I'll teach you some respect!"

Ichigo snorted. "Get real. Beating the stuffing out of you is child's play," he mocked.

This only served to fuel Kon's rage. He started to slam his tiny paws up and down. "Let me go!" he whined.

"First apologize and I might think about it."

"Never!"

"I guess you'll have to wait until I get bored then."

"Ichigo!" he continued to whine.

Orihime had had enough of this. "Kurosaki-kun let him go!" she urged. Both Ichigo and Kon looked at her as if noticing she was there for the first time. "Kurosaki-kun let him go," she repeated rather sternly.

Surprised by Inoue's sudden forcefulness Ichigo stared at her as if he didn't know who she was. Kon however was staring at the goddess longingly.

"Orihime-chan you are here!" he cheered. Realizing that he had a rare opportunity to get one over on Ichigo the mod soul smiled sinisterly to himself. "Orihime-chan, save me Ichigo is being mean," he whined.

Seeing the lion plushy cry and beg her for help tucked at her heart string. Her brown eyes started to tear up.

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was seeing. That sneaky and conniving little bastard was playing baby to get Inoue on his side. "Inoue," he tried to explain.

Orihime cut him off. "Kurosaki-kun, let him go this instant," she said once more. The forcefulness in her voice surprised both of them.

"But…." He was cut off by a look from Inoue. Her stare wasn't cold or dark, but more of disappointed one. Somehow that made him feel worse than if she glared at him with malice. He lifted his foot off of his foe albeit reluctantly. He was such a push over. One look from Inoue and he completely caved in. Ichigo never caved in to anyone! While there was Yuzu and sometimes Karin and there was Unohana, but the captain had this icy glare that would strike fear into anyone. The point was he rarely just gave in to someone with no argument. She was just lucky that those brown eyes of hers that sparkled even more when she attempted to glare made her look so cute. The way she pouted her lips right now made it impossible for him to muster any resistance to her.

If the hollow was still here he would have mocked him for his inability to stand up to the red haired goddess. The sounds of unmistakable snickering came to his ears. The orange haired boy did not need to look down to know they were coming from Kon. His lips frowned. _'Yeah you better enjoy this while you can. Inoue won't be here forever and I will pay you back.' _The thought of Kon under his heel caused him to smirk evilly.

Orihime bent down to check on Kon. "Are you alright?" she asked in her soft and reassuring tone.

Kon still trying to milk Orihime's sympathy as much as he could shook his head. "I just can't believe he would hurt me. We are family and this is how he treats me." He started to sob. Orihime's eyes started to water. She rubbed his back trying to calm him. Ichigo rolled his eyes at the mod souls acting. "You know what would make me feel better?"

"What?" she asked.

He opened up his arms. "A nice big hug," he cried.

The vein on his forehead formed, his face turned red, he grinded his teeth in anger. Kon was pure evil Ichigo decided. It was one thing to use Inoue's kind heart to get revenge on him. However to use her kindness to try and touch her there was an entirely new low even for him.

Orihime ignorant to the devious thoughts of the lion plushy opened her mouth in awe. "You just want a hug, oh that is so cute!" she exclaimed. "Of course I will give you a hug." She outstretched her arms out to receive his hug.

No there was no way in hell Ichigo was going to let Kon touch Inoue! He didn't care how mad Inoue would get at him for doing this. He was protecting her honor after all and he vowed to protect her after all. Before he got the chance to act the he heard a knock on the door. Ichigo and Orihime turned to the door, while Kon was still inching closer to the object of his desire.

"Onii-chan, may I come in?" the voice of Yuzu came through the door.

At the sound of Yuzu's voice Kon stopped cold in his tracks. The mod soul started to sweat bullets as his personal tormentor had arrived. This did not go unnoticed by Ichigo; whose lips curved into a sinister smirk.

"Yeah come right in." He turned around to see Kon silently cursing him.

The door opened up. Yuzu had a tray in one hand with snacks and refreshments. She smiled brightly at the two teens. The lion plushy immediately collapsed so as not to draw attention to himself. "I thought you two might want something to eat while you are studying," she said proudly. "I hope I was not interrupting anything."

Ichigo's grin was still going strong. "You weren't interrupting anything; in fact you came at just the right time." Life was good sometimes. He could protect Inoue and she wouldn't be upset with him for doing so. He just needed to play his cards right. "Let me take that off your hands." He took the tray from her and put it on his desk.

"Thank you for the refreshments, Yuzu-chan." Orihime bowed slightly.

Yuzu continued to smile. "It was no problem at all. Thank you for helping my Onii-chan."

"It's no problem at all. I like helping Kurosaki-kun," she revealed.

She definitely liked Orihime for her brother. She was sweet, kind, respectful, and completely adored him. Yuzu wanted Orihime as her sister. For her there were no other candidates for her. All she needed to do was make this a reality. Orihime was already head over heels in love with Ichigo. That meant all she needed to do was get Ichigo to that point. "You are very generous, Orihime-chan. I love your hair," she said making light conversation.

"You really like it?" she asked the younger girl in genuine surprise. Orihime always thought her orange hair was odd. She was teased about it mercilessly when she was a child for having such an odd color.

Yuzu nodded excitedly. "Of course I do. It just shines and it is so straight! Do you mind if I feel it? I washed my hands when I made the snacks so you don't have to worry about me getting anything in there."

Seeing the younger girl's enthusiasm brought a smile to Orihime's face. "Sure, I don't mind if you touch it." The light brown haired girl careful brushed her fingers against the princess' hair.

"It is smooth," she complimented. Part one of her plan was done. Now it was time to move on to the second part of it. "Onii-chan, doesn't Orihime-chan have nice hair?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at his sister's odd behavior. "Yeah I guess it is nice."

Orihime had to put in a lot of effort to suppress her smile. Ichigo had complimented her beauty twice in one day! How lucky was she? The healer was so enthralled that she failed to notice Yuzu's much too wide and too innocent smile.

"Onii-chan, you should feel her hair," she insisted. Both of the oddly colored teens went white at Yuzu's suggestion. "Come on feel her hair, it is so soft," she pestered. Yuzu waved him over.

If looks could kill than Yuzu would be dead by now. Ichigo could not remember being so upset with his little sister as he was at this moment. Didn't she see that Inoue was blushing? The poor girl was embarrassed! He asked his family to do him this one favor and not make her feel out of place. Yet here Yuzu was doing exactly that. There was no way Inoue would want him to touch her hair anyway. "Yuzu, I don't think Inoue would want me to touch her hair."

"Don't be silly. Orihime-chan, do you mind if my brother touches your hair to feel how silky it is?"

"What? Um….n-no, I mean I d-don't mind," she stuttered. "If Kurosaki-kun does not mind he can feel my hair." Her sight went to the floor. The mutant butterflies were having a field day with her stomach. The thought of Kurosaki-kun touching her was enough to make her shut down.

Yuzu turned from the woman she hoped to call sister to look at her brother. "See she does not mind."

"Yuzu," he growled.

"Onii-chan, just one quick little feel and I'll stop bugging you," she said in a sing song tone.

With another growl, the ex-substitute walked up to the two girls. He ran his index finger across the piece of hair Yuzu held on to. "It's smooth," he stated.

Yuzu closed her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly. "You hardly even felt it!" she complained.

"I did too!"

"Feel it again and I mean really feel it!"

Realizing that it would much easier to get rid of Yuzu by doing what she wanted than to fight her he gently grabbed the piece of orange hair that Yuzu was holding. He shot her a look that asked if he was holding it to her satisfaction. When she gave him her silent approval he stroked the strands of hair. He ran his fingers slowly. Ichigo had to admit Inoue's hair did feel nice against his fingertips. Yuzu was right it did feel silky. Once his fingers had passed through the orange strands completely he let it go. "It's smooth," he answered again in low tone. His eyes were on his desk.

Her plan was going well. "I told you it was." She set her eyes on the blushing Orihime.

Orihime was lost in her own thoughts. _'He's stroked my hair! He actually stoked my hair! Kurosaki-kun stroked my hair!' _she repeated her new mantra. She didn't know if she should be embarrassed or flattered by his compliment.

'_Yes!' _thought Yuzu. Orihime was practically glowing from Ichigo's comment. The orange haired beauty had to be in love with her brother to find his uncomfortable admission satisfactory. She needed to speed things along just a bit. "Orihime-chan is really pretty. I hope that I have half of your beauty when I am your age."

The modesty woman became very bashful of Yuzu's constant praises. "Thank, Yuzu-chan. You are already really pretty."

It was the light brown haired girl's turn to blush. "Thank you."

"It is true," Orihime said as a matter of fact.

Yuzu giggled. She really, really had to get these two together now. "Still I want to be as pretty as you. Your skin is so smooth. Don't get me started on your eyes!" She heard her brother groan. He was making this too easy for her. "What's with that noise, Onii-chan? Do you think Orihime-chan is unattractive?"

"W-what? I didn't say that at all!"

"Onii-chan is being really mean! I can't believe you insulted Orihime-chan like that."

"I did not say that Inoue was unattractive!" he continued to shout.

Yuzu put her back to him. "I am really sorry about him."

"DAMN IT! STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH!" Both girls jumped at his outburst. Right now he could care less about how loud he was or their reactions. "I did not say Inoue is unattractive! Why the hell would I say that? Look at her she's beautiful!" Did he just say Inoue was beautiful? Did he say that Inoue was beautiful out loud? His cheeks flared up so fast and the blush was so deep that it could rival one of Orihime's blushes. Ichigo spun his head around instantaneously, avoiding Inoue's eyes. How could he say that? She probably felt uncomfortable after he said something like that. They were friends and friends did not make comments like that.

'_Smooth, Kurosaki very smooth. Now she is going to want to leave. I was supposed to try and get her to stay here tonight. Dad is going to flip. She probably won't look at me the same way now.' _He mustered his courage and returned his gaze to the goddess. She was just standing there. Her expression was hard to determine. If he had to guess he would say she was in disbelief. That feeling he had been getting lately hit him full force. Fear was threatening to overcome him once more. Inoue just stood there not moving an inch. What was she thinking right now? Did she think badly of him for his comment? Did he step out of line by calling her beautiful? Was their friendship which had been developing since their return home in jeopardy? He wondered what Zangetsu would think of this situation?

"_She has the power to make this world storm on end and make its sun shine so brightly that I think those happy days will last forever."_

His old mentor and partner's words radiated with him more now than they ever had before. He knew whatever Inoue said or did next would affect his inner world greatly.

Orihime stood there. Everything around her was blocked off. She had tunnel vision and the only thing in her sights was him. She heard what he said, but her brain was still trying to process it to find the true meaning of his words. Surely Kurosaki-kun would not call her beautiful. Yes he found her appealing judging by his comments. He told her she looks great in anything she wore and that her hair was smooth. He liked her appearance, but to actually call her beautiful. This was unprecedented. It had to be a mistake. All she needed to do was talk to him and clarify it so she could stop dwelling on it.

"Do you mean that?" Her body betrayed her yet again. Her voice was so low and weak that it would be a miracle if Yuzu heard it and she was standing right next to her, let alone Kurosaki-kun. "Do you really mean that I am beautiful?" she asked again this time a bit louder than before.

The atmosphere of the entire room shifted. Everything went from playful awkwardness to this intense and heavy feeling. In some weird way this atmosphere felt more overwhelming than Aizen's highest Hogyoku form. The way Inoue was looking at him, the forlorn in her eyes had pushed away all of bright and joyous emotions that were there before. This expression did not belong on Inoue's face. She should never look so hopeless.

It left his heart aching. Even though he knew that this would open a door they couldn't go back to he had to say it. "Yes, I meant it. You are beautiful." He said it without hesitation. For the first time his brown eyes did not stray from her own brown eyes. She had to know that he was not just spouting off the mouth. He knew it was a complete 180 from how he was wishing he kept his mouth shut, but seeing that look in her eyes. It was stupid and even conceited of him to think that his approval is what caused it.

Her lips curved in a small U shape smile. Suddenly this new emotion overcame her. Orihime couldn't really identify it. She was happy, but it felt stronger than that. There was this big warm feeling in her chest and it was not going away any time soon. Just when she thought there was nothing new this boy could make her feel. He had to prove her wrong not that minded; being wrong in this instance made her feel fantastic. "Thank you," she spoke at last. Adoration and love came flowing from her.

Now this expression was new. Inoue was giving him this weird look. It was making him feel quite odd. His heart was now beating against his chest as if it was trying to escape from him. That nauseating feeling was at least ten times worse than it had ever been before. It felt almost impossible for him not to smile. This was definitely odd for him. He was a little freaked out by it. A part of him wanted to keep this feeling.

On the inside Yuzu was jumping up and down. Her plan had gone great. She succeeded in moving their relationship along. The looks they were giving each other were not platonic. She doubted that they were even aware of her presence anymore. She didn't want to push her luck any more than this. Ichigo was not an idiot. He would catch on to what she was doing if she kept it up right now. The light her brown haired girl made her way to the door.

"I should be going now. You two need to study after all."

"Yuzu," he called stopping her right in her tracks.

She silently gulped. He knew something was up. She tried to go too fast too quickly and now it was going to blow up in her face. "Yes." Yuzu turned around just in time to see a stuffed animal speeding her way. With surprising speed the young girl caught it. "Bostov!" she exclaimed happily. "I've been looking for him for the longest time! Where did you find him?"

"I found him in my hamper today. You really need to keep a better eye on him," he lectured.

"I will. Thank you, Onii-chan." She flashed him her usual sunny smile before she left the room.

Once Yuzu left Ichigo returned his attention to Orihime, who was still giving him that unknown expression. "Hey, I am sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable," he attempted to apologize.

Her normal happy expression emerged. "I was not uncomfortable at all. I liked having her here. Yuzu-chan was also kind enough to give us snacks for studying! The least I could do, was allow her to touch my hair."

Ichigo still looked annoyed. "But she should have more sense than to gawk at you like you are some kind of exhibit."

"It was no problem at all," she kept insisting. "I was the same way when I was her age, so I understand why she was doing this."

"What do you mean?"

"To Yuzu-chan, Kurosaki-kun means the entire world to her. You are always there to protect her when she needs you to, you listen to her when she needs you to, and you make her laugh when she wants to cry."

Her words had him entranced. His full attention was on the orange haired goddess. He eagerly waited for her to continue.

"You aren't around your house as much anymore and I am sure Yuzu-chan misses you a lot. She just wanted to spend more time with you. I can understand her feelings." Memories of her own brother flashed before her eyes.

Of course Inoue could relate to Yuzu; they had a lot in common. Aside from their sunny and upbeat attitudes they both adored their elder brothers. His father's alternative may help more than just Inoue.

Orihime made her place on the floor, sitting on down her knees.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" he asked her.

"Well I thought we were going to get started studying," she replied as though it was obvious.

"I said you could sit on my bed or at the desk. There is no need for you to sit on the floor."

"I don't want to impose though."

He sighed. "There you go with that burden and imposing talk again. I don't mind if you sit on my bed. It is much more comfortable." He held his hand out to her. She looked doubtful, but she took his hand anyway. He pulled Inoue to her feet and led her to his bed. "Now sit," he ordered.

"But…"

"Inoue, you are not imposing now please sit on my bed."

"Ok," she uttered. Orihime planted herself on his bed. That was right she was sitting on the place that her beloved Kurosaki-kun had slept at every night (with a few exceptions of course). Her dreams were manifesting into reality. Any moment now she would be a Mecha Orihime and terrorizing poor cities.

"Doesn't that feel better?" he asked. She merely nodded. Satisfied with his companion's comfort Ichigo walked over to his desk. He pulled his chair over to his bed with one hand and grabbed the tray of snacks with his other hand. "Here are our snacks." He placed the tray down on the mattress beside her leg. Within seconds he produced his book and binder.

"Where did you leave off on?" she asked moving closer to him.

Ichigo opened up his book to the right place in no time thanks to his book mark. "This is where I left of."

She leaned over more. Her silky hair was in his face. The wonderful aroma from this morning found its way in his nose. Without thinking Ichigo inhaled deeply taking in the strawberry smell. _'This scent is coming from Inoue? What conditioner does she use?' _He felt his nose twinkle. That must have been its way of telling him that he wanted another whiff. Ichigo followed his nose's wishes and inhaled the strawberry and meadow aroma.

Orihime jumped startling Ichigo and causes him to push his chair back. "I get it now!" she exclaimed. She looked up to see Ichigo was further away than he originally was. He looked like a child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Orihime blinked a few times. "Kurosaki-kun, is something wrong?"

"N-n-no," he stuttered in an uncharacteristic manner. Orihime narrowed her eyes at him. "You just scared me a bit when you jumped up." That was close. If he had been a few seconds slower she would have caught him sniffing her hair. That was just plain creepy.

Skepticism still plagued her eyes. "Are you sure?" she continued to question.

"Yeah, I am sure." Inoue still looked doubtful, but she did not question him further. She started to explain her discovery to him. Ichigo remained where he was and listened. Being too close to Inoue was dangerous. If he got too close to her he might be tempted to inhale her scent again. Until he could control these new and strange urges of his he was going to have to be more on guard around Inoue. That would be easy right?

* * *

Yuzu had her ear pressed to the door. To her dismay she could only her muffled voices. "I should have brought an extra glass for me to use," she grumbled.

"What are you doing?"

Yuzu jumped out of her skin and squealed. Bostov had been forgotten and dropped on the floor (to his own dismay). "Ha, ha, ha, ha," Yuzu breathed heavily. Her hands were over her chest feeling her poor little heart racing. Once it started to slow down she turned around to see the person who frightened her. "Karin!" she whined.

The black haired Kurosaki girl looked down on her twin. She had her arms folded together. "Don't tell me you were spying on Ichigo and Orihime-chan?"

"I wasn't spying!" Karin snorted at her claim. "I wasn't spying exactly. It was more checking up on them."

"In other words, spying," Karin stated.

Yuzu groaned. Karin always got on her case. "Ok, fine I was spying on them. Are you happy now?"

"Ecstatic," Karin said sarcastically. "Yuzu, you should be ashamed of yourself. We promised Ichigo not embarrass him or Orihime-chan."

"And I am not doing that. All I did was help nudge them closer together and…."

Karin interrupted her sister. "Wait, you helped nudge them closer together," she repeated. "What does that mean?"

A nervous laugh escaped Yuzu's lips. She turned bashful. "I complimented Orihime-chan and tricked Onii-chan into complimenting her."

She couldn't believe Yuzu would manipulate their brother like that. It was devious, cunning, and completely underhanded. It was something she expected of their father, but not their innocent and pure Yuzu. "You do realize that you cannot manipulate Ichi-nii into having feelings for Orihime-chan?"

Yuzu pouted her bottom lip. "That is your opinion."

She rolled her eyes at her sister's juvenile behavior. "Stop acting like a child."

"But I want Orihime-chan to be our sister!" she whined while waving her arms frantically.

The black haired girl closed her eye lids and opened her mouth in shock. _'She's losing it,' _she thought. She recovered immediately. "Yuzu, you cannot force people to have feeling they don't have," she tried to explain.

"But that's what you are not getting they do have feelings for each other!"

"Ok, yes Orihime-chan is totally in love with Ichigo and he is really protective of her…." She trailed off. Yuzu may not have been far off.

"Ha, see!" Yuzu gloated. "Karin, you didn't see how he was looking at her after he called her beautiful."

The middle Kurosaki sibling shook her head in disbelief. "Ichi-nii called Orihime-chan beautiful?"

"I was surprised to," Yuzu squealed.

"Don't get too excited. I mean you did trick him into saying it," she remained.

Yuzu's smile did not fade though. "All I said was that he said she unattractive. I figured he would say she was pretty or attractive, but not beautiful. He actually thinks that Karin."

Karin was speechless. Who would have thought Ichigo would actually say something like that?

"This is great news!" Yuzu continued. "If we push them further they will get together and eventually married and she will be our sister!"

"You really want Orihime-chan to be our sister?"

"Of course, don't you?"

"I haven't really thought about it. I mean she is nice and everything, but we aren't really that close." Yuzu stared at her as though she were the enemy. "Don't misunderstand me. I like her and I remember how nice she was when we hung out with Tatsuki-chan. She really does care about Ichigo. I at least want to get to know her better since she is so important to Ichi-nii."

"She is having dinner with us tonight. That's a good time to start forging a relationship with her."

"I suppose so," Karin said. Tonight would provide her the opportunity to get know Hime.

* * *

"Let's take a break." Ichigo took his eyes out of his book. "We've been at it for over an hour. Yuzu usually has dinner done by now, so we should be heading down stairs."

"That sounds good." She put her books away in her bag.

"Why are you putting your books away?"

"I thought once we ate dinner that I would go home." His face frowned up, confusing her. "You invited me to dinner so I thought that meant after dinner was over I had to go home. I can stay longer and help you study more if that's what you want."

"Can I ask you something?"

He had such a serious expression on his face that she wondered what was on his mind that could produce this effect on him. "Sure," she replied.

"Me staying over your place last night did it really help you?"

She was unsure of why he would ask her that. Of course it helped her. She still had nightmares, but last night she had gotten more sleep than she had in the last two months. When she looked into his eyes she could see that he was eager for her answer. "The nightmares they felt more bearable with you there last night. Having someone there took the pressure off. I think because you were there that I knew I didn't have to fight the nightmares alone. That put me at ease."

"That's how you really feel huh." After hearing Orihime's answer he hated the idea of her sleeping alone in her apartment. If his presence really helped her as much as she said than it would benefit her more by staying with people until she got over this. "Inoue, do you think you might want to stay over tonight?"

"What?" she cried. This time she knew for sure that she had misheard him.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" he repeated.

"B-but I can't stay here! Your father is going to have a problem with that!"

"No he won't. It was his idea after all," he explained.

"Ah, this is your father's idea?" The senior Kurosaki continued to do the opposite of what she thought he would do. Not only was he very welcoming of her, but he even wanted her stay over his home for the night.

"Look I am not going to try and force you to stay here tonight if you don't want to. However after hearing everything you said I really think you should stay. I would feel better knowing you aren't fighting your nightmares alone."

"Kurosaki-kun," she uttered in a hushed tone.

"Do me a favor and at least think about it." She answered him by giving him his personal smile. "Now let's get something to eat. I'm starving." He got on his feet and made his way to the door. "Coming, Inoue?"

"Yes," she replied then smiled. Tatsuki once asked her why she had feelings for Ichigo. He was hot headed, emotionally distanced, and had a nasty attitude (Tatsuki's words). If Tatsuki had been here she would have seen exactly why Orihime was in love with him. Ichigo wanted to protect everyone he loved from harm. He had one of the biggest hearts she knew of. That's why she loved him and his kind heart. She got off the bed and followed him. Orihime gave him another smile and to her delight returned it with one of his own.

* * *

"Dinner is officially done." Yuzu put the last dish at the center of the table. She wiped her forehead of sweat. A sense of pride came over her as she looked at the meal she had prepared. There were fired noodles mixed with many different vegetables and mushrooms, grilled chicken pieces on skewers, along with fired rice, both grilled and raw fish, boiled egg, and even a few pieces of shrimp. She may have gone a bit over board. Ok she went completely overboard, but she had an excuse. It was not every day that Ichigo brought a friend over to eat dinner. Considering this friend was her prospective sister she felt as though she should have done more.

"If nothing else we will at least have left over." She journeyed to the hallway. "Dinner is ready!" she called out. Yuzu quickly side stepped out of the way, as her father came rushing through the door.

The shinigami turned doctor was mesmerized by the bewitching scent of his youngest daughter's creation. He didn't even feel his feet touch the ground. It felt more like he was being carried over there by the tempting and delicious meal. "Everything smells absolutely wonderful!"

Yuzu couldn't help, but laugh at her father. "Thank you, dad."

Isshin took his seat while licking his lips in the process. The shrimp caught his eyes. He reached out to grab a piece when he felt a slap on his hand.

"Dad, you can't eat until everyone else gets here!" Yuzu lightly scolded.

Isshin whined and rubbed his poor hand. "That was mean. Please don't tell me my little Yuzu had become cruel and nasty like Ichigo and Karin."

"I'm not mean. It is good manners to wait for the rest of our party to arrive," she said in a matter of fact voice.

"But you never minded letting me sneak a bite before," Isshin continued to pout.

"We have a guest tonight. I want Orihime-chan to enjoy tonight's dinner. It is really important that she has a good time."

Confusion formed on Isshin's face. "Why is that?"

"Onii-chan and Orihime-chan have been growing closer lately and it could turn into something more. I am hoping that this dinner will help move that along."

"You are talking like this is some kind of plan sweetie."

"That's because it is plan! First Onii-chan falls in love with Orihime-chan, then he confesses, they get together, they graduate high school go to college together, get married, and Orihime-chan becomes my new sister."

It was a good thing he didn't eat anything or else he would be choking on it now. Isshin had never seen Yuzu so fired up before. She sounded like a mother who had her eyes on the ideal mate for her son.

"If you mess this up for me, I will never forgive you!" she exclaimed.

"Y-Yuzu," he uttered in fear.

"Now if I can prepare this great fest you can wait until she gets here!"

"R-right," he cried again. He didn't dare ask her for another piece of food. The shinigami sat in silent fear as he waited for the rest of his family and their guest arrived. Yuzu watched him like a hawk. He hated that look it reminded him too much of the way Masaki looked at him when he was foolish enough to cross her. _'She is definitely your daughter, Masaki.'_

Lady luck must have taken pity on him because Karin came through the door after about a minute after Yuzu scolded him. Ichigo and Orihime followed closely afterwards. The black haired man let go of his breathe. He didn't even realize he was holding it. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be thankful to Ichigo and Karin for saving him from Yuzu's wrath. It was usually the other way around.

The kids took their seats. Karin sat beside Isshin's left, while Ichigo and Orihime took their seats to his right. Once everyone had been seated the cook found her place to her chair right next to her twin.

"We can all officially eat!" Yuzu declared.

Hand rushed out to the table, pulling dishes to them grabbing food. It did not take long before every plate was covered with Yuzu's pride and joy meal.

"Yuzu-chan, this looks very delicious," Orihime complimented.

"Thank you, Orihime-chan. I wanted make you a meal you would never forget."

"I hope you didn't go to too much trouble over me. I would have been fine with anything."

Yuzu shook her head. "Don't be silly you are our guest."

Isshin nodded in agreement. "Yuzu is right, Orihime. There is no need for you to concern yourself about something that is already done." He took a bite of the chicken. Tears started to stream from his eyes as he savored this fantastic meal. "You have out done yourself Yuzu! Truly you have inherited your mother's talent!" He started to consume as much of his food as fast as was humanly possible. "It's so good," he said with his mouth stuffed.

Ichigo and Karin looked on his disgust. They couldn't even look at their father. "You know we have a guest," Karin reminded.

"I don't mind, really. There is no need to make a fuss over me," Orihime insisted. She was a guest, but that did not give her the right to change how the members of the Kurosaki family acted.

"Still it is rude of the old man to be stuffing his face in front of you," Ichigo chimed in. He was eating his meal slowly and politely.

Isshin snorted. "Don't pretend you are any better Ichigo. I've seen you stuff so much of food in a little over a minute that it is not even funny. You can be a real pig sometimes."

"Excuse me, you are calling me a pig?" he shouted.

"Onii-chan, please keep your voice down," Yuzu calm stated in between bites.

Isshin was finding his son's behavior very amusing, so he decided to continue to tease his son. "The truth hurts son, but you are indeed a pig. How you managed to hide this from Orihime all this time is beyond me, but she needs to know the truth.

His vein was actually throbbing. That was how upset he was with his father. "Why you…." he spoke barely above a whisper.

"What's the matter?" Isshin continued. "You look upset is it something I said?"

That was it his old man was begging to get his ass kicked. Ichigo was about to get up when he heard Orihime screech. He had forgotten his father and whipped his head around. "Inoue!" His eye bulged out. The red haired princess was not in any danger. She was eating the noodles. Like Isshin before, Inoue had tears coming down her eyes in delight.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed in a low voice. "This is simply scrumptious, Yuzu-chan!" She nearly screamed at the top of her lungs.

The orange haired boy nearly fell out of his chair at this. Orihime started to devour her own meal with vigor. Ichigo's eyebrows twitched at the sight. _'Where does she put it all away?' _he wondered.

"See it is so good that even Orihime cannot control herself," Isshin pointed out.

Hearing Isshin's words made the healer stop in embarrassment. Her cheeks were once more bright red. "S-sorry," she muttered.

Isshin laughed. "Don't apologize for eating! I am glad you have a healthy appetite. Too many girls nowadays worry too much about their appearance and starve themselves. Go on and continue eating."

"For once I agree with dad," Karin stated. "Go ahead and eat as much as you want Orihime-chan. You aren't doing anything I haven't seen before between dad and Ichi-nii."

"Not you to Karin!" Ichigo had been brought back to his senses by Karin's insult.

Karin ignored her brother to chow down on her own plate. "So Orihime-chan has my brother driven you crazy yet?"

Why was everyone he knew asking Inoue that? First Tatsuki and the others and now his own family were taking shots at him.

Orihime looked up from own plate and took another break from it to answer Karin. "Kurosaki-kun has been no trouble at all. I like it when he is over."

Good old Inoue, she was always there to defend him.

This girl could put up with her brother and that in itself was a miracle. Karin wanted to know more about the orange haired girl. Yuzu's plan may have been eccentric, but it brought up an excellent point. Orihime was a potential girlfriend for Ichigo. If they did ever become an item she would be spending a lot of time here. She should get to know the kindhearted woman in front of her and build some kind of relationship with her.

"Do you still play those games with Tatsuki-chan?" A few years ago when Karin and Yuzu were playing with Tatsuki, Orihime had come to visit her friend. That day the four of them played one of Orihime's made up games. The rules were ridiculous, but they all had so much fun that it didn't matter.

Orihime's eyes brightened. "Oh yes! Just the other day we played Racket Ball."

Karin started, "Racket…."

"….Ball," Ichigo finished.

The two Kurosaki siblings were riddled with question marks.

"It is this fun game it's like football except instead of kicking the ball we swat it with racket! Let me tell you it is much harder to hit the ball to someone while running. The goalkeeper has a harder time trying to block the ball though. If you want I could teach you to play Karin-chan."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," she said in genuine interest. She liked playing football so perhaps Orihime's game would be more of her thing.

"You should, we can get Tatsuki-chan and some of the other girls to play with us!"

"Yeah alright that sounds like fun."

"How about you Yuzu-chan, do you want to play with us?" she asked excitedly.

Yuzu nodded excitedly. A smile found its way to Ichigo's face. Watching Orihime get along so well with his sisters was heartwarming. Hell even a tough guy like him could admit to that. He was so worried about having Inoue over for dinner because he thought his family would humiliate him or that they (his dad) would embarrass her and make her feel out of place. Apparently his fears were misplaced. Inoue was getting along with his family well. Her own unique nature must have made her able to adapt to the Kurosaki's own unique natures. More importantly she was happy and safe.

"This feels right," he told himself.

She looked up after hearing his voice. "Did you say something, Kurosaki-kun?"

"It's nothing. Have you thought about what I asked you earlier?"

"I have and I do," she answered. The healer thanked him with her small and innocent smile that reserved for him alone.

Was it strange that he was becoming addicted to a smile? He was starting to keep track of how many times she gave him his personal smile.

Isshin smiled himself. "Orihime," he called, drawing the healer's attention. "Since you and Ichigo are probably going to keep studying when dinner is done it will be late when the two of you get done. Instead of having Ichigo walk you home why don't you stay here for the night?"

Ichigo had to applaud his father for his cunning. He caught on to what Ichigo and Orihime were talking about and invited her to their home himself rather than let Yuzu and Karin think Ichigo invited her himself.

Orihime answered, "Yes."

Yuzu cheered. "Orihime-chan can stay in our room then!"

Ichigo objected. "She can stay in my room, I'll take the couch."

Orihime naturally protested. "I can't sleep in your room!"

"Onii-chan, we still have the spare bed for when Rukia-chan was staying with us. It's no problem."

The reason he wanted Orihime to stay in his room because of her nightmares. He wasn't sure if Orihime wanted his sister's to know about her nightmares. His life as a shinigami was a secret to Yuzu anyway. They couldn't explain to her what Orihime's nightmares were without telling her everything. Sleeping in his room would avoid all of that. "I am pretty sure Inoue wants her privacy. After all she is use to staying alone."

Isshin threw his two cents in. "That sounds good. Ichigo can take the couch for one night."

Orihime wanted to protest some more, but the two Kurosaki men shot her knowing glance. It hit her; the reason why Kurosaki-kun was offering her his room was because of her nightmares. If she slept with the twins there was a strong chance of her waking them up with her nightmares. The goddess was not ready to share this with them yet. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

"No problem," he stated.

The rest of dinner was uneventfully. They traded tales about their day, laughed, argued, and ate. The dinner was successfully one.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't mind me taking your bed?" Orihime asked for the fourth time that night.

Ichigo groaned. "I said it was no problem." He had just made up his bed. Ichigo thought it would be better for Orihime to sleep on fresh sheets rather than ones he had been sleeping in. It wasn't fair to make her sleep on the sheets that absorbed his sweat and scent.

"I know, but I am taking your bed and making you sleep on the couch. I feel horrible." Orihime was dressed in a spare white shirt she got from Ichigo. It was too big for her, so it went down past her thighs making it look like a skirt, and some of his old black sweat pants. "I am borrowing you clothes to."

"You couldn't have slept in your uniform could you?" he quipped. "Seriously don't sweat it." He placed his hand on her shoulder to ease her worries. This seemed to have the desired effect. The tension he felt from her dissipated. "Remember I am just down stairs, if you need me just come down and get me. Wake me up if you have the nightmare. I mean it don't be afraid to wake me up. I know you think you are bothering me, but I want to be there to help you."

"I know," she replied.

"Promise me you'll wake me up if you have a nightmare."

She laughed at the fact that she was the one now making promises. "I promise to wake you up if I have a nightmare."

"Good," he stated. "I'll let you get your sleep." Ichigo was about to leave when he felt a hand grab his arm. He turned around to see her holding him. "What's wrong?"

"Thank you for everything. You have no idea how much this is helping me."

"Well I'm glad I could help you. Remember wake me up if you have a nightmare. Good night, Inoue."

"Good night, Kurosaki-kun." She watched as Ichigo left the room. Orihime took one look around the place she had seen so many times in her dreams. "I can't believe I am going to be sleeping in the same bed that Kurosaki-kun sleeps in." This was the bed he was lying in when she made her declaration of love, the same bed he was in when she would pray he wake up from his coma. Now this would be the bed she slept in. Hopefully his bed had retained his protective aura and it would protect her from this dreaded nightmares.

Orihime turned off the light and walked back to his bed, climbed in it. The healer rested her head on his pillow. Her minded wondered off as she laid there. Did he offer his bed to just anyone? Was she the first person aside from possibly family to sleep in his bed? Anxiety, pride, and joy all whirled together inside of her head until she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Consciousness returned to him. It couldn't have been morning already. Reluctantly he opened his eyelids. He was right it was still dark out. What could have woken him up?

"Kurosaki-kun," called a voice.

He rubbed his eyes until the form of Inoue came into focus. Ichigo sat up right. "Are you alright?" he asked quickly.

She shook her head no. "I had another nightmare."

"Which one was it?"

"The one with Aizen," she replied.

"Two nights in a row, I guess that means he'll be staying a bit longer," he said bitterly.

Orihime put her hands on her face and growled. "I hate having these every night! I am so tired of having to see that again."

"I hate you have to go through this too. Having to see me transform again must be awful," he said darkly.

"That's not the part I am tired of seeing," she revealed.

"Is it Aizen?" he guessed again.

She shook in disagreement again. "As much as I dislike hearing him taunt me, what I am tired of is seeing Kurosaki-kun suffer."

Ichigo didn't even know how to respond to that. She repeatedly watched him transform into a monster and kill all of their friends and the part she was most tired of seeing was not his actions, but his suffering. "Come on. Let's go back to my room. I'll stay until you go back to sleep." The duo careful not to make any noise went up the stairs then back to his room.

"I'm glad you got me," he spoke up. "I wasn't sure if you would actually get me when you had your nightmare."

"I promised you that I would, so I did," she said plainly. "You keep your promises to me, so I wanted to keep this promise to you."

He said nothing. Ichigo lead Orihime back to his bed. He motioned for her to sit down. The healer plopped down on the mattress. The flashing light of his digital clock on the bedside caught his eye. The clock read 12:45 am.

"Was this your first nightmare?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Did you know you slept for at least two hours before you woke up?" Judging by the shock in her face she did not realize it. "Congratulations you slept for two hours straight without having a nightmare," he said with a light smile.

Comprehending what Kurosaki-kun said her depression left and was replaced by happiness. "You are right! I slept for two whole hours!" Orihime threw he arms around Ichigo into a hug. The ex-substitute blushed madly, but he returned the hug although he still did it awkwardly. She let go of him still giddy from her success. Soon however fatigue set in causing her to yawn.

"You better get some more rest. Your body is still exhausted from losing so much sleep," he warned.

Orihime let another yawn escape her. She pulled her legs into the bed and lied down. Ichigo pulled the covers over her. She expected him to leave, but he made no motion to. "You are not going to leave?" she questioned.

"I told you I would stay until you went to sleep," he reminded.

She was about to open her mouth to argue, but realized it was pointless. Kurosaki-kun would stay by her side until she went to sleep and there was nothing she could say that would deter him. Still she felt bad about keeping him up until she fell asleep again.

"Why don't you lie down in the bed?"

"W-what?" he uttered in surprise and fright.

"Lie down in the bed," Orihime repeated as though it was nothing.

"Inoue, I can't sleep in the same bed as you!" He struggled to keep his voice down. It was late or early. "It gives the wrong impression!" His cheeks were bright red once more.

Orihime's blush also emerged. "I know, but it's just until I go to sleep. I may not go to sleep for a long time. You could be waiting for hours," she reasoned. "And….." She paused to look down on at his covers.

"What is it?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

Orihime still evaded his gaze. "Whenever I had a nightmare, Onii-chan would let me sleep in his bed. That always helped me get back to sleep."

He gulped. "Um….so you are saying that….me lying with you will help you get to sleep?" Ichigo continued to blush.

The blushing Orihime nodded her head.

This was off the scale. Lying in the same bed with Inoue! _'Remember she is having a really hard time. You are not taking advantage of her. All you have to do is lie there until she goes to sleep. With all that yawning Inoue was doing she will be out in no time.' _He cleared his throat. "Just until you go to sleep," he repeated.

Orihime moved over to give him room. Ichigo slowly descended to the bed. He dragged his legs in and pulled the covers on himself. Ichigo put his back towards Orihime who did the same. "Do you have enough room?"

"I have enough room," she answered.

"Good."

They exchanged no more words. The two orange haired teens just lied there wondering if their current situation was good or bad. They told themselves that once she fell asleep that he would return to the couch down stairs. However they did not account for Ichigo falling asleep along with Orihime. That night the ex-substitute slept beside the beautiful healer.

* * *

**Dinner was a success to Ichigo's relief. Despite all the odds like Kon's deviousness, Yuzu's plotting, and his dad's jabs. Football = soccer, I just figured if I am writing a story set in Japan and since soccer is only used in the U.S. that I should use the proper name. I am American and never watched soccer so it's weird I cared enough to use the right name for the sport. By the way Urahara is my favorite character if you didn't get it. What's Tatsuki doing seeing him? Until next time. **

**P.S. Sorry if some words are pushed together guys. I'm having a hard time uploading files to the site. Every time I upload chapters I find a lot of words get pushed together. I try to space them out, but whenever I save the changes I find new words pushed together or the changes I made are undone. If anyone could tell me how to fix that I would be grateful. This problem butchered my sixth chapter by pushing so many words together. I would love not to have to keep reading this over just to space out words, any opinions or suggestions to stop this would be much appreciated. **


	11. Return to the Days of Normality: Day 2

**The next chapter a later than usual, but real life calls first. I am really happy that you guys like my story. When I posted the first chapter here I was unsure how many people would like it. I read your reviews and see how many people read this story when a new chapter comes out and I still get blown away by it. I especially wanted to Southy the Otaku, your review touched me. I am ecstatic that you found my story so compelling that you read it for two days straight and that been so wrapped up into the story. I hope to continue to keep all of my readers' attentions. I am sure you guys have noticed that I have been updating this story weekly by now. However I must inform you guys that next week there will be no new chapter. Before you guys freak out I am just taking a break from the story. School starting up again and I am trying to catch up on other stories. I need a bit of recharge for more story ideas. I want to thank AlternatePosition for helping me edit my story. Since you guys seem to like it some much, more fluff in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach all the characters belong to Tite Kubo I am merely borrowing them. **

* * *

The first thing she noticed as she awakened was this warm feeling wrapped around her body. At first she assumed that she felt blankets covering her body, but no blanket ever made her feel this warm or this secure. This sun bathing feeling was produced by something else something that she could only associate with one other thing or rather one other person, Kurosaki-kun. How could she be feeling her Kurosaki-kun's protective aura? She only felt that when she was either with him or if she felt his reiatsu. The latter was now impossible with Ichigo's reiatsu gone. That left the first option.

Orihime decided to open her eyelids to discover this mystery. Her eyes opened up to find this bright red color in front of her. This only served to confuse her more. Orihime pushed herself back in order to get a better look. The bright red color she saw belonged to a shirt. Now she was getting somewhere. At least now she knew she did not somehow travel to the red dimension where everything is colored brightly red. However her relief was short lived. With one mystery solved another one came up. Just who did the red shirt belong to? And why was the owner sleeping in Orihime's bed?

'_What's going on?' _she asked herself. The healer attempted to pick herself up, but found that she could not. Suddenly fear started to sink its fangs into her. Something or someone was restricting her movements and sleeping in her bed. Did someone break into her place last night and sneak into her bed? Her chest went in and out as her breathing became erratic. She closed her hands into fist clenching them as hard she could in nervous fidget.

'_Oh my god!' _she thought in fright. _'What am I going to do? Who knows what this guy will do to me if he wakes up! No I can't think like that. Calm down Orihime. Remember everything that Tatsuki-chan taught you.' _The red haired princess took control of her body away from fear; her breathing became steady. She forced the fear back into the corner of her heart. She was not going to be a victim not anymore.

Orihime may have looked helpless, but that was far from the truth. She could fight like a black belt (according to Tatsuki the second strongest girl in Japan) and her spiritual powers made her a force to be reckoned with to hollows, to normal humans she was their worst nightmare. This guy did not know what he got himself into. _'On the count of three I will go on the attack. Ready?' _she asked herself. Taking one last breath Orihime braced herself for the confrontation. _'One, two, three!' _

Orihime smashed her hands into the mattress with as much force as she could muster. She broke away from her intruder's grip and shot up. Gone was the fear and uncertainty she had before. Her hazel eyes become bold and steely. Orihime put her hands on her hair pins preparing her assault. With precision and swiftness the healer turned to her right. "Koten Zanshu….." she stopped mid-sentence once her eyes fell upon the intruder. Lying next to her was her savior and beloved, Kurosaki Ichigo.

"K-Kurosaki-kun?" she uttered obviously puzzled by his appearance. Her warrior's glare having long fallen part was replaced by broadened eyes contaminated with disbelief and misunderstanding. Ichigo was lying in her bed sleeping away without care or worry in the world. His trademark scowl was nowhere in sight. His brow was free from any creases what so ever. Even his lips were untainted by his frown. In fact they looked like they may have been curled up into a small U shape. He looked so peaceful she thought.

Her eyes lit up with fondness and attachment, while her lips curved into a half smile. She had seen this look many times eight weeks ago when he was lost in his own mind. Orihime adored this expression. Someone who fought and struggled as much as Kurosaki-kun deserved to have peace and while peace seemed to eluded him in the conscious world it found him in the world of dreams. She couldn't help, but wonder what he was dreaming of that produced this tranquil state.

Not wanting to disturb him she turned to her right to get out of bed only to find a window staring back at her. For a second time this morning her face wrinkled into bafflement. Her bed wasn't by her window. Orihime slowly looked around the room and saw that none of her belongings were here. Realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. This was not her apartment, it was Ichigo's room.

When she questioned her presence in the room her brain fully started and flooded her with memories of the previous day. She remembered her lunch with Kurosaki-kun and the rest of their friends, studying at his house, the compliments he gave her, eating dinner with his family, staying over the Kurosaki house for the night, and sleeping in the same bed as Kurosaki-kun! She had another nightmare and as per Ichigo's instructions Orihime went to get him. They returned to his room he tucked her in. He declared he wouldn't leave until she went to sleep and she invited him to lie down until she fell asleep. Ichigo must have fallen asleep while he was waiting for her to drift off into dreamland.

Orihime mentally berated herself for her carelessness. She was the one who insisted he lie down with her despite how bad it was. Ichigo in his chivalrous and gentlemen like nature refused to lay next to her to avoid this exact situation they were in now. Why didn't she just listen to him? Suddenly Orihime felt a something rub across her waist. The goddess jerked her body at the unexpected movement. She quickly looked down to see an arm arching over her waist.

"Uh," she gave a bewildered moan. This was not just any arm; it was Kurosaki-kun's arm! Ichigo's arms were over her waist holding on to it. The mortified and humble girl's cheeks turned into such a deep crimson. He was the person who was holding her mere moments ago! If it were not for Ichigo sleeping so peacefully she would have jumped out of the bed and screamed in humiliation. Orihime was able to control herself and contain all of her mortification.

'_Kurosaki-kun is holding me in such an intimate way.' _She closed her eyes as her cheeks kept blushing uncontrollably. Her hands covered her face as if she was trying to hide herself from some unseen observer. _'He is still holding me! His grip might have even gotten tighter! What should I do?' _She thought frantically hoping to come up with a solution to her current dilemma. Although she was having a meltdown of sorts a small part of her was overjoyed at being in Ichigo's embrace even if it was an accident.

Taking her hands down and her face returning to its original color the healer returned her gaze to the former vizard. He had protected her again. This time he protected her from her nightmares. She only had one nightmare last night. She couldn't remember waking up in terror any other time that night. Kurosaki-kun's embrace had warded off her dreaded enemy and gave her a peaceful night of sleep. She had not had such a good night's sleep as she had last night since before her abduction.

"It seems like you are always saving me," she mused. Unable to control herself Orihime ran her hand through the spikey orange locks. _'It's softer than I imagined it would be,' _she thought. "Looking at you with such a peaceful expression and being so at ease makes me so happy. I know you are still hurting yourself. Even if you won't say anything I know how much it meant for you to be a shinigami, how much it meant for you to be able to protect everyone you love. I wish I could give you back your shinigami powers. But you don't need your powers to protect anyone. Look at me. You saved me without your powers Kurosaki-kun. You saved me from myself and I will forever be thankful to you and I cannot ever fully express my gratitude to you." She ran her hand through his hair again. This time he stirred, but he remained asleep.

"I wish I could tell you this while you were awake. Kurosaki-kun, I love you." She received no response not that she was expecting any. The healer sat there and watched the man she loved. She laid her body down on the mattress, snuggled closer to him. His grip seemed to have tightened. Orihime basked in Ichigo warm and secure embrace. She shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong, but Orihime just wanted to envelope herself into Ichigo for just a little bit longer. She felt him nuzzling her hair. Thankfully he was asleep and could not see the huge smile that formed on her face. She always wished for Ichigo to hold her in his arms like this with such tenderness and care.

Just when Orihime closed her eyelids the bedroom door opened up. Immediately her brown orbs opened up. This was bad, this was very bad. Right now she wanted desperately to escape Ichigo's hold. However since she was in between a wall and the orange haired boy in question she was effectively trapped. A low and yet high pitched squeak escaped her lips. Her eyes closed again and all Orihime could do was wait until they were caught in bed together. _'Why does the universe hate me?' _

"Orihime it's time to get up my dear!"

She instantly recognized the loud and jovial voice of Kurosaki Isshin. Her stomach did summersaults, while her chest felt this tight ping overcome it. His footsteps came crashing down on the floor. Any second now he would see them together. He was about five seconds away, four, three, two, one, and…..

"Orihime it's time to…..Ichigo!" he shouted.

There it was Isshin had found his son clinging to their house guest, sleeping soundly. The physician's eyes were wide open. His eyes went from Ichigo to the bashful Orihime than back to Ichigo. He blinked once than ran his hands over his eyes, rubbing them. This did nothing because he still saw the pair in bed together. Quite frankly Isshin was at a lost as to what to do, so he did what his instinct told him to do. He punched his son square in the face to wake his sorry ass up and have him explain.

Bam! He felt this powerful impact on his face. Needless to say it interrupted his slumber. Ichigo's eyes opened up instantly. He shot up in his bed while hands went to his injured cheek. "What the hell was that for….." Before he could finish his sentence he felt himself being forcefully pulled out of his comfortable bed and thrown onto his hard floor. "Damn it!" he screamed. "You are really asking for it today old man!"

Isshin continued his assault and kneed Ichigo in the face, but his son was too quick and jumped out of his way. Ichigo distanced himself from Isshin then charged at him. He successful tackled his father to the floor. Ichigo quickly recovered and dragged his father up with him. He pulled his fist back and threw it into his famous, Dad K.O. Punch, hitting his father square in the mouth.

"Aaahhh!" Isshin screamed in his dramatic and cheesy fashion. The shinigami came crashing down on his back. Ichigo did not let up. He wrapped his right arm around his father's neck putting him in a headlock much like he had gotten Ichigo into one yesterday. Isshin desperately tried to break out of it he found that he could not. "Ichigo, I….can't…..breathe….." he warned. If Ichigo was concerned about his father's safety he did not show it in the slightest.

"I'll let you go if you explain why the hell you punched me and dragged me out of bed."

"Gah….." Isshin coughed out.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ichigo let go of his father. The blacked haired man fell onto the floor and began panting. He took in as much precious oxygen as he could. "Mind telling me what you think you were doing?" Ichigo asked rather sternly.

"Th…..that's…..my…..my…..line, I…..Ichigo," Isshin breathed out. He was still on his knees.

Ichigo raised his right eyebrow questioningly. "Really, so you got woken up with a fist rammed into your face?"

"Don't get smart!" Isshin shot back. He hopped to his feet. "Do you mind telling me why you are sleeping in here?" he continued his questioning.

Ichigo shot his father a look that asked him if he was for real. "It's my room! Where else would I sleep?" he screamed.

"On the couch because this is where Orihime was sleeping!" the concerned father screamed back. He pointed towards Orihime who had her face in her hands, shaking her head. He received no answer though. Ichigo just stood there like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes were filled with a mixture of shock, realization, and humiliation. "Well I am waiting, Ichigo."

"I was sleeping in here?" The question was more to himself than his father. When did that happen? He lied in the bed with Inoue until she could go to sleep, but then….. He went to sleep. That's right he never went back to the couch because he fell asleep with Orihime. He turned away from his father and towards Inoue. As if she felt his gaze on her she looked up from her hands and into his eyes. Ichigo noticed the red in her cheeks and the discomfort she was obviously feeling. He knew it was true; they had slept in the same bed. Could things get any worse?

On cue Karin and Yuzu came into the room. "Dad, is everything alright?" Yuzu asked.

Karin continued. "We heard all this commotion and thought something was wrong with Orihime-chan." It was then that the twins spotted Ichigo standing across from their father and Orihime in the bed with red faced shame written over her cheeks. "What's going on?" Karin asked. She looked from Ichigo, to Isshin, to Orihime.

"That's what I want to know," Isshin stated. He glared at Ichigo who looked lost as to what happened.

Karin's eyes went wide in realization. "Ichi-nii, did you sleep in here last night?"

Yuzu put her hands over her mouth as she gasped. "Onii-chan, you didn't do something so shameful?" she begged.

All eyes were on Ichigo and Orihime. The two orange haired teens blushed and remained silent. Neither of them knew just what to say. Both of them knew that they wanted to be anywhere but there at this moment. The stares they were receiving made both of them want to crawl under the nearest rocks they could find and just hide under them for the rest of their lives.

Isshin having enough silence finally decided to speak up. He folded his arms together and closed his eyes in serious manner. "Well I think it is obvious what has transpired here. Both of you remaining silent only reaffirm this," he stated.

'_Please, please don't say we were having sex, please,' _Ichigo prayed.

Orihime was also prayed that Ichigo's father wasn't going to say what she thought he was going to say. _'Please not in front of Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan. This will be far too embarrassing if they are here when he accuses us!' _

"Ichigo snuck in here last night and pressured Orihime into allowing him to sleep with her!"

Ichigo fell down in classic anime fashion. "W-what?" he screamed.

Isshin still in the same pose as before continued. "You let you teenage hormones get the best of you." His eyes shot open and he threw his arm out; pointing at Ichigo. "Admit it Ichigo you could not resist the thought of the beautiful Orihime sleeping in your bed and so you came up here! Knowing that Orihime would be too kind to resist and you got into the bed!"

Yuzu had an expression of horror and anger. "Onii-chan, that is despicable." She shook her head.

Karin also looked disgusted. "Ichigo, I can't believe you would take advantage of Orihime-chan like that."

"No you have it all wrong!" he urged. "This isn't what it looks like!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears. "My son has given into temptation!" False tears formed into Isshin's brown eyes. His eyes started pouring out causing a shower of tears to fly from where he was standing. "I can understand falling into temptations trap, but to force someone as sweet and innocent as Orihime! I am very disappointed in you Ichigo!"

"I am telling you it is not like that!" Isshin's blabbering did not cease. Karin and Yuzu continued to glare at Ichigo. "Come on! If you guys just listened to me….."

"It's my fault!"

The entire Kurosaki clan all turned their attention to the orange haired woman sitting in the bed. Isshin stopped his crying. He looked at Orihime genuinely interested in what she had to say.

"I asked Kurosaki-kun to lie down with me last night," she admitted. "I had a nightmare and I felt safer having Kurosaki-kun in here with me. I asked him to lie down with me until I fell asleep, but we both ended up sleep." She looked down to Ichigo's covers in shame. "I am sorry for causing any trouble, but please do not be mad at Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo's face softened at Orihime's confession. He couldn't do anything right. The whole reason he even set one foot in that bed was to ease Inoue of stress and instead he seemed to cause even more of it. "Inoue," he spoke in a hushed tone.

"Karin, Yuzu," Isshin called his daughters. When their eyes met his he continued. "Could you two leave while I talk to Ichigo and Orihime?" He may have asked, but they could tell by his tone that it was an order. The twins left the room without a word. They both gave Orihime comforting and reassuring looks, to let her know they did not hold anything against her. She smiled at them and silent mouthed a thank you to the pair.

The door closed and the trio of Ichigo, Isshin, and Orihime were left alone. Isshin's face was unreadable. He did not look upset or happy. This was a rare moment his face straight and that worried Ichigo more than anything.

"Dad," Ichigo called.

"Kurosaki-san," Orihime stated.

The pair quickly turned their gaze to one another surprise that they had talked in unison again. They both shook it off and returned their gaze back to Isshin. "Dad we didn't mean to do anything wrong," Ichigo started.

"We know what we did was irresponsible and selfish," Orihime continued. "I shouldn't have asked Kurosaki-kun to lie down with me. I can understand if you don't want me back."

"Wait a minute this isn't your fault Inoue! I am the one who feel asleep. You certainly shouldn't be banned from the house because of my mistake!"

"Wow, wow calm down you two," Isshin stopped them before it got out of hand. "I'm not going to ban Orihime from the house and I am not upset."

"You aren't?" asked Ichigo and Orihime in unison.

He shook his head no. "I admit I freaked out a bit."

"A bit," Ichigo scoffed.

"Ok I freaked out a whole lot. I just wasn't expecting to see my son in bed with a girl." His eyes narrowed to give Ichigo annoyed glare. "I can hardly be blamed for jumping to conclusions, especially with the way you were holding her."

Ichigo's normal straight laced face broke into mortification at his father's words. No he couldn't have been holding onto Inoue. They slept with their backs towards each other. How could he have been holding her? He wanted to ask Orihime if it his father's words were true, but true to form once something uneasy went on between them he could not muster the courage to look at her. He was such a coward.

If he had any doubts about his son's innocence being taken last night they were dispelled the moment he saw Ichigo's face form a look of both shame and disgrace. _'At least now I know nothing happened between them,' _he thought wickedly. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't taking advantage of Orihime in her vulnerable state." He smiled at the healer warmly. "She is so polite, generous, and innocent," he said cheeringly. "While you on the other hand are rude, selfish, and all around punk," Isshin said in mocking disgust. "I don't know where I went wrong with you Ichigo. Masaki I need your strength now more than ever!" He threw his arms into the air as if he trying to channel the spirit of his late wife into the room.

Ichigo mentally slapped his forehead at his father's juvenile antics. Orihime however watched on with great interest.

"Masaki please help me straighten out our son, so he does not send this poor innocent girl into the dark! Masaki come down here and help me reason with…." He was cut off when his side was kicked in. The unfortunate Isshin was sent crashing into a wall. He slammed into the wall creating such a loud rumble that Karin and Yuzu could feel it all the way from down stairs. The Kurosaki sisters sighed and went back to their business.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Isshin screamed in agony. He felt one of his rips kicked in! "What was that for?" he demanded. He gathered all the spite and hatred he could and threw it at Ichigo in his evilest glare yet.

Un-phased by his father's glare Ichigo stared back at him with his neutral expression. "I already told you it wasn't like that," he repeated. "Quit being ridiculous and finish what you were saying."

Isshin scoffed at his son before returning to his feet as though nothing had even happened in the first place. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted!" He gave Ichigo one last glare. "Masaki, please…." Ichigo's fist came crashing into his face. Like it was mere moments ago Isshin had been forced to the ground by the force of the strike. "Why did you hit me that time?"

Ichigo having lost what little patience he had finally exploded into a mass of fury. "I meant finish what you were saying before you brought mom into this!"

"Alright already, man you are way too mean," he muttered while getting up. "You two are good and responsible kids and I know nothing went on. My body acted on its own that's all. Orihime there is no need to worry I am not upset at you or Ichigo. The reason I wanted you here was because I thought it would help you. It's the least I could do for you kids since you have been fighting to save the world and stuff."

"Kurosaki-san," Orihime uttered. She was relieved that Isshin believed her and Ichigo.

"If sleeping in the same bed helps you out Orihime I won't object to it in the future."

Her hazel eyes blinked a total of three times in confusion. Orihime went over his words again inside of her head to make sure she heard him correctly. "Um, excuse me Kurosaki-san, but in the future. Does that mean?"

Isshin nodded his head solemnly yet there was a bit of pep to it. "I mean that if you want to you can stay here with us Orihime, at least until you get over your nightmares."

"Kurosaki-san," Orihime cried. Her eyes brightened and her body shook with unbridled joy.

"Dad," Ichigo also called out in awe.

"Why do you both sound so surprised? I am a pretty compassionate and understanding guy. Those qualities are why I am such an awesome dad," he boasted. Isshin let out a haughty laugh. Ichigo's astonishment over his father's actions was gone.

'_He totally ruined the moment by doing that,_' he thought.

"Ichigo, you should be very thankful I am your father. I mean how many other dads would let them share a bed with a beautiful young woman?"

Orihime became bashful at this remark and produced a nervous grin. She was not use to being called beautiful by anyone other than her brother. She was not ignorant of her own beauty and knew that others were very aware of this fact as well. The healer had a cult following at school; people always leered at her after all. But that wasn't the same as someone actually telling you to your face that you are beautiful.

Isshin continued, "There is one thing I must stress to you two." He paused until he was certain he had captured both of Ichigo and Orihime's attentions. "Try and keep it down in here. I mean the rest of us have to sleep to you know." A foot came into contact with his face sending him flying towards the door. Despite being beaten by his son (again) Isshin's wide grin did not fade. He knew he promised Ichigo he wouldn't make any insinuating jokes, but he was set up for that one by the gods themselves. Plus he promised Ichigo that yesterday he would not do that. Today was an entirely new day and thus he did not technically break his promise.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Ichigo screamed.

Isshin recovered and opened the door to leave. "See you two at breakfast. And Orihime it would be best if you left after you ate. You need a pair of fresh clothes and sometimes Ichigo's friends stop by and walk with him. If they catch you here well let's just say I doubt they will be as easily convinced as me." He graced the pair one last smile before he made his disappearance.

"He can be a handful sometimes," Ichigo muttered to himself. "Hey," he called out to Orihime.

"Hmm," she replied taking her eyes off the door and putting them on Ichigo.

"About this morning," he continued.

Orihime went as white as a ghost. He heard her that must have been it. Kurosaki-kun had heard her declare her love for him! What was she thinking? She should have known better than to spout off her mouth like that. Now their friendship would never be the same. Ichigo would tell her he didn't feel the same or worst yet that his heart belong to another. She had a pretty good idea who that other woman was. This was awful she could handle Ichigo not returning her affections, but for him to say it out loud would still hurt. That would mean any chance or sliver of hope she was holding would forever disappear. Orihime was not ready to lose all hope.

She heard him take a deep breath. _'Oh no here it comes.'_

"What happened between us this morning was kind of…you know, embarrassing."

That's what her confession was to him, embarrassing? She poured her heart to him and this was all he could say for it. A pang of anger coursed through her veins at his words.

"I am sure you are probably freaked out and everything…."

Freaked out, well that was far from what she was feeling right now. Orihime was infuriated by how he was completely disregarding her feelings. She knew he didn't feel the same way and knew he was abysmal when it came to talking to someone, but over the last month he surprised her with how insightful and empathetic he could be. She hoped he would let her down gently not delivery this horrible and heart shattering speech.

"I messed up badly."

Her eyes frowned. He messed up? What the hell did that mean? He messed up by being so nice to her or he messed up because he confided in her? Either way the passive healer was coming dangerously close to flipping him over again.

"You are probably really upset with me."

Bingo, he got that one right.

"I am really, really sorry."

Finally the rejection finally comes after this nightmare of a speech.

"I don't know what happened. When I fell asleep my back was towards you and then my dad tells me I had my arms around you."

Her anger and hurt faded away into disarray. What on earth was he talking about? "Umm, Kurosaki-kun I am not sure what you are talking about," she explained.

"You know this morning when I was holding you. I know how you are uncomfortable about that kind of stuff. Even though you won't say it, I know it bothered you having me touch you like that. That's why I wanted to apologize. I guess I am so used to holding on to someone because Karin and Yuzu would come into my bed when they were scared when they were younger. I would always hold them when they went to sleep. I probably felt a warm body next to me and on instinct put my arms around you."

Orihime didn't know what she was feeling more of, relief that Ichigo did not hear her declaration of love, shame that she was just so angry at him seconds ago when he was trying to apologize to her about invading her personal space, or touched that he was concerned about her that he would apologize for something as minor as this to begin with. "It's alright, Kurosaki-kun."

"It's not alright that I made you feel uncomfortable," he shot back.

Orihime disagreed by shaking her head. "Actually it was the opposite." The orange haired boy gave her a look that asked her to explain. "Last night after we fell asleep I didn't have any more nightmares. When I woke up I felt so warm and safe." She trailed off thinking back to how secure and relaxed Ichigo's embrace made her feel. "You made me feel that way," she admitted.

The room became deathly silent afterwards. Orihime was marveled by how she actually told Ichigo that she felt safe in his arms. Strangely enough she did not feel even the slightest bit of discomfort in telling him that. Ichigo was at a lost as to what he should say or how he should process Orihime's admittance. From everything he knew about Orihime she felt uncomfortable about being touched. Chizuru's constant groping proved that much. He also remembered how rigid her body became when Shinji started invading her personal space.

His lips curved into a frown. Ichigo had forgotten how Shinji used to hit on Orihime. He never did like it mostly because it bothered Orihime so much. There was the way Shinji said Orihime-chan that rubbed him the wrong way. Here he was and Inoue said she did not mind his holding on to her at all. He knew she was sincere by the light and serene tone in her voice. Inoue always spoke in that kind of tone when she was truthfully. What made him so different? Why was his touch comforting to her? And why was it that his chest felt this tingling inside of it at that knowledge?

"Is that weird?" Orihime asked bringing him back to his senses.

"Maybe a little, but if it makes you feel better than it doesn't matter, too many people worry about looking weird. One of your best qualities is that you don't care what people think about you. I guess if you are asking me if it is weird than I can't give you a real answer. If you are asking me rather I think it's wrong that you feel that way than the answer is no. People can't help how they feel. If my holding you last night helped you than it had to be right."

That was such a typical Ichigo answer. He answered her question without really answering it at all. However his words did construct yet another smile on the healer's face.

"Do you think you'll take up my dad's offer?"

"I'm not sure. Do you want me to?" She wanted to gauge how the ex-substitute felt about the situation.

"Like I said last night I would feel better if you stayed here. I don't want you to keep everything bottled up inside until you explode like the other day. It's not like you have to stay here all the time. We can study at your place on weekdays like we normally do and just walk over here for dinner and to sleep. That way you can get all your stuff for the night that way you don't have rush out of here so fast in the morning, speaking of which we better get down stairs and get some food. If Keigo and Mizuiro do come by today and they catch you the whole school is going to be gossiping."

In his house Keigo was eating breakfast with his sister when he sneezed.

"You have a cold?" his sister asked.

Keigo shook his head. "No, it must be one of my female admirers talking about me," he said smugly. His sister looked very unconvinced.

"You with female admirers please don't make me laugh. If anything it is probably someone calling you annoying or something," she teased cruelly.

"Hey that's, so true." Keigo's famous pity tears came streaming down. "Why am I always treated like a background character?" he whined.

Back in Ichigo's room the two oddly colored teens continued their conversation.

"We probably shouldn't tell Tatsuki-chan. She would kill you if she knew we slept over here last night, let alone the same bed," Orihime pointed out.

Ichigo snorted. "There is no need to keep it from her. She is your best friend and I don't want to create another rift between you two. I can handle Tatsuki if that is what you are worried about."

"I just don't want Tatsuki-chan and you to get into another fight," Orihime replied.

Realizing this was important to her Ichigo decided to nod along with her. "Alright fine, we won't tell Tatsuki." He was rewarded for his surrender with another one of Inoue's smiles, the one reserved for him alone. So he may have given into Orihime nine out of ten times, but that smile always made it worth it. He would never admit it to anyone of course, especially Ishida. He had to protect his image after all. His friends would never let him live it down if they knew a smile from Hime was enough to make him submit to her will.

"We'll keep this quiet from everyone." Orihime nodded in agreement. She smiled at him again. Before he could stop himself Ichigo returned it with his own sincere smile. They had come to another understanding. There were times when Ichigo and Orihime did not need words to convey what the other one was feeling. They head to Yuzu's breakfast.

* * *

"So how was your date last night?" Keigo asked in an extremely annoying manner. He did it mostly to piss off Ichigo.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. As fate would have it today was indeed one of those days that Keigo and Mizuiro met him at his house. It was a good thing that Orihime left his house as soon as she ate breakfast rather than risk waiting for him to walk her home. By the time he got out of the shower his friends were waiting for him. "First of all Keigo it wasn't a date. Secondly it's really none of your business," Ichigo replied evenly.

"Oh come on Ichigo you can't blame me for being curious. I mean we've been friends since we entered Karakura High and you never invited me or Mizuiro to your place for dinner. Not even Chad has been to your place to eat and he is your oldest friend after Arisawa," he pointed out.

"Get to the point already," Ichigo stressed clearly losing his patience with his hyper active friend.

"My point is that something interesting must have happened between you two yesterday. I mean you have been spending all that time with Inoue." Keigo got much too close to Ichigo's face for the ex-substitute's comfort. "So did something happen between you two, Ichigo?"

"We studied like we always do Keigo."

"Liar, I know something happened!" Keigo accused.

"Pff, I told you nothing happened," Ichigo repeated.

"What about dinner? How did Inoue interact with your family?" Mizuiro jumped in. He had just put his phone away. "Knowing your dad something interesting must have happened."

"Ha! You see Mizuiro knows you are keeping something from us too!"

"God you two are annoying. My old man was his normal and overbearing self. He embarrassed me a bit, but it was nothing new." He hoped that would get them off of his back. He was hoping for too much as he soon found out.

Keigo continued with his questions. "How did he like Inoue though?"

"And how did your sisters behave?" Mizuiro asked. "Sometimes little sisters can get protective of their brothers when they have female friends."

"What? That's a bunch of bull," Ichigo scoffed.

"No it is true. I knew this guy who always had girls breaking up with him because his younger sister would treat them poorly. His sister felt like the girls were stealing his time and affection away from her so she treated all of them as enemies. She would terrorize these girls so bad that they ended up ignoring him completely so as to not suffer his sister's wrath," Mizuiro explained.

"Are you for real?" Keigo asked. Mizuiro nodded. "Oh man, so Ichigo did your sisters alienate Inoue?"

"Of course not! Yuzu and Karin aren't petty like the sister of Mizuiro's friend. They got along with Inoue pretty well the same goes for my dad. Yuzu couldn't stop complimenting her and Karin even agreed to play one of Inoue's games."

Keigo's face lit up. "That's great! Ichigo if your sisters and dad like Inoue that means you are totally in the clear to date her."

Ichigo stopped walking. "W-what? Who the hell said I wanted to date Inoue?" he screamed. "Stop making assumptions like that!"

Keigo held his hands up in surrender. "Calm down, Ichigo."

"Grow up, Keigo! Just because Inoue and I are hanging out does not mean we are dating. I get sick of all of this prejudging stuff!"

Mizuiro spoke up. "It's not the fact that you are hanging out with Inoue it is how you act around her."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo's asked aggressively.

Mizuiro was slight taken aback by Ichigo's hostility. "Ichigo do you really not see it?"

"See what?" he asked his cellphone obsessed friend.

"Lately when Inoue is around you change."

"I change," Ichigo repeated. "Assuming I buy this how do I change, Mizuiro?"

"For one thing you smile more," he replied.

"You are super protective of her," Keigo chimed in. "It just doesn't feel like the same old you."

He knew exactly what his friends were talking about. The truth was they barely scratched the surface of his peculiar behavior whenever Inoue was around. The nauseous feeling he got in his stomach when she smiled at him, how he found it amusing and cute when she overreacted to a situation and started blabber on about something, whenever she touched him how it made his heart skip a beat, and recently when he caught a whiff of her enchanting scent how it made him light headed. Zangetsu made him realize how big of an effect that Orihime had on him and that effect seemed to have increased its strength.

"_What is the nature of your relationship?"_

He found himself dwelling on Zangetsu words again. It had been two months since Zangetsu posed that question to Ichigo and he still had no answer. He had certainly become closer to Inoue, but it seemed like the closer he got to her that more unclear their relationship was. It felt different from friendship, stronger than it, but he could not identify it. He could almost grasp it, but not quite touch it. One thing he knew for sure was that whenever he was in her presence he felt content.

"Ichigo," Mizuiro called.

"She's important to me."

Keigo and Mizuiro trade each other puzzled looks. "Who is?" Keigo asked.

"Inoue, she is important to me," he answered as though that explained everything.

Unsure of what Ichigo meant exactly the pair stared at the back of their orange haired friend. All they knew was that they were no closer to discovering the meaning of Ichigo and Orihime's relationship than they were before.

* * *

Class was as usual boring, but Uryu took notes none the less. Ochi-sensei was giving them busy work at least as far as he was concerned. Most of the stuff she had been lecturing for the last two weeks had been review. The only difference was that she was giving them far more work than they received the first time they went over it. The quincy pushed his glasses up and continued to quickly scribble notes down.

Once he had finally finished he put his pencil down. Uryu was well known for being number one in his class. For him to have obtained and maintained that rank since he started at Karakura High School he had to be attentive, studious, and quick to copy down notes. He inhaled before he exhaled. He knew from experience that it would be some time before Ochi-sensei said something new for him to write down. She had a pattern, write key things down on the board lecture about it, give examples of said key things to give the students enough time to copy down what she said and to get a better understanding of it.

Uryu of course understood the material right away. He would jot down a few examples in order to keep his memory refreshed. The quincy would often finish his notes early and thus had a few minutes to where he did nothing. This was usually the time he took to think about certain events that occurred to him in his life or the lives of his friends. He found himself observing Inoue.

She didn't look worn down like she normally did, her smile was no longer forced or fake. Her shoulders didn't slink down like they did a few days ago when she would asleep in class. The orange haired healer was born anew and the scars from the war were starting to close. It was short of amazing how two days with Kurosaki had helped her this much. Things were returning to some semblance of normal.

His gaze shifted from Orihime to Ichigo. Kurosaki looked the same as ever. He wore that usual tasteless scowl of his. Like him Kurosaki was also finding the lecture to be uninteresting. Unlike him however Kurosaki did not have the luxury of being able to tune Ochi-sensei's words out. Kurosaki was dangerous behind on all of his work thanks to the war with Aizen. The last four weeks he had been working tirelessly to complete his makeup work. He had gained a handle on assignments, but he was still behind on exams. The exams were going to be the determining factor on rather or not Kurosaki passed this term. Uryu shook his head slightly. There wasn't a need to worry about Kurosaki. He knew that the short tempered ex-substitute would find a way to get through this, especially with Inoue-san by his side helping him.

Uryu had his own problems to think about anyway, like his meeting with Urahara yesterday. The shop owner neglected to inform him that Arisawa would be there. The man was extremely helpful to their group, always preparing them for enemies and giving them valuable information. But that didn't change the fact that the former shinigami captain could be as annoying and infuriating as Aizen himself. His mind revisited the fateful meeting.

_Urahara's amused smile grew ever so larger. "I believe you two know each other," he joked._

"_What is he/she doing here?" they demanded at the same time._

_The light blond couldn't stop himself from chuckling. His visitors did not appreciate that because they both shot glares at him. Urahara hid his face behind his fan. Even with his mouth obscured by the fan it was obvious he was still grinning like a fiend. "My, my, you two are making such scary faces."_

_Neither of them let go of their glares, if anything they intensified. "You didn't answer my question," Tatsuki stated. _

"_Don't look so mean Arisawa-san. I told you that I was expecting another appointment," he continued with the same mirth as before._

"_Yeah, but you didn't tell me it was Ishida!"_

"_You didn't ask me," Urahara shot back. He was taking great joy in irritating the short haired woman. _

_Tatsuki started to growl. The hat and sandals was really starting to piss her off. The only reason she didn't attack him is because she still needed him alive. That didn't stop her body from quivering in rage. "You," she seethed._

"_Urahara-san, what is the meaning of this?" Uryu spoke up. His voice was steady, but there was hint of distrust in it._

_Urahara started to wave his fan. "It's just how it looks like, Ishida-san. Arisawa-san and I had an earlier meeting this morning, but she had to leave early for school. She told me she would come back after school," he explained._

_Uryu narrowed his eyes at the shop owner's for lack of a better word careless demeanor. "Why did you ask me to come here today if you were meeting Arisawa-san?"_

"_Hmm, why Ishida-san if I didn't know any better I would say you don't trust me."_

"_Can you blame me? You have kept things from us in the past," he reminded._

"_Ouch, that hurts," Urahara whined. He started to sniffle. "I can't believe that after all this time you still do not trust me." He openly wept in front of the pair. _

_Expressions of disgust and disbelief formed on the two black haired teens. They weren't going to fall for Urahara's obvious trap. _

"_Quit the act already," they said in unison._

_Instantaneously the shop owner was back to his normal overly cheery self. There was not a shred of the supposed sadness he felt before. "I guess you two weren't going to buy that, huh?" _

"_Nope," Tatsuki stated._

"_Not a chance," Uryu said._

"_Ha," he laughed for a bit. "I asked you here today Ishida-san before I knew Arisawa-san was coming. Her meeting was a spur of the moment thing." _

_Uryu turned to Tatsuki for confirmation. She confirmed his story so the quincy let his guard down slightly. "Why is Arisawa-san here in the first place?"_

"_I think that question is better suited for Arisawa-san than me," Urahara said solemnly._

_Uryu frowned. Urahara was dodging the question, but he brought up an excellent point. If he wanted to know why Tatsuki was here then he should ask her. "Fair enough, so why am I here?" He would worry about Tatsuki later. Uryu was very curious as to why Urahara suddenly called him after being out contact with him for the last few weeks._

"_That's what I want know myself," Tatsuki stated. She looked from Ishida to Urahara. _

_The former captain of the 12__th__ division sat there momentarily. He gathered his thoughts and attempting to articulate his feelings. "Ishida-san, you have been a great asset to the Soul Society thanks to the part you played in the war."_

_Uryu scoffed at this. "I didn't fight to defend the Soul Society and certainly not to help the shinigami. I fought the arrancar because they posed a threat to the Human World."_

"_I am aware of that. However you cannot deny that your power was beneficial to the Soul Society as well," Urahara reminded him. Although the quincy still disagreed with this statement he remained silent to allow him to continue. "Because of your valuable contribution the Captain Commander Yamamoto has over looked your hollow hunting activities in the past."_

"_Hmm, it's not hollow hunting. It is hollow extermination," Uryu corrected._

_Tatsuki was lost as to what they were talking about. "I don't understand. Why would the Soul Society have a problem with Ishida hunting hollows?"_

_Urahara looked over to Uryu to see if he would answer the question. When he made no motion to answer Tatsuki the shop owner knew he would have to. "The history between shinigami and quincy is a long and turbulent one. The quincy are a group of humans with extraordinary spiritual power. It was because of this that hollows targeted them and ate their souls. In response the quincy developed their own techniques and fought the hollows, killing them which caused the problem."_

"_A problem?" Tatsuki questioned aloud. "Why would killing hollows be a problem?"_

"_When shinigami slay hollows they don't really kill them. Our zanpakuto have the ability to cleanse hollows of the sins they committed as hollows and return them to the person they were before. Afterwards their souls can either cross over into the Soul Society or Hell depending on how they lived their lives when they were alive." He paused to see if Tatsuki was following his explanation. When she nodded he continued. "When quincy slay hollows their souls are obliterated completely. There is a balance between the worlds that must always be maintained. When people die their souls travel to the Soul Society when new life is born souls from the Soul Society return to the Human World to become a part of it. It's a cycle. If a soul is destroyed it cannot return. Normally one or two souls being destroyed wouldn't throw the balance off, however hundreds of souls being destroyed will. The quincy originally totaled into the hundreds."_

"_So that's why there is a problem for Ishida to kill hollows?" Tatsuki asked._

"_Partly, however it is prejudice as well."_

"_Prejudice?" Tatsuki said questioningly._

_Uryu jumped in. "The shinigami wanted to maintain that balance, but my ancestors were too angry to listen. From their point of view the hollows hunted them down to devour their souls. Many people died lovers, children, and parents, because of the hollows uncontrollable hungry for souls. To them the hollows did not deserve redemption so they continued to kill them and completely erase their souls. They didn't listen to the shinigami and continued to do what they want and because of their refusal the shinigami exterminated them."_

"_What?" Tatsuki screamed unable to control her volume or her horror._

"_They weren't completely eradicated. There were survivors like my family," Uryu said._

"_The shinigami didn't trust the survivors and continued to monitor them until recently, when it was believed they were extinct," Urahara explained._

"_It turns out your successor of the Research and Development Institute, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was sending hollows to kill the quincy and delayed shinigami in order to study their corpses," Uryu said bitterly. "It's the reason I hate shinigami. The original quincy were foolish, but the modern ones wanted to work with the shinigami and help them by capturing hollows to prevent casualties. The shinigami wouldn't have that though."_

"_Ishida," Tatsuki uttered._

"_During the war against Aizen the Soul Society required as much help as it could get and as a result they over looked Ishida-san's battles against hollows and arrancar. However now that the war is over they will start monitoring him again which is why I called him here," Urahara explained. "Ishida-san, I know that ever since you returned from the war and since Kurosaki-san has lost his powers that you have taken it upon yourself to hunt hollows."_

"_Ishida, is that true?" Tatsuki asked. She was surprised that her friend had continued to hunt hollows down. Orihime never said a word about it. Did that mean he kept it secret from her and the others? Uryu did not reply to her instead he closed his eyes to block her out._

"_The shinigami representative of Karakura Town has begun to take notice of it. He's reported the drop of hollow population in Karakura. While I doubt he thinks much of it the Central 46 will suspect that you have a hand in it. These people are just as corrupt as the last one, they are eager to prove themselves to the Soul Society. And make themselves look better than the previous incarnation. They will not hesitate to make an example out of you."_

_Uryu snorted. "I should care why?"_

"_Don't be stupid. Before the Soul Society gave you free rein because of Kurosaki-san's activates in Karakura. They knew he was killing hollows and returned a good number of souls, so they were willing to let you kill a few. The game has changed though, without Kurosaki-san and now that control of Soul Society has returned to the new Central 46 you will not be overlooked anymore."_

"_Are you saying I should give up exterminating?" Uryu asked offended. "The representative shinigami is a joke. He's too slow and inefficient. By the time he finally got to the area of the hollow last night I had already gotten to it. If I had merely let him do it that hollow would have killed an entire family! If Kuchiki-san was stationed here then I would back off. If Kurosaki still had his powers I would probably consider it, but that's not the reality. It's all just numbers to the Soul Society! At the end of the day if they save a good number of people they could care less about the people that died! I refuse to allow that outdate ideal to prevail that is not justice! I will continue to exterminate hollows in order to prevent as much casualties as I can! If the Central 46 do not like it then they can come and get me. I would rather die as someone who upheld his ideal of justice than to live my life as coward who didn't do something when he had the power to!"_

"_Ishida," Tatsuki uttered again. She had never seen him so passionate about anything before. He always kept a level head and always took things in stride. The fire in his eyes, the ferocity in his words, and drastic change in his reiatsu was awe inspiring._

_Urahara laughed at Ishida's response. "I thought you would say something like that. It would be wise for you to stop fighting hollows, but it's just not in your nature to let things go. In that regard you and Kurosaki-san are similar."_

"_Don't compare me to him!" Uryu shot back. He hated when people made baseless claims about similarities between him and Kurosaki. He shared no similarities with that idiot!_

"_Easy, easy, Ishida-san," Urahara said. He forgot that Ichigo and Uryu hated to be compared to one another. It still amused him how similar their relationship was to the one that their fathers shared. "You want to fight hollows than do it my way."_

_The hostile atmosphere around Uryu evaporated leaving only misunderstanding. "What do you mean by fighting your way?"_

_The shop owner smiled mischievously at Ishida. "Here take this." He pulled out what looked to be a cell phone. He threw it to Ishida who caught it. Upon getting it the quincy started to examine it. "It's a cellphone. Haven't you ever seen one before?" He mocked._

_Anger returned to the glasses cladded man. "Of course I've seen a cellphone!"_

"_Consider it my gift to you," Urahara continued as though Ishida did not say anything._

"_A gift?" _

"_I'll try to set something up with Soul Society, until then I want you to promise me that you will not exterminate hollows unless you absolutely need to. Do I have your word?"_

"_I'll consider it," Uryu said plainly._

_Urahara sighed. "I guess that is the best I can hope for. Keep this on you at all times. I'll call you with more information."_

_He took another look at the phone before he pocketed. "Why are you helping me, Urahara-san? You may not be with the Soul Society, but you understand that my exterminating hollows threaten the balance. Wasn't that the reason you opposed Aizen?"_

"_Consider it as my attempt to build a better relationship between the shinigami and quincy. I owe you four a lot. I've asked so much of you all and put you in so much danger, yet you continue to not only meet those dangers, but defeat them. Trust me this is the least I can do." The blond curved his lips into a small sincere smile. _

_Uryu returned the smile._

He didn't know what exactly Urahara had planned. Could the man really convince the Soul Society to back off and allow him to fight hollows? The shop owner did play a major part in Aizen's downfall and saving the Soul King, but it was also his Hogyoku that caused the problem to begin with. However if anyone could convince the new Central 46 it was Urahara.

'_Perhaps he can convince them,' _thought the quincy. Ochi-sensei's review was over. Now she would lecture some new. He had to turn his brain on and prepare to write down more notes.

* * *

"I have to stay afterschool to make up this exam," Ichigo reminded Orihime for about the tenth time (she actually counted).

Orihime nodded her head slightly amused by how he fretted over her. "I know, Kurosaki-kun."

Class had just ended. Ichigo was walking Orihime out of school before he went back to his class to take his make-up exam. They were walking through the hallway along with the rest of their fellow students.

"Are you sure Tatsuki can walk home with you? She's been pretty busy lately," he started worrying again.

"Yes she can walk me home," Orihime said in the same amused tone as before.

Ichigo noticed Orihime couldn't keep a straight face. He couldn't blame her after all he was acting like a worried hen. Ichigo couldn't help it though it was his nature to protect people he loved. "You sure you don't want to wait for me. I'll work fast…."

"Kurosaki-kun, you were the one who said you didn't want me waiting around for you," she reminded.

"Yeah I know, but…."

"I'll be fine, besides it gives me time to catch up with Tatsuki-chan," she cheered. Ichigo still looked uneasy about the idea of letting her walk home without him. Orihime took some joy in the fact that he was so concerned over her. That didn't mean she wanted him to completely shut down whenever she wasn't around him. "Tatsuki-chan would never let anything happen to me. I am not as helpless as you think I am."

"I know you aren't helpless. It's just that I feel uneasy when you aren't around."

"What?" she asked in a stunned voice.

"I feel uneasy when you aren't around," he repeated nonchalantly.

"Really?" she asked in touched voice.

Ichigo didn't see what the big deal was. The girl was kidnapped and psychologically tortured into having nightmares eight weeks ago. She attracted danger for some reason. Yeah he felt uneasy when she wasn't around. Now that he couldn't even sense her reiatsu he was in the dark about her whereabouts even more. Ichigo was glad she decided to stay at his place until her nightmares ended. At least now he would know she was safe. "Yes really," he replied.

For whatever reason Inoue saw it fit to reward him with his smile. Ichigo took solace from it as usual. God he loved that smile. If Inoue gave him his smile every time he said he felt uneasy without her around he would make it a point to say it more often. And she was still flashing him that smile.

"Oh hey there goes Ishida-kun." Orihime pointed to Ichigo's right.

The ex-substitute turned around to see the quincy getting ready to depart from the school. An idea formed into his orange head. _'Ishida can walk home with Inoue and Tatsuki. I know she's safe from normal people with Tatsuki, but with Ishida I know she is safe from hollows.' _"Yo, Ishida!" he called out.

Uryu turned to the direction of two of his friends. He threw his right hand up in a wave before walking over to them. "Inoue-san, Kurosaki," Uryu greeted.

"Hello, Ishida-kun," Orihime greeted brightly.

Uryu turned his attention to Ichigo. "I thought you had a make-up exam?"

"I do, but I am walking Inoue out to meet Tatsuki. Hey what are you doing right now?"

"I am about to go home. Why?"

"Nothing I was just thinking since you are walking home that maybe you and the girls could walk together." Ichigo hoped that his smart friend would pick up the hint.

Uryu couldn't believe how transparent Kurosaki was being. He might as well have just asked him directly to walk Inoue-san home. "That sounds like a good idea." He just realized how fake he sounded. Inoue-san probably saw right through their act.

"Hey, you don't mind if Ishida walks with you guys do you?" Ichigo directed his question to the healer.

Kurosaki-kun was unbelievably transparent. He couldn't walk her home, so he got Ishida-kun to do it. If it put his mind at ease she would not object to it. He needed to be focused on that exam so he would pass it. "Of course I don't mind. Ishida-kun could actually walk me out, so you can go back to the classroom."

"No, I mean I don't mind."

"Kurosaki, I think I can handle walking out with Inoue-san. Worry about your make-up exam," Uryu stated.

Ichigo was about to argue when Inoue grabbed Ishida's hand and pulled him away from him. "Bye, Kurosaki-kun see you later! Good luck on your exam!" She waved him off before she and Ishida walked away in no time they were out of sight.

Suddenly this didn't seem like a good idea. Orihime was actually touching him for one thing and Ishida was a little too eager to walk her out of the school. Seeing Inoue's hand on Ishida's made his stomach boil, but it wasn't exactly anger it was more like it hurt. Ichigo wasn't sure what this emotion was, but unlike the other new one he had been feeling this one was definitely one he could do without. The ex-substitute glared at the hallway one last time before he left for the exam.

* * *

**That's right Ichigo is feeling his first pang of jealousy. Too bad he doesn't know it yet. I figure we've seen jealous Orihime so wouldn't it be fun to see jealous Ichigo. It is known fact that Uryu has a soft spot for Orihime; even someone like Ichigo would notice that. I am sure a part of him would be a little bothered by it in this universe. Uryu and Urahara meeting is revealed, which is just another attempt to connect this story to the cannon. I am sure the manga readers know what I am talking about. Nypsy I haven't forgotten your question. Honestly I have no idea if I am pairing Uryu and Tatsuki. Looking back on past chapters I do seem to have set that up as a possibility. I am not sure if I will do it or not though at the moment. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and remember next week will be no chapter. Next time will be two weeks from now. **


	12. The Lost Pride of the Shinigami

****

I am back from my break and I have a new chapter! Now that the anime has shown the conclusion to the battle with Aizen I think most of the spoilers for this story should be over (unless you are a dub watcher that is). I am proud of this chapter, but I think I made Ichigo and Orihime slightly out of character. I like to think that if they do come across as slightly out of character it is for the sake of the plot and because I think its natural growth for both characters. I know I have not set up an exact time frame. At best I have said that the school term is close to ending for Ichigo and company. In this summary I decided to tell you guys straight out. This chapter is set mid-December, the term is nearly over. It's about two weeks left in the school term to be exact before winter break and of course Christmas. Cough….cough…Christmas chapter….cough coming up…cough….

**This chapter is centered on the Kurosaki family, in fact none of the other characters besides the Kurosaki Clinic residents. This chapter is serious/drama based one, there isn't much comedy in this one. There is some fluff in it though. I hope you enjoy it. To refresh people's minds:**

'_thoughts'_

"_flashbacks"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All the characters belong to Tite Kubo. I admit I am liking the latest arc in the manga for centering on the Kurosaki Four (my name for Ichigo's group). Thanks for bringing them back into the story Kubo.**

* * *

"Hey, I'm home!" called Ichigo. The ex-substitute had just returned home after taking yet another make-up exam. He pulled off his shoes before walking through the living room. Surprisingly his father did not greet him with one of his sneak attacks. That meant that his father was either not there or he was busy working in the clinic. "Yo, is anyone here?" he called out again.

"Onii-chan, we are in the kitchen!" replied the unmistakable voice of Yuzu.

He made his way to the kitchen. Ichigo wondered what was going on. It was not odd for Yuzu to be in the kitchen. She was usually finishing dinner about this time. Karin and his father were an entirely different matter. Karin usually hung around the living room or her shared room with Yuzu until dinner was ready. His father would either be in his study or lurking around waiting for Ichigo so that he could jump him (at least that was what Ichigo suspected him of doing). There was no way they would be eating dinner now. They usually waited for him before they did that. His curiosity was peaked at what his family was doing in the kitchen.

Ichigo entered the kitchen to find a most peculiar sight. Instead of finding Yuzu slaving over the oven as she was known for, he instead saw Yuzu sitting at the dining room table along with her counterpart Karin, and the Kurosaki clan's latest house guest, Inoue Orihime. His sisters had sheets of paper and books out. Yuzu was sitting right besides Orihime; the orange haired girl was leaning over to Yuzu's side. She was looking over what the light brown haired girl had written and was giving her advice. Karin sat across from them and she was writing something down.

"Are you two doing your homework?" he asked alerting the three girls to his presence.

Yuzu looked up from what she was doing and presented him with a bright smile. "Hello, Onii-chan!" she greeted happily.

"Yo," he greeted back to his youngest sister. He turned his attention to the black haired girl. In a rare moment Karin was not scowling or wearing her face neutrality. She also had a smile plastered on her face which was rare. "Hey, Karin." He gave her a quick wave.

Karin waved back at Ichigo. "Hey, Ichi-nii," she greeted with pep that was usually associated with her twin.

Ichigo found it odd. It was not like Karin had never been happy before and she was known for bursts of joy every now and then (especially when Ichigo returned home after being gone for periods of time). But seeing the girl cheery about doing homework?

"Welcome home, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo's eyes fell upon the healer. Her hazel eyes were glimmering content and untroubled. The bags under her eyes were becoming less noticeable. Her lips were curved into a small U shape smile that was customized specifically for him. His insides warmed up at the sight of the smile. "Hi, Inoue," he greeted back. Ichigo walked towards the table. "Hey you guys didn't answer my question." He took a seat next to Karin, pulling the chair out and sitting down. "Are you doing homework?" he repeated.

Karin replied, "Yuzu is doing homework."

"What are you doing then?" He pointed at the paper that Karin was writing on. "Looks like you are doing homework to me."

"I finished my homework already. This is a practice schedule I am making for football."

"Isn't the season almost over yet?" he asked.

Karin nodded. "We are nearing the end. There are only two games left, not counting the championship anyway."

Karin had started to play on a league sanctioned football team at the end of August before school started. She had a lot of fun playing with her friends, but she wanted to play at a more competitive level. Her friends were good, but Karin was clearly the best among them. The middle Kurosaki sibling wanted to see how she measured up against other skilled players so she joined a league. Ichigo had only seen a few of Karin's games mostly because he was busy trying to catch up with work and before that his activities in the Arrancar War. From what he actually saw he could tell that Karin enjoyed playing out there and was good. He was impressed. He never imagined that Karin was that good at the sport.

"How is your teaming doing anyway?"

"Eh, we are doing well. I mean we are one win away from making it to the championships."

"Really?" Ichigo asked in genuine surprise.

"Yeah, but if we lose are next game we are out. Our opponents have one more win than us, so if we lose to them even if we win the game after that and they lose their next game we still won't make it to the championships. This next game is really important. That's why I am making a schedule so I do not miss a practice."

"I'm sure you do fine," he said in his encouraging big brother voice. "I wouldn't sweat it too much."

"That's easy for you to say. It's not like you are on a team or anything."

He chose to ignore her comment. Ichigo decided to take an interest in his nicer and more well-mannered sister. "What are you working on, Yuzu?"

The youngest Kurosaki sibling's face broke into a pout. "I am doing Math or trying to anyway."

Unlike Ichigo, Yuzu was not skilled in math. She struggled with it from time to time, but she never let it get her down. In fact she received favorable scores in the subject, proving that hard work and determination can get one through the most difficult challenges. Yuzu studied particularly hard in Math in order to make up for her difficulties with the subject. Whenever he had the time Ichigo would help her with her homework. However like with Karin his current situation made it difficult for him to be there for her. It was good thing she had been getting help at school and judging from what he saw right now Yuzu had found an appropriate replacement tutor for home.

"At least you have Inoue's help."

Yuzu's pout quickly dissipated at the mention of Inoue's name. Her normal sunny disposition emerged. "Orihime-chan has been a lot of help. This chapter was so hard for me to grasp too. I am very fortunate that she was here to help me. Things are making more sense."

Orihime's face brightened this time. "I am glad that I am helping you. I wasn't sure if I was clarifying things for you."

"Are you kidding me? Before you started helping me I was stuck on the first problem, totally lost. Not only am I nearly done with the homework, but I have a better understanding of it. You helped me out a lot, Orihime-chan," Yuzu said.

Overcome with modesty the goddess smiled bashfully. "You are underestimating yourself. I only helped you with a few problems. You are the one who is learning what I am showing you though."

Yuzu respectfully disagreed. "Orihime-chan, you are the one who is underestimating yourself. You contributed to my comprehension a good deal as well," she insisted.

Ichigo joined the conversation. "Quit being modest," he told the orange haired woman. "You are a great study partner and I would know with all the help you have given me."

The bashful Orihime reluctantly accepted their praise. "How did your exam go?" She asked him partly to take the attention away from herself while the other larger part was genuinely interested in his results. Ichigo's sisters were also interested. They took their attention away from their projects and put them on their brother.

He let out a groan. "That exam was incredibly long and tedious. I swear Ochi-sensei is only giving me these special exams to punish me for missing so much school," he complained.

"But how do you think you did?" Orihime asked again. He was rambling on about how boring it was rather how he did. Hopefully this was not a sign to how well he done.

"Most of it was pretty easy," he said nonchalantly.

Orihime let out a sigh of relief. "That was your sixth exam right?" The orange haired boy replied with a nod. "That means you only have four more left. That's good news!" she exclaimed.

Ichigo did not share her sentiments. "I only have four exams left, but only two weeks left until the term ends. Really only one week considering we will be taking finals a week after next." He sighed in aggravation. No matter how he sliced it Ichigo was in trouble. Four more exams and then he still had to study for his normal final exams. He cursed himself for being so relaxed about taking the makeup exams. He was foolish for worrying more about his makeup homework. In hindsight the exams were the bigger problem. He had a load of homework to do, but he could have turned that in up until the last day of finals. If he had taken out his exams first he could have crammed his homework the last few weeks.

Sensing his depression Orihime made it her mission to lift the former vizard's spirits. "Look on the bright side. It's only Monday and you have four more days to do more exams. Also Ochi-sensei said that since time was becoming more pressed that she would allow you to start taking exams on Saturdays. You are taking another exam tomorrow and if we study hard we can get you ready for another exam by Friday or Saturday. That leaves only two more exams in the next two weeks." She put on her steely and hard (for her anyway) determined face on.

"Do you really think I can get ready for another exam this week though? It took us all weekend just to study all the material for today's exam and the one I'm taking tomorrow."

Orihime's face did not falter. "I believe in you, Kurosaki-kun. Once you put your mind to something and put all of your heart into it there is nothing you can't do." Unconsciously she placed her hands on top of Ichigo's.

He looked up as soon as he felt her touch. When his chocolate colored eyes caught sight of her he saw the sincerity and encouragement in her hazel colored eyes. Like she did almost three months ago when he battled the sexta Espada, Grimmjow Inoue had renewed his strength with her words. Ichigo once again found himself giving into the despair of his bleak situation and Orihime rescued him from himself. If she had so much confidence in him than there was certainly no excuse for him not to have any in himself.

His lips cracked into his tastefully small smile that somehow conveyed determination and reassurance. "I guess you are right. I just need to study a little harder. Thanks, Inoue."

Her face fell into confusion. "For what?" she questioned.

Ichigo elaborated, "For encouraging me. I needed that."

The healer's smile returned, even larger than it was before. Making Kurosaki-kun feel better about himself was the least she could do after everything he had done for her. His talking to her about her problems, protecting her, inviting her over to his home, and being her pillar of strength. Her grip on Ichigo's hands tightened. The pair failed to notice the beaming faces of Karin and Yuzu. After a few more seconds of staring at each other, they let go of each other's hands. Their gazes continued to linger on one another.

Ichigo started to speak again. "I better start my homework." He got up from the table.

"I can help you if you want," Orihime spoke up.

Ichigo shook his head. "It's fine. You are helping Yuzu. I can manage on my own. I am sure you want a chance to relax on your own for a change."

"I don't mind. After I finish helping Yuzu-chan I can help you," she insisted.

"If that's what you want to do." There no point in trying to deter Inoue if she wanted to help him. If he learned anything about that girl in the last ten weeks it was that she was stubborn when she set her mind on something. It was not like he could fault her for that. He was also known for being stubborn in his own right. It was just one of the many similarities that he was finding out they shared. "Just don't push yourself trying to help both Yuzu and me. If you need a break before you help me take one." Seeing her acknowledging his concern with a light nod he left for his room.

Orihime continued to stare at the spot Ichigo stood a fact that had not gone unnoticed by the Kurosaki sisters. "Orihime-chan, you like my Onii-chan don't you?" Yuzu asked bluntly.

The healer's face went crimson red. Her hazel eyes widened in terror. "Eh," she squealed. Yuzu couldn't help, but smile at the beautiful healer's reaction. Even Karin had to crack a smile at Orihime's petrified state. "Of course I like your brother! I mean we are friends! Why wouldn't I like him?" she started blurting out.

Karin stopped her before she started talking beyond her ability to comprehend. "She means that you like him as more than just a friend."

Orihime stopped her blabbering. Her face continued to burn and her opinion it started to burn more intensely; at least that's how she felt on the inside. Her stomach was uneasy most likely the work of the mutant butterflies. She didn't know what to say. Kurosaki-kun's sisters knew about her feelings. Was she really that obvious? If they could pick up on it than how could their older brother not? No, this was fine. All she had to do was calm down. If she just controlled herself then she could play it off. "What would make you say that, Yuzu-chan?" Orihime tried to mask her uneasiness with curiosity as though this question came out of nowhere.

The light brown haired Kurosaki girl raised her eyebrows in disbelief. _'She really doesn't know how transparent she is,' _Yuzu thought. "The way you act around him."

"You look at him with this kind of fond and longing look," Karin added.

"And you are always blushing around him whenever he says something nice to you," Yuzu continued.

"Generally nearly everything you do around Ichigo is kind of a giveaway, Orihime-chan," Karin informed her.

"Ah," Orihime moaned in mortification. Her face fell into her hands. God she really was that transparent. This was humiliating, having Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan telling her that she wore her affections for their brother on her shoulder for the whole world to see. If they knew than the chances were that their father also knew of her feelings. That though alone was enough to make her squeal again. _'This is too much,' _she thought.

"Please don't be upset, Orihime-chan," Yuzu pleaded. "Onii-chan doesn't know about your feelings."

Karin snorted. "He's like the only one who doesn't see it. Honestly he's totally oblivious." Yuzunodded in agreement with her twin. They said love was blind, but that was for an entirely different reason then their brother's.

There was some light to this rather embarrassing situation. At least Kurosaki-kun did not know about her feelings. He was just oblivious which she wasn't entirely sure she should be happy about.

"Orihime-chan," Yuzu called bringing the healer out of her head.

"Hmm," she replied.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Um, sure," she said with uncertainty.

"Have you thought of telling my brother how you feel?"

"W-what?" she stuttered. Telling Ichigo how she feels about him! There was just no way she could. They were friends, just because she was in love with him did not mean that he shared the same feelings. If she told him how she felt he would reject her and that would create an awkward tension that would break away at their bond. Orihime never expected Ichigo to feel the same she did.

Long ago she decided to be content by watching him from afar. It was not until this year that she actually had real conversations with him and formed a bond. This past year had been unforgettable. Ichigo becoming a shinigami, seeing her brother Sora again, developing the ability to see ghosts and hollows, finding out that her fellow crafts club member, Ishida had spiritual powers, developing her own powers, befriending Kuchiki-san and Sado-kun, meeting Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san, going to the Soul Society, fighting in a war against Aizen, and now this. She never would have dreamed being so close to Kurosaki-kun when the year started. It was dream that seemed out of reach. But now look at her. Orihime was one of his best friends, a fact that he told her much to both her joy and sadness.

Could she honestly ask for more? Did she have the right to hope to be more than just his friend? She should be content with just being his friend and being able to stand by his side. Then there was the question that she often asked herself. What was his feeling for Rukia exactly? All this time she had spent with him they rarely if ever mentioned the raven haired shinigami. Orihime didn't have the courage to bring up Rukia herself and Ichigo was still trying to hide the fact that the loss of his shinigami powers and ability to see Rukia was not bothering him.

Part of Orihime still felt guilty about becoming so close to Ichigo after Rukia left. The other part felt ashamed that she felt jealousy towards the woman who became a second sister to her (the first being Tatsuki of course) even for an instant. She knew there was nothing wrong with it, well after some convincing from Tatsuki anyway. Orihime just couldn't change how she felt. It was a contributing factor for her decision to keep her feeling secret from Ichigo.

"I-I just couldn't," she answered.

Yuzu frowned at the red haired princess response. "Why not?"

"We are friends," she said as though it explained everything.

"But you want to be more than just friends," Karin stated.

"Not necessarily," she replied.

Both Kurosaki sisters urged her to elaborate with their stares. Yuzu was the one to voice their concern. "I don't understand. You like my brother, but do not want to be more than friends?"

"It's not that. It's just…." Orihime tried to put her thoughts together and explain her feelings to the twins. "….your brother and I have become really close. Much closer than I ever imagined we would be. I am content with just being his friend."

Yuzu couldn't believe her ears. How could Orihime become her sister if she was so passive? She was going to have to push Orihime there. "You should tell him. I mean you say you are fine with just being his friend, but what will you do if he shows interest in another girl?"

"I think he already does," Orihime muttered to herself.

"What did you say?" Yuzu asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"I agree with Yuzu. You should tell my brother how you feel. I mean you obviously have strong feelings for him. You shouldn't have to keep those feeling bottled up."

"Karin-chan," Orihime uttered in surprise. She never would have imagined that she would hear the middle Kurosaki sibling give her romantic advice. Not that she thought Yuzuwould give her any either. It was just between the two of them she would have thought Karin would careless about her brother's love life.

"Orihime-chan, you really care about him and he makes you happy. That seems like enough of a reason to risk it," Karin reasoned.

"I'm not sure."

"Karin is right. It's not unlikely that he shares your feelings," Yuzu said with encouragement.

Kurosaki-kun sharing her feelings, was that possible? No it couldn't be true. Only in her wildest dreams would she ever hope to obtain his heart. What they shared now was as good as she was going to get. That was alright with her as long as she got to stay by his side she did not care. At least that's what she kept telling herself. Her heart protested her brain's claim. It screamed at her that it wanted more than friendship with the man who had become her savior. "I don't think your brother feels the same way I do."

Yuzu vigorously shook her head. She was unwilling to accept the red haired princess' flippant attitude. "How do you know that? You said yourself that the two of you have become very close," she argued.

"Yes, but…."

"But nothing!" she interrupted the healer blatantly. Orihime jumped back slight. She was caught off guard by the younger girl's outburst. "You are underestimating yourself and my Onii-chan. There is absolutely no way he feels nothing for you!"

"Yuzu-chan," the healer said lamely.

Orihime was not the only surprised by Yuzu's uncharacteristic aggressive behavior. Karin observed her sister as though this was the first time she had met her. _'Yuzu must want Orihime-chan as our sister really badly. I have never seen her act like this before.'_

"Do you even know how much of an effect you have on Ichigo?" Yuzu continued. Orihime did not respond to the question. Instead she got this faraway almost lost look in her eyes. The light brown haired girl chose to ignore it. "He smiles more now. There is like this huge weight that has been lifted off his shoulders. Before he seemed really depressed about something and he would walk around here like he was only half alive. That's how he had been acting since he woke up from his comma. Now he seems happier and his eyes have so much life in them. I know that started to happen when he started becoming closer to you. Orihime-chan, you helped him get through whatever happened to him by just being there. That's why I know he has to feel something about you."

Orihime opened her mouth to speak, but words did not come out. She was unsure what to say to that. She knew that their talks had helped him a bit, but did not know they had such a profound effect on him. The Ichigo from ten weeks ago was certainly more depressed than the present one, but there was still a hole there. She could feel it. The mere mention of something from his old life and he would become withdrawn, even around her. She may have been helping Ichigo, but it was not to the extent that Yuzu believed it to be. Even if Yuzu was right and by some miracle that Kurosaki-kun felt something deeper than friendship for her it was because of one important thing.

'_If Kuchiki-san were here I doubt we would be as close as we are now. He would have confided in her rather than me.'_

"Orihime-chan," Karin called. She saw that the unusually perky woman had become unusually quiet and that worried her. Clearly there was more to this story than what she and Yuzu knew. It probably had something to do with her brother fighting monsters in those weird clothes and why she felt nothing from him now. "You don't have to tell him now. If you aren't ready to then that is your business."

"Karin!" her twin whined. Couldn't Karin see that she was busy insuring their future sister's addition into the family?

Karin ignored Yuzu and went on. "But I think Yuzu is right. Ichigo really does care about you. If you don't do anything eventually some other girl will make a move and you may end up regretting it," she warned.

"You two won't tell him?" she half asked and pleaded. Karin shook her head no, but Yuzu pouted. "Yuzu-chan," she started. The brown haired girl refused to look her in the eye. "Yuzu-chan, please," she pleaded again this time mustering all of her charm. Fortunately for her that this worked, Yuzu looked her in the eyes and nodded in agreement reluctantly.

"I won't tell. But please consider telling him yourself, Orihime-chan. We really like you for Ichigo," she confessed.

Orihime couldn't help, but smile at the younger girl's request. She had only been staying at the Kurosaki Clinic for two weeks, but she had grown attached to both Yuzu and Karin. Before dinner Orihime would help Yuzu by setting the table for her. She offered to cook, but Ichigo was very insistent about her not lifting a finger in the kitchen. He said that she was their guest and it would be rude of them to expect her to cook. She suspected the reason he wanted her out of the kitchen because he found her taste in dishes odd.

While Orihime set up the table she and Yuzu would talk about their lives. She would tell the maternal Kurosaki some of the things she did at school and how Tatsuki was doing. Yuzu told her about her school and how she was preparing to start junior high at the end of school year. Yuzu would then ask her questions about her own experience in junior high and what she herself could expect. Orihime would answer all of her questions and they would talk about what Ichigo deemed "girl things". Yuzu seemed to gravitate to her.

Karin was awkward around her at first, but after a few days of Orihime sleeping at the clinic and small conversations the two of them started to bond as well. One day last week when Ichigo was taking one of his make-up exams she and Tatsuki took Yuzu to one of Karin's practices. They had a fun time cheering for the second scowling Kurosaki. They did embarrass her, but she caught the hint of a smile on Karin's lips when she ran off to get the ball. When the practice ended the four girls went out for ice cream. After that day Karin had started opening up to her. She found out like Isshin and Ichigo she possessed the ability to see ghosts. Orihime admitted her own ability to see spirits and that opened up the door for their very unique conversations.

The healer may have confessed about being able to see spirits, but she did not tell Karin anything about Ichigo's double life. She suspected that Karin knew more than Kurosaki-kun realized. Karin would intentionally give these double meanings and or hints about things she should not know. One instance of this is when Karin asked her if she ever saw spirits in black robes. Another time she said there were times when she said Kurosaki-kun felt different, like something was missing. This was an obvious reference to his now missing reiatsu. Orihime was always able to steer the conversations away from shinigami and hollow talks. However she was unsure how much longer she could keep it up.

'_I really do need to talk to Kurosaki-kun about Karin-chan,' _she thought to herself. She adored the Kurosaki twins and valued their friendship. Deep down she knew they were just trying to help her. She just wasn't ready to tell Ichigo how she felt. One day perhaps, but that was not today. "I'll tell you what Yuzu-chan I will consider it, but I am just not ready to tell him. I am not sure if I ever will. Since it is important to both of you I will try though." That seemed to satisfy both girls. They presented her with their own smiles. The three of them returned to their activities.

* * *

Ichigo had just settled in his desk. His books were resting on his desk while a fresh sheet of blank lined paper was in front of him. Pencil was freshly sharpened and ready for action. He was just about to start on his homework when he came.

"What are you doing?" asked an annoying and familiar voice.

Ichigo groaned at the very sound of it. It would be just his luck that losing his shinigami powers would not entitle him to lose contact with Kon. "What does it look like I'm doing, Kon?" He didn't even make an attempt to hide his annoyance.

The lion plushy jumped onto the ex-substitute's shoulder. He wanted a closer look at what his friend/landlord/hated enemy was doing. Once he discovered that the orange haired boy was simply doing his homework he let out disappointed breath. "All you ever do is homework now. Geese you've gotten boring!" he complained.

"Excuse me for doing my homework so I don't have to repeat year. It's not like I am forcing you to stay here and watch me."

"No, but you are the only person in this house that I am actually allowed to talk to. I mean Yuzu and Karin just think I am stuffed animal and your dad he scares the hell out of me. Because you won't let me near Orihime-chan I am forced to sleep with Yuzu and endure the indignities of being dressed in women's clothing and hugged to death," he continued to whine.

Ichigo started his homework and was only half listening to the mod soul's complaints. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Life sucks for you. What do you want me to do about it?"

Kon growled at his roommate's lack of concern over his wellbeing. He at the very least worried about Ichigo. When he left for the Soul Society for weeks he had been worried sick about him. He didn't tell Ichigo this of course. He would lose what little power he had if the orange substitute knew that Kon actually cared about him. Kon hopped off his shoulder and onto the desk.

"Kon, I swear if you ruin this paper I will go down stairs and give you to Yuzu myself," he threatened.

"Oh, relax will you. I am not going to ruin your homework! Give me a little credit will you." He folded his little arms together and began to pout. "I wish Nee-san was still here. She was a lot more understanding than you. She also treated me better."

Ichigo snorted loudly. "Quit looking at the past through rose colored sun glasses, Kon. Rukia treated you horribly. She kicked you, punched you, and basically wanted nothing to do with you. I treat you better than she did and that's saying something."

Kon shook his head venomously. "Lies, all lies!" he shouted. Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I won't stand here and let you spread lies about Nee-san! She was wonderful and her presence here was the only shining light in my bleak life!"

Ichigo stared at Kon with a look mixed with disbelief and pity. "Kon, you really need to get a grip on yourself. Maybe tonight I'll hide you from Yuzu and let you sleep in my dad's office."

"Don't talk like I am crazy! It's been almost two months since we saw Nee-san! Unlike you I didn't get a proper goodbye! I miss her!"

"Settle down, Kon. Remember my sisters are down stairs."

The lion plushy jumped into the air and landed a kick on his cheek, causing Ichigo's head to turn slightly. "What's wrong with you?" he screamed.

"What's wrong with me?" he repeated angrily. He rubbed his cheek. The mod soul packed a bit of a punch or kick than he liked to admit to himself. Ichigo grabbed him by the head and slammed him into the desk.

"Ouch!" cried the mod soul.

"Shut up!" Ichigo screamed. Kon instantly shut up. "Do you think you are the only one who misses Rukia? Look I get it, Kon. You miss her and I am sorry she didn't say goodbye to you. But that doesn't give you the right to scream at me!"

"But you act like you don't even care."

"Of course I care! But the thing is Rukia is a shinigami and I am a human. I never should have met her to begin with. It was only a freak accident that I met her and became a shinigami in the first place. Before I met Rukia all I ever wanted to be was normal and not see spirits. Well I finally got my wish. I don't have any right to complain. The war is over, the Espada are gone, and Aizen is locked away. Now everything can return to normal."

"Ichigo, how can you be so heartless?" cried Kon.

Ichigo's annoyance grew into anger. How dare Kon call him heartless? This wasn't easy for him. Rukia had been his friend to. She literally changed his world and gave him the power to protect the people around him. Now he would never see her again. "What would you have me do? Sit here and whine about not seeing Rukia again? Complain about losing my shinigami powers?"

"I want you to acknowledge her and not pretend like she never existed!"

"It's hard ok! It's hard to talk about Rukia and act like everything is ok. I get it and maybe I am just avoiding the problem, but this is the only way I can deal with it. She's gone and we have to accept it Kon. My life as a shinigami is over." He paused. Ichigo went into bag and grabbed his old substitute badge. He just stared at it as though it were some foreign object. Memories of meeting the raven haired shinigami arose.

_He had tried to fight the hollow, but he was no match for it. It moved almost instantaneously and within seconds it closed the distance between them. His eyes widened in horror. He knew right there and then that he was going to be killed, eaten by that thing. He readied himself for death's embrace she got in its way. She took the attack meant for him at the cost of her mobility and much of her strength. All he could do was watch it happen._

"_Ha….ha….you….idiot," she breathed out. She collapsed onto her knees struggling to stay conscious. She succeeded in her task of remaining conscious too bad her body fell on the street. "I already told you that your power is no match for it! Or did you think that everything would be over if you gave him your soul to eat? Either way you are an idiot!"_

"_I'm sorry… I just…." He wasn't sure what he could say. He just wanted to protect his family like he always did. However he was powerless. This monster or hollow as she called it was just too much for him to ever hope to defeat. How could he ever have thought he could stop it? This wasn't some random street punk or some pussy gang member. This thing was an actual threat, it ate souls! How was he supposed to defeat that, by punching it?_

_She spoke again. "Do not worry about it is what I would like to say. Unfortunately I am no longer able to fight the hollow. Now all of us can only wait…until we become its food."_

_He stood there frozen in fear. 'It's all my fault! Everyone'll die!' he thought hopelessly._

"_Do you want to save your family?" she asked._

"_Is there a way to help them? Tell me!" he screamed in an urgent tone he was not known for._

"_There is a way. No to be exact I should say there is only one way." She lifted her sword and pointed it at him. "You become a shinigami!" she declared._

_He wondered if his face looked as lost as he felt on the inside. What the hell was that? Become a shinigami? That didn't make any sense at all. "Wha…What are you saying? How can I…."_

"_You can!" she interrupted him. "Pierce the middle of your chest with this zanpakuto and I will insert half of my shinigami power! That way you will attain the power of a shinigami temporarily and will be able to fight the hollow on equal terms!"_

"_Is it really ok to do something like that?" he asked._

"_I do not know. Of course this is a plan set up anticipating your high spiritual nature. The percentage of success is not high. If it fails you die! However there is no other way! There is no time to deliberate."_

_He was unsure what to do and then he heard Yuzu. She told him to run away because it was too dangerous. There no longer any doubt in his heart. In order to protect his family he would take this chance the mysterious shinigami woman offered him. If he didn't his family would die. If there was even a small chance of this working he could not pass it up. _

"_Give me your sword, shinigami! Let's give your idea a try!"_

_She looked at him with an amused look. "It is not shinigami. It is Kuchiki Rukia."_

"_I see. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Let's pray this doesn't become our last greeting, for both of us."_

_Rukia got off the ground and stood raising her sword in front of her. "The hollow's coming. If we don't hurry…."_

_He interrupted her by grabbing the hilt of her sword. "Let's do it," he said._

"_Yes," she agreed. _

_She stabbed him with her blade. This strange and overwhelming sensation rushed into his body. This power, this unbelievable power swelled inside of him and his body quickly took to it. It sucked all of it up as though it was second nature. A hole in his heart had finally been filled a hole that he never realized was there until now. He transformed, he now wore the same robes Rukia wore. He possessed a sword similar to Rukia's but much bigger. He was now a shinigami just like Rukia. On that day he obtained the power to protect those precious to him, the day the pendulum started to swing, the day he became a shinigami. _

Everything started on that day which felt so long ago, but in reality it was only months ago. "I'll never forget Rukia, Kon. I can promise you that at least." He put his badge back into his bag then started his homework.

* * *

Unbeknown to either Ichigo or Kon, Orihime was standing outside of the door. She had heard their conversation. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when she heard Kon mention Rukia she just couldn't open the door. Something stopped her from going in there. It turned out she was right all along, he was still hurting. He sounded miserable, miserable without Rukia. She couldn't replace Kuchiki-san in his heart. There was no way she could compete with the woman who he just declared he would never forget.

'_I can't tell him,' _she thought. The inadequacies and insecurities that she thought she had put behind her resurfaced. Why was she so surprised anyway? She told herself that he missed Rukia, she knew that much. She suspected his feeling for her were strong. So why did it still hurt so much to hear it said out loud?

'_I can't think about that now. I need to help him study, so he can pass his exams. That's what friends do. Cheer up, Orihime and get yourself in there!'_She put on her best determined expression on and opened the door and walked in. "Kurosaki-kun, I am here!" she announced.

He looked up from his paper with a smile plastered on his face. There was virtually no sign of his anger or sadness from a few minutes ago. "Hey, you got here pretty fast. I hope I didn't make you abandon Yuzu."

"Don't be silly. Yuzu-chan only had a few problems left when you came home. Now I can help you."

Ichigo shook his head in amusement. "I don't know how you can just jump into helping me after working with Yuzu. Don't you want some time to yourself?"

She shot him a look of confusion. Orihime was unsure what he trying to get at. "I like to help you and Yuzu-chan. It's really no bother to me at all."

How the girl before him could ever think she was selfish when she said stuff like that was beyond his comprehension. There was another thing he was thankful to Rukia for. If he never became a shinigami he probably never would have gotten close to Inoue. That thought scared him. To think that there was a life were he didn't know this amazing and selfless girl. Inoue had become a focal point in his life just as Rukia had. It was hard to not have Rukia around anymore and to think he would never see her again, but somehow Inoue made it bearable. Whenever he was around her he found himself thinking less and less about his lost shinigami powers and how much he missed Rukia. Her presence quelled his sorrow.

"Orihime-chan!" screamed Kon in rejoice. He leaped at the healer, aiming for bountiful chest. However he was intercepted by Ichigo. "What's the big idea, Ichigo?"

He pulled Kon towards him. "Kon, you weren't thinking of grabbing Inoue's breasts were you?" His tone was low and menacing.

Kon gulped. If looks could kill the glare Ichigo was giving him would have done him in five times. The frightening part was how Ichigo stroked his head, petting him. Since Orihime's first day at their place Ichigo learned from his mistake. Inoue may have opposed his outright violent approach to Kon, but if he disguised it he could get away with it. The last two weeks whenever he tried to get in between Orihime's glorious mounds as he referred to them he found Ichigo standing in his way. He threatened the poor mod soul with a glare to scare him off. On the days Kon was insistent Ichigo would simply smile and stroke his mane. To Orihime it would seem like they were getting along, but the orange haired boy would whisper so many dangerous threats. It made him turn white from fear.

Ichigo's hand was brushing his head told its tale. It said that he would kill him if he so much as looked at healer. Another gulp escaped him. "N-No," he finally answered.

His lips curved into a huge smile. The brown eyes became lighter and more relaxed. Ironically this only made Kon feel more terror. "That's good to hear, Kon," he said loudly enough for the red haired princess to hear. "I'm so glad that you are having fun in Yuzu and Karin's room. Maybe it can become a permanent thing."

Kon understood what he meant. If his stomach was real it would be churning right now. "Please, no," he whispered. "I'll leave right now if you promise me that won't happen."

"You have to leave now," Ichigo said in the same loud voice as before. "Ok then. You got it."

Kon sighed in relief. He jumped out of Ichigo's hands and went to the door without so much as looking at Orihime.

"Bye, Kon," she said in a hurry before he was out of sight. She wondered why he was always in such hurry when she entered the room. "Kurosaki-kun, why is he leaving?"

"No idea really," he lied. Orihime gave him an expression that conveyed her confusion. She quickly wiped it off her face and sat on his bed. At this point it was her bed as well. When Orihime started sleeping over at their house Ichigo gave her his bed although she did protest at first. He would not take no for an answer and so she had to accept his bed. At the foot of the bed lied a sleeping bag. That was what he was sleeping in. Because of Orihime's nightmares and their frequency they thought it would be best for him to sleep in the same room as her.

The arrangement worked well. Ichigo was close enough to Orihime that whenever she had a nightmare he was already up and ready to comfort her. The sleeping bag stopped any claims or insinuations that they were doing anything else other than sleeping. It also helped to avoid any more mortifying situations like the one they were in weeks ago. Since that day Ichigo made it a point to not fall asleep on that mattress while Inoue was on it. Of course that was not to say he didn't lie with her on occasions that she asked him to when she had a particularly bad nightmare. What was he supposed to do? Tell her no and leave her on her own? That defeated the purpose of having her stay with them.

However those occasions were rare. In the two weeks she stayed over, not counting her first night, Inoue had asked him to lie with her twice. One time was last week and the second time was actually the night before. Since he was careful not fall asleep again that meant he was awake for about 20 minutes or to an hour depending on when she fell asleep. All in all Ichigo had no real complaints. It gave his back a rest from sleeping on the floor. In fact he found himself starting to become accustomed to lying beside the pure hearted healer.

There was this moment last night when he was waiting for her to go to sleep that her foot brushed his. Inoue being well Inoue started to feverishly apologize to him. Of course he had to calm her down. She thanked him for what could have easily been the hundredth time for letting her stay there. Ichigo told her it was no problem. It was then he noticed that she shivering and on instinct he wrapped his arms around her to warm her up. It took him about five seconds to realize what he did.

His heart was beating so fiercely against his chest that night. It was miracle it didn't bust out of his chest. He scrambled to release her, but her hands locked his in. She pleaded for him to not move and just to hold her until she went to sleep. The crimson shade blanketed Ichigo's face, but he agreed to her request none the less. That night he discovered that he enjoyed having Inoue's body up against his own. The enchanting scent he had discovered that radiated from her hair was still strong that late. He found himself stealing whiffs of her hair that night. He didn't mean to. It just happened.

He must have held her for an hour. When he found that she was asleep he just did not want to let her go. Ichigo remained in his bed for about minute before he found the strength to let go off the goddess and returned to his sleeping bag. It was disturbing how attached he was becoming to Inoue. However he found himself welcoming this attachment rather than rejecting it.

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime spoke up.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Before we get started do you want to talk?"

"Talk," he repeated. "Talk, about what?" he asked.

"Um, you know talk about anything. Like if something is bothering you or something." Subtlety was never one of strong suits. It was so similar to deceit which is probably why she was bad at it.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly. He suspected that she had heard his argument with Kon. "Not really. Is there anything you want to talk about?" he redirected the question.

Her lips curled into upside down U shape. He was hiding his sadness from her. Despite all of his speeches about keeping him in to her he did not feel the same way about keeping her in. He told her so much, so why did he have to keep this hidden from her? "I heard what you and Kon were talking about." If she was going to get anywhere with Kurosaki-kun she had to be honest.

Ichigo said nothing. _'She heard that after all.' _

"Do you want to talk about it?" she tried again.

Ichigo closed his eyes and gave off his best aloof expression. "It's nothing really. Kon misses Rukia and thinks I am not dealing with it." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's his problem…."

"He's right," she interrupted him. "I don't think you are dealing with it. I can tell that you are really bothered by her leaving and about losing your powers."

"I don't know what you are talking about. I am perfectly fine," he denied. That was untrue and they both knew it. He just couldn't tell Inoue about this. She had her own problems which were far more pressing than Ichigo's own problems. It didn't seem right to bitch to her about feeling helpless when Inoue was scared from her time in Hueco Mundo. "Inoue, I promise you I am fine." To prove his point he put his hand over her's. To his surprise she quickly pulled it away. He was visibly hurt by her reaction. "Inoue," he cried helplessly.

"I can't believe you would lie to me like that." She was straining to keep her voice together. Orihime saw the hurt in his eyes when she pulled away from him, but she was hurting to. He was pushing her away the same way she did to him weeks ago.

"I'm not lying to you."

"You just did it again!" she cried.

He groaned. When did she become so, so argumentative? Everything was perfect between them. All the secrets that had separated them were gone. _'Except the ones you are keeping from her,' _his subconscious told him.

Orihime continued, "You once told me that not to push you away when I was hurt. Now I am asking you to do the same for me. Let me be there for you when you need it." Her voice was soft yet it held its own force in it.

He recognized that look in her eyes. It was a look that he himself had when he was determined to achieve his goals. The roaring fire in the brown spheres burned with an unrivaled by any tangible flame. Her voice may have sounded weak, but it was anything but that. Ichigo could hear the tremendous inner strength the woman possessed in it. This inner strength had allowed her to survive her horrible ordeal with Aizen.

He felt like such an ass for lying to her face. He just didn't want her worrying about him. "Inoue, look I really don't want to talk about this."

Normally she would have dropped it and just let him come to her when he was ready, but it had nearly been two months now and he showed no signs of coming to her. It was pretty obvious at this point that Ichigo had no attentions of telling her. She returned her hand to his larger one. He looked up to see her staring at him with her dazzling and guard destroying, puppy dog eyes. "I can't let this go, because I can't stand seeing you in pain," she admitted.

'_That sounds familiar,' _he thought humorously. _'We really are too similar.' _

"I miss Kuchiki-san too," she revealed.

He looked up in surprise. She never mentioned Rukia to him at least. _'Probably because she knew it would bring up bad memories dumbass,' _he scolded himself.

"It's alright to miss her."

Ichigo just turned away from her. "No it's not ok. I shouldn't be sad. Everything is going great. Everyone is alive and well. Karakura Town is safe and sound. I am normal now. I can live my life without having to worry about fighting hollows or seeing ghosts, helping spirits cross over. It's what I've always wanted! Ever since I was little I would dream about a life were I could not see spirits. I use to wish for it. I have what I wanted for so long, so I should be happy."

He felt the grip on his hand tighten. This forced him to look back into the alluring brown eyes of the healer. "But you aren't happy; at least you are not happy about losing your shinigami powers and Kuchiki-san."

"Damn it, I don't know why! I never even wanted to be a shinigami. I only did it to save my family. I only continued to be one because Rukia forced me to do her job and gradually I guess I started to like being one. Somewhere down the line I became proud of being a shinigami, proud that I had the power to protect everyone I cared about. I was proud of the fact that I would never be helpless to save anyone I loved ever again."

"It's ok to have been proud of being a shinigami."

He shook his head in disagreement. "It's stupid. Now that Aizen is gone and everything is settled I should be happy with normal life. I certainly can't complain, especially considering your situation."

"What do you mean by that?" She wasn't offended and her voice did not contain any snide or dislike in it. She was curious in what he meant.

"I was so self-absorbed weeks ago that I didn't even notice how bad you were suffering. All I did was complain about my problems and talk to you about how I felt, but I never once asked you how you were feeling." Ichigo tooka deep breath before continuing. "I just couldn't talk to you about this. I wanted to be there for you for a change. I felt like if I talked to you about that we would be focused on that and we would overlook your problems. I wanted to protect you," he quoted his personal mantra.

She couldn't help, but to smile. "I love that you want to protect me, but you can't always put me above yourself. Please don't ever feel like you have to hide how you are feeling from me. There are times when I want to protect you."

"You want to protect me," he repeated lamely. It was odd hearing someone tell him that.

"Please lean on me sometimes," she continued.

"But I don't want to be selfish," he admitted.

"You don't have to be selfish. Sometimes admitting we need help does not make us selfish. Keeping things bottled up to ourselves and pushing away the people around us can be selfish though. Kurosaki-kun, you are always there for others, but you cut us off from you. Don't make yourself martyr."

"You really think I am making myself a martyr?" he asked. He found the comparison amusing because there was some truth to it.

"Yes," she answered truthfully. "You don't have to talk to me today. I just don't want you to shut down your emotions anymore. I really do hate seeing you so unhappy. I want you to promise me that." If she got him to promise her than she knew he would tell her. Kurosaki-kun kept his promises no matter what. He had never broken one to her, not yet.

This woman was really something else. Inoue seemed to always know what he needed. She gave him space when he needed it, she became his confidant when he needed someone to listen to him, she became a source of strength from which he learned to draw upon, and she the one keeping him together. He couldn't look away from her. "I can't promise I will tell you everything. I certainly can't promise everything will change suddenly. What I can promise you is that I will try."

His chocolate eyes met her hazel eyes. The connection they had formed opened up fully. He used it to will his intentions to her and his desire to open up to her. "I promise to try," he repeated. There it was his smile on her face.

"That's all I can ask for," she stated. Her gaze lingered on to his. She was unwilling to let go of his hand. It may have been wishful thinking, but she thought he felt the same way. _'Stop getting your hopes up, we are just friends. I don't see that changing anytime soon.'_

Ichigo did share Orihime's desire. He was stunned by how in tune she was with him. The orange haired woman sitting across from him was beautiful in both body and spirit. She made it her mission in life to lift the spirit of others even when she felt like crying herself. He admired those things about her; no he loved those things about her. That's when he came to a realization. All the feelings of nausea he got, the desire to be around her, his protective nature of her, the way he savored her aroma, the way he could never get enough of her smiles. He now knew the answer to Zangetsu's question.

'_I have feelings for Inoue.'_

* * *

**Yes I ended it abruptly, but I wanted to end the chapter on Ichigo's realization. I based Ichigo's realization of his feelings for Orihime on my experience. This girl knew for a while and we were close and I was just talking to her and out of nowhere just realized I liked her. Ichigo seemed like the type of person who just would realize his feelings out of blue like that especially after the conversation he just had with her. I made Orihime a bit more forceful then what we normal see, but it felt right. She's been waiting for him to come to her and he is avoiding the problem. I think she would try to get him to open up and when that failed she would comfort him about it, sort like an intervention. I would like to think Orihime would actually do something like this if Ichigo really hurting and shut himself off to everyone. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. **


	13. Source of My Strength

**This chapter will have an actual fight in it. This idea just came to me and after reading the latest chapter in Bleach it reinforced the idea in my head. The battle is not really long and I could probably improve on the descriptions. That being said the fight isn't that important to this chapter. There is humor in it, some fluff, and some action. If you liked Ichigo being jealous in chapter 11 you'll be happy to know he experiences the emotion again in this one. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

It was a bleak and freezing day in the small town of Karakura. The streets were littered with ice, the sidewalks covered in colorless snow, and the trees were being brought to their knees by the might of the wind. There was no mistaking it now. Autumn had finally passed away and winter had set itself in. It was criminal to have anyone travel in this weather or it should have been. Unfortunately for the students of Karakura High they had to journey to their school grounds in this snow storm. They had to leave their warm and snuggly beds and brave the treacherous elements and what was their reward? Their reward was to sit in class and listen to another lecture from their teachers; fighting just to remain conscious. Life was incredibly fair right?

What could have made this day any worse you ask? How about the fact that the students only had one more week until their finals started? Yes, that would indeed make this worse. The poor students in Ochi-sensei's class were enduring that torture as we speak. The only saving grace for the students was that the incredibly long, head banging, and brain explosive day was nearly over. Well the day was nearly over for most of them, however for Kurosaki Ichigo the day was far from over.

The orange haired boy had his head on his desk trying to go over everything he had studied the previous day. Today was it, today was the day of his last makeup exam. After weeks and weeks of studying, making note cards, doing makeup homework, making up songs (part of Inoue's study method), and essentially giving up his entire social life the ex-substitute had finally reached the end of his hectic work load. When he realized that this was indeed the end this morning he nearly wept openly. He reframed from actually doing so as to not worry Inoue and because it was him. He didn't cry. That morning was probably one of the happiest ones he had in a while.

His family had taken notice to his "odd behavior" as they deemed it. Ichigo only beat Isshin a little after his father had jumped him at the dining room table. He didn't scowl even once during their meal and he made conversations with his sisters about the events of their lives. The cheery Ichigo scared the living hell out of everyone at the table. Isshin stated that he wasn't his son and that the real Ichigo had been replaced. Yuzu took his temperature to see if he was well. Karin bluntly told him to stop creeping all of them out and to go back to the old scowling Ichigo. Even Inoue was a little disturbed by Ichigo's unusual behavior this morning. To her credit she tried to calm down his family and get them to embrace Ichigo's new disposition.

His sunny disposition lasted until his breakfast ended and he realized that this was his last makeup exam, meaning if he did bad on this it could potentially screw up the rest of his grade. The infamous Kurosaki scowl made its return much to his father's joy. He tried to hug Ichigo and exclaimed "you really are my son" as he jumped at him. With his good mood gone Ichigo proceeded to beat his father to a near death state. The girls had to scream at him to stop. Yuzu scolded him while Inoue gave him a disappointed glare. His day went from great to horrible in the course of thirty minutes.

Then he had to make the trek into this freezing weather. Keigo wouldn't shut up so he could hardly go over any material in his head during their walk to school. When they got to school Ochi-sensei had to give them one large review for finals which normally would have been a good thing. Today of course it was the worst thing. The orange haired boy was busy taking notes and recalling and retaining as much information as possible. Ichigo was juggling the material for his final makeup exam and Ochi-sensei's review. It was becoming pretty difficult to separate the two.

Lunch time was no better. Because it was snowing that meant their favorite lunch spot the roof was out for their little gang to eat at. They were forced to eat in classroom along with their other classmates. Trying to study in a noisy classroom full of students was near impossible despite his friends' best efforts. Ishida tried to quiz him, but they both gave up within the first five minutes. Ichigo could barely hear Ishida's questioning and Ishida in turn could not hear his answers. Keigo to his credit did not say a word to Ichigo and instead talked to Mizuiro and Chad a little ways away from him. Ichigo couldn't even hear that loud annoying voice that he had grown accustomed to in the last three years.

He really appreciated Keigo's attempt to help. Despite having their complaints with one another Ichigo knew that he could depend on Keigo when it really counted, such as today. Chad and Mizuiro tried their hand in helping him by keeping Keigo occupied so he could actually reframe from speaking to Ichigo. Keigo had good intentions, but sometimes you need help from your other friends to actually act on it. Perhaps what was one of the most annoying things about lunch today was that Inoue didn't get to eat with him today.

Ever since her break down in class weeks ago the healer and Tatsuki had been having lunch with Ichigo and the others. Their group adjusted once again as it did with Rukia and Ishida when they started having lunch with them. It felt like they had always had lunch with Inoue and Tatsuki. Tatsuki proved to be a valuable ally in keeping Keigo from getting too far out of control. She was one of the few women who could resist Mizuiro's charm. Every time he tried to flirt with her she would shoot him down. Surprisingly neither Mizuiro nor Tatsuki had any ill emotions towards one another. Mizuiro brushed away Tatsuki's jabs and Tatsuki did not let the flirting bother her. They seemed to bond by taking jabs at Keigo much to latter's displeasure. She seemed to get along with Ishida and Chad as well.

Inoue of course blended in with them with no problems. He was not surprised. Ichigo, Ishida, Inoue, and Chad had formed a close bond because of all the battles they fought together. She and Chad got along very well. But he expected as much considering the two of them originally trained under Yoruichi-san when their powers first developed. During that time they must have formed their own friendship. Ishida had the crafts club with Inoue and they traveled together in the Soul Society so that friendship was cemented. Keigo's hyperactive personality seemed to naturally connect with Inoue's own happy go and hyper personality. Mizuiro being the ladies' man he was got along well with her. They did try to flirt with Inoue every now and then. Ichigo would discourage them with a glare. He loved Keigo and Mizuiro they were two of his best friends, but he would be damn if allowed them to hit on Inoue.

Inoue came over to eat with him when the girls ambushed her. They begged her to eat with them since it had been weeks since she had. She looked reluctant, but ultimately agreed. She gave him a quick smile before leaving to join the other girls. His heart sank a bit when he saw Inoue walk away from him. It was stupid and selfish. He saw her all the time at school, lunch, and even at home. Her friends rarely got see her anymore with exception of Tatsuki. It was reasonable that they would want to have lunch with her today. He should have accepted that and been happy for her. He would be lying if he said he was actually happy for her though.

It wasn't that he only wanted her to spend time with him. He was just having a bad day and a part of him thought that if he got see her or talk to her that it would turn everything around for him. When she did not come he took it as a sign that his luck would not change anytime soon. Lunch ended without him achieving any kind of success. Now here he was sitting in this classroom for another two hours. The ex-substitute was just trying to go over everything he could remember and read some of the notes he and Inoue took last week.

'_Man this is hopeless. How the hell am I going to remember all of this? Ok clam down Kurosaki. You studied for this for three days straight. You did well on all your other make ups. If all us fails remember those stupid melodies that Inoue made you do. The same melodies she conned me into learning with her big doe like hazel eyes, how her bottom lip pouted, that adorable pleading tone she mustered when she asked me to make up those song for her. Wait no! Don't think about Inoue that's just taking my mind off the material. Keep focused, keep focused.'_

He took a deep breath then took his head off his desk. His mind was completely focused on the makeup exam and nothing else. His eyes just happened to fall on the red haired princess. He was so focused on his exam that his eyes stayed on her. Ichigo didn't notice how her silky straight hair shined. He most certainly did not see her push hair aside to keep it out of her face.

'_Who am I kidding? I can't stop staring at her. Why does she have to be so beautiful?' _he wondered. It had been a week since Ichigo realized that his feelings for the goddess had gone beyond platonic and became romantic. He still couldn't believe he had developed these feelings without realizing it. There should have been some kind of warning. Ok Zangetsu did actually notice it during his training and made him aware of it. There was also the way he could never refuse her anything, but he defied anyone to refuse her. Of course there was his desire to be around her constantly and how he felt content in her presence. Yes he was an idiot. His emotions were developing this entire time he had just been oblivious to them.

At first he was concerned that his revelation would change everything. How could their friendship survive if he had more than friendship on his mind when it came to the alluring healer? How was he supposed to act around her now? Now that he knew what he felt for Orihime exactly did that change how he acted around her? There were so many questions that had arisen and so many worries.

Once he calmed down and thought about all of his questions he realized most of them were not as critical as he thought they were originally. He didn't just develop his attraction to Inoue overnight. He just finally realized it was there. That meant these feelings were festering in him for some time and affected the way he was around her. If he just acted the same way he had been acting as before and not try to change the way he acted she would remain oblivious to his romantic feelings for her. So long as Ichigo kept his feelings secret he did not have to worry about ruining their friendship. In the previous week he proved his theory correct and acted the same way he did around her and Inoue was none the wiser. In fact their friendship seemed to have grown.

Their little talk about his powers and his promise to try open up more had brought them closer together. With all of the secrets they had between them slowly dissolving from each other they were just becoming more and more in tuned with the other one. He knew how she thought and she knew how he thought. The list of awkward conversations that they use to fear having with one another seemed to be growing shorter. The Inoue three months ago never would have called him out on his b. s. about not missing his powers or Rukia. He was fairly certain that the him from three months ago would not have been so open with the healer.

They understood each other perhaps even better than the other friends. It was really something to think how far they had come along during these last few months. A year ago she was just Tatsuki's friend and that girl in his class and now she was the girl he was falling in love with. Love, was that the right word? He was not entirely certain he loved her yet, but it was a possibility. Like just did not seem to express what he was feeling exactly. He thought about Orihime a lot and he loved the way she reserved a smile that was his alone. Those little quirks she had such as the wild day dreams, the way she blushed when she was embarrassed, the way she squealed when she was overjoyed by something, and there was her smile or did he mention that already? He liked those quirks and mannerisms. They were endearing and they drew him to her.

'_I really can't be thinking about Inoue and my feelings for her, not right now anyway. I have to go over the material,' _he told himself. Ichigo stole one more glance at Orihime. A half smile formed on his face. That was the girl who could turn his world into a storm of depression or radiate it with hope. It was both maddening and liberating at times to be effected so much by one person. But if he was honest with himself Ichigo found that the good often outweighed the bad.

* * *

"GOOD LUCK!"

Caught off guard by the loud chorus the orange haired boy jumped back about a foot, tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his butt.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime called out in fright. "Are you alright?" In an instant she was by his side, kneeling down. Her hazel eyes went back and forth, up and down trying to examine if there was any physical damage done to the ex-substitute.

Ichigo groaned at his clumsiness. "Yeah, I'm fine Inoue."

"Tripping on your own feet, Kurosaki it's a miracle you are still in one piece."

Ichigo groaned again. He didn't need to look up to tell the person who insulted him was his friend/rival, Ishida. "Shut the hell up, Ishida!" he shouted. His chocolate colored eyes threw the meanest glare that they could muster. The quincy looked to be un-effected by it though. He merely scoffed at it and pushed his glasses up.

School had ended a few minutes ago. Ichigo was still unsatisfied with the review he was actually able to do that day and decided to go to the library for about fifteen minutes before he took his make-up exam. He really needed that time. Ichigo had at last gotten some decent study time with no interruptions and in solitude. Well not so much as solitude considering about half the student body went to the library to study for their finals next week, but it was quiet. He definitely appreciated the silence.

Fifteen minutes zipped right passed him and before he knew it he had to take his makeup exam before Ochi-sensei decided to leave. He left the library and made his way back to his classroom. The moment he turned into the hallway of his classroom he was ambushed by his friends. Here he was now on his ass after being startled by said friends.

Tatsuki looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. "I can't believe we scared you." Her voice sounded like she was suppressing a laugh.

Naturally Ichigo's scowl returned. "You didn't scary me!"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Sure we didn't. I guess you just make it a habit of jumping and falling flat on your ass," she said sarcastically.

"You didn't scare me!" Ichigo kept insisting. He would never admit to that. It's not he was scared anyway. His friends were just being all sneaky and jumped out of nowhere while his mind was going over what he had just reviewed. He was startled a bit, but he was definitely not scared!

Keigo unlike Tatsuki was not even trying to suppress his laughter. He openly reveled at the sight of Ichigo making a fool of himself. Mizuiro's head was in his cellphone but there was the unmistakable shadow of a smile on his face. Chad was the only one who did not have either a smiling face of enjoyment, look of concern or take any satisfaction in Ichigo's predicament.

"What the hell were you guys trying to do? Did you think it would be funny to jump out and scary me while I was concerning myself with my future!" he spat in agitation.

Tatsuki smirked. "Ah, so you admit you were scared."

"I wasn't scared!" he screamed at her.

"But you said…."

"It was an expression!"

The short black haired girl let out a sigh. "Why can't you just admit you were scared? Boys are so dumb. They can't admit they are afraid and try to act tough all the time," she started complaining.

A vein formed on Ichigo's forehead. His blood boiled at his eldest friend's continued insistence that he was afraid. "Look can we forget that and you guys tell me why you thought it was funny to jump at me when I was trying to get ready to take my exam?" His tone was low, but the underlining rage was easily detected by all of them.

"Please don't be mad, Kurosaki-kun," pleaded Orihime. Ichigo turned his attention on her. The moment his eyes landed on her the vein in his head went away. "We just wanted to show you our support and wish you luck before you took the exam." Her brow frowned pleadingly while her dazzling brown sphere radiated with sadness. The type of sadness a child usually had when they disappointed their parents.

He saw the apologetic stare she was giving him and his anger evaporated. He couldn't stay mad at her. Orihime made it so hard for anyone to be angry with her for long, but Ichigo found it especially hard to do. Her innocent and naïve nature made it hard for him to muster any real kind of anger towards her. Or perhaps the reason for his inability to be angry with her lied in the fact that she held no ill will towards anyone.

"I'm not mad, Inoue." Her brown eyes lost their sorrow and regained their happiness. He was glad to see that look in her eyes again.

"Ichigo," called Sado. The orange haired boy took his attention away from Inoue and turned on his second eldest friend. "You should get going before Ochi-sensei comes out here and gets you," he warned.

"I suppose you are right, Chad." He was about to get up when he saw the large hand of the gentle giant. A light smile formed on his face as he accepted Chad's offer. He was easily pulled up by the hollow powered human. "Thanks, Chad." Chad acknowledged him with a nod. He turned his attention to the rest of his group of friends. "Thanks for the support from all of you guys," he said.

His friends all broke into their own smiles accepting his thanks. No matter what difference they had or the petty arguments that broke out every now and again they knew they could count on each other when they truly needed to.

"Just make sure you pass this so we can all be seniors next year," Keigo encouraged.

"You realize we still have to get through finals and another term before you can say that," Ichigo reminded.

Keigo pouted. "Why do you always feel the need to knock me down when I say something cool?" he whined.

Ichigo shook his head finding Keigo's behavior humorous for a change. "I guess you guys are all going home now."

Tatsuki shook her head. "Nope I actually have a job interview to get to."

"You are getting a job?" Ichigo asked unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

"I may be getting a job," she corrected him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You are splitting hairs," he complained. "What's the deal? Why are you trying to get a job now?"

"Why not? I mean I need the experience so it will be easier to get a job before college. Having some money in my pocket wouldn't hurt either."

"Yeah, but with your schedule can you even fit a job in?" he asked.

"Well that's the good thing about this job it is only on weekends when I don't have to worry about school and karate meets."

"I see. Wait a minute if you are going to a job interview then Inoue is walking home alone today in this weather?" He hoped he manage to keep the concern out of his voice, but doubt he did. Ichigo looked from Tatsuki to Inoue trying to coax an answer from either of them.

Tatsuki gave him an answer. "Of course not. This weather is pretty bad for anyone to walk in alone. That's why I asked Ishida to walk her home." She pointed towards the man in question.

Relief and displeasure washed over him. Ichigo was relieved that Inoue would not be walking home alone in the frozen and harsh weather. She also had one of the best possible chaperons guiding her. Ishida would make sure Inoue was safe from both human and hollow menaces. The displeasure he felt was that Inoue would be walking home alone with Ishida. He was still bothered about how eagerly Ishida agreed to walk with Inoue and Tatsuki a few weeks ago and how he insisted Ichigo did not need to see her off. The pit of his stomach boiled.

Ishida was always kind to Inoue and there were times when he saw the quincy's steely gaze soften when he addressed her. He was protective of Inoue in the same way that Ichigo was and it bothered him. There was no logical reason for it, but it bothered him how Ishida looked at her. It never used to, but now it did. Why did it bother him?

'_It bothers you because you like the girl. You are jealous, dumbass,' _his subconscious mocked.

That couldn't be true. Why would he be jealous?

'_Well let's see. Ishida is ranked number one in the class. He is fairly good looking, has that genius and misunderstood vibe that women eat up, chivalrous, treats Inoue like a princess, he spent days alone with her in Soul Society while you were running around with two idiots, they are in the crafts club together, and there is that way he looks at her with that caring look,' _his subconscious continued.

He hated his subconscious, mostly because it was right. After listening to everything it listed off it made perfect sense as to why he would be jealous of Ishida spending alone time with Inoue. Here he was about to go into this classroom sitting in there for God knows how long and Ishida would be walking Inoue home. Inoue being the kind person that she was would offer him some warm beverage and Ishida not wanting to be rude would accept it. They would get to talking perhaps even sharing a few laughs (after all that's how Ichigo acted with her alone). One thing could lead to another and…..

'_No! Get a grip on yourself! This is stupid. I don't do jealous. It makes no sense to be worried about something that hasn't happened yet and probably unlikely,' he told himself._

'_Jealousy isn't logically at all. It's pointless and a negative emotion that only succeeds in driving you crazy. But do you know what you can't help it. After all this time you have been spending with her and how attached you are to her it just bothers you to think of her with some other guy even one of your best friends. You can't help how you feel,' _said his subconscious.

'_But what are the chances that Ishida and Inoue are going to get all cozy in the next hour? They are close, but not that close. I don't even know if Ishida is attracted to Inoue or not,' _he argued.

'_Yeah, because guys aren't attracted to Inoue at all, what with her being unpopular and all. I am sure those caring looks he gives her are totally different from how we look at her. It's not like you didn't have a meaningful conversation with Inoue in the course of an hour, oh wait all of those things aren't true. I'm being a sarcastic asshole, yeah that's right I am. But go ahead you just let her go home with him and hope nothing happens. I think we both know what's going to happen though if you do that. You are going to be thinking about it for hours and of course you'll blow this exam because you have this on your mind. You'll get pissed off at Ishida for being a friend to her. You'll let it fester inside of you driving yourself crazy about what actually happened. Of course you'll be too embarrassed and proud to ask Inoue. Then the next time Ishida does something that remotely pisses you off you'll go totally crazy and start yelling at him for something probably minor. Inoue will be upset with you and you will have ruined two perfectly good friendships. Look I know you don't normally listen to me, Mr. I'm going to cut my arms and legs off so we can fight on even ground, but do us both and favor and do something.'_

'_Like what though?'_ he asked his subconscious.

'_This is a real mind blower. I mean it's not like you have a fiercely loyal friend who has not shown a possible interest in Inoue. A person who made you a promise to watch your back years ago and who won't ask questions, oh wait there is just Chad! Get with the program, dumbass!'_

How could he have forgotten Chad? That was perfect he would definitely not ask a lot of questions and he would put his worries at ease. He went up to Chad and whispered to the gentle giant. "Hey, Chad could I ask you a favor?" Chad moaned his reply. "Could you walk with Inoue and Ishida?" Just like his subconscious predicted Chad did not interrogate him. The hollow powered human silently nodded his head. Ichigo let go of the breath he was holding in. "I owe you one, Chad." He said the last part with a smile.

He didn't understand why Ichigo wanted him to walk home with Ishida and Inoue, but he agreed to it anyway. Knowing Ichigo he was just being overprotective again. After all with both him and Ishida walking with Inoue the chances of her being harassed by anyone human, hollow, or even arrancar was very low. "No problem," he replied in a tone just loud enough for Ichigo to hear.

"Ichigo, you better get your ass in there and take this exam," Tatsuki warned him in the same stern voice she had with Orihime when she lectured the healer.

Ichigo brushed her off with his hand. "Yeah, yeah I get it. See you guys tomorrow." He turned his back to his friends, pulled the doorknob and walked into the classroom.

Keigo let out a yawn drawing attention to himself. "I don't know about you guys, but I am going to go home and get my butt into my warm and cozy bed."

Tatsuki's face fell into a scowl. "Lucky you, I have to endure this cold weather for at least another hour or more depending on how long this interview lasts."

Keigo's face became straight. "Oh yeah that's right plus it will probably be dark when you get out to. Damn, I do not envy you today." To Keigo's misfortune the second strongest girl in Japan punched him square in the nose. "Ah!" he screamed. His hands went to his nose and he tried desperately to sooth the stinging he felt. "What was that for?" he screamed.

"For stating the obvious," was her only reply.

'_Why does everyone treat me so poorly?' _he asked himself.

Paying Keigo no attention Orihime turned to her best friend and pseudo sister. "Good luck with your interview, Tatsuki-chan."

A smile formed and replaced the frown on Tatsuki's face. "Thank you, Orihime. You be careful. Sometimes your heating goes out in your place and it is supposed to get very cold tonight. If that happens do not hesitate to come over to my place. You know my parents won't mind with something like this."

"Umm, yes I will do that," she said a little too quickly. Her apartment sometimes had heating issues especially in the winter. When that happened she would usually stay over at Tatsuki's place. Her parents didn't mind and always told her to come to them if she was in any trouble. On those types of days the two of them would have a lot of fun. They would talk, eat as much food as they wanted, and had pillow fights. However now that she was staying at the Kurosaki Clinic at night she wouldn't need to go over to Tatsuki's tonight. This was a problem why? Simple, Orihime would have to lie to Tatsuki about her place not having any heat issues which was a rare feat. She was horrible at lying and if she told Tatsuki everything was fine the chances are she would give herself away and the short haired girl would call her out on it. If Tatsuki knew that Orihime was now spending her nights with Ichigo there was no telling what she would do.

Orihime and Ichigo had been able to keep their situation a secret from everyone. It was quite easy actually. Ichigo would walk home with her on the days Tatsuki felt like walking home with her. She would leave the two carrot top teens alone to study when they made it to Orihime's place. When she was far enough away they would go to Ichigo's place. On the days Ichigo had to stay late at school to take his makeup exams Tatsuki and Orihime would walk to her apartment. They would hang out there and enjoy each other's company until Tatsuki left for her home. Like before after she was sure Tatsuki was far away she would get her stuff gathered up and leave for the Kurosaki Clinic. They had it down to a science.

"I wouldn't worry too much though Tatsuki-chan. I mean I haven't been having any heating problems lately." This was true. She slept at Ichigo's place for the last three weeks and their heating had no problems so by extension she had no problems either. It wasn't a lie per say. Since there were grains of truth in there she didn't do anything to give herself away, at least she hoped not.

"That's good news. I guess that means I won't be seeing you tonight then." Tatsuki smiled at her.

Orihime begrudgingly smiled back to her best friend, whom she had just lied to. _'I feel sick,'_ she thought.

"Arisawa, you want some company?" Mizuiro asked. "Keigo, Chad, and me can walk with you until you get to your job interview."

Sado spoke up. "Actually I was going to walk with Ishida and Inoue."

"Really? You didn't say anything before," Keigo stated.

"I just decided to do that now," Sado gave his short reply.

Keigo still found the gentle giant's behavior odd, but decided to leave it alone. Instead he turned his attention to Tatsuki. She looked like she was mulling over Mizuiro's offer.

The short haired girl spoke up, "I guess some company wouldn't hurt." Her eyes narrowed into a terrible glare. "Just don't try anything." She shot her glare at Keigo who gulped. He didn't want be on the receiving end of another one of Tatsuki's famous punches. Promptly she turned her glare to Mizuiro. Unlike Keigo he did not bat an eye to Tatsuki's glare and merely smiled something that annoyed her. "Ugh, you are annoying Kojima. Well if you two are coming you better hurry up."

Tatsuki stormed off forcing the two boys to chase after her.

Keigo waved at three members of Karakura Four (as he called them) while he jogged away. "See you, guys!" he called back. "Arisawa, wait up!"

"Bye, Asano-kun!" Orihime shouted back. She waved off the eccentric young man.

"Inoue-san, do you have all of your things?" Uryu asked.

She gave an enthusiastic nod. "I have all of my things, Ishida-kun!" she announced proudly. To prove her point she presented the duo her bag, then her pink winter jacket, next her white gloves, and finally her white beanie hat with two pink strips on the tip of it. "Everything is here!"

The red head princess' childlike enthusiasm caused sweat to form in the back of the quincy's head. Despite his disposition he was glad to see the old energetic and lively Inoue-san back. "Sado-kun, do you have everything?" He turned towards the hollow powered human.

"Yeah," replied Sado. He put on his large heavy dark gray jacket over his uniform. Unlike Orihime he was not in the possession of gloves or a hat. Instead he pulled his hood up shielding his face from view.

Uryu nodded. He put his bag down and slipped into his own winter jacket. In an unexpected twist his jacket was not white the color normally associated with the quincy. His jacket was a sky blue. He zipped his garment then pulled it up, hoping to protect himself from the elements. He did pull out a pair of white winter gloves which were decorated with the Cross of the Quincy. By the time Uryu had looked up he saw that the beautiful goddess had already prepared herself.

The without a word the trio went into the same direction that Tatsuki and the others went. Orihime looked back to their classroom door. _'Good luck, Kurosaki-kun,' _she wished.

* * *

The trio of spiritual powered humans had passed the gates of Karakura High. They had caught a break with the weather. It stopped snowing; however the ground was drowned in snow that was at least a foot thick. It seemed like Mother Nature was trying to make up for its late start of winter in Karakura.

"It's freezing," Orihime stated. She folded her arms and started to rub them briefly.

Uryu nodded in agreement. "We should hurry up before it starts to snow again." Uryu and Sado started to walk in the opposite direction of Orihime's apartment which brought about confusion within the healer.

"Um, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun my apartment is in the other direction."

The two of them stopped and turned around to her. They both gave her odd expressions. Well Ishida was. It was hard to tell if Sado was or not. She was still learning about the Japanese and Mexican boy.

Uryu spoke. "This is the direction to Kurosaki's house."

Her heart started racing. Her spine felt a chill that was not caused by winter's breath. "Ishida-kun, why are we going to Kurosaki-kun's house?" she tried to play it off. Neither Ishida-kun nor Sado-kun looked convinced by her act.

"There is no need to hide it, Inoue. We already know that you have been staying at Ichigo's house," Sado said.

"Uh!" she squealed. How did she blow her secret? She was so careful not to mention anything so she wouldn't have to lie. Did her half-truth to Tatsuki give her away to them? Oh god if they knew, did Tatsuki know? Ichigo could be in very real danger knowing how enraged Tatsuki would be at Ichigo supposedly "taking advantage" of her.

Uryu saw how Orihime's body trembled with apprehension before stiffening up. "It's no problem, Inoue-san. We haven't told anyone that includes Arisawa-san."

"Huh? I mean Tatsuki-chan doesn'tknow?" They shook their heads no. Orihime put her hand on her chest and let out a long breath of relief. She didn't have to worry about Tatsuki going berserk on Ichigo at least. But that did not explain how her other two friends knew she was staying over at the Kurosaki Clinic. Did Kurosaki-kun tell them? No he was very considerate of her feelings and kept her secrets between them. He didn't even tell his sisters about her nightmares. She doubted he would Ishida-kun and Sado-kun, even with the unique bond the four of them shared. He would have at least asked her if he could tell them. "How did you two know?"

Uryu was the one who explained. "Ever since we have gotten back from Hueco Mundo, Sado-kun and I have been keeping a close track of your reiatsu."

Orihime looked over at Sado in order to confirm Uryu's story. The reserved giant replied with a quick nod. She turned back to Uryu.

"For the last couple of weeks we have noticed that your reiatsu has been coming from the Kurosaki's house and staying there from evening to the morning. The reason Arisawa-san doesn't know is she has only been sensing if your reiatsu is still here rather than trying to discover its exact location," he explained.

Orihime'scheeks flared into a deep crimson. "Both of you have known this entire time?" She put her hands on her cheeks and shook her head slightly in a gesture of humiliation. "We aren't doing anything!" she quickly blurted out. Once she heard her words out loud her cheeks became an even deeper shade of red. _'Why can't you give me a break universe?' _

"Inoue-san, I, we don't think badly of you," Uryu said. His voice was gentle and tender. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable.

Sado jumped in. "We know that you have been feeling miserable ever since we came back to the Human World. I am not sure everything that happened to you during your time there, but Hueco Mundo changed you, it hurt you."

"Sado-kun," she uttered. Orihime was caught off guard by their usually silent friend's decision to speak up.

"We all noticed it, Ishida, Arisawa, and me. We didn't know how to reach you so we decided to let Ichigo talk to you. We thought if anyone had a chance of reaching you it would be him. That's why on that day you ran out of class that Ishida and I didn't go after you. We knew that Ichigo would definitely help you. You don't have to tell us why you are staying at Ichigo's. We know that if you are staying there it's to help you."

Uryu's lips curved into half smile. Sado may have said few words, but when he actually spoke his words were always well chosen. Orihime was touched by her friends' understanding and thoughtful words. Her hazel eyes began to shimmer from the water slowly forming. "Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, thank you. Thank you for understanding and for keeping this a secret. I really appreciate this."

They gave the oddly colored woman light smiles. They prepared to head set off when a heavy and dark pressure filled the air. The three of them quivered involuntarily.

"This feeling…." Uryu started.

"It's a hollow, no several of them," Sado said in astonishment.

"But why would so many be coming here? They don't usually attack in large numbers unless…" Orihime was unable to finish.

"…..someone was leading them," Uryu finished darkly. Orihime and Sado gave him looks that asked him if he was for real.

"But who could be….I mean Aizen was locked away in the Soul Society after Ichigo defeated him and those other two captains are dead. All of the Espada are gone too, so who could lead them?" Sado voiced the question they were all wondering.

"I have no idea. But there is no other explanation for so many hollows to attack without being directed," Uryu reiterated his idea. The surprise from his face melted off. _'I need to stay calm. These are just hollows. Their reiatsu levels are fairly weak and should be easy to take care of. Whoever is leading this attack isn't here yet or is suppressing their reiatsu, but if it's someone from Aizen's army they won't have reiatsu higher than an Espada. Keeping that in mind we should be able to handle anything that comes out of Hueco Mundo. We have to be able to do this on our own now. Kurosaki sacrificed his powers to defeat Aizen and keep Karakura Town safe. I won't allow his sacrifice to be in vain. We can handle this without him.'_

"Sado-kun, let's go. I am sensing no more than thirty hollows. If we split that between us it's fifteen each. They'll naturally be drawn to us since we have the most reiatsu. We can easily handle this," he said.

"Right," Sado replied.

"What about me?" Orihime asked.

"Inoue-san you stay here and wait for us," he ordered.

Orihime frowned at this. "No."

"What?" he asked.

"I am not staying behind. I can help you. I am not helpless as all of you think. I know I am not as powerful as Kurosaki-kun, or Sado-kun or you Ishida-kun, but I can still fight."

"Inoue-san," he spoke.

"I can handle normal hollows, Ishida-kun," she said with a slight edge in her voice. She was not helpless and she refused to be treated as such. She went to the Soul Society with Kuchiki-san to train for the war. She may not have been able to battle the likes of the Espada such as Yammy and Ulquiorra, but she could still fight. _'I want to fight and I want to protect everyone too. I want to protect Kurosaki-kun!'_

Her aura had become fierce, her eyes emboldened with determination. _'Inoue-san, you really have become stronger haven't you? I didn't even notice it. Is this resolve the result of your training with Kuchiki-san or is it because of Kurosaki?' _he wondered. "Alright with Inoue-san that means we each get ten. Sado-kun you go north, Inoue-san you get the south and I'll go west. Alright everyone let's go!"

"Right," they quickly replied.

They each had their assigned tasks they split up.

* * *

Space itself was split apart a rift in between dimensions was created. Hollows rained down from the sky, they descended onto the unnaturally spiritual powered town. They were little more than mindless beasts, enslaved by their unquenchable hunger for souls. This place was the perfect for them to gorge to their holly hearts contents.

"That's right, eat up you mindless beasts," said high pitched and sinister voice. "Make yourselves useful for once and find me the one I desire, the one who defeated Aizen-sama." The mysterious figured watched on from the sky as the hollows he gathered descended into this human infested dump. He made sure to suppress his reiatsu. He did not want to alert the Soul Society of his presence. "Now come out, shinigami," he said.

Three hollows came crashing into the street. Their serpentine like bodies started crawling across the snowy streets, starting their search for souls. Like real snakes they used their tongues to search for their prey. It did not take them long to find a morsel. Immediately the three of them raced toward the source of spirit energy. They wanted to beat each other so that they could have the human all to themselves. One serpent hollow slithered ahead of his brethren. The hungry gleam in his eye grew. He would soon satisfy the hole in his heart. There it was the human! He lifted his long body and hissed at the human. The human did not look fearful at all. In fact he looked as though he was expecting him.

It didn't matter the human would be gone soon enough. He pounced at the human, pulling its jaws apart and preparing to devour him whole, body and all. The human pulled his right arm out. To the hollow's surprise black and magenta armor materialized on to the arm. The human pulled his arm back. The armored shoulder opened up releasing white and blue reiatsu.

"El Directo!" screamed the human. His arm thrusts forward his closed black fist radiated with the same white and blue reiatsu. He unleashed burst of reiatsu that swallowed the unsuspecting hollow.

"Aahhh!" he screamed as his body was completely evaporated by the blast.

The other two serpent hollows stopped in their tracks. What little rationality they retained it told them that their lives were in danger. Clearly this human was different from the rest. Their brother learned that the hard way.

"One down and nine more to go," he said. The hollows started hissing at him. "I am in a bit of a hurry. I have to take out at least ten of you. I am sorry, but I am going to have to make this quick." Sado's shoulder opened up again releasing reiatsu as he charged his arm for another attack. He ran towards the two hollows. "Aaaahhhh!" he screamed, leaping into battle.

Four reptile-like hollows chased after a young ghost boy. The boy had only departed from the living days ago and had no idea what was going on. He knew he was dead, but he had no idea why these monsters were chasing him.

"Someone please help me!" he cried, but no one came. "Help!" he shouted again, but like before nobody responded. He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. They were gaining on him, any moment now they would be upon him. What did do to deserve this? His face was stained with his tears as his breathing became harsh (Did ghosts even breathe?). "Mama! Papa! Help me! I can't, I don't want to die again! Please someone!" As luck would have it he tripped over his own feet, falling flat on his face. He didn't bother to try and get up. They were too close to him before. There was no way he could get up and run away. He closed his tear strained eyes preparing to die for a second time, but it never came.

"Rah!" screamed one of the monsters.

This did not sound like a roar, but more like a scream of pain. The boy opened his eyes. He saw one of the monsters dematerialize right before his eyes, as it writhed and cried. "W-What's going on?" Just as the boy had asked his question two blue burst of energy in the shape of arrows pierced the heads of two of the lizard-like monsters. Like the other one they were quick to obliterate.

"Can you understand me, hollow?" cried a far too calm voice.

The boy and the monster identified as a hollow turned to their heads in what was left for the boy, but right for the hollow. They saw a young man in glasses wearing a sky blue jacket. He was carrying what looked to be a bow made of the same blue energy as the arrows like objects.

"So it was an arrow," the boy cried.

"W-Who are you, human?" asked the hollow in a tone that held great fear.

"Ridiculous, you came here and you don't even know about me?"

"Answer me, human!" the hollow demanded with surprising force.

The glasses cladded man gave a haughty laugh. "Ishida Uryu, the last quincy and the man who will end you unless you answer my question."

"You dare order me around! Know your place you arrogant human!"

Uryu still wore the same nonchalant expression as before. "This is your last chance to answer my question or else."

"I'll enjoy devouring your soul!" the hollow declared. He scurried towards the quincy at full throttle.

The quincy pulled the string of his spiritual formed bow back. An arrow materialized to the hollow and the boy's amazements. He released his bow string and sent the arrow flying. It went clean through its head piercing its mask.

"A-ah." Those were the hollows last sounds. Its body broke down into nothingness.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" The boy had never thought he would be happy again. When he died he was so sad and thought nothing could be worse. However he learned that things could indeed get much worse. Those monsters, or as the man called them hollows were going to kill him again. This man saved him though and brought a smile to his face.

Uryu smiled at the boy. "You are welcome. It's dangerous to be out here now. Please go hide somewhere until those monsters are all gone. If the catch you they will eat you." He paused to let the boy absorb his words. He saw the boy's eyes widened in fear. "Don't worry. I'll stop them from getting you if you stay out of sight. Then I promise someone will come and help you."

"Promise," the boy said.

"I promise," Uryu answered.

The boy gave him another smile before running off. Uryu watched him leave making sure he got away safely. When the boy was out of sight he felt out the other dark reiatsu around him. He used hirenkyaku to speed away to the next hollow.

This was her lucky day. Not only did she get to travel to the Human World, but she found a human with an abnormal amount of reiatsu. What made it better was that her prey was a woman. Women's souls had a flavor that men did not possess. The hollow watched the woman hungrily. Her prey looked innocent; she was beautiful with her shimmering and long orange hair. She possessed the looks that most women would envy. Hell she would have loved to have had this woman's beauty when she was still human.

"This woman will make for a fine meal." The hollow came crashing down in front of the orange haired beauty. She created miniature shock wave around her, causing her prey to wobble. To the human's credit she did not fall. The hollow licked her lips revealing her sharp shark-like teeth. "My, my, it looks as though fortune has smiled on me. To find a woman with high amount of reiatsu is a rare indeed."

The woman shot her a hard look. There was no trace of fear in her eyes. "Leave," she said.

The hollow was taken aback. "Excuse me," she asked.

The woman repeated, "Leave."

The hollow let out a monstrous laugh. "HAHAHA, you are very bold, woman! I like that, your misplaced sense of bravery will make your soul taste that much sweeter."

Orihime narrowed her eyes. She pitied this hollow; all it was doing was following its instinct to devour souls to satisfy its anger. It was twisted by the hollowfication rather than being a dark and twisted soul from the beginning like Aizen was. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you hurt anyone," she said. This caused the hollow to laugh again.

"You can't allow me to hurt anyone? My dear you can't stop me from eating as many souls as I desire! I will have a great feast and I will start with you!" The hollow swiped her claw at the orange haired woman.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject," she uttered. A golden triangular shield formed before her. She saw the shock and disbelief in its eyes. Its clawed hand was stopped by the golden barrier. Feedback from the barrier pushed the hollow back and burned its hand slightly, causing it to back away in pain.

"What the hell?" The hollow nursed its injured hand. "Y-You aren't a human at all are you! Are you some kind of shinigami in disguise?" she demanded.

"No, I am not a shinigami. But even still I can't let you hurt anyone. I hate fighting so much. I think it's pointless to harm someone else. I can't just sit here and let you eat the souls of innocent people though. I can't let you disrupt the peace that Kurosaki-kun fight so hard to achieve. That's why like Ishida-kun and Sado-kun, I'll fight to!"

"You are speaking non-sense! Not a shinigami, but you have this much spiritual power! Are you honestly going to tell me you are a human? That's absurd!" She jumped high into the air easily clearing the houses around them. "Whatever you are I will eat your wonderful reiatsu! I will satisfy my hunger!" she declared.

Orihime closed her eyes. She knew what she would have to do. She hated to think about it, hated to do it again, but she had to. In order to help her friends she would have to kill this hollow. It was almost too much to think about ending another's life even if they were technically dead already. Then she remembered how hard her friends fight to rescue her, how many enemies they cut down in order to not only save her, but Karakura Town. "Koten Zanshun, I reject." Tsubaki came flying from her hair pins. He was surrounded by protective gold aura. The hollow didn't know what happened. Tsubaki went through it. The golden aura around him expanded and cut the hollow inside out completely destroying its body.

"That was the last one," she told herself. Orihime folded her arms to hold herself. She was still uneasy having to end ten hollows lives. "I don't feel any many more hollows. That means Sado-kun and Ishida-kun must have defeated the other hollows."

"Interesting," said a new voice.

Immediately Orihime spun around. She staring at a dark skinned man decorated in white clothing. He wore a white jacket with white hakama pants. Around his waist was a black slash. His jacket was fully closed and buttoned up. On his hip rested a sheathed sword. His eyes were dark teal color, his hair was as black as night. His skin was smooth and flawless except for the large chunk of mask on his left cheek which had three small spikes sticking out of it.

'_An, arrancar,' _she thought.

The arrancar frowned while his eyes examined her. "You are that woman, that Aizen-sama captured," he stated.

"Aizen-sama," she repeated. Things were starting to come together. This arrancar must have been a part of or was a part of Aizen's army before it fell. "Are you the one who sent these hollows here?" she asked.

"And what if I was? Do you plan on doing anything about it woman?" he jeered. His teal eyes narrowed menacingly at her.

She felt his reiatsu overflowing from his body. It was much larger than the hollows she had slain. This was bad. What did an arrancar want now? The war was over and they were supposedly all either dead or hiding in Hueco Mundo. How could this man be here before her?

"There should be one more," the arrancar stated.

"What?"

"There should be one more reiatsu signature. I sense two others in this dump and yours, but there should be one more. The human who can become a shinigami, the one who defeated Aizen-sama, where is he?"

'_He's looking for Kurosaki-kun.' _"Why do want to see him?" She amazed herself by how little fear she had actually shown.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Isn't it obvious? I want to kill him of course." He saw her brown eyes widened with horror. That look of fear on her face put smile on his own face. "Tell me where he is woman." He put his hand on his zanpakuto. "Or else I'll kill you. Unlike Aizen-sama I have no qualms about killing you. I have no desire for your weak power."

"I don't understand. Aizen is gone, so why are you trying to pick a fight with Kurosaki-kun? There is no need to do this. The war is over. Can't you just live in peace?"

"HAHAHAHA," he howled with laughter. This woman was completely backwards. "Peace you say, what a joke! Should I just go back to Hueco Mundo and hide with the other arrancar? Absurd I will not fall so low. I plan on becoming the next king of Hueco Mundo!"

"The next king of Hueco Mundo?" repeated Orihime lamely.

"With Aizen-sama's fall, his generals' deaths, and the Espada gone there is a void in the power structure of Hueco Mundo. Every Arrancar is fighting to gain control of Los Noches. The Soul Society is content with letting us fight amongst ourselves and hoping we kill each other off. They are cowards who don't have what it takes to finish the job they started. I plan on finishing them off once I gain the necessary strength."

"If you want to be the king of Hueco Mundo then why come here? Why challenge Kurosaki-kun?"

"It's simple really. All of us have heard of Aizen-sama's defeat at the hands of that shinigami. In Hueco Mundo Aizen-sama was god. All of us feared him and his power. It's why we followed him, to us he was god, untouchable. However now that god has fallen at the hands of shinigami his legend and his glory has been tarnished. Now the seat is vacant, the seat that Aizen-sama once sat in. In order to sit on that seat I must kill the one who defeated Aizen-sama. If I kill that shinigami, the one whom even Aizen-sama himself could not best I will become an entirely new legend! I will become a god and all in Hueco Mundo will bow before my greatness!"

She stood there and listened to this insane rant. Orihime didn't care about the power structure of Hueco Mundo and she certainly didn't care that Aizen's forces had fallen into shambles in his absence. The part that she cared about was the fact that this man wanted to harm Kurosaki-kun. He wanted to kill her Kurosaki-kun! The way he was now with his shinigami powers gone he could not even see this arrancar let alone fight him. He couldn't protect himself anymore not against this menace at least. _'This time I will protect you Kurosaki-kun. I swear I'll protect you this time!'_

The healer hardened her resolve. She was not as strong as friends. That was true, but this arrancar was nothing special. In comparison to the Espada he didn't even compare. Her abilities revolved around her determination and intent. In the past her peaceful nature and desire not to see anyone get hurt limited her attack powers. A half-hearted attack would not vanquish this foe. If she truly wanted to protect Ichigo she would have to be willing to harm this man. Golden reiatsu started flow out of her body. As her determination rose her reiatsu rose with it.

Observing the Orihime's reiatsu overflowing brought another smile to the arrancar's face. "Oh, so you mean to fight me after all, woman." He drew his zanpakuto and pointed it at her. "I know from reports that your attack power is weak. While it was strong enough to deal with those mindless beasts I sent here it will not be enough to cut me. I doubt I will even need to release my zanpakuto to deal with….."

"Koten Zanshun, I reject." A golden stream of light shot at the arrancar at speeds that would have gone unnoticed by a normal human. In the blink of an eye Tsubaki sliced of the arrancar's left arm, leaving no trace of it behind, undoing its existence.

He blinked unsure of what happened. He saw a flashing light and then it disappeared. Something felt different. Something was missing, but what? He tried to move his left arm, but he couldn't feel anything. His teal eyes went to his left. _'What?' _he mentally screamed. His left arm was gone! There was no trace of it! How did this happen? His eyes went back to the orange haired woman. Did she do this to him? _'No impossible, her attack power is weak. She has no desire to kill and that limits what she can actually cut. While it can cut hollows it should be impossible for it to cut arrancar. It must have been a fluke. I let my guard down that's all.'_

"Don't rejoice woman. You only cut me because my guard was down. You will not get lucky a second time," he declared. He stuck his zanpakuto into the ground then raised his remaining hand into air. Magenta colored reiatsu started to charge in the palm of his hand forming a sphere. "I wonder how your shield will stand up to this." He pulled his hand down and aimed it directly at Orihime. "Cero," he muttered with satisfaction. A burst of magenta energy was unleashed from his hand. It made its way towards the healer at surprising speeds.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject," she uttered once more. The golden triangular shield emerged in front of her and the cero. The two forces collided, however it was the cero that lost. Orihime's shield was not even cracked.

The arrancar looked on in fear. "How did you stop my cero?" he cried unable to contain the fright he was feeling.

Orihime stared at him. The golden reiatsu flowing from her body continued to radiate from every pour of her body. "I won't allow you to harm him."

"What?"

"He's given so much to save us. He fought in so many battles. He endured so much hardship. He even sacrificed his powers to protect everyone."

"What the hell are you muttering?"

"I won't allow someone like you to ever harm Kurosaki-kun!" Her golden aura intensified.

'_No this woman she isn't human at all!' _He grabbed his planted sword and drew it. He twirled the blade into a circle before stopping it. The arrancar put the tip of his zanpakuto onto his chest. "Chuckle and Howl…."

"This time I will protect him!" she shouted interrupting the arrancar. "Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

Before he could release his zanpakuto he was impaled by a golden stream of light. "N-No way, defeated by a human….." His body was swallowed in golden light. Within seconds every last cell in his body was sliced and broken down into atomic substance erasing his existence.

The golden aura died down. She blinked twice in disbelief. Orihime couldn't believe it, she had done it. She had defeated the arrancar on her own. She had succeeded in protecting Kurosaki-kun. "I did it," she whispered in the same disbelief as in her eyes.

"What a pity I feel sorry for that arrancar," stated Urahara Kisuke. He and Yoruichi were watching from a far on top of a nearby roof, hidden from sight. As soon as the arrancar's reiatsu became detectable they rushed to the scene. It was weak probably something that Ishida or Sado could handle, but when they sensed it was near Orihime they became concerned. They rushed to the scene as quickly as they could. However by the time they reached the scene Orihime's reiatsu was undergoing a metamorphosis. It became so fierce and focused. They decided to stay out of it and watch the healer fight. To their surprise and joy she was able to defeat it with no assistance.

"Saying he was going to harm Kurosaki-san was a bad move on his part," Urahara mused.

Yoruichi nodded in agreement. She had a smirk on. "This is the first time I've actually seen her with the intent to kill. It's a bit frightening actually. That was what she lacked and made you try to keep her out of the war."

"You think that was killing intent, Yoruichi-san?"

"Wasn't it? Her powers couldn't have killed that arrancar if she was indecisive as before."

"I agree she was not indecisive this time, but that was not killing intent in her eyes. No, that was her desire to protect Kurosaki-san manifested. Her intent was to protect him and that erased the hesitation she always has when she uses Tsubaki. In that moment she knew if she faltered Kurosaki-san would be endangered." A sincere smile formed on his lips. "Inoue-san is a gentle soul who hates fighting. I doubt she will ever have killing intent that beings like us or Aizen have. But like Kurosaki-san, Sado-san, and Ishida-san her desire to protect those around her will allow her power to grow to new heights. Those four are indeed special."

Yoruichi chuckled. "The power of love," she said.

"I guess you can call it that."

"Trust me Kisuke I can tell by that look in her eyes. She was determined not to let anyone harm the man she loves. I doubt even Aizen could have gotten past her in that instant."

"Let's not get carried away now, Yoruichi-san. Inoue-san is powerful, but she is still limited by her reiatsu," he reminded.

"For a genius sometimes you miss the obvious." The Goddess of Flash departed with her shunpo.

Urahara was baffled by his former captain. She was perhaps one of the few being he had difficulty understanding and he may never fully be able to understand her. He disappeared in a flash riding on shunpo.

* * *

"Of course it decides to snow when I leave the school. It makes perfect sense. Walking home without the snow raining on me would have been too easy mother nature." Ichigo muttered underneath his breath as he unlocked the door to his home trying to hurry in and escape the elements. He succeeded in unlocking the door and ran into clinic/house.

"Phew, glad to be out of that weather." He started taking off his black jacket and his shoes. "I am home!" he called. After making his announcement Ichigo put his jacket up in the closet then made his way to the stairs.

"WEL-CO-ME HO-ME, ICH-IGO!" Isshin sung. The shinigami turned physician jumped at his son.

Not feeling up to fighting his father Ichigo dodged his father and let him ram into the door. Isshin's face was glued to the door were it remained for ten seconds before he slowly pealed it off. "Nice reflexes as always, my son." A red burse had appeared on Isshin's face. He ran his hands over his poor injured face, as he assessed the damaged. "Well done my son, you are well on your way to surpassing me." Ichigo was not listening to his father and started walking up the stairs. "W-Where are you going?" Isshin cried.

"Hey, did Inoue get here alright?" He ignored his father's question in favor of asking his own.

"Hey you can't just ignore me. I am your father!" Isshin whined while rubbing his face.

Ichigo rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Old man, just tell me if Inoue got in ok."

Isshin folded his arms and pouted. "Hmm, why should I? If you are going to act like that then I am not talking."

Ichigo slapped his forehead with right hand. "Oh for crying out loud! Can't you just tell if Inoue made it in?" he shouted losing his temper.

"Ichi-nii, what's with all the racket?" Karin appeared on the top of stairs staring at her brother with her own expression of annoyance.

He let out breath upon seeing Karin. At least now he could get a mature person to answer him. "Karin, did Inoue make it in safely?"

"Yeah, in fact she's in your room."

"Karin!" whined Isshin. "Why did you tell him? Daddy was trying to teach your brother a lesson about not being rude!"

The two Kurosaki siblings let out sighed aggravation. "Give it a rest old man," they said in unison. Their father continued to pout, but Ichigo and Karin left him to his own devices and went to their respective rooms.

He knocked on the door. "Inoue, can I come in?" He had gotten into the habit of knocking when Inoue started staying with them. Ichigo always feared that he would walk in on her changing and with his luck that would happen, so he always made sure to knock. Inoue made it a practice to change in their bathroom, but it never hurt to take precautions.

"Yes," she replied.

He opened the door to find Orihime sitting on his bed reading one of her textbooks. She looked up from her reading to greet him with his smile. The smile gave him the warmth he so eagerly craved after being in the freezing outside. "Hi," she greeted in her usual soft tone.

"Hey," he shot back with one of his famous half grins. "Did Ishida get you home safely?" He already knew the answer, but asked anyway.

"Yes, actually Sado-kun walked with us to."

"Oh, is that so," he feigned ignorance. There was no sense telling her he asked Chad to walk with them. "Did it snow on you when you left from your place?"

"Actually no, but that's because Sado-kun and Ishida-kun walked me here," she muttered.

"What? You told them you were staying here?" His voice had risen in panic. "But I thought we weren't going to tell people so that wouldn't get the wrong idea? Oh crap what did Ishida say? I bet he thinks I am some kind of creep now."

"I didn't tell them."

He shot her a confused stare. "But I thought you said they walked you here?" he asked.

She nodded. "They did, but they knew. They've been keeping an eye on reiatsu since we got back and they found out I was staying here." Her voice got lower with each word spoken.

Ichigo groaned. _'It figures that those two would be keeping an eye on her. If I could still sense reiatsu I would have done the same. This is just wonderful,' _he thought.

"I am sorry. I should have suppressed my reiatsu when I started staying here so no one would sense me here. I don't know what I was thinking. That was really dumb of me," she berated herself. Her head sunk and her eyelids half closed in shame.

"Wait, this isn't your fault. If you had suppressed your reiatsu then Chad and Ishida would have thought something happened to you."Ichigo placed his right hand on her knee drawing her attention. "I am not mad. The whole reason I want to keep this a secret is because I don't want anyone accusing you of anything. Ishida and Chad aren't the type of guys to look down on you are jump to conclusions without hearing your side. I am sure they listened to you right?"

She nodded her head, but did not speak. "See and maybe we should have told them. They are really worried about you to."

"I guess you are right," she said to herself more then to him. _'Sado-kun and Ishida-kun really were just concerned about me. They understood everything without needing to be told.' _The smile returned to her face. She was very fortunate to have made so many wonderful friends. "How did your exam go?"

Ichigo sat beside her finally removing his hand from her knee. "It was tough as hell. Those melodies you made me make came in really handy today." He sighed. "I think I at least knew enough to pass. I would say I am glad this is over, but now I have to study for finals next week."

He looked like he had a lot on his mind. Orihime debated with herself if she should even tell him about the hollow attack. She wanted to tell him and be honest with him. The last thing they needed was more secrets getting in their way. By telling him she would keep that connection they had forged clear, but on the other hand it would cause him to despair. Kurosaki-kun would start cursing himself for being unable to help them, to help her. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel badly about himself.

"Inoue," Ichigo called bring Orihime out of her mind. She turned her attention to him. "What's wrong?"

He could read her like a book. She knew it was pointless to try and keep it from him now. "When we left the school, hollows invaded the town."

"I see, go on."

His face became expressionless and hard to read. Even his eyes held no hint of an emotion. Orihime hated when he became like this because it was one of the rare moments that she could not read his emotions. It's when he was so withdrawn that even she was cut off from him. "The three of us took care of it. We defeated all of the hollows."

"You keep saying hollows. Just how many were there?"

"About thirty," she replied.

"Thirty!" he exclaimed having lost his neutral expression. "They only attack in large numbers like that if they are being led by someone! Wait, was someone leading them?"

"Yes, an arrancar from Aizen's army lead them here."

"An arrancar! I thought they were dealt with?" His words vibrated trepidation. His brown eyes scanned her body as if trying to find something he had not noticed before.

She realized what he was looking for. "I am not hurt, Kurosaki-kun." Despite her words his eyes continued to scan her over. She wasn't offended. When their roles were reversed he constantly told her he was fine she continued to look him over the same way he was doing now.

Satisfied by the lack of bruises or cuts Ichigo stopped his incessant search. "You three took care of it without many problems I hope."

"Yes."

'_Good,' _he thought. "Who defeated the arrancar, Ishida or Chad?"

"Um, actually it was me."

"You did!" The shock and surprise in his voice was apparent.

"I was surprised myself actually."

"Ishida and Chad just let you deal with the arrancar?"

"I wouldn't say they let me. They weren't around when it showed up in front of me…."

"What?" he interrupted her again. "You fought it alone! Why the hell weren't they there?" he yelled not even attempting to keep the anger out of his voice.

"We split up to take care of the hollows and the arrancar appeared in the area I was in." This didn't seem to appease him as she had hoped. His angry scowl was still visible. "I am not hurt," she reminded him.

"Still they could have hurried to where you were."

"They did, but by the time they got there it was over."

"How far away were they another freaking town?"

"The reason they didn't get there in time is because I defeated him quickly," she revealed.

He was stunned. Inoue, his Inoue so gentle that she wouldn't harm a fly not only fight against an arrancar, but defeated him quickly. "I thought your attack power had problems against arrancar? Urahara-san said that unless you wanted to harm someone that your attack power was limited."

"I'm not completely sure. I don't think I wanted to harm him."

"Then how did you…."

"I just wanted to protect you," she stated.

"What? You wanted to protect me?" he said perplexed by her words.

"He said he wanted to fight you, to kill you. I couldn't let that happen. I had to defeat him for your sake. I never want to see your eyes lifeless again. I put all of my heart into protecting you and my powers seem to strengthen. Before I knew it I defeated him."

Her desire to see him safe to protect him allowed her to defeat this opponent. Their roles had reversed. Now he was the one in need of protecting. What was this sinking feeling he had? Was it guilt or shame? He was a burden to her. She wanted to protect him so she fought this arrancar. She defeated him, but what if he had been stronger? She could have died and it would have been his fault because he could no longer protect himself.

"Inoue, please don't do that again."

She blinked once unsure of what he meant. "I don't understand."

"Don't fight anyone else for my sake. I don't want to burden you," he said.

This sounded vaguely familiar. "But Kurosaki-kun you did not burden me."

"How can you say that? You just said you fought this arrancar on your own in order to protect me."

"He wanted to kill you! Of course I fought him!"

"Don't you get it? You fought him for my sake, but what if he had been stronger? What if he been as strong as Grimmjow or Ulquiorra? You would have gotten yourself killed!" he screamed. Her hazel eyes widen in surprise. "I could never live with myself if you got killed because of me. Please don't fight for my sake. Your life means more to me then my own." He turned away from her.

"Please look at me, Kurosaki-kun," she asked softly. He refused to look at her so she took matters into her own hands. Orihime put her hands on his cheeks and genteelly pulled his head up towards her and made him look at her. His chocolate eyes were tainted by shame and self-loathing. "I can't do what you want me to. Please listen to me before you talk."

This time he did what she asked and kept his mouth closed. "I could never turn my back on you just like you can't turn your back on me, or Ishida-kun, or Sado-kun, or Kuchiki-san. You are precious to me and I want be there for you. Kurosaki-kun you risked your life to rescue me and even died for me even though I told you not to for my sake. How can you ask me to not fight for your sake when you ignored mine? I am not foolish. I know I could have been killed, but I also know I have people supporting me who can lend me their strength."

"Ishida and Chad," he uttered. His eyes were looking into her's but they were still dull from his helplessness.

"And Yoruichi-san, Urahara-san, Kuchiki-san, Abarai-san, Tatsuki-chan, and most importantly you," she said.

"What? How can I support you? I don't have my powers anymore. I am useless."

"No you aren't. You taught me how to be strong and to never give up. Watching you fight inspired me. Knowing someone like you is there to encourage me and help me makes me more confident. You are someone whom I draw strength from. Today that strength allowed me to defeat that arrancar. I can't promise you that I will not fight for your sake. If I did that I would lose that strength that Kurosaki-kun gave me." She took her hands off his face. Ichigo continued to look at her.

"There is nothing I can say that will change your mind is there?" She shook her head no. This girl was too stubborn. He didn't like the idea of her fighting and she hated it. His brain told him to fight her on this and explain why she shouldn't risk her life for him, but his heart understood. It told him that he had to let her do this because everything she said was what he felt when she was in danger. He didn't like it, but he had to accept it. "I don't like you in danger, but I trust you. I'll support you so you can become even stronger that way you'll always be safe. I can do at least that much."

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

"For what?" he asked.

"Being my strength," she answered.

That was the day they realized they could draw strength from one another. It was the day they vowed to support each other no matter what.

* * *

**The arrancar Orihime beat was average, so this wasn't supposed to be this huge power up. I think Orihime isn't that much weaker than her friends. She's said to fight at a black belt level (in SS arc) and she trained with Rukia during the Arrancar arc. Her problem and why she comes off as being weak is that she does not want to harm people and it limits her only offensive technique. I wanted have a chapter that highlighted Orihime's desire to protect Ichigo and her resolve. I thought the best way to do that was a fight. If I figure if Orihime overcame her attack's limitation by wanting to protect Ichigo it would keep her in character (and not have her want to kill someone) and show how strong her desire to protect Ichigo is. I tried to keep the enemy weak, but strong enough that her halfhearted attack couldn't beat him. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. **


	14. The Two Hearts Connected By the Chain

**Hello again. I was fortunate to get more free time and finish the chapter earlier and being the nice guy I am I uploaded it early. This chapter is mostly fluff. I know its March, but this chapter and the next one will revolve around Christmas. I actually did a little research to find out how Christmas in Japan differed from the States in order to make it as accurate as I could. If anyone has any insight or personal experience with Japanese Christmas please tell me. You can do this by putting it in your review or sending me a p.m. To my surprise there is romantic overtone to Christmas over there. I didn't even know that when I started writing this chapter. I really lucked out with that lol. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I think that's obvious though I mean why would Tite Kubo spend his time writing fan fiction when he has his own series?**

* * *

"Three, two, and one, pencils down people the exam is over," Ochi-sensei announced to the class. Not surprisingly the frantic shrills of lead scribbling on paper could be heard from students trying to finish their last sentence before their exams were taken. The teacher sighed to herself and shook her head with sympathy. It never failed. Students always ignored teacher's command to end an exam in order to try and finish. She had seen it too many times both as an educator and as student herself years ago. She wished she could give them a little more time, but rules were rules and they had to respect that, both the students and her. "Oi, I said pencils down! If you aren't done now you aren't going to finish in the next twenty or show seconds it takes me to collect the exams." It was the cold harsh truth. "I am not going to accept any more once I put this away which means you'll forfeited any chance of getting a passing grade and be labeled with a zero on your final exam. Trust me most of you can't survive with a zero on this exam."

After her threat Ochi-sensei's ears picked up the chorus of pencils dropping on the wooden table tops. Thankfully her class was smart enough to risk their grade on what they had down then to risk trying to write down more information and miss her deadline. "I'm coming around to collect the exam papers. If I see anyone writing still I will pass them and go on to the next person. I don't have time to wait for you and if I pass you don't think you can turn it in later." She was certain that would successfully derail any daring exam takers. Her eyes traveled across the room from student to student until she had caught sight of all of them. _'Good none of them are writing,'_ she thought. The teacher started her collection of papers.

Ichigo exhaled releasing a great amount of his breath. He had just barely made it. If he had been a second later he would not have finished the exam. Since this exam was on one of his worst subjects, Biology it would help him substantially to answer every question and increase his chances of receiving a passing grade on his final. _'That was cutting it a little too close,'_thought the ex-substitute. His forehead was dripped in glistening sweat. This had to have been his toughest exam by far. Ichigo found himself tearing his hair out both figuratively and in one instance quite literal.

His brain was overtaxed. It had been running around insanely desperately gathering any and all data with anything scientific or biological in it no matter how small it was. Fortune being the cruel merciless diva it was decided it would be funny if most of the things Ichigo went over in his review last night were absent, hence the reason his brain had to work overtime. All of the data it collected over the last few months had not gone to total waste. His brain stored a lot of it away for future use. Ichigo's brain had been very correct in retaining the information he read.

On a whim the carrot top boy turned his gaze to his classmates. He wondered if they had the same level of difficulty as he did. The first person his chocolate colored eyes captured was the stoic Ishida. His rival did not have any signs of stress or concern in his face at all. Rather he wore the same bored expression he usually wore in class. This expression that seemed to be begging for a real challenge rather than the task he had just accomplished, as though it was beneath him and his intellect. That expression also brought about Ichigo's ire.

'_Figures, he wouldn't have any problems on the exam. He is number one in the class for a reason after all,'_ he thought with annoyance and resentment. He shifted his gaze to his second eldest friend, Chad.

Like Ishida, Chad did not seem to look particularly off put by this exam. His face was still frozen in impartial and disinterest as always. However unlike with Ishida, Ichigo did not find himself upset by Chad's demeanor. He had known Chad long enough to tell that he was indeed bothered by the exam they took. First the hollow powered human was tapping his pencil on his desk. Chad was not one known for making gestures when not in a fight or doing work. During lectures if he was not writing anything down he would just sit there and do nothing, but absorbing it all in. He only did gestures such as pencil tapping when he was bothered by something. The second thing that gave him away was his bottom lip trembling slightly, something it never did when he was relaxed.

'_I guess Chad had a difficult time too.'_His eyes washed over Keigo and Mizuiro both of whom wore troubled expressions. He spotted Tatsuki. She did not look as bothered as the last pair, but she clearly did not have the same look of confidence as Ishida either. Knowing her he could guess that she studied and was confident in her answers, but she did not finish the exam and was concerned with how that would affect her score. That feeling of dread that he had looming over him earlier lessened. Now that he saw most of his friends also found the exam challenging. Hopefully that meant something good like the exam was hard for most of them and not something bad like they all failed.

Last, but not less Ichigo turned his attention to perky red headed princess, Inoue. He couldn't see her face due to their seats, so deciphering how she took the exam would be more of a challenge. She was not fidgeting as she normally did when she was really nervous so that meant she was not that doubtful about her results. Her head was up rather than down. This meant that she was not despairing or criticizing herself. These were all good indicators that she did not have as much of a challenge as he did.

'_Biology is one of her best subjects. This was probably a walk in the park for her.' _He must have been staring at her to hard because she turned around catching him observing her. A lump formed in his throat. Inoue had caught him staring at her. There had to be reparations for this. _'Smart Kurosaki, you just had to keep your eyes on her for a moment longer than you needed to. This isn't even the first time she's caught me staring at her either. There was that time when I walked her home on the day I woke up from coma then there was that time we were studying and I had to sniff her hair. Oh man, what is wrong with me?'_

Orihime either did not think it was strange that he was staring at her or she hid it very well. The healer curled her lips into a full smile and waved at him. A sigh of relief escaped Ichigo's lips. Fortune or whatever had decided to throw him a break and make her oblivious to his extended gaze. He waved back with trying to maintain his normal I don't give damn scowl. Her full lips broke apart and she mouthed something to him. His entire being became focused on her lips, trying to decipher her message. Reading lips was not one of his talents, so he struggled with the decoding.

His confusion must have been apparent because she gave him a perplexed look. She must have been thinking of a different way to convey her message to him. Her eyes brightened and he could have sworn he saw an actual light bulb materialize above her head. Orihime pointed to her vibrant orange hair. It did not take him long to realize what her message was now. Orihime's bangs were flowing from forehead. The reason for this was because her hairpins were not keeping them in place. Instead they rested on chain around Ichigo's neck.

The former vizard's left hand went to the chain underneath his shirt. He still couldn't believe she would part with the hairpins her brother had left her, let alone give them to him. Ichigo continued to play with the chain while he thought back to earlier that morning.

_The Kurosaki family plus Inoue were sitting down for breakfast as perusal. Yuzu had prepared a fattening breakfast for a change and made pancakes for all of them, well not all of them. Today was the beginning of Karakura High's finals the light brown haired girl prepared baked fish for the carrot top teens. It was well known that fish was brain food and she knew that her brother and hopefully future sister were pushing themselves ragged trying to get themselves ready for the upcoming battle against their exams. The youngest Kurosaki sister wanted to help them, so she did what came natural to her, cooking._

"_Onii-chan, Orihime-chan, how is breakfast?" she asked. She really hoped that her breakfast would help them concentrate better. _

_Orihime looked up from her meal and bestowed a smile of appreciation to Yuzu. "It is very delicious, Yuzu-chan. Thank you for making such an outstanding meal."_

_Yuzu's cheeks ignited into light shade of red. "You are too kind, but it's nothing special."_

_Orihime shook her head to disagree. "I can tell by the flavor that you put your heart and soul into it and that makes it even more delicious," she complimented with her warm smile. "Plus fish is brain food and that will hope on the exams today!"_

_Still red from modesty Yuzu played with her pancake. "That's why I made you and Ichigo fish. I wanted to help you two focus."_

"_Well I think it worked. I've never felt more focused and my brain feels cleared of all clutter. I am sure to pass all of my exams now!" Orihime declared with determination. _

_Ichigo cracked a smile at the serious Inoue. Out of the many emotions the girl displayed her serious one was one of the most amusing ones. Her mouth would curve upside down slightly and she would pout a little. Her dazzling hazel eyes would became as clear as crystal ball and her brow would scrunch up. It was rather funny to see her normally happy go lucky face scrunched up and frowning. And there was the way her voice got deeper to let people know she meant business. It was adorable. 'Adorable, man I am really falling for this girl if I keep saying stuff like cute and adorable when I refer to her,' he thought._

_Yuzu turned to Ichigo who was still silent. "What about you, Onii-chan?" _

"_Hmm?" He had spaced out for a moment there musing about the serious Inoue, so much so that he missed Yuzu's question._

_Yuzu's lips pouted and her eyes stormed with anger. She hated when her brother ignored her. "I asked how did you like your breakfast and you never replied?" she repeated with edge to her voice that was no lost to Ichigo._

'_Oh great that face,' he thought. "It's really good, Yuzu. Thanks." He went back to eating his fish without giving his younger sister so much as another glance. When Yuzu was agitated it was best to let her get over it rather than to attempt to appease her anger. _

_Yuzu let out a small growl and shot daggers at her older brother hoping they would pierce him. 'Onii-chan can be so ungrateful sometimes,' she thought. She returned to her pancakes deciding to ignore her brother for the rest of the meal. _

_Karin shook her head at her siblings' cat and mouse behavior. 'They are so immature.' The dark haired Kurosaki took another bite of her first pancake finishing it off. "So what does your schedule for your finals look like?" She directed her question to Ichigo and Orihime. _

_Orihime waited for Ichigo to answer, but he did speak. When she looked over she saw he was still consuming his meal and keeping his head down. She was lost as to why Kurosaki-kun had his head down. Was he trying to ignore them? Karin was still waiting for an answer so she thought it would be best if she answered. "Today we have Biology and History. Are first exam is History and it will start at 9 and end at 12 pm then we will have a one hour lunch break. From there we will have Biology exam at 1 pm to 4 pm."_

_Karin frowned. "Two Three hour exams and only one hour break. Man that sounds rough." That was definitely one part of high school she was not looking forward to. _

"_It is very time consuming because the exams are so long. Last term it took me all three hours to get through my Math exam and I still just barely finished." The nightmarish experience of numbers, pie sign, square roots, and graphs flashed through her mind. That was a nightmare come life right there. It paled in comparison to her time in Hueco Mundo, but it was a strong second._

_Ichigo let out a loud groan which drew everyone's attention. "Don't remind me. I have to endure three hours of Biology. I hate Biology," he complained. He was so exhausted having to study hours on end to catch up on his work and then having to keep up with their current work load. Taking one exam after another, learning formulas, memorizing laws and facts it was all just overbearing. Final exams were both a curse and a blessing for him. The curse was obviously spending more time studying and over working his frustrated mind. Last night he spent three hours going over a study guide he and Inoue made and he was still having a hard time recalling all of it. The blessing was that after this week the term would end and they would have a two week break until the next term started. Two weeks of no homework or schoolwork of any kind, it was paradise._

"_With that type of attitude you will not pass this exam, Ichigo," Isshin began to lecture. Ichigo mentally groaned at his father giving him another long winded speech. "If you have a positive outlook on this you will find you are able to recall facts better because your mind will be free from all that stress. You need to keep relaxed and calm down every now and again. You have studied as hard as you could. There is no point in worrying about it anymore when you have done everything," he reasoned._

_The logic was surprisingly sound and his dad did have a point about him doing everything he could. But Biology was one of his worse subjects if not the worst. He was just passing the class with a 75. If he bombed this exam he could fail the class. He would just die if he had to take the class again. _

"_Kurosaki-kun," Orihime uttered in a hushed tone. He was stressing himself out. She knew that he was weak in Biology and that all of studying he had been doing the last month was taking its toll on him. All he needed was some kind of good luck charm or some kind of item to lift his spirits up when he needed it most. What could do that for him? A mental light bulb turned on above her head. She knew the perfect item that she could give him._

"_Excuse me, Kurosaki-san," she called Isshin who promptly responded. "May I be excused for a little bit?"_

_Bemused by the goddess' manners the former shinigami had to grin. 'I wish my kids were this polite. Well Yuzu is pretty polite, but Ichigo and Karin could learn a thing or two from Orihime.' "Sure thing Orihime, but keep an eye on the time. We don't want Keigo or Mizuiro catching you here."_

"_Right, Kurosaki-san." She got out of her seat and jogged out of the room leaving all three Kurosaki siblings bewildered in her wake. _

"_What's that all about?" Karin asked her brother. _

_Ichigo did not know any more than she did. "Not sure," he replied. He debated with himself on rather or not he should go after her, but decided against it. Inoue just left the room after all it wasn't a big deal. He was becoming a worried wart. There was a fine line with being protective and obsessed. He couldn't be around Inoue 24/7 and unless he learned to let go a little he would drive himself crazy worrying about the healer's safety whenever she was out of sight. Besides she defeated an arrancar on her own just last week. The girl was tougher than he was giving her credit for. This would be good practice for when she left the Kurosaki Clinic. Once her nightmares were over or she felt up to it Inoue would return to her apartment. Every time he thought about that it made his stomach queasy. Better to start letting go some now while she stayed there then to go cold turkey when that faithful day came. _

_The Kurosaki clan went on with their meal. By time the time Orihime returned most of them were ether done or nearing the completion of their meals. She was out of breath and a little flushed. Ichigo's worry radar went off. What had she been doing to make her so tired? He gave her a quick examine while she was catching her breath. Aside from some ruffled up clothing nothing seemed out place. He was about to deem her perfectly normal when Orihime took her seat across from him and next to Yuzu. Something was off. He had missed if before when her face was obscured, but now that she was facing him face to face it became as obvious as day and night. _

_Her forehead was being blocked by bangs. That could only happen if her hairpins were off. Curious his eyes went to the spot that the flower hairpins usual sat. He was in for a surprise when they were nowhere to be found. There had to be a mistake. Inoue would never take off her hairpins. It was the last gift her brother had given her before he passed away. He had never seen her without them unless she was using her powers and even than he only saw missing pieces of the petals. _

"_Inoue, what's going on?" He narrowed his brown eyes. Apprehension had laid claim on his face. _

_Orihime's expression contrasted Ichigo's. He was worried, but she was the picture of composure. "What do you mean, Kurosaki-kun?" _

_Did she really just ask him that? How could she not know? Her hairpins were gone, the ones that her brother had given her, the same ones that meant everything to her. She should have been upset or freaking out that they were gone. Perhaps she did not know they were missing. If that was the case he would have to tell her. If they both searched they could find them before she had to leave for her apartment. "Your hairpins…." His finger pointed at her glimmering orange locks. "….are missing."_

"_Oh you noticed," she said._

"_Well of course I noticed with your bangs nearly falling on your face. Wait a minute you noticed they were missing?"_

"_Yes," she answered again._

_He was never going to understand this girl and he should just accept that fact. "Why aren't you freaking out? I mean I know how much they mean to you. For you to lose them…."_

"_I didn't lose them," she interrupted him._

"_You didn't?" He shot her an in quizzed stare. _

"_I took them off and put them on this chain." Orihime produced the chain in her left hand. She raised it to the same height as her ear, so that everyone around the table could see it. The six petals accessory had somehow been linked to the links of a silver chain. _

_Reaction was mixed among the Kurosakis. Yuzu was clearly mesmerized by the new constructed flower chain. Karin did not appear to think much of the new chain; she wore the same neutral expression she usually wore. Isshin seemed to share both of his daughters' expressions. At first he did not seem to understand or care about the chain like his dark haired daughter, but then it shifted into genuine interest matching his light haired daughter. Ichigo only stared at the item. His look did not seem to portray either opinion of his sisters. He seemed reluctant to have an opinion. He stole a glance at her as though the answer to what he should feel was on her face._

"_Orihime-chan, it looks wonderful," Yuzu complimented. _

_Orihime thanked the younger girl with a smile then turned her attention to the girl's brother and the man who held her heart. "Umm, Kurosaki-kun," she started. He looked her in the eye to let her know she had his full attention. She appreciated the gesture, but it made her stomach summersault and her nerves twitch. "I umm, know that you've been really nervous about finals especially Biology. S-So I um wanted to give something to ease your n-nerves," she stuttered. He was staring right at her, penetrating her shell and seeing into her very soul. "So I um….made you this…." She held out the chain once more. "….for you as a sort of good luck charm," she muttered nervously. Orihime was fidgeting her hands, playing with the chain._

_His body became rigid. Surely he must have heard her wrong. Inoue would not give away her most prized possession to anyone let alone him. "Are you for real?" She was bashful, but nodded her head yes, albeit timidly. Still fidgeting with the chain Orihime presented him with it. Ichigo was hesitant to actually take it from her. "I can't accept this." The change in her brown spheres was instant. They carried a wounded gaze to them. He felt like a real heel. Here she was trying as always to help him and he immediately shot it down. Ichigo didn't need to turn around to know that Yuzu was glaring at him darkly. Had he turned around he would have noticed that Karin was also glaring him down._

"_Don't misunderstand. This is really kind of you, but I just can't accept it. I know these hairpins were the last thing your brother gave you. They mean so much to you and giving them to me a guy like me who is likely to lose it isn't a good idea." The wounded feeling in her eyes dissipated to his relief._

"_I want you to have them for this exam. I just know that if you have them today you will be able to relax and they'll give you luck." Her voice got more confident than it was when she first presented them to her. _

_He shook his head. "Inoue," he said her name with such tender. One would have thought he was afraid she would break if he spoke any louder. _

_Orihime pushed the chained hairpins to him. "I want you to have them today. I know Sora would want you to, after everything you've done for me. This is the least I can do to show my appreciation. Please take them just for today then after the exam you can give them back to me." He looked like he would refuse again, but he surprised her by taking the chain out of her hands. _

_Ichigo looked her right in the eyes. "I'll keep this safe, I promise." _

_That intense gaze that he normally had when he was determined to defeat an enemy or save a friend was present in his breath taking brown eyes. She knew he would protect her hairpins with his own life if he had to. He knew just how important they were to her. "I trust you," she said barely above a whispered._

_The two orange haired teens were locked into stares. Neither could pull away from the other one. Unbeknown to them they did not wish to pull away. The connection they had created was too much for either to resist. At that moment their hearts were intertwined and it sent a jolt that coursed through their entire body, even making their toes tingle. They were ignorant of the world outside of them that was apparent because they did not feel the knowing grins coming from Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin. _

_Isshin was delighted at the sight of his son and their house guest's chemistry. It made Ichigo look so happy. God did he miss seeing that sincere pure hearted smile. He hated himself for what he had to do. "I hate to break up this touching moment, but you two need to get ready for school," he reminded._

_Their connection broke and the real world came pouring down on them forcing them to return. Both heads turned away swiftly with streaks of red on their cheeks. They cursed themselves for getting caught up in the moment. _

"_I should get going now," Orihime blurted out. "I don't want Kojima-kun and Asano-kun to find me here in case they stop by." She got up to leave before Ichigo stopped her._

"_Wait!" he called._

_She did as he asked and stayed were she was standing. _

"_Stay here today and we'll walk to school."_

"_But what if Kojima-kun and Asano-kun come over?"_

"_I'll make up something and say you left a book here last night and came back to get it." _

"_I guess that could work, but…."_

"_Then it's settled. We'll walk together so that means you have a little down time."_

_Orihime was baffled by Kurosaki-kun's sudden change and insistence to have her stay there this morning. The healer saw no reason to argue with him over it and agreed with him. She sat back down._

_The reason Ichigo did not want Orihime to leave was because she was not wearing her hairpins. They were the source of her powers without them she could not use her techniques. If a hollow attacked her while she was walking home this morning she would be powerless to stop it. If he had her hairpins for today then he would be at her hip, so she could evoke her powers just in case. 'I'll make sure you are safe, Inoue,' he thought. _

Ichigo continued to toy with the chain. He was honored to have Inoue care so much about him that she would entrust her most prized possession to him. As long as he drew breath Ichigo would make sure Inoue did not come to regret entrusting him with it. All day long he had been checking to see if the hairpins were still connected to the chain. He even kept it out sight to deter any would be pickpockets. He also didn't want any of the others to know that he was wearing Orihime's hairpins. They would all jump to conclusions.

Inoue must have been telling him not to worry because of his good luck charm. That was the only thing he could think of when she pointed to her hair. She was right about one thing having her hairpins calmed his nerves from earlier that morning. Hell it even made him more confident. He had a piece of Inoue with him, encouraging him while he was taking the exam. It kept him focused and determined just like its owner.

Ichigo would forever be thankful to Orihime for lending her hairpins to him. Words couldn't describe the magnitude of his gratification. He had to do something to show her his appreciation. He had been tinkering with an idea in the back of his mind for weeks now, but was unsure if he should actually do it or not. What he had in mind was definitely risky. It could easily be seen as romantic act and reveal his affections for her.

December was dying there was only a week left not counting this one. This meant two things. The first was that the school term was ending of course. The second thing was that Christmas was coming up. Studying had taken up so much of his time that he hadn't given much thought to the holiday. He hadn't even gotten gifts for his sisters yet. He knew he would be paying for not getting his shopping down sooner. He never got gifts for his friends and vice-versa they just didn't do that. However there was one friend he was thinking about giving a gift to, Inoue.

The lasts several weeks had been hectic. The aftermath of the war with Aizen had exhausted all of them, but especially Inoue and himself. He had lost his powers and said farewell to one his best friends. Inoue was scarred by the arrancar and Aizen both mentally and physically. Ichigo's ridiculous makeup work load had pushed them together when they needed each other the most. They overcame guilt, self-loathing, anger, and the barriers they had put around themselves to keep everyone else out. Miraculously they had both found a way around those barriers and comfort each other. Bit by bit they slowly restored more and more of each other as the weeks passed. Yes Inoue still had nightmares and he still felt depressed about his power loss, but they had become better. Inoue's nightmares for instance had become less frequent and in her own words less terrifying. Aizen had been making fewer appearances in them as well.

Inoue provided a good confidant for him. She levitated his fears when he thought he harmed her when he lost control of his body. She had also told him he had kept the promises he made to her when he was kicking himself for letting her down. She made him see within him the same devotion and caring nature she saw. He wanted to repay her for gentle heart. Giving her a Christmas gift seemed like an appropriate way to thank her. It was perfectly natural for one friend to give another friend a gift. Well that would be the case if he was to give a gift to Keigo or Chad.

However a boy giving a girl a gift during Christmas had an underlining romantic meaning. The holiday was known for being very romantic. Every year he saw so many girls parade around classroom talking about what their boyfriends had planned or what they hoped they would do or saying they would confess their feelings to some boy. Girls were totally nuts for this stuff. Anytime a guy gave them a gift they interpreted as sign that said boy had feelings for her and or confessing to them.

Inoue was not one of the girls he saw participate in such events thankfully. But she did get quite a few gifts herself from boys hopeful that she would return their affection, at least that's what rumors said. He never put much stock in rumors, but he knew how popular Inoue was so he would imagine she received a fair share of gifts. That was the problem. If she received a gift from him she would probably receive it as him making a declaration of love. There was no way she felt the same way that he felt.

Inoue was smart, funny, had a wonderful personality, beautiful, and pure hearted. She could have any guy she wanted so why would she want him? He was short tempered, moody, reserved, at times crude/blunt, he was bad with words, and had a difficult time expressing himself. He had too many shortcomings for Inoue to find appealing. She would reject him and tell him they better off as friends, but once his feelings were out they would be very awkward around each other. All the progress they had made would be destroyed. He would lose Inoue altogether. It was better to have her in his life now as one of his best friends and confidants than to risk being more and lose the bond they had now.

'_Maybe it's not such a good idea to give Inoue a gift.' _If he didn't give her a gift it would definitely keep his affections for her hidden. How could he just give her nothing though? Orihime had become one of the closest people in his life and he wanted her to know that and to tell her he appreciated her. Close friends exchanged gifts after all. As long as he stressed that he was giving her a gift as a friend she would continue to remain in the dark. That was one problem down. Now it was time to solve another one. What should he get her?

'_I am going to need some help with this one,' _he thought.

* * *

He hated malls. They were overcrowded and loud for one thing. People were so rude. They bumped into you then shot you a glare like it was your fault for standing there. They were unreasonably big. What was wrong with going to a normal store which would have a bigger selection of items then store with far more limited space and had even higher prices? That was all the things that were wrong with malls on normal days, but during Christmas it was ten, no it was one hundred times worst.

If he hated malls so much why was he here? The answer is simple. His idiotic and self-centered orange haired friend had asked him for a favor and swore him to secrecy. Uryu thought it was something related to hollows so he agreed to meet Kurosaki outside the school gates. God he had been an idiot. Kurosaki no longer had any spiritual powers so why would his secret have anything to do with hollows? For someone who was supposed to be a genius he found himself doing something very idiotic.

Kurosaki met him at the gate and without a word started dragging him away from the school. It took him about a block before he said anything to Uryu. It took him another two blocks to say they were going to a store. Kurosaki didn't tell him they were going to the mall until they were well inside of it. Now here he was standing in the entrance of a mall during Christmas time, one of the busiest shopping times of the year. He hated Kurosaki.

"Do you mind telling me what we are doing here, Kurosaki?" he asked in a low irritated and dangerous tone. Uryu's whole atmosphere was threatening to lash out.

Ichigo either paid it no attention or was oblivious to it. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. When Ishida gave him no reply and continued to give him the death glare he decided he should probably tell him. "I need to shop for some gifts," he said as though it answered everything.

The quincy growled. "That explains why you are here, but why am I here?"

Ichigo stared at the quincy as though this was the first time he had seen him. "I need your opinion on gifts."

"I see and you didn't ask me this back at school why?" The anger was seeping through his words. His left eyebrow actually started to twitch.

Ichigo continued to look at him as though he did not know him. "I would have thought that was obvious. If I asked you to do this at school you probably would have said no. I figure if I dragged your ass here without telling you what was going on you would follow by sheer curiosity," he stated with a hint of pride.

Uryu had to admit that Kurosaki's plan was ingenious for him anyway. "Well played, Kurosaki. Now that you have succeeded in your little plan I am leaving." The raven haired young man turned to the door and prepared to depart.

Panicked at his friend's announcement to leave Ichigo did whatever he could to stop him. "Wait, Ishida! I need your help!"

"I don't care. I have better things to do then help you shop for something."

Ichigo snorted loud enough for Ishida to hear. He seemed to stop; waiting for Ichigo's next remark. "What do you have that's so important?"

"Studying for finals is one thing," Uryu replied. He started to walk away once more.

"Oh, come on Ishida help me out here!" Ichigo continued to plead.

"I don't really care." His hand was just about to grasp the handle when Ichigo shouted.

"I need your help picking out a gift for Inoue!"

The raven haired man stopped in his tracks. Did his rival just say what he thought he said? He shifted his head around to look at Kurosaki and to confirm his story. The ex-substitute's pupils shifted to his right side, while his eyelids were half closed. His face was tainted with a light shade of red. Uryu could tell by that expression of embarrassment and humiliation that Kurosaki was indeed telling him the truth. _'Kurosaki is getting a gift for Inoue-san,' _he thought in astonishment. This was unbelievable.

He hated when people stared at him like he was some kind of animal at some zoo exhibit. Was it really that surprising that he wanted to get Inoue a gift? They were friends after all. It wasn't uncommon. "Look I want to get something for Inoue to thank her all the help she gave me these last two months. She sacrificed so much of her time just to help me out and didn't complain once. You know she's staying at my place so she will be spending the holiday with my family. I want to make her feel welcomed and you know not a guest or an intruder. I need you your help in picking out a gift."

Uryu was at a loss for words. Kurosaki was planning on getting Inoue-san a gift and invite her to join his family for their celebration. This was a monumental occasion. He knew Kurosaki and he was not the type of person to get someone a gift unless they were special to him. Could Inoue-san be that special to him? He had witnessed how the two oddly colored teens' relationship unfolded these last eight weeks. He noticed a change in Kurosaki. He seemed less bitter about the loss of his powers. Was Inoue-san the one who had caused this change?

He was too quiet. Ishida was still staring at him while his mind had obviously journeyed to space. Ichigo was fed up with the silence that Ishida had given him and decided to take things into his own hands. "Hey four eyes, quiet gawking at me already and give me your answer!" He knew it wasn't wise to insult a man he was hoping to get help from, but he had lost his temper.

Ishida was clearly offended and his dark glare fell upon Ichigo again. "You idiot! You can't just go back and insult someone you are trying to ask help from!" Uryu yelled.

Like always his words bounced right off of Ichigo and on to the carpet or well tiles. "Whatever, look are you going to help me or what?"

He should have said no after that jab he had just gotten, but there was a small part of him that told him to stay and help Kurosaki. That small voice was getting louder and louder until finally he had to give in to it. "You are hopeless. I have no choice, but to help you." He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that the former vizard's lips curled into a smile. When he tried to get a closer look he found that the lips were in the normal straight position.

"Let's get going. It's going to take us forever to get a gift with all the people here," Ichigo stated.

"Wait, Kurosaki before we go I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Why did you invite me to help you pick out a gift for Inoue-san?" Uryu asked with genuine interest.

"Well you are in the crafts club with her and you have known her longer than I have. I thought you would know her taste better than I do," he reasoned.

"What about Arisawa-san? She has known Inoue-san longer than I have and is her best friend. Wouldn't it make more sense to bring her instead me?"

Ichigo nearly fell down when he heard Ishida's question. He looked at the dark haired man as though he was insane. "Are you for real? If I had brought Tatsuki she would be grinning from cheek to cheek. She would be saying stuff like: Ichigo you are planning on confessing your feelings for Orihime. Or Ichigo you are in love with Orihime," he said the last part in his best Tatsuki impression. "Please I do not need all that hassle," he grumbled.

"Ok, but what about Kojima-kun and Asano?" the quincy continued to question.

"Keigo is no better than Tatsuki. He would be shouting about me being in love with Inoue. Mizuiro wouldn't be as overbearing as those two, but he would keep shooting me these knowing looks and what not," he explained.

"Sado-kun?" he tried.

Ichigo scoffed. "Oh come on, Chad. Don't get me wrong I love the guy, but he's not exactly the best person to talk to about this stuff."

"You have a point. I take it I was your last choice."

"No, you were actually the second person to come to mind after Tatsuki. Look you aren't here because I have no one better to go with. I value your input and I know I can depend on you when I need to. After all you and me are friends."

Uryu widened his eyes in shock. _'Kurosaki just called us friends? Hmm, that idiot,' _he thought. "You are just lucky that I actually decided to help."

"Oh please, I knew I would get your help when I mentioned Inoue." He saw the look of confusion on his rival's face he decided to elaborate. "I knew you would never risk me getting Inoue a crappy gift, so she wouldn't have to pretend she likes it," he said smugly.

"You are smarter than I give you credit for," Uryu stated.

"Damn straight," Ichigo said with a large grin. The rivals/friends traded smiles. They started their no doubt long quest to find Inoue's gift.

Orihime was staring at her reflection in the mirror. She had been adjusting her hairpins making sure they were perfect. When Ochi-sensei released them after she had all of the exam papers Kurosaki-kun had pulled her aside and away from prying eyes. He thanked her for his good luck charm and returned the chain. He told her that he was very careful with it and apologized if there were any scratches or nicks on it. However she saw no such thing. It was just like him to apologize for something that did not happen. He thanked her one last time then left before she could say anything.

Before he departed he told her that he could not walk her home today citing that he had something to do. She wanted to question him, but he left as soon as he said it. Needless to say Orihime found his behavior odd. Normally Kurosaki-kun would walk with her on their way home and if he could not do that he told her in great detail why he could not and made sure she was walking home with Tatsuki. Today he did none of those things which made her somewhat concerned. She found herself wishing he had reiatsu again so she could at least sense where he was going.

She did her best not to let her fears get out of control and went to Tatsuki to see if she wanted company on her way home. When she found the dark haired girl she had asked Orihime where Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun went to. Confused by what she meant Orihime asked her to explain. According to Tatsuki she saw Kurosaki-kun drag Ishida-kun out of school for something. This was news to her. He never said anything about doing something with Ishida-kun that morning on their walk to school. This was becoming quite the mystery. At least she knew he was with Ishida-kun that meant he was safe from any arrancar looking to make a name from themselves. There had not been an arrancar sighting since the one who attacked last week, but it was possible that there would be more of them. From what that one arrancar said things were in disarray in Hueco Mundo and that many arrancar were seeking to take control of it. The best way to do that would be defeating the man who bested Aizen. She, Sado-kun, and Ishida-kun all agreed to watch Kurosaki-kun closely until things hopefully cooled down in Hueco Mundo.

With Kurosaki-kun being accompanied by Ishida-kun the red haired princess allowed herself to relax. He was safe and that was the most important thing. She would worry about his strange behavior later. She and Tatsuki had walked to her apartment and decided to hang out like they use to.

"I can't believe you let that clueless idiot borrow your hairpins," Tatsuki spoke with disbelief. She was sitting on Orihime's couch waiting for the oddly colored girl to come out of bathroom. "I mean that was the last thing you brother gave you and you entrusted them to Ichigo."

Orihime had told Tatsuki that she made a necklace out of her hairpins and lent them to Ichigo that morning when the black haired girl questioned her on her missing hairpins. Saying that Tatsuki was shocked would have been a huge understatement. "Why is that?" Orihime called from the bathroom. She was still adjusting her hairpins trying to get them just right. Her bottom lip stuck out a bit due to her concentration on the task at hand.

"Umm, hello it's Ichigo. The guy is careless with other people's possessions!" she shouted.

Orihime couldn't help but laugh. "I see you still haven't forgiven him for losing your notes the last time he borrowed them," she said with just a dash of sarcasm.

"Hell no! Do you know because of him I nearly failed that exam? I spent two hours trying to find all the material in my textbook! And here you are giving him something irreplaceable to him and hoping he didn't lose it. They say love is blind, but this is insanity!" she yelled.

"Tatsuki-chan, you aren't being fair. Kurosaki-kun didn't lose my hairpins in fact he didn't want to take them because he was afraid he would lose them."

"Ha," Tatsuki exclaimed in victory. "Even he knows he can't keep track of stuff."

"So Kurosaki-kun can sometimes be a little…." She paused trying to come up with the right word for his behavior.

"Careless, irresponsible, idiotic," Tatsuki suggested.

"…..forgetful," Orihime said. Yes that was the perfect word to describe his behavior. "He can be forgetful at times, but he doesn't do it on purpose. This morning when I gave it to him he looked me right in the eyes and told me he would look after it. He had that look he gets when he puts all of his being into a task. His eyes were so hard yet gentle. I knew he wouldn't lose it or let anything happen to it." Her lips curved into a U shape smile. Like always her Kurosaki-kun came through for her. There her hairpins were finally perfect. She gave her reflection on last look, deemed everything was fine, and then departed the bathroom.

"I think you are too rough on Kurosaki-kun, Tatsuki-chan." She walked over to her couch and took a seat next to her best friend. "I know he's not perfect, but he does try to be there for everyone. He is a very good man."

The second strongest girl in Japan rolled her eyes, but begrudgingly agreed with Orihime. She had known Ichigo since they were children and despite all of his many character flaws she knew him to be a good natured and well intentioned person. There were times when she failed to remember that. Perhaps she should cut him a break for a little bit. "Yeah, I guess you have a point there. Every time I looked at him today he had his hands on that chain, checking to see if your hairpins were there."

Orihime had seen that to. During their lunch break while everyone was in class due to the snow making the outdoor inaccessible she saw Ichigo take his chain out and look at the hairpins connected to it. He fretted over them so much that she feared he would lose them from taking it out so often. He was so concerned about it that he had not allowed anyone to see what was on the end of his chain. Asano-kun pestered him about it constantly, but Kurosaki-kun punched him and threatened him if he continued to ask questions. His wrath was so terrible that all of them gulped and left it alone (especially Asano-kun).

"He took very good care of it." She was smiling proudly. That was right she, Inoue Orihime took pride in the fact that the man she loved valued her so much that protected her most prized possession with ferocity of mother lioness defending her cub. Why shouldn't she? It was evidence that he cared for her and her feelings.

Tatsuki noticing the prideful smile raised her eyebrows in amusement. "My, my, Orihime you certainly look happy," she teased. The goddess must have been because she didn't even respond to Tatsuki teasing with her shouts of complaints. Instead she nodded her head in agreement. "Well seeing as you two are so close now have you gotten him a Christmas present?" Tatsuki saw the prideful smile leave Orihime's face so fast that she would have thought it ran for its life.

Orihime went white at the mention of Christmas present. She never even considered it. To give Kurosaki-kun a gift would have dire consequences. For one thing he would know how she felt and that just could not be, now that she had gotten this close to him. This wasn't like giving him a birthday present; no this was Christmas for her to give him anything would be confession of her love!

"O-Of course not!" She had said that much louder then she intended it to be. Naturally she felt humbled by her outburst and went red while Tatsuki's grin grew wider. This was the universe's way of punishing her for being so proud moments ago. "I can't get him anything!" she repeated quieter than before. But it still held the urgency that she felt.

"Why not?"

Orihime frowned at her so called best friend. "It's Christmas time, Tatsuki-chan! The time where boys and girls confess their feeling for one another, go out on romantic dates, and spend the day together. If I get him a gift he will interpret it as a declaration of love. He'll get freaked out and our friendship will never be the same."

"Ok first of all just because you get him a Christmas gift does not mean you are confessing to him. Friends also give each other gifts, like you and me. Second, you really should tell him how you feel. This is the perfect chance to tell him with the holiday upon us."

"I can't tell, Kurosaki-kun. I am not ready and I am pretty sure he does not feel the same way I do."

Tatsuki groaned. "You are like broken record!" she shouted. "How can you honestly say that after everything that has happened between you two? He went to the equivalent of hell for you, transformed into a monster to protect you, declared that he wants to protect you from everything, told you could always talk to him, calls you beautiful, and even says that he feels uneasy when you aren't around and you still think it's unlikely he has any romantic feelings for you whatsoever. Trust me he is in to you."

"You don't know that though. All of those things you described were touching, but he would and has done that for other people, like Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Kuchiki-san…."

"Wait," Tatsuki stopped her. "You still have it in your head that he is in love with Kuchiki don't you? That's why you won't make a move. You still feel guilty about her leaving." When Orihime didn't reply she knew that she was right. "Orihime, it's not your fault that she left."

"I know, believe me I understand that now, but I still feel bad. And…."

"And," Tatsuki repeated.

"I overheard him say how much he misses Kuchiki-san. He sounded so depressed and lost." She could see the pity in Tatsuki's face and it bothered her. Orihime turned her head away so she wouldn't have to see that expression of pity. "Kuchiki-san holds a special place in Kurosaki-kun's heart a place I can't hope to occupy. If I tell him he will just reject me and I'll lose what we have now. I don't want that."

"For someone so smart you say some pretty dumb things. It's true that Ichigo holds Kuchiki in his heart and you probably can't take that place…." Orihime's shoulders slouched and her reiatsu became dark and gloomy. It did not suit the usually optimistic girl. "….but you also hold a place in his heart that no one else can hope to take, not even Kuchiki. You have to stop comparing yourself with other people and just be you. I have known Ichigo since we were eight and can tell you one thing with confidence. He smiles a lot more when you are around. He tries to hide it, but when you enter a room his lips break into this small smile and his eyes lose that mean look to them. For what it's worth I think you cause that."

Orihime said nothing, but she was listening to every word Tatsuki spoke. Did she really produce that smile that Tatsuki was talking about?

"I think you are selling your relationship with Ichigo a bit short. If you told him how you feel you would be surprised by his response."

Orihime chuckled. "Do you honestly believe that?" she asked sincerely.

Tatsuki produced a teeth revealing grin. "Of course I do dummy. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it." The dark cloud around the healer became nonexistent and her warm gentle reiatsu came pouring in. "Now let's figure out what you are going to get him."

"Eh, I told you I wasn't going to get him one!"

"No you said you weren't going to confess to him. However you can still get him a gift." She stood up from her seat and put her hands on her hips. "Friends can give friends gifts, so if you give Ichigo one he will think you are just getting him one as a friend."

Worry set in on the healer's face. "But what if he doesn't and thinks I am confessing?" she panicked.

Tatsuki chuckled mischievously at this. An evil glint sparkled in her left eye. Orihime hated when she got like that. No good could come from that face. "If Ichigo thinks you are confessing wait for his reaction if he is happy go with it and you'll be together. If he isn't just say you are giving him a gift as a friend. It's the perfect way to gauge his feelings!"

Sweat formed on the back of Orihime's head. Her head was leaning towards the left slightly and her eyelids close as she gave a nervous smile (you know that typical anime nervous expression). "Umm, that sounds like a good idea, Tatsuki-chan," she humored the black haired girl.

"Christmas Eve is Friday so we don't have a lot of time. Tomorrow after our exams we will go to the mall and look for a gift. Be prepared, Orihime. Shopping this late we will be a battle field. We have to be vicious if we are going to get Ichigo a gift," she stated.

Orihime now started to laugh nervously. She knew that tomorrow would be very stressful. _'What have I gotten myself into?' _she wondered.

* * *

**I need gift ideas, so feel free to give me some in your reviews. I might start a poll and have people vote. I honestly have no idea what to use as gifts. To answer glamRockr69's question I plan on ending the story once it reaches to the point where the manga is. I may write a sequel that follows the events during the time skip with my personal spin on it. Speaking of the time skip I will start to incorporate more of those elements into this story such as part time jobs and new hair styles. That's it for now, please review. **


	15. Christmas Eve

**Sorry the chapter is a little late, but I was busy this week. I had to cut this chapter down because I realized it would be way too long for one chapter. This chapter is set four days after the last one. It is last day of the dreaded finals which happens to fall on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve from what I gathered from research is for the most when Japan exchanges gifts and celebrates not on the actual day. Couples tend to spend the day together on the old 24****th****. Keep that in mind when you are reading the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

* * *

Ichigo hated the morning. It always took him a long time wake for one and his father always came bursting through his door to attack him in attempt to wake him up. It was too early to hear all of that yelling. Well that's how his mornings were before Inoue started staying at the Kurosaki Clinic. Sharing a room with the goddess had its benefits. His father would always gently knock on the door to make sure she was up. He never thought of kicking the door in to disturb their female guest, it would be ungentlemanly to do so.

He no longer had to suffer through his father's crazy morning wake up calls. The second benefit was that Inoue made sure he got up without screaming or raging at him. She would always nudge him with just enough force to stir him, but not irritate him. Waking up with a flawless skin and sparkling haired beauty in your face giving you this enchanting and alluring smile was a vast improvement to his father's roughed up, hairy, and sometimes nicked up face.

Ichigo always took his time getting up. He would wake up when Orihime nudged him, but he opened his eye lids ever so slightly to hide his awakening from the red haired princess. She would try to nudge him awake again and he would use this time to steal glances at her without fear of being caught. Pathetic as it sounded he found enjoyment taking in her appearance. It sounded a tad bit creepy he would admit, but compared to what other guys did just to catch a glimpse of her it was normal by comparison. He once saw a boy actually fall down a flight of stairs because he was too busy gawking at Inoue. As far as Ichigo was concerned if he did not cause bodily harm to himself or others his stolen glances were not a problem.

By the time she nudged him a third time he would reveal he was awake and thank her. From there they went their separate ways getting ready for school. Being the gentlemen he was he allowed the girls to have the bathroom first while he kept Kon out a task he had taken up when Orihime started staying with them. After about 45 minutes or more the bathroom would be free and he would do all the necessary business within 10 minutes he might add then he would go down stairs for breakfast. Once he made it to the table they started their meal.

Today was just a little different. Inoue did not wake him up as promptly as she usually did. She usually woke him up at 7 o'clock, but today she woke him up at 7: 15. It was not a huge difference, but it was unlike her to sleep in or to let him sleep in on the week day. He noticed that she kept looking at her bag every few seconds while she was waiting on Karin to finish in the bathroom. She was also fidgety and nervous around him the same way she was when she was hiding something from him or when she was embarrassed. Judging by how much chattering and small talk Inoue made this morning it had to be both.

He wanted to question her, but just when he was about to open his mouth Karin came in and told them the bathroom was free. Inoue made a mad dash for the door with her bag in her hand and leaving the orange haired boy dazed. When the kind hearted healer left the bathroom fully dressed she brought her bag down with her to the dining room. Whatever Inoue was hiding from him it had be in that bag. His thoughts were plagued by what was in the bag rather than on the last final exam as they should have been on.

What could be in that bag and why was Inoue so protective of it all of a sudden? Did this have anything to do with Christmas? Today in addition to being Friday and the last day of the finals at Karakura High also happened to be Christmas Eve. Many people would be scrambling to get their gifts ready and exchange them today at class after the final was over. All week long Ichigo had seen people stress about what to get possible love interest for Christmas to confess their feelings or to spend the day with their boyfriends/girlfriends after the exam. Could Inoue be one of those people? If that was the case did that mean she was planning on giving a gift to a boy to confess her affection to him?

That thought made his heart stop. The thought of Inoue, his Inoue going up to some guy and telling him that she was in love with him made his inside ache with sorrow. His blood also boiled with resentment and jealousy. That bastard had better appreciate just how lucky he was to have won her affection. If he hurt her in any way he would make sure that guy would pay and he would enjoy doing it. The thought of Inoue's mystery guy haunted him all through his shower and did not stop until he got to the table.

"Kurosaki-kun," the goddess called.

He turned to his right to look at her. Today he sat beside her. Orihime's bright hazel eyes were laced with worry. He must have let his crappy mood show. "What's with that face?" he asked. "I am fine, Inoue. I am just worrying about the final that's all." Instantly the worry evaporated from her eyes. _'Good she bought it,' _he thought. He had to get his mind off of Inoue's love life. He had no idea who or even if Inoue was giving a guy a gift. He shouldn't worry about something he only suspected. However he found himself doing the opposite of what he was thinking as he had been doing with Orihime lately.

Ichigo hated feeling this way, unsecure, paranoid, sick to his stomach, and slightly depressed. He didn't want to feel this way. But he hated the thought of Orihime being with another guy. It was selfish and he knew it, but he felt that way. He had to accept the negative emotions along with the positive ones with his affections for Orihime. If by chance she did give a gift to a boy and confessed her feelings to him he would have to accept that because he wanted her to be happy.

'_It's not like she feels the same way I do anyway,' _he thought bitterly.

Yuzu had walked in with breakfast with a helper in Isshin. He set out the toast while Yuzu had somehow balanced five plates with just two hands. She set one plate in front of Karin another plate in front of Orihime, one in front of Ichigo and the last two in the placed where Isshin and Yuzu would be sitting. The light brown haired Kurosaki had made steamed rice and grilled fish (which were for Ichigo and Orihime to help them focus).

"You may all eat," Yuzu announced proudly. The five of them started to devour their meals.

"As expected it is great, Yuzu!" Isshin complimented with a full mouth.

Ichigo, Orihime, and Karin nodded in agreement. Yuzu accepted their praise and they continued to eat until Isshin spoke again.

"What finals do you two have today?" He directed his question to the two orange hared teens.

"English," Ichigo muttered in between bites.

"How is that going anyway? I don't think I've heard you speak one phrase in English?"

"It was really hard at first, but it's starting to get better. I have to learn it so I made myself study all those rules and stuff," Ichigo continued.

"So do you feel confident…." Isshin swallowed some toast before finishing. "….about taking this exam?"

"I certainly feel better than I did about taking Biology."

Isshin took his attention of his son and turned it on to Orihime. "What about you, Orihime?"

Orihime was in the middle of chewing fish so he waited for her to finish. "I am a little nervous about today's exam," she admitted. Ichigo snorted loudly drawing her attention. "What?" she asked.

"You say that, but you are passing that class. You received mostly 90s on those exams?" he questioned her.

"Not all of them were 90s," she argued.

"Oh I am sorry, what was the lowest score you received on an English exam this term?" He asked knowing the answer. Already he had a triumphant expression.

Orihime found her food very interesting at the moment and decided to stare at it. She wore a mask mixed with shame and repression. "82," she whispered.

"I'm sorry what did you say? I couldn't hear you," he teased. A wide smirk materialized on his face.

"I got an 82," Orihime said more loudly with a hint of edge to it.

Ichigo chuckled while the girl who had won his affections glared at him or attempted to. Whenever Inoue glared it was tainted with her natural good natured and hope restoring eyes. Her glare only succeeded in making her even more adorable.

"I am still nervous," she continued.

"Don't be," Ichigo replied simply.

Orihime frowned at her love's nonchalant demeanor. "Kurosaki-kun," she whined. "I am nervous about taking this final and you are making fun of me," she complained.

Ichigo shook his head. "I am not trying to make fun of you. I am just saying that you have nothing to worry about. You studied hard and understood the material. All you need is confidence in yourself. Stop selling yourself short. There is a reason you are third in our class."

The healer's cheek flared up. "Thank you," she quietly muttered. He always found a way to lift her spirits and restore her confidence.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "I'm only speaking the truth."

Isshin face suddenly lit up. "Before I forget Ichigo it turns out I can pick up the Christmas Cake today after all, so you don't need to worry about it." A patient had made a late appointment with him earlier that week. His day was booked with patients so he did not look like he would be able to pick up the Christmas cake. The patient cancelled his appointment which freed up his schedule. "Now you can enjoy your early release."

The students of Karakura High were blessed with the fact that they only had to take one exam today. The exam was three hours so that meant they would be out by 12 and their two week break before the next term would begin.

Yuzu started to pout. "I wish we had a half day. You two are so lucky."

Karin shook her head. "You have to take a three hour exam," she reminded her twin.

"If it meant I got to go home at 12 today I wouldn't mind," Yuzu added. "Onii-chan is not the only one ready for the term to be over with."

Karin nodded along with her. Like the rest of her siblings she was ready for the term to end. "We have a two week break at least."

"That's true. Still I am a bit envious of Onii-chan and Orihime-chan's exam schedule. They only have a three hour day on Christmas Eve to boot." Yuzu let out a sigh. "You two could go to some of the shops and look at the lights," she added dreamily.

"Looking at lights in the day time isn't as spectacular as night," Ichigo and Karin said at the same time. The two of them looked at each other with slight surprise.

Yuzu paid her siblings no attention and went on to ask a question. "Onii-chan, do you have any plans for today?" she asked innocently.

Karin narrowed he eyes slightly. She knew exactly what her twin was trying to do. She said nothing though and merely looked at her brother to see what his answer would be.

Ichigo wore a bored expression. "Nothing at the moment," he replied.

"I see. What about you, Orihime-chan?" she switched targets.

"I don't have any plans yet myself."

Ichigo's expression quickly changed to one of interest. She didn't have any plans today. That could mean the gift she had wasn't for a boy which meant she wasn't planning on confessing to anyone. If she was she would have said she had no plans yet, implying that she was hoping to have plans with someone right? Of course she would. Inoue was not giving her heart to a guy! Before Ichigo could stop himself his lips broke into a smile.

Karin raised an eyebrow at her brother's stupid smile. It was not like Ichigo to smile goofily. That was more like their dad. "Ich-nii, what are smiling about?" As soon as she said it Ichigo's smile faded from sight. Everyone else at the table turned into his direction to see the so called smile, but only saw the usual scowl.

"I wasn't smiling," Ichigo stated.

This caused the raven haired Kurosaki to frown. "You were too smiling, just a moment ago." She folded her arms, daring her brother to lie to her again.

He returned Karin's glare with one of his own. _'God, she can be annoying,' _he thought.

"I am waiting," Karin continued.

"Look I am telling you I wasn't smiling, at least not on purpose."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she challenged.

"If you saw me smile then it was purely involuntary," he explained. The ex-substitute returned to his meal.

Realizing that she would not get any more out of her brother Karin silently groaned and started eating her breakfast again. _'Ichi-nii keeps too many secrets.'_

Isshin shook his head at his children's bickering. Ichigo and Karin were too similar for their own good. They butted heads so often now. He wondered how bad it would get once she started dating and Ichigo's protective nature would start to scare off boys. He shuddered. It was not a pretty sight to imagine. The shinigami turned physician cleared his throat and to draw everyone's attention. He was successful because all four sets of eyes landed on him.

"I'll pick up the cake at 5 o'clock and we'll have dinner at 6, so no cake until we have all had our dinner. I better not catch any of you kids trying to sneak some," he lectured.

Ichigo and Karin rolled their eyes and shared the same oh please look. Yuzu nodded along with her father and acknowledged him. Orihime looked out of place which did not go unnoticed by Isshin. "Is something wrong, Orihime?" he asked with concern in his voice.

All eyes went to the orange haired beauty. Feeling all of their stares was too much for her. Her stomach was tied in knots. "Well nothing is the matter. I was just thinking maybe I should eat dinner at my apartment tonight, that's all."

"Why?" Ichigo immediately blurted out.

"It's just that I don't want to intrude on your Christmas celebration. I will still come over and sleep here tonight," she added hastily.

Ichigo couldn't hide how upset he was. "That's nonsense!" he yelled. His loud voice caused her to jump. "You aren't intruding on anything! No one here wants you to be excluded from our celebration!" He turned to Karin and Yuzu. They agreed with him.

"Onii-chan is right. Orihime-chan we would love for you to spend the holiday with us!" Yuzu exclaimed.

Karin voiced her opinion. "I know I don't want you to go. I like having you here. Besides you keep these two from going all wild." She pointed to Ichigo and Isshin. "Since you have started staying here their fights have become way tamer."

"Kurosaki-kun, Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan," she uttered softly. They wanted her there for their celebration. They (Ichigo) sounded insulted for her to do otherwise. That thought put a smile on her face.

Isshin proudly smiled at his three children. _'Those brats stole everything I was going to say,' _he thought. "There you have it. Orihime would love for you to celebrate with us. You are practically family anyway at this point." He finished up with his trademark grin.

Orihime couldn't remember the last time she felt as touched as she did at that moment. These wonderful and generous people had not only allowed her to stay in their home in her time of need, but even came to recognize her as family. That feeling she had always felt as a child, that empty space that she had it felt smaller. She always wondered what it was like to have a family, family. Sora was terrific and a great bother, however a part of her always wondered what it would be like to have a conventional family. The Kuorsakis were not the most conventional family, however to her they were one of the most loving families. Despite all of the bickering, insults, and downright craziness they all loved each other and were a strong stable unit when they needed to be.

"So Orihime…." Isshin started again. "….would you like to be a part of our celebration?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, I would like that very much." The large smile materialized on her face. Orihime wondered if she looked nearly as happy as she felt.

"It's settled then. Everyone be back here before 6 and we will begin our celebration!" Isshin cheered. For once his two sarcastic and negative children, Ichigo and Karin did not object to his jubilation. All four kids wore their own expressions of jubilation.

* * *

It was another snowy day at Karakura High. The grounds were covered in snow. People were hurrying off to their classes for fear of being late to their final. Classrooms were full of chattering students talking about their plans for the holiday and their two week break. There were other students attempting to review one last time before their exams started. Ichigo was one of the students attempting to study.

The ex-substitute sat at his desk going over note cards he had made for studying weeks ago. He was so engrossed with his studies that he did not notice Keigo sneak up on him. Once he realized that Ichigo was oblivious to his presence he decided to take advantage of it. Keigo slowly crept up to the orange haired boy. He leaned over to him careful not breathe on him.

"HEY ICHIGO!" he screamed.

Ichigo jumped out of his desk startled. His old shinigami reflexes kicked in. He turned around and launched his fist straight into his supposed attacker was, and hit him in the stomach. This caused him to keel over in pain. It wasn't until Ichigo heard Keigo's unmistakable groan did he realize who he attacked.

"Keigo," he stated uncertainly.

Keigo replied with a moan.

Ichigo was conflicted. He felt bad for attacking and harming one of his best friends, but on the other had it was Keigo's own damn fault for startling him. "Ha," Ichigo sighed in aggravation. Guilt won out in the end. He helped Keigo up. "Idiot, you should know better than to sneak up on me like that," Ichigo complained.

Once again Keigo replied in the form of moan. This made it difficult in trying to understand what he was conveying. Ichigo groaned to himself.

"I told him not to sneak up on you." Mizuiro, Chad, and Ishida walked up to Ichigo's desk. Mizuiro was the one who had spoken to him. "Will he be back to normal before the exam begins?" Mizuiro asked. His face was out of his cellphone. He must have been reviewing for the exam as well and put his most used device away.

"He'll be fine. He just had the breath knocked out of him," Ichigo explained. Mizuiro acknowledged him with a nod. One of the girls in the class came up to the cellphone obsessed man. Mizuiro turned to her and flashed her; his all too charming and girl alluring smile. The girl blushed. She timidly presented him with a small gift.

"Happy Christmas, Kojima-kun," she said. The girl returned to her group of friends. When she returned they all broke out into chorus of giggles.

Mizuiro with his smile still on his face put the gift into his front pocket. It was not uncommon for him to receive gifts from girls in their class. Ever since Ichigo had known him Mizuiro had ended up with a large variety of gifts. The holiday was good for a player like him.

"How many gifts does that make?" Ichigo asked.

The short raven haired boy put his index finger on his chin and started analyzing the question. "Let's see. Just this morning and counting some of the girls who stopped by my house before I came to school this makes fifteen."

"Fifteen gifts!" Keigo exclaimed. The breath had returned to his body.

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Is it all that surprising?" he asked Keigo. "Kojima-kun always receives a large amount of gifts from his female admires around the holiday."

"That doesn't make it better you know!" Keigo shouted in distress. He crossed his arms in akin to a child moping. "Some of us don't receive even one gift."

Ichigo shot his hyperactive friend an annoyed stare. "Quit with that poor me act. It's annoying."

"Why don't you ever give me sympathy?" Keigo asked in his usual over dramatic manner.

"I don't get any gifts either and you don't see me complaining about it," Ichigo argued.

"The only reason you don't gifts is because of your reputation as a dangerous thug. You are still considered one of the best looking guys in our year!"

"This idiot one of the best looking guys of our year? You must have heard wrong, Asano?" said the rough yet feminine voice of Tatsuki. She and Orihime had walked up to the boys. She looked Ichigo up and down and irking him. "Nope, I don't see it at all. He still has that same mean and unpleasant face." Ichigo shot Tatsuki the darkest glare he could muster. "Maybe it is just me who can't see it. Let's get a second opinion," she suggested. The short raven haired girl turned to her best friend. "Orihime, what's your opinion?" She smirked wickedly.

Orihime was a kind and gentle soul. She rarely approved of violence. She hated to harm other people. However at this moment she wanted to hurt her so called best friend badly. The healer was the center of attention of the group. All of their eyes, including Kurosaki-kun's were aimed directly at her, waiting for her answer. A lump formed in the base of her throat. Tatsuki was beyond cruel. She said she wouldn't reveal Orihime's affections for Kurosaki-kun then she pulls a stunt like this.

"Well, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked again. It was a bit sadistic of her to put her best friend on the spot like that, but it was not without reason. If Orihime was left to her own pace by the time she revealed her feelings to Ichigo they would all have gray hair. She wouldn't outright tell Ichigo without Orihime's consent, but she could still nudge her along the way a bit. If Orihime were not so blind she would be able to see that Ichigo was waiting for her response in anticipation. They needed her to nudge them along if they were going to get there ever.

"I happen to think that Kurosaki-kun is very pleasing to the eye," She said barely above a whisper. Her face had ignited in a deep crimson.

Tatsuki didn't hear what Orihime said and she knew the boys least of all Ichigo did not hear her either. "Eh, speak up. There was no way any of us can hear you if you whisper." The second strongest girl in Japan put her left hand behind her ear in an attempt to increase her hearing.

Orihime whimpered silently. It was bad enough she had to say it in front of people the first time. Now she had to repeat it. "I said that I find Kurosaki-kun very pleasing to the eye," she said a little louder.

"We still can't hear you," Tatsuki spoke again.

Frustration burrowed its way into the healer's heart. "Kurosaki-kun is very pleasing to the eye!" she shouted loud enough for half the class to hear. Chattering stopped and they eyed her stunned by her words.

"Inoue-san finds that trouble maker Kurosaki attractive?" one voice said.

She wanted to die right there. One outburst in class was enough. She was still trying to live down the first one and now she had this one to deal with. Her only relief was that today was the last day of class and that hopefully their class would move on and forget what she said two weeks from now.

While Orihime despaired Ichigo rejoiced. She found him "pleasing to the eye". He was relieved. Normally he wasn't one into his physical appearance and did not care for what people thought of how he looked. He had been harassed so much for his oddly colored carrot top head that if he had cared about his appearance he would have dyed it black or brown a long time ago. Orihime was the exception to that rule. It contradicted everything he had done or said in the past, but he wanted to his appearance to be acceptable to her. Her outburst confirmed that his appearance was indeed acceptable to her. A familiar sensation of pride swelled inside of his heart.

Sensing that Orihime wanted to change the subject Tatsuki decided to let her off the hook. "I assume you boys are ready for the exam."

"Of course," Uryu answered roughly. It seemed that mere mention of him being unprepared was insulting to his character. The other boys gave their own little and less insulted replies of yeses.

Once she had her answers Tatsuki focused her attention back on her best friend. "Orihime are you going to spend the holiday at my house?"

"Oh your house!" the healer repeated in surprise and horror.

"Yes, my house," Tatsuki repeated slowly. She narrowed her eyes at Hime._ 'She is hiding something,' _thought Tatsuki.

Orihime started to have a mini mental break down. Tatsuki was still being blinded to the fact that Orihime was staying at the Kurosaki Clinic, so she did not know that Orihime was spending Christmas Eve with them. If she told her that she was spending the holiday with the Kuorsakis that would to a whole series of other questions that she did not want to answer. "Umm, here is the thing, Tatsuki-chan. I would like to spend the holiday with your family, but something has come up."

The short raven haired girl put her hands on her hips in a demanding manner. "Like what?" she asked rather sternly.

Orihime gulped. "Umm…..like…." she trailed off. Nothing was coming to her mind. How was she going to get out of this one?

Ichigo looked from the demanding Tatsuki and to the panicking Orihime. He knew she was terrible at lies. There was no way she could deceive Tatsuki directly. His desire to protect her awakened from its slumber. "She's hanging out with me today," he spoke up. Both girls shot him stares of utter surprise. They were not the only ones. Keigo, Mizuiro, Ishida, and even Chad were frozen in stunned silence.

After a minute of awkward silence Tatsuki shook off her surprise. "Did you say you and Orihime were hanging out, **today**?" She put emphasis on the last word of her sentence.

Ichigo replied, "Yes. We made plans to hang out today. That's why she can't go over your place to celebrate."

"You two are hanging out for the entire day?" Her brown eyes darted from Ichigo to Orihime and back to Ichigo.

"Umm…." Orihime looked to Ichigo for answer, since she had no idea what was going on.

"Yeah we are hanging out for the entire day," he replied with the same level of coolness as before.

Tatsuki was speechless as was everyone else. Ichigo had made plans with Orihime on one of the most romantic holidays ever. _'They might be further along than I originally thought,' _Tatsuki told herself. When she finally found the strength to form words again Ochi-sensei came into the classroom.

"I know you are all dying to exchange gifts with that special someone, but we are on our last exam. To make things better we only have one exam today. If we get his exam done fast I may just let you all go even earlier than you are supposed to."

With this information in mind the students quickly went to their seats. All of their minds were focused on the exam they were about to take all except one person. Orihime sat at her desk wondering if this was reality or one of her dreams. She gave one last fleeting look to Kurosaki-kun. One question kept flashing in her mind. _'Do I have a date with Kurosaki-kun?'_

* * *

"Ichigo you luck bastard!" Keigo screamed excitedly. He put his arm around the ex-substitute. He was either unaware or did not care that he inciting wrath in Ichigo. "You have the date with the hottest girl in the whole school!" Ichigo elbowed his friend in the face knocking him off of his shoulder. "What was that for?" he screamed.

"You were being extremely annoying," Ichigo breathed out. Their exam had just ended. All the students of Karakura High were rushing out of their classrooms. The halls were filled with laughter and cheer. It seemed that everyone was eager to start their break. Ichigo lagged behind his friends in order to ask Ochi-sensei about his grades. She told him that he would find out his grades the same time as everyone else, which would be two weeks from now. However she did tell him that he did not have to worry as he passed all of his make-up exams and turned in all of the make-up work on time. That brought him some comfort. He left the classroom somewhat more confidant in his chances of passing which is when Keigo attacked him.

Keigo rubbed his poor and sore face. "I would think you would be a little more excited since you scored a date with the goddess of Karakura High and every guy's dream, Inoue," he said dreamingly.

Ichigo's eyes started to twitch in annoyance. "Can't you ever act your age? And it is not a date. Inoue and I are just hanging out today."

"Sure you are," Keigo said sarcastically.

"It is not a date," Ichigo snapped back.

"What are you two arguing about now?" said the exhausted voice of Uryu. He, Chad, and Mizuiro had walked up to the pair. Mizuiro was once again immersed in his cellphone. The silent giant wore his usual bored almost depressed expression.

Ichigo answered, "Keigo is just being annoying as always."

"Ichigo is just nervous about his date with Inoue," Keigo supplied his answer.

Uryu nodded his head. "I see."

Ichigo was fuming at his loud mouth friend. "For the last time it is not a date!" Ever since Ichigo had lied to Tatsuki and told her about Orihime spending the day with him everyone assumed he had made a date with the healer. It wasn't just his small circle of friends who knew about the arrangement. Their entire class now knew of it. During the exam he heard two guys whispering that Kurosaki was going on a date with Inoue-san. He had gotten a dark glare from nearly every guy in the room. Chizuru even gave him the evil eye.

"Really?" Uryu challenged Ichigo with a stare.

Ichigo scowled, but met the quincy's stare with his own. "Yes, really," he replied in his low dangerous tone. Ishida did not appear to be effected by it at all.

"Kurosaki, are you actually telling us that you just happen to make plans with Inoue-san on Christmas Eve day, one of the most romantic holidays of the year and not have any romantic intentions?" he asked with disbelief.

"Yes, I mean look when I made the plans the day didn't occur to me." Ishida continued to look unconvinced.

"It's a date, Kurosaki," Uryu stated.

"Shut up! How would you know?" Ichigo snapped.

"I agree with Ishida," Mizuiro said. He was in the middle of typing a text. "Making plans with a girl on Christmas Eve is the same as making a date." He finished his text and sent it off.

Chad nodded along. "You are spending the entire day with her just the two of you, makes it feel like you are going on date," the normally silent giant spoke.

Ichigo nearly lost his footing. "Not you to Chad!" he screamed. The hollow powered human merely shrugged his shoulders. "Listen up all of you. Inoue and I are not going on a **date**. We are just **hanging** out as friends."

Uryu snorted. "Since this is not a date would you mind if I come with you?"

"No!" Ichigo screamed defensively. Once his ears had registered what he said his face turned red. He avoided his rival's gaze, but he could still feel that wide arrogant grin on the back of his neck. "Look I just want to thank Inoue for helping me study these last two months. I want it to just be the two of us. That's all." He could tell by the blank stares that none of them believed him. He wasn't even sure he believed himself.

Did he make a date with Inoue without even realizing it? At the time it seemed like the best way to draw suspicion away from Inoue, but perhaps there was some underlining desire to spend time with her on Christmas Eve alone. _'No I was just helping her out. The only reason I am going through with this is so I can give her my gift without the others around. It's not a date, is it?'_

"You are hopeless," Uryu muttered under his breath. He put his scarf on. The quincy started to walk away from the group.

"Ishida, where are you going?" Ichigo called.

Uryu stopped. "Urahara-san said he wanted to see me for something."

"He did?" Ichigo asked unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

"It's nothing to worry about. I simply asked him if the Soul Society was planning on quelling the arrancar Civil War that Inoue-san told us about. He will probably just give me an answer on that," he explained. In the corner of his eye he was Ichigo relax a bit.

"Shouldn't we all go over there?" Ichigo suggested.

"It's only a minor issue. There is no need for you, Inoue-san, and Sado-kun to trouble yourselves. Just enjoy your date." The glasses cladded man departed.

"Damn it, I told you it's not a date!"

"I told you that you are just fooling yourself!" Uryu called back. "You want to spend the entire day with Inoue-san without anyone else, and you have that as well. Face it Kurosaki you are going on a date. After those words he was out of sight.

Ichigo growled. "That stupid four eyed bastard. He knows just how to get under my skin. He even mentioned the gift I got her." Ishida departed from his thoughts as soon as he disappeared from sight. The image of Inoue's smiling face popped into his head. The quincy was not entirely wrong. He wanted to spend time with Orihime alone.

Perhaps his cover story did not have to be fictional. He was planning on giving Inoue her gift later. If he did it at his place is family would see it. They would make a big deal out of it and probably blow his secret infatuation with her. Of course he could give Inoue his gift before they all came home, but Ichigo had to face facts. There was no way he could just give Orihime her gift right away. He had to build up his courage before he actually did it. Spending a day with the healer would allow him to loosen up enough to give the gift to her. As a bonus he would get to spend the entire day with her.

'_I'll spend the day with Inoue and give her my gift later. We've never really gone out anywhere alone, since we had to study. I'm sure she will enjoy an outing for once. Kurosaki don't screw this up,' _he told himself.

* * *

"There is my girl!" Tatsuki exclaimed as she walked up to Orihime in the hall. The short raven haired girl wore her smug grin.

"Hello, Tatsuki-chan," Orihime greeted. She stopped and waited for her best friend.

"How do feel?"

Orihime was baffled by why Tatsuki would ask her such a question out of the blue. "I am fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well I just thought you would be sweating bullets since you have a date with Ichigo today, on Christmas Eve!"

The mutant butterflies awakened inside of her. They were already causing havoc within her stomach. "It's not a date. We are just hanging out."

Tatsuki scoffed at the healer's claim. "Oh please! You two made plans on Christmas Eve and plan on being together for the whole day. That is something people usually do for dates. You said it yourself that this is one of the most romantic days of the year. Now you will have Ichigo alone all to yourself. Even a clueless idiot like him is bond to take some hints on this day. Play your cards right and you two will be together by New Year's."

Orihime continued to disagree. She knew this wasn't a real date. Kurosaki-kun only said they had plans so Tatsuki would not think it was odd for her to be over his family's place on Christmas Eve. She doubted he had any intentions of following through. They would probably just head back home. _'Wait did I just think of Kurosaki-kun's home as my home? Get a grip on yourself! That's not my home, its Kurosaki-kun's home,' _she told herself. "Kurosaki-kun and I are spending time together as friends, nothing more."

"I wonder if you will feel that way when you give him your gift later today," Tatsuki teased.

"Do you mean the gift I got for him as a **friend**?"

"Oh come on Orihime. There is no way you can tell me that a part of you is not overjoyed at spending the day with Ichigo."

"Well…."

"Ha, I knew it! You are probably ecstatic."

Deep down, she was jumping up and down at the thought of spending the day with Kurosaki-kun alone. The more reasonable part of her reminded her that this was all a ruse and nothing more. They were not going to spend the day together. She sighed regretfully.

"Inoue."

She looked up to see the boy who had plagued her thoughts moments ago. He appeared be waiting alone. She wondered how he had managed to get the others to leave. "Hi, Kurosaki-kun," she greeted. She and Tatsuki stopped.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. Orihime prepared to say her farewells to her pseudo sister. "Goodbye, Tatsuki-chan."

"You two kids have fun. Take care of her Ichigo."

They gave her one last wave then the two oddly colored head pair left her.

"Go get him, Orihime," she whispered.

"So are you hungry?" he asked her. Orihime nodded. "Good, I know the perfect place to get something to eat." Ichigo started to walk away. When he noticed that Orihime was not following him he turned around and stopped. "Hey, what's up?"

"We aren't going back to you home to eat something?" she asked.

"I kind of had something else in mind. Once we get done eating we could go to that park you like. It's closer to the place I am thinking of then it is from my house."

"Kurosaki-kun, you don't have to do this," she said.

He looked clueless about what she was talking about. "I don't have to do what?"

"Spend the day with me," she explained. His chocolate eyes seemed to dim for some reason. "I know you only told Tatsuki-chan we were spending the day together to cover for me. I don't expect to spend the day with you. You can hang out with Sado-kun, Asano-kun, and the others if you want."

"I see so you are saying I can spend the day with anyone I want to?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. Orihime started to hug herself. Suddenly it felt like the temperature had gotten even lower. Sadness had overcome the area and it was making her shiver. _'I knew he didn't really want to spend the day with me.'_

"Let's get going."

"Huh?" Orihime cried. Question marks formed around her head.

"I said let's get going. I don't about you, but I am starving."

"But I told you that you didn't have to do this."

"You said I could spend the day with anyone I want to and I want to spend the day with you," he answered. Ichigo turned around to face her. "It's true that I made up the spending the day together to get Tatsuki off your case. However I do want to spend the day with you. Inoue this year you have become one of my closest friends and have been one of my comrades in battle. You have been by my side since we went to rescue Rukia and you have been my confidant and recently you have been someone I can lean on. I want to show you how much you mean to me and how thankful I am to have you in my life. I figured we could hang out for once without any worry about studying or something else, just you and me."

She put her gloved hands over her mouth. She was fighting back tears and struggling to keep herself together. Kurosaki-kun wanted to spend the day with her, this with her alone. That chill she felt earlier was gone. If anything it was becoming too hot. Tatsuki's words came to her mind.

"…_.but you also hold a place in his heart that no one else can take, not even Kuchiki."_

What Tatsuki said was true. All this time Orihime assumed that Rukia only held a place in his heart and that there was no room for anyone else. Only now did she realize that while Kurosaki-kun did have a special place for Kuchiki-san that he also held a special place reserved just for her. It made her feel incredibly special. He was becoming so open with her as well. Kurosaki-kun was always one for giving speeches, but he did not reveal such intimate details at. That would have been true two months ago.

"We are going to lunch then to the park?" she asked.

"That's what I was thinking. We could come up with some other stuff to do from there."

They were going to lunch and he was going to take her to the park her brother took her to. Was she reading too much into this or was this actually a date? Whatever it was she was enthralled by the prospect of the day with him. Her brown eyes casted a loving stare. A small smile formed.

He immediately recognized his smile on her face, but he was unable to identify the strange look in her eyes. It had a strange effect on him. It made his heart beat faster and the palm of his hands sweat. Was his body a slave to this woman and her gestures? Did love incite all of these physical changes along with emotional ones? There it was that word again, love. The ex-substitute found himself wondering about that word and the power it wielded.

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said.

"Hmm," he replied.

"I want to spend the day with you to, just the two of us." She didn't know how pleased her admission made her beloved. The healer strolled up to him. She wrapped her left into Ichigo's right arm. This caused the orange haired boy to blush. She started to pull on him, urging him to walk. He complied with her and they started to walk. "Where are we going?"

Ichigo with cheeks still flushed stared at her. "It's by the park you like. It's probably half a block away. So um, I'll be easier if I take us there." He felt like such an idiot. He was suddenly so nervous with her being so close to him. Despite this he didn't want to lose contact with her. How is it that you could feel two conflicting emotions at once?

Orihime was surprised by her boldness. She took Kurosaki-kun's arm and was still holding it! "Lead the way," she said.

They marched off to Ichigo's lunch spot. It was Christmas Eve, the most romantic holiday in Japan and they were spending the day together. Although neither of them said it out loud they both could not help, but feel like they were indeed on a date.

* * *

**This is a pretty fluffy chapter. I originally intended to have the actual date in this chapter, but I realized if I did it would make this chapter really long even by my usual standards. This chapter just set up the date for next chapter which will also have them exchanging their gifts. You have to wait a little longer to see what they got each other. I now know clear idea for the gifts. By the way thank you Idzetc and iris0011 for your suggestions they really helped me. **


	16. Christmas Eve 2: The Date

**Late chapter, but I had busy week. To make up for it I made it longer than I intended to. Ichigo and Orihime date that you have all wanted to see is here. If you thought the last chapter was fluffy well this one is so fluffy and sweet it will make your teeth itch. The chapter revolves around those two and with the exception of Karin and Yuzu who appear near the end none of the other characters will appear this chap. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

* * *

She was odd. Yes, she decided on that fact herself a long time ago. She fantasized about being a giant killer robot half the time and the other half she would dream of being an alien. One time for an art assignment that was about drawing how you saw yourself in the future she drew herself as a giant killer robot. Even her best friend had to cringe at the image. She had also been told that she had an odd taste in food by multiple people. The lists went on and on from there. However what Orihime thought made her truly odd, at least in this instance was the fact that she burning up.

No, she was not literally on fire. Every pour of her body, no every molecule felt as though it was being beaten down by the sun's warmth inducing rays. Why was this odd? Well the reason was because it was the beginning of winter! Karakura Town was blanketed in snow. The sun was being held hostage by the clouds and it was at least so cold that a person could see their breath. There was no logical reason for why she should feel this warmth in her chest and her cheeks. She should not feel flustered by heat and her insides should not feel like a sauna. But that was exactly how Orihime felt.

Ever since she wrapped Kurosaki-kun's arm in with her own arm and closed the distance between their bodies, she felt this unnatural warmth. They had been walking for a good ten minutes now. During which time the healer felt no cold from the harsh frigid wind. It was highly unusual indeed. Perhaps Kurosaki-kun's presence was protecting her from the element's wrath. Or could their combined body heat have been the cause for this incredible warmth. That was probably the logical reason, but she still felt odd. He would probably think it was odd if she told him that being in his presence was enough to keep her warm.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo suddenly asked. His voice vibrated with concern. He looked down to her, already scanning her thoroughly as though he were a daunting mother and she his child.

"I'm fine," she replied. She couldn't understand what stirred his protective nature just now. All they were doing was walking. "Why are you asking this so suddenly?"

He was still examining her. "Are you cold?" he asked seemingly ignoring her question.

"No," she replied honestly. However those pesky mutant butterflies seemed to be plaguing her again. What was the probability that he would ask her if she was cold when she herself was thinking about how warm she was?

The chocolate shaded eyes had stopped jumping from place to place. It focused its gaze onto her face. "Are you sure? Your face is red."

Oh god. The warmth she had felt was actually making her blush! Every time she was around him she would blush. How humiliating was that? Her body and its constant rebellions were becoming most irritating. "N-no, I am fine," she muttered.

Ichigo was far from convinced. He stopped moving which caused her to become still as well. He broke their contact and took his black jacket off. "Here wear this." He pushed his jacket into her hands. "It's a lot heavier than your jacket, it will keep you warm."

Orihime knew her blush must have intensified by how overwhelmed she was by his kindness. "B-but if I take this then you won't have anything to wear."

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about me. I can handle a little cold."

"But it's freezing out here! If you don't wear a jacket you'll come down with cold or worse!" She frantically returned his jacket to him. "You need this," she insisted.

"Look I'll be alright and you obviously need it more than me," he argued. Ichigo tried to shove it back to Orihime, but the healer held her hands up. "Inoue, take the damn jacket already."

"No," she argued, not willing to back down. "I am not cold."

His eyes furrowed into challenging glare. "If you aren't cold than why is your face all red?"

He was on her face again! He could miss other things like her love for him, but he caught her blushing all the time. Life was so cruel. "I am not cold," she repeated.

"Yet your face is red," he continued, as pushed the dark garment on her.

"My face is red for an entirely different reason."

"Such as…."

Orihime did not answer right away. She inhaled the air around her then exhaled her breath. "I am really warm and it made me a little flush that's all," she explained timidly.

Ichigo's face scrunched up into an ugly frown of cluelessness. Surely he must have heard her wrong. How could she be warm in this weather? "You don't have to make up a story for my sake."

The goddess shook her head vigorously, indicating that this was not the case. "I am telling you the truth. You see um….when we were walking and um….I was holding your arm and we were so close to each other. Being so close to you made me feel so warm that I got a little flushed," she said. Her voice had gotten lower with every word, but he heard her. They were standing too close to each other for him not to have heard. Another heat wave washed over her and made her feel flushed all over again.

Ichigo blinked before his own cheek became a rosy shade themselves. His eyes shifted to their left. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. This was their pattern. One of them would say something personal, slightly embarrassing yet touching. Either he or Orihime would hide from the other one's eyes as if they did not look at one another that they would give the other one relief and comfort. "Oh….so….you were flushed from being so close to me?" Ichigo asked in the same timid tone as Orihime.

"Body heat!" she blurted out.

"What?" he asked.

"Being so close to you and our body heat mixed together and made me really warm!" she continued to spit out in quick succession.

"Right! It was our body heat!" he quickly agreed. A gust of Mother Nature's breathe swam over them. The ex-substitute hugged himself as goose bumps formed on his arms.

Embarrassment was evicted and Orihime took Ichigo's jacket from him and started to put it on for him. It was a humorous sight to behold, a grown woman forcing a jacket on to a grown man as though he were a toddler. "I told you it was freezing out here," she lectured. Orihime had gone to her nurturing mode. Once in it she tended to forget her bashful nature. Normally being this close to Kurosaki-kun would have her trembling with apprehension and excitement.

"I can put my jacket on myself." Despite his words he allowed her to put his jacket on. He felt no need to give her resistance. He knew how stubborn she was. It made more sense to allow her to put it on then to debate about it and end up standing in the cold. Besides he wanted their day together to be special. It would not be special if he ended up catching a cold.

Ichigo's judgment proved correct. In no time flat Orihime had gotten the dark garment onto him. "There all done!" she announced in her upbeat tone. "Kurosaki-kun, you have to take better care of yourself." She put one hand on his forehead and another one on her own. "Phew," she sighed. "Your temperature is normal." She took her hands off of their foreheads.

"Well yeah. I mean it's not like I was going to develop a cold for only being exposed to the cold for a minute."

The orange haired girl looked to be deep in thought. Ichigo watched her curiously. "I guess you are right," she finally spoke breaking the silence that had come in. "How do you feel now?"

"I am still a bit chilly," he answered truthfully. Orihime linked her arm with his once more. She pushed her body against his. Ichigo understood what Inoue was talking about. His body was on fire. It was a miracle that he did not pass out. That was how hot he was!

"Do you feel anything?" Her tone was hesitant and almost quivering.

"W-What?" he stuttered out.

Orihime elaborated, "Did I make you feel warmer just now?"

Ichigo continued to break down in mortification. What did that mean? Did he somehow reveal his affections for her? Is that why she would just cozy on up to him to test him and see if it was true? "I-I don't understand?" he questioned.

"I figured since I got so warm for being so close to you that you would feel warm to," she answered skittishly.

'_That's what she meant,' _he thought in relief. _'She was just talking about our body heat.' _Of course thinking about it that way was not that much of an improvement. He was not entirely sure it was just body heat that was warming him. God did he love how her body felt against his. It just fit so perfectly. "Don't worry I feel warmer now." That beautiful and addictive smile formed on her lips. It was contagious because his lips curled into their small yet sincere smile. "Let's get going."

"Right," she replied.

They were on their way again. The distance between them was minuscule, but neither of them said anything. They still felt small amounts of heat forming in their chests. To their delight the red in their faces subsided. They had gotten use one another's touch. It was no longer alien and fear inducing. Now it was comforting.

"This is nice," Orihime breathed out in content. She laid her head on his shoulder. Walking hand in hand with Kurosaki-kun, being able to rest her head on his shoulder, it was dream turned into reality.

"Yeah, it is," he admitted. Strolling down the street with the woman you were falling in love with holding your arm was superb. He wasn't restless or worried about anything for a change. He was living in the moment completely. This moment would be a cherished memory that he would look back on fondly.

Ichigo risked stealing a glance at the red head princess, finally noticing her head on his shoulder. She even had her eyes closed. With that pink striped white beanie she looked just adorable. He was becoming sickeningly too sweet. He was going to have to do something about that. "Are you up?"

"Mmmm," she replied.

He shook his head playfully at her response. "How can you just walk blindly?"

"I have complete faith in you. I know that you would never let anything bad happen to me."

Her response caught him off guard. Her faith in him extended that far. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or burdened by this news. That angelic laugh escaped her mouth. This was not her nervous laugh or the laugh she had when she found something was funny. This was a small content laugh that only a few others had heard. Ichigo was proud that he was one of those few people.

"You are so protective of me that you were going to give me your only jacket just to insure my wellbeing. I know I can trust you to guide me anywhere."

He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "I guess I can be a little overbearing. I bet I get really annoying at times huh?"

"No, you aren't annoying. I know your heart is in the right place and that you just want me to be safe."

"But still, I probably get annoying the way I fret over you," Ichigo continued, ignoring her comment. "Inoue, I want you to know that I don't think you are helpless. Despite the way I act I know you can take care of yourself and that you are strong person. It's just that after everything that happened, how close you were to actually dying…."

Orihime opened her eye lids and reluctantly moved her head off his shoulder. She shifted her head to his direction. The first thing she noticed was the distant look in his chocolate eyes.

"That arrancar came out of nowhere and took you away before me or Kenpachi could even react. By the time we retaliated you and he were gone. The next moment I hear Aizen's conceited voice talking about how he was going to destroy Karakura Town and how he had no more use for you. As soon as he left Ulquiorra appeared at the spot you were. I was terrified that he was going to kill you, so terrified that I blew Kenpachi off and started flying off as fast as I could."

"You never told me about that before," she said.

"I guess we still have some stories about Hueco Mundo we still don't know about," he stated. "What was he doing to you when I got to the tower?" He always wanted to know the answer to this question. Ichigo remembered as soon as he had broken through to the tower that Ulquiorra was not only standing inches away from Inoue, but had his hand over her chest. He was glad to have interrupted whatever the hell the cuatro Espada was planning to do.

"He asked me if I afraid that I was going to die since Aizen had no more use for me. I told him I wasn't because you and everyone else came to rescue me. That all of our hearts were beating as one."

He smiled inwardly. That was such a typical Inoue answer. "What did he say?" Her eyes narrowed solemnly. His inner smile was quickly wiped away.

"He said that since he couldn't see my heart and that meant it didn't exist. He taunted me by asking if he would find my heart if he tore open my chest." She felt his body tense up. His whole being was seething with hatred. Why did she have to bring that up? Kurosaki-kun asked, but she could have lied to him.

'_But you wanted to keep your promise and let him in,'_ her subconscious said.

That was right her promise to him. Now that promise was getting in her way. She wanted to spend a non-stressful day with him and not dwell on their demons.

"I can't believe he said that to you," Ichigo seethed out. _'That's why he had his hand above her chest. He was actually going to do it too. Ulquiorra that bastard,' _he thought. Ichigo was not ignorant to the emotional abuse the cuatro Espada had inflicted on her. Orihime had told him of Ulquiorra's attempts to break her spirit by telling her that all of their friends were going to be killed. How he held Rukia's supposed death over her head. With every story he heard his dislike for the Espada grew and grew until it transformed into full blown hatred.

"I am not sure if he was actually going to do it," she followed up with.

Ichigo reframed from snorting. He didn't want to think about Ulquiorra, not today. This was their day. He plagued both of them enough for one life time. He could never forget nor forgive the blank-slated face bastard for everything he had done to Inoue. The memory of their second battle in Hueco Mundo materialized before his eyes. While he was busy fighting his hated rival Inoue was being attacked by two of the sluttiest dressed women he had ever seen. They were torturing her for reasons unknown to him. Normally he made it a practice not to hit women, but he just snapped. He flung Zangetsu around and charged up his Getsuga, hoping to scare them away from Inoue or at the very least use his Getsuga charged blade to cut through them. However Ulquiorra had other plans.

He stopped Ichigo's attack. The emotionless monster told him that he would not allow him to fight anyone else until he defeated him. He didn't even care about those two women! He was determined to keep Ichigo away from Inoue, to keep him from rescuing her. He was content with letting her suffer! Anyone who could allow and encourage harming Inoue Orihime one of the most pure hearted people you would ever meet earned his loathing. Those two arrancar women where did they get off attacking Inoue?

"Hey who were those two women?"

"Women?" she repeated dumbly.

"You know those two arrancar that attacked you on the tower?"

"Oh those two," she said in realization. "To tell you the truth I never really knew who they were."

"Why did they attack you then?" he continued to question. He needed to know what possible reason they could have for harming his Inoue.

"I think they were jealous of me." She felt his body loosen up, but she could tell that it was from disbelief rather than relief. "Aizen treated me kindly." Orihime didn't need to look at him to know he was shooting her another look of disbelief. "He was polite so me, but it was almost as if I were some type of pet. Those women you saw they did not like the attention I was getting from him. I guess in order to make themselves feel better they took out their frustrations on me."

"I take it that time on the tower wasn't the first time they attacked you." His tone was low, mixed with anger and remorse. It was no secret that Ichigo despised when his friends were hurt and it was even more apparent how he felt when the orange haired healer was harmed.

Orihime nodded in agreement of his assessment. "When Ulquiorra was gone they came into my room and attacked me." His muscles became tense again. "Please don't blame yourself," she said knowingly. She knew how easily he started to attack himself whenever he heard a new detail about her captivity. "Remember I am fine now. You rescued me and everything is all better." Orihime tried to use her most endearing and happy tone.

"I'm not blaming myself. I just wish now that I had a word with those two that's all."

"Kurosaki-kun!" she cried.

"What? They hurt you! They were far from being innocent!" he argued.

"But still you shouldn't talk like this! I know you are upset that they hurt me, but they were just confused."

"Confused? Inoue they harmed you!" he argued again.

"I know, but they were afraid," she spoke in thoughtful manner.

Ichigo broaden his chocolate eyes in perplexity. "Afraid? What could they be afraid of?"

"They were afraid of me."

Ichigo's mystification grew. How could they be afraid of Inoue? She was the most generous, caring, and loving person he knew. She was not a being to inspire fear. It was the opposite she inspired hope. She was his hope when he needed it the most.

"My powers….they called them unnatural. They said I was a freak, so I think that's why they wanted to harm me. They just didn't understand. I can't be angry at them for what they did. They just acted out of fear."

"That's totally unacceptable!" he screamed causing her to stare at him. "Just because they didn't understand your power is no reason to hurt you. That type of thinking just leads to mindless killing and destruction. If they had gotten to know you they would have realized the type of person you are."

"The type of person I am….Just what type of person am I?" she asked aloud.

Orihime pondered this question while Ichigo already had the answer. "You are selfless you put everyone else's needs before your own. And you are loyal to a fault. No matter what you always listen to everyone and hear their side. You never give up on people. You are also forgiving; no matter what people do to you or how horrible they are you find the strength to forgive them. You are loving and it touches everyone around you, it brings out the best in them. Most importantly you are Inoue."

Her pesky and defiant body made her face bright crimson. The healer felt a tingling sensation in her chest. Orihime pulled herself even closer to her beloved. He noticed this, but said nothing. His lips curved into a modest U shape smile. They remained silent for the rest of their walk. The silence however was not uncomfortable rather words no longer needed to be said. They simply basked in each other's presence until they came up to a wooden stand.

The wood was battered, but still looked sturdy. The front was decorated with kanji that read delicious. The symbol was traced in red coloring and was within a circle. There were six stools in front of the stand. The roof of the cart had five pieces of white cloth hanging from it which also had the delicious kanji written on it in red. Behind the stand stood a man who looked to be average height, he had his back to them. He wore a midnight black shirt short sleeved that would match Zangetsu's color. In contrast he wore a white apron (she could see the white string tied into a knot on his back). He wore dark blue jeans. He possessed short length black hair; it didn't go beyond his neck.

The man appeared to be occupied with something. That is when this wonderful aroma invaded her nose. She detected several spices and flavors. The smell made her realize just how hungry she was. Orihime took a huge whiff as if capturing the smell would satisfy her rumbling stomach. _'What a fantastic smell!'_

Ichigo started grinning at the sight of the man. "Yo, old man!" he called out.

The man reacted visibly. He turned around wearing a grin to match Ichigo's own. His face became visible to Orihime. She noticed he well-trimmed black beard from the side of his face all the way to his chin. His skin was rough slightly with lines that would become future wrinkles. His eyes were an odd gray color. "Look who it is," the man spoke. His tone was so powerful that it would strike fear in a child's heart, however it joyous to anyone else. "It's a miracle you are back from the dead!" he exclaimed.

Orihime blinked in confusion. Did this man know about their secret life? She turned to Ichigo and saw he still wore a grin.

"Shut up, old man! I guess it has been a while."

The man scoffed loudly. "A while, the last time I saw you was at the end of summer! It's winter now! That's four whole months!"

"Ok, ok, I deserved that, but I have been really busy lately," Ichigo defended himself.

The man scoffed again. "Yeah, yeah, you are always busy, Ichigo. Every time you are absent my business takes a huge hit. You and Sado are my best costumers." Tears materialized in the smoky gray eyes. "I thought I was going to starve for a while there. My poor wife, she was worried sick that we would lose our house. The next time you are busy remember that."

Orihime started feeling sorry for the man. Ichigo on the other hand rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Bakusui. I know for a fact that you aren't starving. If you were that gut of yours wouldn't be so big." He pointed his index finger at the man's stomach. The man was not fat, but his belly did have a noticeable bulge.

"You brat, respect your elders!" he screamed. He shook his fist for emphasis. The man identified as Bakusui crossed his arms in protest and huffed.

Ichigo brushed Bakusui off as he did his father. "Hey you are the one who tried to guilt trip me after I admitted it has been a long time."

"Hmm, you've been gone for four months and insult me on our reunion." He turned his back on the pair.

"Bakusui, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Look I'm sorry for insulting you."

"And…." Bakusui added.

Ichigo groaned, but complied. "….and for being gone for four months."

"And….."

"I'll come here more often."

"And….."

"Don't push your luck anymore old man," he slightly threatened.

The man turned around, revealing his large smile. "I've missed you Ichigo!" The man patted Ichigo on his left shoulder very hard. It was so hard that Orihime heard the loud smack. Ichigo's hand went to the hit shoulder so quickly that she did not notice it move. The former vizard was nursing it.

"God you still overdo it," Ichigo complained. Bakusui let out a hardy laugh. Ichigo ignored the odd man and turned to his companion. "Inoue this is an old friend of mine and Chad, Bakusui."

It was then that Bakusui seemed to acknowledge her presence. His smoky gray eyes looked her over once. "Oh, such a lovely young lady!" he exclaimed. He held out his hand. "My name is Bakusui and I am the owner of this humble ramen cart! Do not let the look deceive you for although this cart is not much it houses the best ramen in all of Japan!"

Orihime curled her lips into bright smile. She took his hand and shook it. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Bakusui-san. I am Inoue Orihime."

"Orihime-chan, what a lovely name, it suits you well."

"Thank you."

"Tell me Orihime-chan what is a beautiful young woman such as yourself doing with a lowlife like Ichigo?"

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled.

Orihime's smile continued to shine. "We are spending the day together," she stated proudly.

Bakusui's mouth opened up and his eyes bulged. "Say no more! I completely understand. Hey Ichigo now I see why you've been gone for four months. The gods must have smiled on you to grace you with this treasure."

The bashful Orihime could not help, but to smile even more.

Ichigo took a seat on one of the stools. "Hey you think you can take our order?"

"Of course! I assume you want the usual?"

"Yep," Ichigo replied.

He turned to the healer. "Orihime-chan, the board has all of my dishes." He pointed behind him.

Orihime took a seat besides Ichigo and read the board. She scanned it twice trying to come to a decision. After about half of a minute the goddess decided on what she wanted. "I would like miso ramen with both pork and chicken. Also can you add some eggs, corn, spinach, and a tad bit of onions, a little bit of shrimp and with some black pepper seasoning along with garlic seasoning?"

"That is an interesting combination. Coming right up!" he cried. Bakusui went to the back to prepare their dishes.

Ichigo watched Orihime in amazement. _'Where does she put it all away, her breasts?' _

Orihime noticed Ichigo stare. "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo tried to play off his astonishment. "No, everything is great!" He put his hands up in a defensive stance.

Orihime continued to give him her own odd look, but decided to let it go. "How do you know, Bakusui-san?"

Ichigo's normal demeanor returned. "Last year when we started high school, Chad and I had just beaten off a horde of wannabe punks at that park of yours. After we kicked their asses we just ran into this stand. Bakusui welcomed us here and started pushing his ramen on us. We refused, but the guy kept blabbing about how he had a wife to support and that he needed the money. Finally to get him to shut up we ordered some ramen. It was really good and before you knew it Chad and I started coming here for ramen. We are two of his best costumers."

"So you and Sado-kun come here often?"

"We come here every now and again. With all the madness of the last few months I haven't been able to come here though. I hope you don't mind eating here. The ramen is really good and other restaurants are going to be backed up for hours," he explained.

"I don't mind at all. In fact I like eating here more than if we had gone to a restaurant. This feels more personal and intimate." Orihime froze the moment the intimate word came out of her mouth. She really hoped he did not take that the wrong way and start to freak out. She found the courage to peak at him and to her surprise he did not react to her word at all.

"I am glad you approve. I am confident that you will like it." The orange haired boy shifted his body slightly trying to make himself more comfortable. "Are you looking forward to the break?" he asked her.

"Yes, don't misunderstand me. I do like school, but sometimes…."

"….you need a break every now and again," Ichigo finished for her.

"Exactly," she agreed. "I know you are ecstatic about finally getting a break."

"You have no idea. I plan on sleeping in for these next two weeks. I've been so busy studying for finals that I haven't even had time to cut my hair." He ran his hand in his long orange locks. "If I don't cut it soon it will look as bad as it did when I trained in the Dangai."

"It didn't look bad," Orihime reassured him.

"Are you kidding me? It was a mess; it was so long and wild. There was no way it looked good."

"You are wrong. I thought it…." She stopped mid-sentence.

Curious as to why she stopped Ichigo narrowed his eyes in interest. "What were you going to say?"

"It was nothing." She tried to cover up. Unfortunately for her Kurosaki-kun would not let this go.

"Come on tell me."

"Really it was nothing. It is silly," she kept insisting.

"Inoue," he called gently. The goddess gave her full attention to him. "You can tell me. I promise I won't laugh or anything."

Curse his eyes. Those stunning eyes of his compelled her to tell him what she wanted to bury. "It's embarrassing," she tried again.

Ichigo did not back down. "I won't laugh," he reminded her.

Orihime found her hair interesting. She began to play with some of her strands. She was no longer looking him in the eye. "I liked your hair long. It made you look…." She mentally prepared herself for this next part. "….hot." The red headed princess nervously twirled the strands of her, not daring to look him at him.

True to his word Ichigo did not laugh. In fact he did not make a sound. He sat there frozen, his cheeks rosy as Saint Nick's. _'She thinks I'm hot? What do I say to that? If I let her know how much this affects me she'll know I have feelings for her. I have to play it cool. I can't believe she thinks I am hot or thought I was hot. Unbelievable she thought my hair grown out looked hot. May be I should let my hair grow out a little.'_

He was too quiet for her liking. "Kurosaki-kun," she called with uncertainty.

"I actually looked good?"

"Umm, yes," she said weakly.

"I was so sure I looked bad. Thanks for telling me, Inoue. I may just grow out again."

"Really?" she asked eagerly. Immediately her cheeks flared and she looked down.

Ichigo found her reaction very pleasing. _'She wasn't making it up to make me feel better. Inoue actually liked the long hair. I think I will just grow it out a little.'_

"Kids, your ramen is done!" Bakusui announced. He walked to the counter with two bowls of ramen in his hand. "The best ramen in all of Japan is now served!"

The two orange haired teens thanked him for the ramen and started to consume it. Bakusui smiled at the pair. He had listened to some of their conversation. The way they talked so freely with one another, but were still so bashful was innocent. They reminded him of when he first met his wife and how they danced around each other as well. He had no doubt he was watching a blossoming romance grow.

* * *

An hour later Ichigo and Orihime were sitting at a bench at the park that Sora had taken her to when she was a girl. It was at this same park that Ichigo confronted Orihime and sloppily told her to be straight with him. At the time Ichigo was ignorant to the fact Orihime's departed brother took her there. During one of their many talks over the weeks she had mentioned it to him. The ex-substitute thought she would enjoy going back to the spot that held pleasant memories for her. The pair was sitting fairly close, once again leaving very little distance. They hid behind the fact that their body heat kept them warm.

"Do you have any idea where you want to go next?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have a particular place in mind."

It would be a challenge to find a new activity. Most places would be packed due to the holiday rush. He did not wish to keep Inoue outside for fear of her catching a cold. Sure she said she was warm, but it was still winter. "Karin and Yuzu won't be out of school for another two hours and my dad will be busy with patients all afternoon. That leaves the t. v. free. We could go back to my place and watch a movie," he suggested.

That idea had its appeal. Karin and Yuzu would be absent and his father would not disturb them. They would have the clinic all to themselves for at least two more hours. It would be nice to get out of the cold. "That sounds like a great idea, but do you mind if we sit here for a bit longer?"

He shook his head. He wasn't cold at the moment nor did he have any complaints about being so close to the lovely healer. "We can stay here as long as you want." His answer had been rewarded with his smile, the smile that turned his insides out and made heart race.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

"There is no need to thank me. We are supposed to be enjoying ourselves."

He was always so considerate. She never understood why their friends said he was inconsiderate.

"What movie do you want to see?" Ichigo asked her. "All I ask for is not to watch a chick flick," he pleaded.

"I don't have a movie in mind. I know why don't you choose?"

"Are you sure? My tastes in movies may be different from yours," he warned.

"I insist. Like you said we are supposed to be enjoying ourselves. That means you should have a say in what we do." He seemed to be considering her offer. "Our tastes are not so different. We both enjoy Z the King of Tamers."

"That's true. Alright, I'll pick the movie when we get home. You let me know when you are ready to leave."

"Will do." She saluted him, bringing a smile to the normally scowling young man. They continued to sit on the bench while Orihime pondered how or when she should give Kurosaki-kun his gift. _'I could give it to him now, but I am too scared. What am I going to do? If I wait too long then I'll have to give it to him in front of his family. I can't handle that. Calm down. If I give Kurosaki-kun his gift before Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan come home then I can avoid that. That's simple enough. I'll give him the gift after the movie.' _

"Kurosaki-kun," she called, capturing his attention. "I am ready to go now."

"Ok," he replied. They got off of the bench and made their way to the Kurosaki Clinic. _'Look at her, she looks so happy. Looking back on it now her real smile is so different from that fake one she wore months ago. I really am blind. There is no sense in beating myself up over it. She's doing a lot better now since she started staying over at the clinic. It was the least I can do after everything she has done for me. Well that and the gift I got her. Man how am I going to give it to her? I thought by now I would think of a way to just give it to her without feeling awkward. We've been hanging out for over an hour and I still haven't thought of a way.' _He exhaled quietly.

'_I have to give her the gift before my family get involved. Dad and Yuzu will make a big deal out of it. Karin will get her subtle shots in. Inoue will definitely think I am just another one of her annoying admirers. I'll have to give it to her after we watch the movie and explain it to her. Hope she likes it.'_

* * *

"The dvd is all set and the movie is in hand. Did you want any popcorn?" Ichigo asked aloud.

Orihime was sitting on the couch in the Kurosaki living/family room. She had shed her winter wear and now sat in her uniform. Her hands went up and she gently waved them to reject his off. "I am still full from the ramen."

Ichigo opened the dvd and set the disk inside. He too had gotten rid of his jacket and wore only his uniform. "The truth be told I am kind of glad you don't want any. I am full myself and wasn't sure I could help you eat it. I still want to save room for diner and the cake tonight." His fingers pressed the closed button. He watched as the disk went in and the screen went black as the dvd loaded.

"Me too," Orihime said. She watched as Ichigo flopped down on the couch beside her just as the menu popped up. The title of the movie read High School of the Dead. The lettering was written in oozing crimson liquid. She put two and two together and realized that he had chosen a horror film. Her hazel orbs became so large that they escaped the boundary of their sockets. A gasped came out of her.

Ichigo took this as a sign that she was afraid. _'Stupid, why didn't I ask her if she liked horror movies?' _he berated himself. "Inoue it is alright. I can pick another…."

"I love this movie!" Orihime squealed. Her body shook uncontrollably with enthusiasm.

Sweat fell from the back of the ex-substitute's head. "You actually….love this movie," he repeated slowly. If he said it slowly his brain could comprehend the words his brain detected.

"Oh yes! I love movies like this! It had ghosts and demons in it! The main character was just so clueless to everything around him!"

He didn't know why he was so surprised. This was Inoue after all. Despite her innocent and sunny shine exterior she definitely did not share the same qualities that one would expect her to. Her self-proclaimed love of High School of the Dead was a perfect example. _'Makes sense, she loves all that stuff about robots and fantasy. Horror movies are exactly like that except with a little more gore.' _He hit the play button and the movie commenced.

Orihime was absolutely giddy with anticipation that one would not normally have when watching a horror movie. Ichigo liked horror as much as the next guy and this was one of his favorite films, but he was not as excited as Hime. The opening credits flashed on the screen, captivating its audience. The pair focused their attentions on the screen, forgetting about everything, except for one thing. They still had no idea how they would present their gifts to one another.

One hundred and ten minutes later the end credits were flashing on the screen. Ichigo could not believe how quickly the movie had gone by. One of the reasons he picked it to view was because of its length. He was sure that by the time it was over he would have an idea on how to give Orihime her gift. When he was watching the movie he formed several ideas, but each one fell through. He had difficult time concentrating with Orihime making herself comfortable on him.

She rested her arm on his lap! That wasn't all she leaned on him and rested her head on his shoulder again! He was overacting and he knew it. The truth be is told Ichigo did not mind any of those things. After all it meant that Inoue had become comfortable enough with him that she could relax around him (or in this case on him). He did enjoy the strawberry and meadow scent exuded from her red-orange hair. In short he allowed himself to be distracted by the healer.

'_Brilliant as always Kurosaki,' _he thought._'Your sisters should be home in the next ten to twenty minutes. No more pussy footing around. I'm going to have to gather my courage and give her my gift. This should be easy. I've fought hollows, shinigami, arrancar, and perfect hybrid or whatever the hell Aizen was and beat them all. I should be able to hand Inoue a gift.' _

"Inoue." The moment his eyes landed on her beautiful face his new found courage evaporated. _'This might be a little more difficult than fighting hollows.' _Orihime patiently waited for him to continue. The former vizard appreciated her immensely for not rushing him as other people (Tatsuki) would. Ichigo took a quick breath hoping to recapture some of the courage he had lost.

Orihime watched him, intrigued. What possessed her Kurosaki-kun and made him so panicky? On top of this mystery she still had to prepare to give him her gift. She had committed herself on presenting the gift that she had spent hours searching for to him when the movie ended. Hopefully he would overcome this anxiousness and tell her what was on his mind soon. The longer she waited the weaker her resolve became.

Ichigo gathered his remaining courage. Igotyousomething!" he spat out in Orihime fashion, even stringing his words together.

"I'm sorry, but what did you say?"

"I got you something," he said much slower. The goddess did not fully grasp what he was saying and continue to stare in puzzlement. Clearly he was going to have to elaborate more. "For Christmas I mean." That she understood. The confusion dissipated in her hazel eyes and a new emotion formed an emotion he could not fully grasp. He saw surprise, fear, and perhaps some eagerness. "It's in my school bag. I just need to get it and well give it to you."

'_Wow that was just horrible. I forgot how to form sentences.' _Ichigo left the couch with swiftness that would have even caught Yoruichi off guard. He averted his gaze from her in an attempt to disguise his anxiety. He took his first step out of the room and to his bag when…

"I got you a gift!" she screamed.

This stopped him in his tracks. His browns eyes found themselves back to her own brown spheres.

"I have a gift for you as well," she repeated in a considerable lower tone than before.

"Why?" Ichigo asked before he could stop himself. He immediately regretted it when he saw the hurt form in her eyes.

"I-I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. And I wanted to show you how important you are to me. This year you have become one of my closest friends and…" she stopped mid-sentence. The expression she wore was akin to a child who been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I am the one who should be apologizing. I was just shocked. Besides my sisters and sometimes my dad nobody gives me gifts. Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and I all agreed not to get each other gifts a long time ago and of course Ishida and I aren't going to exchange gifts. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." This apology was poor. If you could even call what he was saying an apology. Did he even say sorry? No he didn't. That would probably be the best way to go. "I am sorry," he finally said.

"It's fine." She tried to play it cool, but on the inside she gave off a huge sigh of relief. For moment there she was afraid she had made a terrible mistake.

"Good," Ichigo merely stated. "I'll be back. You know after I get your gift." He cursed himself for being so awkward around her. Moments ago she was leaning on his shoulder and it felt natural. Yet something as simple as giving her a gift made him a stumbling idiot.

"Ok, yeah that sounds fine. I mean I need to get my gift or I mean your gift. I don't mean the gift you got for me, but rather the gift that I got for you," she started blabbering.

Ichigo gave her a nod. They left the room and the awkward atmosphere as quickly as their legs would carry them. Their return took only seconds and to their displeasure the atmosphere did not change in the slightest. The awkwardness grew when they saw the small hand fitting boxes in their hands.

'_Keep it together. This is simple just give her the gift. Remember it will be hundred times more awkward if I give this to her later tonight with my family around,' _Ichigo told himself.

'_I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this,' _Orihime said a small mantra, hoping to receive strength.

"Here!" they exclaimed in unison; holding out gifts. The gift Ichigo held was in red wrapping with the image of cartoon bunnies on it. On the top of it was a green bow. Orihime's gift was in midnight blue wrapping with the image of a cartoon crescent moon. It was decorated with a golden bow. The two carrot top teens wore uneasy expressions. Their lips broke into strained smiles then they exchanged gifts. They froze soon after. Unsure of rather they should wait for the other one to open their gift first or if they should open the gift they received first.

"You open your gift first," Ichigo spoke at last. Orihime was about to open her mouth to reject, but Ichigo stopped her. "I insist. Plus it's polite right to let women go before men." It was settled. She made no attempt to argue with him. He watched as Inoue un-wrapped her gift. She carefully unfolded the wrapping, making sure she did not tear the paper. It was befitting with her nature. It took longer than it would have if she had just ripped the paper off, but he did not complain. He just watched and waited eager to see her reaction yet dreading it as well.

At long last the wrapping had been discarded, revealing a white box. Orihime opened the box up and stared at her gift. Ichigo leaned closer to her slightly. He held on to his breath and glued his gaze on Orihime's face. Her expression had not changed yet and it was driving him mad. Did she like it or dislike it? If she only knew how her pauses tortured him.

"This is…." Orihime removed the item from its box. In her hands was a miniature jewelry box just big enough to fit in her hand. It was silvery white, but the sides of the lid and the base was gold. The same golden color was on the vine design on the each side. On the vines were blossomed flowers; however they were shaded with a light pink. There were six flowers in all and each one had six petals. To Orihime it was extravagant. "Kurosaki-kun," she whispered. "How, I mean when, what made you buy this?" She was so surprised that she couldn't even keep her thoughts straight.

"I noticed that when you go to sleep you lay your hairpins on my nightstand. When I saw this in the mall I thought it would be perfect for you to put them in there when you went to sleep. That way you didn't have to worry about them falling off or anything. I was going to get you a stuffed animal, but you have so many and the stores were picked over for most of them. I was going to try for Z manga, but when I saw this it just seemed perfect. So do you like it?"

He had his answer instantly. Her arms wrapped themselves around him, squeezing the life out of him in a hug. Not expecting this reaction from the red princess he stiffened up. "I absolutely love it. This was so thoughtful of you. The design is simply breath taking. And there are flowers on it to match my hairpins." Her eyes were actually shimmering. She was unable to take her eyes off of the jewelry box. Almost as if she was afraid it would disappear if she lost track of it. Orihime let go off her savior without breaking eye contact with her gift.

She tore her eyes off it to look at him. There it was in her eyes again was that strange look in her eyes. It was the same look she gave him earlier that day when he told her his wish to spend the day with her. This look was untainted and honest. It brought dormant emotions inside of him emotions he was not accustomed to bringing out to the surface often.

"I love….it," Orihime announced. She stood on her tip toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. This initiated a blush from the ex-substitute. "Thank you." She gave him the smile she reserved for him.

A blushing Ichigo became fidgety, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was nothing really big. The cost was low too, so it's kind of cheap."

"The price doesn't matter. What makes it valuable is that you put your heart into it. That's why I love it."

Ichigo rubbed his neck on last time before opening his gift. In contrast to Orihime, he ripped the wrapping off in a matter of seconds, leaving only the box. He opened it and pulled out what looked to be octagonal shaped charm.

"It's a good luck charm," Orihime answered his question before he could ask. "It is so to protect you and bring you luck in all of your endeavors." The healer's fingers started toying with her new jewelry box. "I know it's not much, but I couldn't really think of anything to buy you and I started shopping late. I made you this. Kurosaki-san told me once a couple of months ago a story of how your mother made him a charm. He said he wanted to give it you, but you refused since it was a gift given to him from your mother. I wanted to make you your own. I know it's not the same as the one your mother made and it can't hope to have the same sentimental value as the one Kurosaki-san has, but I am hoping you accept it as a substitute."

"No I can't accept this as a substitute," he stated.

The wind was knocked out of her. He just refused it. This was a terrible idea. She was a total idiot. Of course it couldn't fill in for the charm his mother made. He was insulted she thought otherwise.

"To do that, to accept this as a substitute totally demeans it."

Self-loathing she was feeling was gone and her old friend confusion moved back in.

"You are right it doesn't have the same sentimental value as the one my mom gave my dad, but it has its own. It has sentimental value that mom's charm does not have because you gave it to me. You made it with your hands and put your heart into it. That in itself makes it unique. If I accept this as a substitute for my mom's charm I will be denying the feelings you put into it, ignoring the piece of your heart you gave me. I'll only accept this as your charm." He tightened his grip on the charm. "This represents our bond right? The bond we forged these long months through battle and trials. I appreciate that you wanted to give me something to remind me of mom, but I already have something that she gave me." He put his free hand on his left breast. "I have this life she gave me. Please don't be angry with me for rejecting your intent, but I want this charm to represent our bond. I think mom would want that to."

His elegant words had once again touched her soul and brought tears to her eyes. Her stomach was summersaulting and those damn butterflies were throwing a raging party in there. With her luck her entire face was probably as red as Renji's hair. "How can I be angry for you after saying something like that? I wanted to make that for you to show you how much you mean to me. After listening to everything you just said I know it has done just that. Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. Thank you for saving me, for protecting me, for being there for me, for being my pillar of strength, and thank you for this incredible year."

"Inoue," he said in a hushed voice. He was entranced by her eyes and that strange feeling in them. Her beauty had overwhelmed his senses. Those eyes that captivated him continued to shimmer and the way her hair glowed. It caused a spark to form. This spark surged through his entire body. He couldn't look away from her even if he wanted to at this point. He had no desire to look away from her. The pink plush lips were subject to his stare. A strong desire to taste those lips had invaded his mind. It was overpowering all of his rational thought. Perhaps the holiday had gotten to him or the spark had caused this, hell it may have just been her astounding beauty. Whatever it was he acted on it. He started to lean forward.

"We are home!" shouted Yuzu.

"Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan are home!" Orihime said in a panic. She ran away from Ichigo and stuffed her jewelry box in her bag, ignorant to what Ichigo was about to do.

Ichigo's senses returned to him. Humiliation set in. _'I was about to kiss her. If Yuzu didn't come in when she did I would have kissed her! Oh crap! I can't believe I lost total control like that! Damn it! I have to get this under control or else.'_

"Kurosaki-kun, put your charm away before your sisters' see it," Orihime warned.

"Y-Yeah," he said. Ichigo pocketed the charm. His mind was still in a fog of daze. Thoughts of those plush pink summoning him, challenging him to taste them were still strong. He did not trust his body around her at the moment. He had to keep his distance from her for fear of his weak will giving out and attacked those taunting lips. _'No stop thinking about her damn lips! Think about something else anything else!' _Ichigo sighed for what felt like the twentieth time that day. He turned around to see Orihime hurrying to the couch. His eyes went to her backside for some reason.

Normally he would quickly look away and self-conscious. Today was not that case. His gaze lingered until she sat down. Deprived of his new focus his treacherous chocolate eyes found a new interest. They landed on shapely legs, specifically her thigh. It never occurred to him until now just how short their school uniforms' skirts were. He got eye full of most of her thigh before the hem of her skirt blocked his view. There were striking differences between the boys' uniforms and the girls' uniforms.

Ichigo's shirt was a bit loose, but Orihime's was form fitting. It brought out every curve her body possessed. That enviable hour glass figure of hers was exposed to the world despite being covered, driving men and women mad with lust. The chocolate eyes were contaminated with a yearning as they took in the healer's figure. The naïve boy did not realize the desire that was overwhelming his brain until he realized he was blatantly staring at her chest. That's when it sunk in. He was checking her out! He wasn't a saint he looked at girls, but he never ogled them. No matter how he looked at it he was ogling Inoue just now and it had worked him up so to speak.

The Kurosaki twins walked into the room and found Ichigo standing there staring into space, while Orihime was sitting on the couch trying to look innocent.

"Are we interrupting something?" Karin asked. She looked from Ichigo to Orihime.

"No! Of course not! We were just watching a movie!" Orihime threw her words out there.

The twins continued to look suspicious. Their brother was standing there like a manikin and Orihime reeked of embarrassment. Something must have gone on between them to make them act the way they were now.

"A movie got you all worked up?" Karin renewed her questioning.

"It was horror movie and we are just a little jumpy! That's all!"

The sisters traded knowing looks then turned to their brother. "Ichi-nii, you are normally unaffected by horror movies. Why are you acting so odd?"

"Huh? I have to go to my room or ah put up my bag you know. I have to clean it up a bit before dinner tonight. I've been meaning to clean it up for a while. Now's the best time to do it you know. I'll talk to you three later alright." All three girls were at a lost to what he was talking about. They couldn't question him because left the room so fast.

"Orihime-chan, what is wrong with my brother?" Yuzu asked.

The healer had no answer for her for she too was at a lost to what had gotten into Kurosaki-kun. She was unaware of the affect her loving stare had caused on him, unaware of the carnal lust she had unearthed.

* * *

**Get you mind out the gutter he really is cleaning his room to distract himself lol. Re-reading this after I wrote and I just now caught the undertone of that last scene with Ichigo going to his room. I want to thank Ldzetc and iris0011 again. It was their suggestions that allowed me to think of the gifts the jewelry box (iris' suggestion) and the home made good luck charm (Ldzetc's home made suggestion). I can't remember if Isshin made up the story about Masaki giving him the charm and it was really a shinigami charm the whole time or if Isshin merely put a protective kido on the charm itself when he gave it to Ichigo and later Kon in Ichigo's body. For the purposes of this story the charm was given to him by Masaki and Isshin put a protection kido on it. Now I was iffy about Ichigo's checking Orihime out and if that fit in the T rating still. I read that thing again and still not totally sure. I don't think it violates anything since it was nothing graphic, but if other people think I did or might be seen as violating the guidelines for the T rating let me know so I can change the rating. It is not my intentions to disturb the tranquility of this site. I'll try to keep the weekly updates, but be prepared for me be late as April and May come in (and big school papers/finals emerge) I tried to get this up sooner, but the site seemed to have problems adding chapters. Hope you enjoyed and please review. **


	17. The Moon, the Goddess, and the Lion

**Hello again, readers. I have another chapter for you as you can guess. I thought I give out a warning this chapter has minor sexual content nothing graphic. I mean it's pretty PG or PG-13. I put some sexual jokes/puns in here, but tried to make them tasteful. I wanted to put that out there just in case some people have a problem with that. The chapter has more humor in it than romance although there is a bit of it spliced every now and then.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach at all. **

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun," whispered the soft angelic voice.

Immediately he woke to tend to the owner of the voice. The entire room was blanketed in darkness. The sun would probably not be up for another few hours. He knew this for a fact. Over the many weeks since she stayed with them he had gotten use to waking up at various hours of the night or morning. He had gain a knack for being able to tell what hour it was by how much light was actually in the room.

His eyes adjusted to their dark surroundings and more of his room became visible. The desk in corner was no longer just a black blur. It had taken on its true appearance as did the floor it rested on. The next thing he noticed was the person above him. The dazzling, brilliant, and alluring hazel eyes were clearer to him than his own nose which sat in front of his face. The vibrant red-orange hair that somehow maintained its eerier enchanting glow also stood out. Her milk like skin made her visible in this darkness, allowing him to view her astounding beauty. Her nickname as the goddess of Karakura High could not been more appropriate than it was in this situation, for only a goddess could have beauty that would overpower the darkness of night itself.

Her beauty was not the issue here. Those dazzling brown spheres were consumed with anguish. She hugged herself in attempt to hide the shame she felt and protect herself. He pushed all thoughts of her appearance out of his mind. Ichigo pull himself off the floor to meet with her. "What did Aizen do to me this time?" His tone was so soft and very much not his own. He thought that speaking too rough or too strong would startle her more.

She didn't respond to his question. No, instead she continued to stare at him as though she was trying to discern if he was flesh and blood and not another figment of her mind. Ichigo did not like the torment radiating from her. "Inoue," he spoke with more force. She still did not respond. Ichigo's fears were rising to the surface. Why didn't she answer him? "Inoue, what's wrong?" he said more urgently. She broke into sobs that inspired more worry from him. "Inoue…." His words were stopped by the flinging of her arms around his neck.

"Thank god you are here!" she cried. Her voice sounded worn out. Had she been screaming in her nightmares? If so how could he not have heard it? Any other time she so much as shrieked he was up in an instant, already by her side. Studying for his finals must have drained more of his energy than he had thought. "You are really here," she repeated. Hot salty liquid poured from her eyes while her body fell on his. "You a-are…sa-safe!" she sobbed out.

Inoue's grip was much stronger than he would have guessed. She was holding on to him so tightly that he felt his bones cracking in protest. This was alarming. He had never seen her so hysterical after an episode of her nightmares. She was emotionally drained and disoriented, but never did she grab on to him as though her life depended on it. "Inoue, what happened? What happened in your nightmare that has you so terrified?"

He was met with even more sobs this time. It had to have been very bad to evoke this response from Inoue. _'Damn it! I thought things were getting better. What do I do? Should I get dad?'_He gently moved Orihime's arms off of his body. She gave him a look with a combination of different emotions, confusion, hurt, and what he thought was anger. Seeing anger in the goddess' hazel eyes startled him. "I'll get my dad," he told her. "He'll probably….."

"NO!" she immediately screamed with desperation. Ichigo jumped back slightly. Obviously her reaction was something he had not been expecting. "I can't see your father!" she cried in the same desperate tone as before. "I don't want him to see me like this," she said in lower tone than before. "I don't want anyone to see me like this."

Empathizing with her wish not to be seen in such a vulnerable state, Ichigo pulled Orihime back into his embrace. She returned the embrace and sobbed into his shoulder. "It's going to be alright. Look at me." She listened to him and looked him right in the eye. He did his best to give her a reassuring smile, but it came out awkward. "Everything is fine. I am right here, alive and well. The nightmare is over."

"It felt so real," she choked out.

Remembering what his mother had done for him when he had been plagued by nightmares the ex-substitute rubbed Orihime's back. "I am right here," he reminded. His hand stroked her back. "Aizen is gone, Ulquiorra is dead, and everyone is safe. Ishida, Chad, Rukia, Renji, and I are all alive."

"Thank god you are alive," she whispered into his ear.

Ichigo did not respond, opting to stay silent. They sat there with their arms wrapped around each other. He thought it was better for her to let out all of her anguish before he attempted to console her more. Orihime cried her eyes out into his shoulder. They remained this way for five minutes when Orihime's sobs died down and her grip on him loosened. She still refused to break their embrace. Perhaps she felt as long as she held on to him that he would not disappear.

"Do you feel up to talking about it?" he asked timidly. He hated to see her in any form of pain and he despised seeing her in tears (especially if he was the cause). The last thing he wanted was to make her relive that horrible nightmare that reduced her to the state she was before him. However he knew that she would feel better if she talked about it. Ultimately Ichigo chose to have Inoue relive her nightmare and be in pain for a little while if it meant she would be better in the long run.

Orihime with much reluctance escaped from his grasp. She shook her head no. "I don't want to think about it, but I know I have to." She sniffled before continuing. "I was in the Soul Society along with Ishida-kun, Kuchiki-san, and the others. We had just gotten there after we left the Human World. We were trying to find you to help you fight Aizen. I sensed your reiatsu it was so weak that the others couldn't sense it, but I was able to feel it flickering as it became faint. We hurried to where you were; fearing the worst. I can feel my heart beating hard against my chest. I could hear it. I was so afraid that you had been injured during the fight and that's why your reiatsu was so faint."

He took hold of her hand, closing his fingers around her's. Her gaze fell on to their now joint hands then went to him. His lips curved into a smile. Unlike the first one this smile was not awkward. It held the strength that she needed to draw on. Her fingers gripped on to his. A small smile formed.

"Once we got there you were sitting and talking to Urahara-san and completely uninjured. I barely even recognize you because your hair was so long. But even then I knew it was you. I was overjoyed to see you alive that tears started flowing from my eyes. When you finally noticed us you had the biggest smile on your face." Her own smile widened at the image. "I remember thinking how grateful I was to God or whoever for keeping you safe."

The happy expression turned sour. Orihime's grip tightened on Ichigo's hand. If she had tightened it even a little more her finger nails would break the skin on his hand. "You started to spasm and scream this blood chilling cry. Before anyone could react you collapsed." New hot salty tears leaked from her very tired eyes. The chocolate eyes across from her held the same reassurance stare as before in addition to concern for her. "Nothing we did changed anything. Nothing I did changed anything. I couldn't heal you and you just kept screaming. I begged Urahara-san to do anything, but he said there was nothing he could do."

Another sniffle escaped her. "It was dreadful to see you writher in pain and knowing no matter how hard I wanted to help you that I couldn't. I just wanted it to stop, the pain."

He was unsure if she meant just his pain or her own. He didn't stop her to ask for fear of interrupting her would close her up. She had to get all of this off her chest. Even though it pained him to see her like this he had to keep his brave face on. She needed him to be her pillar of strength so that's what he was determined to be.

Orihime continued, "That's why when you finally stopped screaming I felt such relief. I thought the worst was over."

"Thought?" he asked.

She nodded her head glumly. "You….You…." Orihime had to stop. Her free hand went over her mouth. She was afraid to say it aloud, afraid that if she spoke the words they would become reality.

"Inoue," he called out to her. His voice was not demanding or harsh. It was calm and supportive. His chocolate eyes told her that he was there for her. That he would protect her from this.

"You stopped breathing and you….."

"Died," he finished. Unable to voice her confirmation she nodded. She looked to be on the verge of tears. She fell into his arms and basked into his embrace. This was new for him. Although it was true that they had shared touches every now and then she had never flung her arms around him constantly. He might have enjoyed the hugs if she was not so terrified.

This nightmare was new. Inoue was usually plagued of visions of his transformation going out of control and killing Rukia and the others. Sometimes they were plagued with Aizen absorbing him and breaking down her character. This one had neither Ichigo's rampage or Aizen's head games. The scene was identical to the reunion they had right after he had defeated Aizen and Urahara-san sealed him away. The only difference was that when he collapsed he went into a month long coma as his body adjusted to the loss of his shinigami powers as oppose to dying as he had in Inoue's dream.

Would she ever get over this? It was unfair. Inoue was finally getting better and healing those scars inflicted upon her months ago and now a new nightmare came. Curiously this nightmare also revolved around him. Ironically he was a source of despair for her in her dream world when he yearned to shield her from all that would harm her in reality. "It's going to be alright," he repeated. "I'll make sure of it," he vowed.

"Please sleep with me tonight?" she blurted out suddenly. There was no hesitation or bashfulness to be found in her words. His body stiffened from surprise. She wasn't surprised. After all she just asked him to sleep with her. "I am just too weak now. I really need you and I know it is selfish of me to ask this of you again, but…."

He stopped her from saying more. "There is no need to say anymore. I understand." She gave him another squeeze to thank him. They broke their hug and went into his bed. Orihime got into the bed first with Ichigo following closely after. The moment her graceful figure touched the bed, she went to her side, facing the wall. Ichigo repeated Orihime's lead only deviating to pull the covers over their bodies.

With the task complete he moved his arm when he was stopped. He looked over to see the small hand of the healer gripped to his forearm.

"Please hold me like you did that other time," she pleaded weakly. "When I am in your arms I feel safe."

He gulped loudly. Sweat began to pour from his forehead. His breathing became faster; his chest went in and out in quick succession. Hours ago Ichigo had ogled the Inoue. His brain was overrun with lust so much so that it drove him to kiss her. Thankfully his sisters had come in and snapped him out of it. Since then he was on guard and kept some distance between them. He didn't trust himself around her at the moment. They had no awkward moments during the Kurosaki celebration. He hadn't even thought of the ogling during the celebration. However at the prospect of actually holding Inoue in his bed, made those same worries resurface.

"Ah, you want me to….hold you?"

"Yes, it would really help me," she replied.

He gulped again. The smart thing to do would be to refuse her. Of course that would be so cold. Here she was scared and feeling incredibly vulnerable. All she wanted was to feel safe. Didn't he just vow to make everything better? Going against his better judgment the former vizard tangled his arms around her small waist. She cuddled up to him, pushing her back to his chest. This was bad. She had to have felt his heart racing considering how hard it beat on his chest.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked nervously. The strawberry and meadow scent her red-orange hair gave off caressed his nostrils. It made his head dizzy.

"Yes," she stated. Orihime snuggled up to Ichigo and if possible pushed herself onto him even more. The healer was completely unaware that she bewitching the poor boy.

Red faced and sweating excessively Ichigo tried not to think about how Inoue's back was pressed up against his chest or how her legs were entangled in his own. He couldn't think about how his arms were feeling her waist and the curves located slightly above it. He was not a pervert like Kon. He was not going to enjoy this! It didn't matter how stunningly beautiful she was or how good it felt to be this close to her, to touch her.

"Kurosaki-kun," her small voice came.

He was brought out of his dangerous thoughts. "Yeah," he replied. Ichigo tried to keep his voice even, but it felt off somehow, like it was entranced.

"I really am grateful to you. I can't express how secure and peaceful you make me."

"It's no problem. It's like I said I want to be there for you."

"You always are there for me. I never feel safer than when I am with you. I know that you will never let anything bad happen to me." She turned to her other side and was now face to face with her savior. Immediately she caught his burning cheeks. Puzzled by this reaction the healer could only speculate what had caused this.

Ichigo's blush became ten times worst when Orihime's chest brushed up against his'. God he was feeling so flushed. The palm of his hands was even sweating. This made him realize just how close his hands were her backside. His hormones were flaring up and threatening to bring his down fall.

"Being in your arms makes me feel like nothing can harm me." She presented him with a fond gaze. This gaze was the same one that had awakened his dreadful lust in the first place. His body was so stiff that he doubted he could even move anymore. "Kurosaki-kun." Her voice was entirely different. There was no sign of her innocence. It was low, whimsical; almost dare he say it, seductive. "Have I told you that I love how protective you are of me?" she asked in the same seductive tone.

"Y-Ye-s," he stuttered with a cracking voice. Her face was very close to his. Those damn tempting lips were within reach. His resolve was weakening and his desire to taste them grew stronger by the second. Those lips curved into a half smirk. It was truly devious and unlike Inoue, although it intrigued him.

"I love being in your strong arms," she said softly. If her tone was any softer it would surpassed a cloud's fluffy exterior. She felt his muscles, making sure he knew she was touching them. Ichigo was at war with himself. Part of him wanted to kiss her, taste her, and touch her. The other side urged him to get his mind out of the gutter, to remain strong and be her strength. Ichigo tried to listen to his conscious, but his other less honorable side was gaining strength. He gained more strength with each word Inoue spoke.

"Are you alright?" she asked. He could detect no concern as he normally did when she asked him that question.

He didn't answer. If he said anything he was sure he would attack her. Damn, the girl just snuggled up to him again!

"You are very red, Kurosaki-kun," she went on. "Are you ill? Or do I make you nervous?" There was a hint of mischievousness in her tone. Inches separated the two carrot top teens. "You are so stiff. I had no idea I had such an effect on you." Even her breath was enticing. "I'll let you in on a little secret," she whispered. His focus was completely on her. "I have a crush on you." She crushed her lips onto his.

Ichigo's eyes bulged out of their sockets. He was so overcome with surprise that he did nothing. _'Is this real? Is Inoue really kissing me?' _he wondered. While he was pondering the situation the goddess was taking the initiative and pressed her lips as hard as she could. He could feel the passion within her. It was so intense that it threatened to burn away at his very soul. There was yearning, the same type that he possessed. It told a tale of its own. How she craved to take his lips, the hunger that had come over her was the same as his.

His conscious had become silent. No longer did it give protests. This left the other voice which screamed at him to go for it. Ichigo closed his eyes and finally returned the kiss. It was every bit as passionate as Inoue's yet was desperate. Subconsciously he feared that she would change her mind and end this long desired kiss. He intended to enjoy it for as long as he could. He felt her hands brush his chest. Her touch was so light almost ghostly; it sent chills down his spine and had him begging for more.

Ichigo's hands traveled up her back, tracing his own lines on her. She moaned into the kiss and jumped slightly, obviously surprised by his actions. Pride swelled in him. He was able to produce this effect on her. His fingers continued to go up until they reached the red-orange locks. Suddenly he was reminded of the time Yuzu forced him to feel her hair. Just like that time it felt so smooth that his fingertips recoiled at it. He never dreamed that kissing Inoue would be this addictive or intoxicating. The ex-substitute had no wish to stop, but alas his lungs voiced their objection. The kiss ended.

The healer was not done yet. She started a new assault, this time on his jawline, then the base of his neck, his cheek, and even his forehead. The woman was trying to taste every part of him. It was overpowering. The strawberry scent was stronger than ever, keeping him intoxicated. "Inoue," he called weakly. She ignored him and continued to plant feverish kisses on his neck. She snuck her hands under his shirt without him realizing it and started feeling his abs. Her ghostly touch worked its way on his skin. Rational thought was endanger of being overtaken by passion. "Inoue," he tried again. This time there was more force in it.

"What…is….it?" she asked between kisses.

"What's going on?" He was lucky to get those words out. She was doing such a strange yet wonderful thing to his ear at the moment.

"I am kissing you and you are enjoying it," she answered before renewing her attack on his lips.

Still in a lust induced daze the orange haired man tried to resist his damn hormones. He broke the kiss. "No, I mean why are you kissing me?" Orihime pushed herself on top of him. Now he was looking up above him to see those dazzling hazel eyes. They held that look that started this all.

Inoue's lips broke into a seductive and amused smirk. What had gotten into her? "I told you I have a crush on you. I could tell by how you reacted to me that you wanted me. Was I wrong?" When he said nothing, her smirk grew. "I thought so. Here we are you and me alone in your bed."

"W-What are insinuating?" he blurted out.

That un-Inoue like smirk materialized. "I think you know exactly what I am insinuating…." Her index finger traced a vertical line from his chest to his abs and lower.

His eyes bulged again. He quickly snatched her hand to stop her. "Inoue!" he screamed.

She let out a mischievous laugh. "Why are you so upset? You and I both know you are enjoying this." She planted another kiss on his lips. It was shorter than their first one, but it held the same intensity as it. When their lips parted Ichigo's face was no longer alarmed. On the contrary he wore an expression of tranquility. Satisfied with the results she had gotten Orihime pushed his shirt up. Planting another quick kiss, she had bewitched him to raising his arms up and allowing her to take it off.

"Kurosaki-kun, you have such a great physique," she complimented. Orihime watched him with the same long gaze a lioness had when she eyed her pry. This look excited and frightened Ichigo. "It is only fair if I take off my shirt as well." To Ichigo's shame his body betrayed him as his eyes lit up with wonderment and anticipation of a child. Orihime chuckled to herself in amusement. "See I told you. You wanted this," she said in a seductive whisper. She pulled her torso up. The un-Inoue like smirk was visible. Slowly her hands went to the hem of her shirt. Shooting him one last gaze she began to pull the shirt up.

Ichigo couldn't help, but grin in anticipation. This was actually happening. He had a reputation of being "modest". He wasn't sex obsessed like other guys his age, like Keigo for example. He was the perfect gentlemen around women. He had willpower and indomitable spirit that was able to turn down temptation. He had been able to look away from a bare naked Yoruichi during his bankai training, despite her for lack of a better word unashamed display of her body. Well he did falter a bit when Matsumoto started unbuttoning her shirt, but he quickly restored his resolve.

The point was he could resist his more carnal urges and do the right thing, well until now. Now he was lying on top of his mattress with a stupor grin and wide-eyed at the goddess sitting on top of him, urging him with those brilliant brown eyes to give in to those urges. For once the ex-substitute was giving in. Inch by inch the white-pink shirt withdrew, second by second, revealing the flawless white skin. Her shapely stomach was visible. His eyes went to her belly button before traveling to the naked curves that he could not help but touch. It reached the chest cavity where she paused to his dissatisfaction. He groaned aloud, bringing a sultry laugh from her lips.

"Don't worry this happening. I just wanted to see that look on your face," she teased.

"This has to be a dream," he finally uttered.

Orihime shook her head. "This no dream and I am about to show you why that is in about five seconds." She continued to pull the garment. Ichigo's positively beaming. Just as he was about to receive the greatest gift he could think of at the moment, when the thin material was about to expose what many, many men in their class dreamed about, everything stopped.

"What the hell?" he uttered aloud. Everything went black and formless. He snapped his eyes opened awakening from his slumber with the distress of a mad man. There he was sitting in his sleeping bag alone. The annoying light of the sun's rays slapping him across the face. His breathing was labored, his face was drenched in sweat, and chocolate eyes were still tainted by the lust that arose in his dream.

"It was a dream?" he asked to what appeared to be an empty room. Still breathing heavily the orange haired boy wiped his sweat stained face with his hands, groaning. "Damn it!" he exclaimed loudly. He had gotten so aroused by a figment of his overactive mind. Ichigo didn't know if he was more upset that he had a sex dream about Inoue or if that it was just dream. How could it be a dream? Everything felt so real. He could taste that strawberry flavor her lips had. He could still feel his fingertips recoil at how sulky her hair was. Damn it his entire body was still stiff from desire! All of that had been a dream!

When did he have those types of dreams with Inoue? This was the first time she had taken up that role in his dream world. Despite branching out into a new role she stole the show from any previous actress. Honestly he should feel ashamed of himself for even thinking of her in that manner, but he wasn't. He was cursing the universe for making it a dream and not reality. Could things get any worse?

"Kurosaki-kun!"

The universe continued to toy with him with its answer. Things could get worse. That fact was made painfully clear by having Inoue in the room with him at this moment! _'I defeat Aizen and maintain balance between the worlds and this is how you repay me?'_ Slowly, but surely the normally scowling man took his hands down. Maybe, just maybe if he wanted it enough he could actually will this all away. It has happened to him before. Granted he would will himself to defeat enemies when he was on the verge of defeat and handed them upsets. But it could work for this situation couldn't it?

After about what felt like an eternity Ichigo's face was free from his fingers. Vibrant red-orange strands came into full view as did the beautiful smooth skinned, fair eyed, and plush lipped face. Any other time waking up to this face would be cause of great joy. At this moment it brought great misery to the pit of his stomach.

"Is everything alright?" she quickly asked. Unlike in the dream her hazel eyes were full of worry. Orihime was kneeling beside of him. She was lying in his bed until she heard him curse. Her Kurosaki-kun sense went off in a big way and she got out of the bed as fast as she could and made it to his side within seconds.

His shirt was damp with his sweat. His cheeks were shaded a rosy red. Even his breathing was abnormal. Needless to say her concern for semi-fearless protector grew. "What happened to you? You are sweating up a storm." she cried.

"Nothing," he replied simply. This earned him a glare of disbelief and what he thought was anger. Then his mind reminded him of the promise he made to try and keep her in. That would explain the anger in her eyes. The universe must have decided it was mess with Ichigo day. "I had a peculiar dream," he hastily added. The last thing he needed was to be on the receiving end of Inoue's glare. Her being angry at him wasn't what he feared (to his knowledge he had never made her truly angry at him). What he feared was far worst. He had no desire to have her disappointed in him. He had been on the receiving end of that glare and it made him feel so awful that he knew his inner world had to be thunder storming.

The mixed expression vanished from her face. "A dream?" she repeated in a questioning manner.

"Yes, a dream," he said a second time. It wasn't a lie. The dream had been unusual and it worked him up so to speak. A half-truth was certainly the better alternative. There was no way in hell he was going to tell Inoue that he had a sex dream about her. No reality fiction or non-fiction would allow him recover from that.

"You had a nightmare?" she suggested.

"I wouldn't call it a nightmare per say. There were certain points that were enjoyable." Seeing the confusion return to her face he thought it better to stir away from the road he was heading lest he wanted her to ask him to go into detail. "It was really intense. I um had a challenging time."

"Kurosaki-kun, are you sure you are fine?"

"Y-Yes, I am totally fine. Why would you even ask that?"

"Your face has gotten even redder and you look really…..stiff," she added.

Ichigo froze in horror. Stiff, she used the word stiff. That could not be good. Did she see….it? No question about it this was by far the most embarrassing day in his entire life. "W-What do you mean?"

"I mean look at you, you are just so rigid and hard. I have never seen you so uncomfortable before. Is there anything I can do?" she asked innocently.

His face fell even more. "Ugh, y-y-y-you want to h-h-help?" he stuttered.

Orihime blinked twice. She wasn't trying to hide the odd glare she was giving him. This was completely unlike him. "Yes," she said slowly as if she trying to explain herself to a child. "You are so stressed. There must be something I can do to help relieve you."

"I d-don't think so." He was struggling to keep some semblance of cool. That failed miserably. Why did she have to be so close to him?

"Are you sure? I'll do anything you want me to."

Really? The universe was this cruel? "I um…don't think you mean that."

Orihime shook her head in disagreement. "I am being serious." She put her hand on his shoulder. Kurosaki-kun visibly flinched at his touch. The mystery was becoming thicker. "I promise you that if there is anything I can do to help relieve this stress I'll do it."

He gulped again. "A-Anything?"

"Anything," she repeated. To make him feel better she started to stroke his shoulder. It had the opposite effect that she desired. Kurosaki-kun flinched again then jumped straight up, startling her. For some reason he wrapped his sleeping bag around his waist and legs.

"I need to take a shower!" he announced.

Orihime must have thought him mad judging by the expression on her face. "I'm sorry?"

"Shower…need to…take one! I am all sweaty! I can't relax when I'm this sweaty! That's why I'm so awkward!" Ichigo with the sleeping bag tied around him back away to the door. "I um, go shower now and see you in a bit!" he failed to form complete sentences now.

"Wait, Kurosaki-kun!" she called out as he turned the door knob.

"What?"

"You didn't grab a fresh pair of clothes," she pointed out.

"I'll get some later! Right now I have to get a shower, a nice cold shower."

"Cold shower?" That did not sound comfortable at all. Something was seriously wrong with her beloved.

"Cold showers help me relax, when I have intense dreams!" he shouted. "I have to hurry now and beat my sisters to the bathroom. Can't um wait for…this shower or else, it will drive me crazy sitting here."

"If you say so," Orihime said. She still eyed him as though he had lost his mind. She lightly waved at him. "Um, bye," she said in an unsure tone.

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but his wondering eyes' vision landed squarely on her chest. That pink shirt hugged her body so well revealing forbidden fruit. He. Needed. The. Shower. "Bye!" he blurted out and left as quickly as he could. Once again Orihime was left with confusion.

* * *

He screamed as soon as the artic like water hit his skin. Taking a cold shower in the winter was absolutely terrible. Goose bumps had already formed on his skin not to mention he was shivering. He would easily develop a cold if he was not careful. It would be wise of him to make this quick. It was not like he needed to spend a lot of time in the shower. It had served its purpose of un-stiffening him and did it in almost no time at all.

'_This is not one of my best experiences,' _he thought. Ichigo turned the shower water off. He quickly got out of the stall and snatched his towel. Sparing no time the ex-substitute dried himself off, so that he could get back into his sweat coated garments and freeze himself more…. In retrospect he probably should have listened to Inoue and thought to grab some new clothes. If only he had not been in such a hurry. To be fair he had a very good reason for rushing out of there.

The longer he had spent in that room the harder it was to conceal his "attraction" to Orihime. So fearful was he at being found out that he took his sleeping bag with him to the bathroom and the way she stared at him as though he were a nut. It wasn't even 9 o'clock yet and he had humiliated himself in front of the woman he had fallen for. Hopefully this would all blow over by the time they ate breakfast. If his luck held true to form it would not though.

"Why did I have to dream about Inoue doing that?" He groaned in aggravation. Ichigo finished dressing. Could this get any worse?

"Well, well, I was wondering why you were here."

He turned to see the tiny lion plushy body of the mod soul standing by the door. This may have sounded crazy, but Ichigo could have sworn the stuffed animal had a smug smirk (far too big for his liking) planted on his face.

"Kon, what the hell are you doing any here?" he asked in surprise. That expression soon gave way to a dark glare. Wait a minute did you think I was Inoue?" His voice held recognizable rage. "I told you never to peep on her!"

"Calm down…." Kon waved his little paws up down in a calming gesture. "….I saw you come in the bathroom and well I needed a break from Yuzu, so I came in here."

"Why would you think it was ok for you to go to the bathroom with me?"

"Well like I said I really needed a break from Yuzu. Hey, that's not the point! Quit trying to change the subject!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes annoyance. Kon could be such a drama queen. "Get to the point already. I don't have all day."

"With pleasure, because after this moment you will never boss me around ever again!" he exclaimed.

Ichigo snorted at the delusional lion toy. "May I ask what is going to possess me to stop "bossing" you around?" The amusement in his words was un-mistakable.

A sinister laugh escaped from Kon's mouth. "The fact that you had a wet dream about Orihime-chan and had to take a cold shower to oh let's say settle you down."

"W-what….how….when…" He had so many questions, but was unsure how to voice them all. The universe was official on his list of people or in this case things that would get their ass kicked. It topped his father on that list actually and went just below Urahara.

Kon enjoyed watching his oppressor squirm. It brought him great satisfaction. "How did I know you ask? You are the one who told me!"

Ichigo's face was riddled with horror and disbelief. "What do you mean by that? How did I tell you?"

Kon jumped on to the sink in order to see Ichigo's horrid expression better. Pay back was always sweet. He folded his little arms filled with stuffing. "It's quite simple really. When I got into the bathroom I noticed there was no steam coming from the water which meant it was cold. I heard you scream and complain how cold it was. Why would anyone take a cold shower in the winter? Only one thing came to mind you see."

"Fucking pervert!" Ichigo spat. "Not everyone is like you, you know!"

"But I was right, wasn't I? So there!" he bragged. "Just now you said, "Why did I have a dream about Inoue doing that?" Cold shower plus Orihime-chan doing something in your dream equals sex dream!"

'_I can't believe this is happening. I should have worn my good luck charm to bed with me. It probably would have prevented this how bothersome ordeal.'_ "What do you want lion?"

Kon's grin grew until it turned snickering and twisted. "I am glad you asked because I have several demands. One, I want out of Yuzu and Karin's room. Two, I want to sleep with Orihime-chan."

"No deal!" interrupted Ichigo. "You'll only do perverted things to her when she is sleeping!" he accused.

"I really don't think you are in a position to give me demands. Unless you want me to tell Orihime-chan all those dirty things you did to her in that dream."

"You don't even know what went on!"

"I have a pretty good idea and an overactive imagination," Kon said smugly.

"Go on," Ichigo seethed. He had to ball his hand into a fist to keep from strangling the mod soul.

"Three, you take me out of your room whenever I please. Four, you let me go to school with you. Five, I am no longer band from the bathroom."

"You bastard, blackmailing me is one thing, but trying to peak at Inoue. Are you that much of a pervert that you will take advantage of the girl who is actually nice to you, the same girl who keeps me from beating the living crap out of you when you and I both know you deserve it. I always said you were low, but somewhere deep down inside of me I knew that you were a decent guy. But if you can actually sit there and try to blackmail me into letting you sneak into this bathroom just so you can peak at that girl who has treated you with such compassion than you are the lowest form of scum I can imagine!"

Kon let out a fake yawn. "Are you done yet? Did you seriously think that reverse psychology was going to work?"

"I'm going to kill you," Ichigo declared. "I am actually going to kill you," he repeated.

"Doubtful considering how I can tell Orihime-chan what you've been thinking about."

"Go ahead tell her."

"W-What?"

"I said go ahead and tell her about the dream I had of her," Ichigo challenged.

Kon's demeanor changed instantly. "I don't see the need for that yet. If you meet my demands I will never tell her."

"No go ahead tell Inoue, I insist."

Kon gulped. Somehow the lion plushy produced sweat, his knees began to wobble. Ichigo noticed this right away and smirked.

"What's wrong, Kon? Did you realize that if play this little ace of yours that you have nothing over me? Did you realize how bad I was going to kick your ass the moment you told Inoue when you had nothing left to hold over me? Did you realize that while I would be upset if my friendship with Inoue was ruined that I would rather have her upset with me than to let you sneak peeks at her and cop a feel on her? Or did you just realize just how awful I can make your life, that what you are going through now would seem like paradise in comparison?"

Kon had not considered all of those things. Looking back on it this plan of his was half-assed. '_Oh shit,'_ the mod soul thought.

"Five seconds, that is how long you have before I start beating the stuffing out of you so badly that your body falls apart then I'll give you a new body and do it over again! The third time I'll put you into that new plushy I got for Yuzu for Christmas, that nice pink unicorn one, the one that has princess on it!"

"Wait, I can't open the door with these hands!"

"Five, four…."

"Come on at least open the door for me!"

"….three, two…"

"ICHIGO LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Kon screamed at the top of his lungs.

"…..one and your time is up." Ichigo walked menacingly to the now trembling Kon. He jumped off the sink and ran to the door and tried his best to open it, but it was to no avail. Ichigo was upon him, standing above him menacingly. He cracked his knuckles which caused the mod soul to cry.

"Please don't kill me! I'm sorry for black mailing you, oh come on Ichigo!"

"I'll give you some advice next time Kon make sure you can take me down for good." He pulled back his fist and proceeded to throw it back.

Kon having lost all of his composure could only watch in fright. "AAAHHHHH!" he screamed.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime greeted. He had just walked into the room with his sleeping bag in hand. "Did you hear that screaming a moment ago?" she asked.

A wide grinned Ichigo just shook his head. "I didn't hear anything. I don't think I will be hearing anything for a long time," he added the last part to himself. Kon would remember that beating. _'Mental note to self, ask Ishida to repair Kon.'_ He threw his sleeping bag on the floor then went to his desk.

Orihime watched him curiously. After the way he had been behaving earlier there was no telling what he was going to do. She watched him open up his drawer. He grabbed something….It was her gift to him! He put it in his pants pocket. Orihime let out the biggest smile she could at that moment. He was carrying her good luck charm with him!

Ichigo turned around to see Orihime's expression of absolute delight. Reasoning that the cause for this was the fact that he had put his new good luck charm in his pocket he decided to explain why he pocketed it. "I could use some good luck this morning."

"Really? I mean you aren't just carrying it for my sake, are you?" she questioned.

"No, believe me I can really use the good luck. And carrying this around will give it to me."

Blushing at his words Orihime looked down at the floor. "How can you be so certain? This is the first time you will be carrying it with you."

"You made it for me so it has to bring me good luck," he said plainly.

Now her cheeks were truly blushing. What she experienced seconds ago could not be considered a blush in comparison to this. "But I am not lucky at all. I am really clumsy and seem to always make trouble for people."

"That's not true at all. You were around me during my final battle with Grimmjow and again with Ulquiorra and I didn't lose those fights. In fact you helped me beat them when I was on the verge of defeat. If anything you brought me good luck."

She was brimming with elation. "I bring you good luck," she repeated almost squealing.

"I think so anyway. It kind sounds dumb and cheesy, but you helped me with makeup work and exam then there was Grimmjow and Ulquiorra like I said before. I just noticed that when you are around me more good things than bad ones happen to me. I guess that's why I thought the good luck charm was the perfect gift from you."

He made it very difficult for her not to run up and kiss him. He just called her his good luck charm. She would be lying if she said that little bit of information did not woo her. Kurosaki-kun had been full of surprises lately walking her to school, the date, the jewelry box, and now this. She knew she was important to him and that he valued her and her feelings. Was it so far-fetched to believe he returned her affections? There was this spark there and up until now she never thought it was wishful thinking, but since yesterday it felt more tangible.

She brushed her strands out of her face. "Kurosaki-kun." He looked up to her. A smile formed on his handsome face of his. That smile made her stomach flutter. Overcome with happiness and some embarrassment the healer smiled bashfully at him. However she met his gaze and did not run away from it.

"You haven't put on your hairpins yet," Ichigo pointed out.

"I forgot." Her hands started roaming his red-orange strands at the place where her hairpins normally sat. She went to the nightstand with her new jewelry box on it. Another bright smile graced her lips. She opened it up and retrieved her precious hairpins. The healer took her time to put them in. Kurosaki-kun waited for her without complaining at all. The bangs were pushed back and the hairpins fastened. Orihime decided she was presentable. She was careful to put her jewelry box down.

"You are pretty careful when handling that," Ichigo stated his observation.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "This is a precious gift that you gave me. I can't be careless with it or it will break." Her fingers stroked the lid. "I plan to cherish this always," she said more to herself than to him. As far as she was concerned this gift was her second most prized possession right after her hairpins. Just as Kurosaki-kun had said the good luck charm represented their bond this jewelry box also represented their bond.

Feeling satisfaction at Orihime's new attachment to his gift the ex-substitute had to hold back a wolfish smirk. "What were you going to say before I interrupted you?"

"Oh, I was going to say that I am happy. It's hard to believe when I was so exhausted and depressed three months ago. I felt so bad about myself and I pushed everyone away from me, but you reached out to me even though I pushed you away. You found a way to make me see past all those faults I saw in myself and help realize that I was not weak. You returned my smile to me. I cherish our bond, I cherish you."

Before the last of her courage evaporated she hugged him. He gave off this rugged musk smell despite having taken a shower. This must have been his scent. She liked the ex-substitute's scent. It was so Kurosaki-kun. She felt his strong arms the same ones that held her when she was plagued by nightmares, the same ones that made her feel so secure, wrap around her waist. _'I love when he holds me,' _she thought.

Ichigo was still unsure about how his body would react to touching her, but he decided to risk it. He had grown attached to her hugs. "I cherish you to." He tightened her hold on her. Never one for words Ichigo could expresses himself far better with his actions. He could not voice his feelings for Inoue in words, but he could show them. To his surprise his body did not betray him. It seemed to know just how important this was to him and cooperated with him.

They stood there unwilling to break their embrace. Fear held them back from saying the words their hearts felt. But their actions were free from such restrictions. This embrace told the other one how precious they were to each other. It was the moment that they both thought that maybe just maybe the impossibility they had created in their minds was actually possible.

* * *

**I told you there was some romance in it ****Kon is still alive don't worry. He shouldn't have tried to blackmail Ichigo. I made Ichigo suffer in this chapter. I thought about Ichigo having a sex dream about Orihime then see how it would lead to some awkward yet humorous situations, especially since he's trying to keep Orihime in the dark about it. What sixteen year old boy hasn't experienced what Ichigo went through this chapter (aside from the blackmail and girl sleeping in the same room as you) just a little? Hopefully you guys liked the chapter and found it amusing with my oh so subtle dirty jokes (sarcasm). **

**FYI: The next chapter will be set during New Year's which means a New Year Party at Urahara's Shop! The other characters should appear next chapter. **


	18. Welcoming the New Year: Shining Hopes

**Hello again, readers. This chapter is long, fluffy, funny, and has a lot of characters in it as oppose to the last two. I am going away for the weekend to see my cousin graduate basic training. I wanted upload this chapter before I left. Forgive me if there are more typos and grammar mistakes than usual. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo owns it. **

* * *

"Tatsuki-chan, Orihime-chan, come on!" urged the impatient Yuzu.

"Yeah, yeah, we are coming, Yuzu-chan!" Tatsuki shouted back. The younger light brown haired girl gave a discourteous huff that was so unlike her. She put her hands on her hips and waited for the two older girls to catch up.

It was the midafternoon in Karakura Town. Winter of course was still upon the town. This fact was very apparent due to the chilling winds and snow covered grounds. The birds were gone, the trees dead, and sun was on vacation. The clouds blanketed it out. This did not deter children and teenagers of Karakura from going outside and enjoying their winter break. Children continued to play in the park, building snowmen, having snowball fights, and other winter activities. The teenager being too mature for such activities (well not a good snowball fight of course and the occasional snowman) would stroll around the town, hanging out in the mall or some fast food restaurant. That left Orihime, Tatsuki, and Yuzu.

The three girls were not partaking in any of those events. It was New Year's Eve day with Christmas behind them the people of Karakura now braced themselves for the New Year. Parties to say farewell to the old year and remember all of the precious times that people had experienced this year were in motion. This is what Yuzu was doing. Being the chef and event planner of the Kurosaki Clinic it was her responsibility to shop for the essentials for the New Year's Eve party. The little things like, food, streamers, beverages (the non-alcoholic kind of course!), and whatever else Isshin was bond to forget.

Yuzu only being a small girl could not possibly carry all of the aforementioned items on her own. The youngest Kurosaki had attained help from the duo of Tatsuki and Orihime. She would normally have Ichigo do this for her, but he was hanging out with his friends. Taking into consideration just how little time her older brother had gotten to spend with his friends due to the makeup work and exams he had to take the last few months she decided to allow him to go out and not remind him about his usual task. While she was fully prepared to attempt to do the shopping on her own, her beloved "future" sister offered to help her. Appreciative of the red-orange haired girl's help Yuzu gave her the mightiest hug she could muster. That made the elder girl's heart melt and she returned it.

They dressed in their winter ware. Yuzu in her beanie yellow hat and matching winter jacket and Orihime dressed in her pink jacket and white and pink beanie. She suggested to Yuzu that Tatsuki would help and was free today. They called the short haired girl up, asked her, she agreed, and they met her at her house and were off to the store. Tatsuki wore a heavy dark blue coat along with a periwinkle blue scarf. On their long journey to the grocery store they experienced chills thanks to Mother Nature's frigid breath blowing on them. The girls (well Orihime and Tatsuki) decide to stop and get some hot chocolate. Yuzu was unsure. She wanted to get her shopping done before the crowds swarmed in. After Tatsuki did some convincing the youngest Kurosaki agreed to stop for body warming, lifesaving hot chocolate.

As luck would have it the girls had spent more time in the café than they had intended to. In fact they had spent an hour in there. When Yuzu realized this she hurried them along. This led them to their current predicament and why Yuzu was impatient with the two teens.

"Come on, hurry!" she whined.

Tatsuki let out a tired sigh. "We are coming, Yuzu-chan! Be patient!" She huffed at Tatsuki again and crossed her arms in annoyance which annoyed Tatsuki. "She is getting on my nerves," Tatsuki blurted out to her best friends.

"To be fair we were supposed to be helping Yuzu-chan. Instead we spent an hour at the café," Orihime reminded.

"But it was freezing out. I thought we all could use a little warm up," the raven haired girl argued. "Besides she went along with it."

"Only after you convinced her to do so," Orihime reminded again.

Tatsuki frowned at her best friend. "Whose side are you on?"

"I am not on anyone's side, Tatsuki-chan. I was simply saying that Yuzu-chan was reluctant to go to the café."

Tatsuki slapped her hand on her forehead. "Oh yeah, you aren't taking anyone's side," Tatsuki said sarcastically.

"I'm not," Orihime protested.

The duo caught up to Yuzu who still had her arms folded. "Finally!" she cried. "If we don't hurry we are going to be in the store all afternoon! We need to pick up the pace."

Tatsuki groaned. She was reminded of how her mother would drag her to the store to pick up groceries. Like Yuzu, Tatsuki's mother would hurry her up and constantly snap at her. She hated when her mother did it and she certainly hated it with Yuzu doing it to her. "Yuzu-chan, calm down. We will get there in time. I really doubt the store will be that crowded."

Yuzu looked at Tatsuki as though this was the first time she had actually saw her. Her eyes carried a disbelief and a get real feeling to them. "Tatsuki-chan, you haven't shopped for stuff on New Year's Eve, have you?"

"Well no. For some reason my mom doesn't want me to shop with her during Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. I don't know why."

Yuzu could understand why the Arisawa mother left Tatsuki out. The girl dragged her heels. She could appreciate Tatsuki's attempt to warm them with the café stop, but it delayed her. She would be in the checkout line by. The whole reason she left the clinic when she did was to get in and out before the last minute shoppers appeared on their lunch breaks. However talking at the café cost them an hour. She could still beat the crowds, but only if they hustled. "Trust me, Tatsuki-chan it can be brutal," she tried to warn the second strongest girl in Japan. Yuzu started to speed walk. In order not to lose her Orihime and Tatsuki picked up their speed.

"So are you excited about tonight?" Tatsuki questioned Orihime.

The healer face scrunched into baffled expression. She didn't understand why Tatsuki would ask that out of the blue. Then her brain processed the question and related new information to her that made everything clear. "You mean about the New Year's Eve party at Urahara-san's shop."

"Yeah," Tatsuki replied and nodded her head. "That hat and sandals is actually throwing a party for us. I wonder what his deal is."

"What do you mean?" Orihime looked at her pseudo sister curiously.

Tatsuki balled her right hand in a fist and put it on her chin. "It's hard to say, but he kind of gives me the creeps."

"Eh, Urahara-san gives you the creeps?" she blurted out in surprise and mirth.

A frown formed on the short raven haired woman's face. "It's not funny. The way that guy is all happy and smiles too much. He looks like a goofy idiot who can't be depended on. Then the next moment he is all serious and has this stare that penetrates your soul." She hugged herself. "That guy gives me the creeps, he's sketchy. Are you sure someone like him can be trusted?"

Orihime couldn't believe her ears. Urahara-san untrustworthy! That was absurd or was it? Memories of their journey to the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki-san came to mind. Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, and she were under the impression that he wanted to help the raven haired shinigami that was half a half truth. The other half of the truth was he sent them there to save his Hogyoku from being stolen by Aizen. He did hide it within Kuchiki-san without her permission. From what she understood the gigai that Kuchiki-san was using would have turned her human and had the Hogyoku fully dissolved with her body. He had no intentions of restoring her shinigami powers. But all of that was for a reason.

Urahara-san knew what Aizen would do with the Hogyoku if he had gotten his hands on it. He could not destroy it so hiding it in Kuchiki-san was the best way to get rid of it. It was for the greater good right? Despite having a hidden agenda about rescuing Kuchiki-san he did intend for her to be saved. During the war he had helped them all. He saved Kurosaki-kun when the latter's hollow paralyzed him in the middle of a fight. He got Abarai-san to train Sado-kun so that the silent giant could reach a new level of power. While he brushed her aside saying she was of no use that was his way of trying to protect her from Aizen. After the war was over when Kurosaki-kun was taken to his house the shopkeeper apologized to her.

"Urahara-san sometimes acts suspicious, but his heart is always in the right place. He has helped us a lot during the year. I think this party is his way of thanking us for all our efforts against Aizen."

"Well if you say hat and sandals is alright than I'll trust your judgment." Orihime smiled. "Still it's kind of weird that he invited me, Kojima, and Asano. He barely knows us. It makes more sense to have a party for just you four." The four she was referring to being Ichigo, Ishida, Sado, and Orihime of course.

"I am sure he just wants all of us to have a good time. He knows you are all our friends, so he thought to invite you." The smile on the healer's face grew even wider.

Tatsuki replied, "I guess you are right. Do you want to walk to the party together tonight or are you going with Ichigo?"

At the mention of her beloved Orihime's lips curled into giddy smile. "Kurosaki-kun and I made plans to go together."

A wicked smirk materialized on Tatsuki's lips. She narrowed her brown eyes on to the goddess. "You two made plans to go together," she reiterated playfully. "Is this another date?"

On cue the flawless white skin on her face turned deep red. "N-no! It's not a date!" she practically yelled, drawing Yuzu's attention.

Yuzu stopped and turned to the older girl. "What's wrong, Orihime-chan?"

"Um, nothing, Yuzu-chan," Orihime said unconvincingly. Yuzu stared her down, making her cheeks turn even redder.

Tatsuki did not let up. "She is just worried about her date with you brother tonight," she teased. This comment had two effects. The first effect was that it made Yuzu beam with unbridled joy. The second effect was it made Orihime with draw into her shell. She hid her face into her gloved hands.

"Orihime-chan, why didn't you tell me you had a date with my Onii-chan?" she shouted.

"I don't have a date with your brother!" Orihime protested.

Tatsuki shot Yuzu a mischievous glare. She silently asked for the younger girl's help. "Making plans to go to a New Year's Party together and becoming giddy about it. Yuzu-chan what does that sound like to you?"

"A date," Yuzu answered.

With arms flinging about, up and down the kindhearted young woman continued to deny accusations. "Eh, it's not a date!"

"Sure it's not," Tatsuki and Yuzu said in unison, in the same hollow tone.

"It's not!" Orihime continued. "Anyway now is not the time to talk about this. We have to get to the store," she reminded them. Secretly hoping this would reactivate the nagging mother inside the light brown haired girl.

"Ah, that's right!" Yuzu exclaimed. "We have to hurry," she said her new mantra. Relief washed over the orange haired woman. The trio started their speed walking again. Orihime thought she had successfully avoided the awkward topic. "Orihime-chan, when did my brother ask you out?" Orihime had thought wrong.

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" Tatsuki chimed in.

Both girls gave her focused stares which was amazing considering they were now walking backwards at decent speed. "Um, we were invited to this party along with Tatsuki-chan and the others. He asked me if I wanted to go to the party with him. I said yes." Wide almost knowing grins formed while eyes lit up.

"It's a date," they repeated.

"No, Kurosaki-kun just meant for else to walk to the party together."

"What were his exact words, Orihime?" Tatsuki finally asked.

"Let's see." She put her index finger on her chin to get into her thinking pose. "His exact words were "Inoue, do you want to go to Urahara-san's party with me?" I said yes."

"Oh my god! Orihime are you really that dense?" Tatsuki yelled. "He asked you out!" Orihime was about to open her mouth to argue when Tatsuki stopped her. "If he meant walking with you there he would have said that."

"You really think so?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Tatsuki asked. "You two have been joined at the hip for months now. After that date you two had on Christmas Eve…."

"They had a date on Christmas Eve!" Yuzu interrupted. Her eyes went from Tatsuki to Orihime. "Orihime-chan, why didn't say anything? Wait a minute is that why you and Onii-chan were acting so strangely when Karin and I came home?" She did not pause long enough to give Orihime the chance to answer. "Oh my God it is! You and Onii-chan had a date on Christmas Eve!" she cheered.

Orihime shot her best friend a glare. The glare said thanks a lot. There was a reason she and Kurosaki-kun had kept that day a secret. Neither of them wished to tell his family for fear of them making a big deal out of it. Yuzu was one she feared would be the one to make the most fuss about their "date". The maternal young girl had made it perfectly clear by now that she wanted Orihime to confess her love to her brother. She was convinced that Orihime made him happy. A notion Orihime had rejected at first. However lately she been noticing things, such as how Ichigo's eyes would light up when she entered the room.

"It wasn't a date exactly," Orihime spoke up, ending the younger girl's celebration.

"Then what was it?" Yuzu challenged. She went as far as to put her hands on her hips and stopped walking.

The red-orange haired princess frantically tried to find the correct words to articulate the day she had spent with Yuzu's brother. Her brain went to it database, but it was finding no answers, and left her muttering phrases robotically. She hoped that the phrases would string themselves together to form an answer to her problem. Naturally that did not occur.

Being in a particularly playful mode Tatsuki decided to let her friend dangle a little more. "Hey, Yuzu-chan you should listen to Orihime." She moved her eyes just in time to see Orihime's body ease up. The hazel eyes were so thankful and hopefully. It almost made her regret what she was going to do next, almost. "I mean taking her out to eat ramen at a nice little intimate stand, then going to the park her brother always took her to just sit and talk, and going to his house to watch a movie doesn't constitute date at all."

Orihime's mouth fell open. The hope that had resided in her eyes had gone. Now contempt and horror reminded. Those feeling were directed squarely at the short raven haired girl. Why would she do this to her?

Yuzu's attitude was much different. She was positively overjoyed. If one was paying attention to her they would have seen her body shake uncontrollably. Her eyes were shut as though she was trying to keep her excitement in. "Oh my God!" she repeated. "I can't believe I missed that. This is why you two have been spending so much time together this week. You've been going on dates haven't you?" she accused.

This drew Tatsuki's attention. She knew Orihime had been out with Ichigo for most of the evenings this week, but the red-orange haired girl never told her what they did. "Fess up, Orihime. Have you been going out on dates with Ichigo this week?"

"No of course not!" she screamed drawing attention to herself to onlookers. They stopped to look at the strange spectacle. Poor Orihime's crimson cheeks returned for the whole world to see. "It's not like that at all. We've just been spending more time together. On Monday we picked up the latest manga to read the new issue of Z the King of Tamers. On Tuesday we saw this scary movie because we were both dying to see it. Wednesday we watched a movie at my apartment because he insisted I see this movie when he found out I hadn't seen it. Last night we just umm….." she paused mid-sentence realizing all of the activities that she had described were not helping her case in the slightest. She could tell by the smug and annoying smirks Tatsuki and Yuzu had plastered on their faces.

"Go on," Tatsuki encouraged.

"What did you do last night?" Yuzu questioned in the same encouraging manner.

She protested with whine. That did not deter her companions in the slightest. She gave in and told them what they wanted to hear. "We spent the evening reading manga in his room," she confessed. "But all of those things are things that friends do!"

Tatsuki nodded her head in agreement. "You are right. Everything you described is what friends do."

"Ha," Orihime cheered in triumph.

"In your situation though they were dates," she continued.

"Ha," Yuzu cheered right back.

The beautiful face was besmirched with a childish pout. "But whyyyyy?" She started waving her arms in a mock temper tantrum.

Tatsuki replied, "Simple, he's blown off his friends just to spend time with you. The Christmas gift he got you and calling you his good luck charm are all signs he has fallen for you and hard I might add."

Orihime decided that she told Tatsuki way too much. She told her all of those moments because they were special to her, moments that she would cherish forever. Here Tatsuki was teasing her with them.

"What did my Onii-chan get you?" Yuzu squeaked.

"A jewelry box for my hairpins," she answered. "It has golden vine on it with these little pink flowers." Yuzu gave a mighty girlish squeal, so loud that on looker's attentions returned to the trio. Orihime continued to be bashful while Tatsuki just grinned from cheek to cheek. "And he's taking you to a party tonight."

"We are just walking there. I am hardly his date."

Yuzu either did not hear her or she ignored her. She continued to dance on the air. Her dreams of having Orihime become a member of the Kurosaki family had never been more attainable than at this moment.

Yuzu continued her celebration to Tatsuki and Orihime's amusement. "You know Orihime just because you don't consider tonight a date doesn't mean Ichigo does."

She saw her pseudo sister's body stiffen up so tightly that she wondered if Orihime had lost her ability to bend her body at all. "Y-you think Kurosaki-kun might actually consider this a…." She gulped. "….date?"

"Like I said he's fallen for you…." She paused for dramatic effect. "….hard."

Was Tatsuki right? Was tonight a date? For that matter were all those events they did this week dates? It seem farfetched to her. Surely those were platonic events. The Christmas Eve day had a dating feeling especially when he allowed her to steal touches from him, even allowing her to lean her head on him. But movie watching and manga reading did not feel overly romantic at all. The idea of Kurosaki-kun being attracted to her was no longer ludicrous and there were moments she thought she saw affection lingering on his gaze. Every time she went to investigate it was gone. Of course his declarations of protecting her rang in her mind. He would have done those for any of them right? He was just very protective. He had been the same way with Kuchiki-san. The irony of that thought was not lost on her.

"So," Tatsuki started. Once Orihime's attention was on her she started talking again. "Are you planning on stealing a midnight kiss from him?"

"T-Tatsuki-chan!" she yelled.

That grin that Orihime had grown tired of formed on her face. "Please you know you were thinking it." The trio had started to walk again.

"No I haven't!" the healer protested.

"That's not what you told me last year," the short raven haired girl sang.

"Tatsuki-chan!"

* * *

"This. Is. The. Best. Hot. Chocolate. EVER!" Keigo exclaimed. He was sitting in a restaurant with his four best friends (well Ishida was more of an acquaintance than friend) drinking hot chocolate in a booth. "My taste buds are going haywire!"

Ichigo groaned in annoyance, while Mizuiro was texting one of his many girlfriends, Chad and Ishida reminded neutral and took a sip of their own drinks. "Keigo, can you ever just be quiet?" asked a put off Ichigo. "I mean we are in a restaurant. If you don't keep it down we are going to be kicked out."

Keigo waved his scowling friend away with a gesture of his hand. "Oh lighten in up, Ichigo. Its winter break and we have done nothing, but kick back, play video games, read manga, and watch t. v. Life has been pretty sweet lately and you are sitting there frowning like it's the end of the world." The ecstatic teen started patting the orange haired man next to him on the back. "Eat, drink, and married! Live it up man!" He continued to pat Ichigo on the back. This earned him an elbow in the face. "Aaaahhh! You are so mean, Ichigooooo!" he whined.

"You are so annoying," Ichigo shot back. He crossed his arms with his scowl fully intact. The ex-substitute really was worried about getting kicked out of the restaurant. It was freezing outside and he had no desire to face it, not for Keigo being way too rowdy. What was with the boy? He was too hyper even for him. "What has got you so happy all of sudden?" He directed his question to said whining boy.

Keigo stopped his whining and gave Ichigo a baffled expression. "Hmm, what do you mean? I always act this way."

"You are never this hyper though," Ichigo pointed out. "So what gives?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Keigo said.

Ichigo was going to argue his point more when Ishida cut in. "Ever since we got here you've been shouting and jumping up around like a child who just got a toy he wanted. Even taking your normal overactive habits into consideration you are still rowdier than usual."

"What he said," Ichigo stated.

Keigo shook his head vigorously. "I am not acting any different!"

"Yes you are," Ichigo and Uryu said in unison.

"No I am not," Keigo kept insisting.

The ex-substitute and quincy let out exhausted sighs. Neither of them had strength or the desire to continue this argument with Keigo.

"Keigo is just excited because all of us are hanging out together now," Mizuiro spoke up. Three sets of eyes fell on him. Sado of course paid them no real mind and took another sip of his drink. Mizuiro thumbs were typing away. He was oblivious that the others were watching him.

Ichigo was not known for being a patient man. It was no surprise when he started questioning the cell phone obsessed man. "What are talking about Mizuiro? We've been hanging out all this week."

Mizuiro shook his head to indicate that the orange haired man was incorrect. "That is not entirely true. All of us have not hung out for quite some time."

Ichigo's scowl became twice as bad as before. "B.S. and you know it. We just hung out yesterday."

"Not exactly," Mizuiro replied. He looked up and took a break from his phone. "You, Keigo, and I hung out yesterday. Chad and Ishida were not there though. The day before that Ishida, you, and me hung out, Keigo and Chad wasn't with us. Tuesday you, Ishida, Chad, and I hung out, but Keigo had to do errands for his sister. All five of us have not been together since Christmas Eve at school."

He stopped and analyzed the short man's words. He recalled all of the time they had spent that week and just as Mizuiro said. There was always a person or two people that were missing. Stranger was that the person absent for most of their hang outs was Chad. The giant was usually always there with them. He was the type of man who would get there punctually to a get together and not say anything if everyone else was late. "Yo, Chad," he called.

"Hmm," replied Sado.

Receiving Chad's acknowledgement Ichigo proceeded with his question. "Why has it been so hard to get in contact with you this week? Honestly I have had an easier time tracking Ishida this week than you."

"Hey!" Uryu yelled taking offense to the former vizard's implied insult.

Ichigo wasn't concerned about Ishida for now. He kept his focus on the hollow powered human. "What gives?"

Sado was in mid-sip when Ichigo posed his question. He enjoyed the warm content of his cup, before swallowing it. His large frame felt this incredible warmth in his chest. "My new job has me working erratic hours."

"What?" they shouted together. Yes even Ishida had joined in their surprise. "When did you get a job?" they asked in unison once more.

"Over the holiday," Sado replied dully.

Keigo's flare for dramatics ignited into a full blaze. His mouth fell open. It was opened so wide that it looked as though he was attempting to duplicate American cartoons antics of defying the laws of physics. "You have been working since the semester ended and didn't tell us!" he whined. Amazingly he was able to speak and return his mouth to its wide opened position ithout missing a step. "What do you even do?"

Sado once again to another sip of his much needed body warming hot chocolate. It warmed every molecule in his body. A satisfied breath escaped his lips. That was exactly what he needed on such a cold day. He put his cup down and saw that Keigo was literally on the edge of his seat. His eyes (or rather the eye not being obscured by hair) went around the table. Mizuiro's eyes were right on him, they contained the same kind of eagerness that Keigo had, but he was able to keep his body composed. His attention was off his ringing phone. Ishida appeared to be as composed as ever. His eyes did not betray him for they still feigned disinterest. The quincy's upper lip quivered, revealing his tell. Of course Ichigo was the easiest to read. The carrot top teen wore his emotions on his shoulder. Anyone who knew him could instantly tell when something was bothering him. He was always too happy when something was up. His tell for when he was interested was equally easy to spot. Ichigo feigned disinterest by having his eyes look away. His arms were folded trying to give off a bored look. To anyone else he would look like he was annoyed. Sado knew better. He could see Ichigo tapping his index finger on his arm, his eye twitch in anticipation, and even feel zealous radiating from his body.

"I unload crates for a store," he finally answered.

"How did you even get the job?" Mizuiro questioned. He turned his cell phone on vibrate. He had grown tired of the constant beeping and ringing going on.

"I saw this help wanted sign on a store. I went in and the manger saw me and hired me on the spot. It turns out he was in needed of packers to help him unload new shipments came to his store. He figured with my size that I would be able to do it easily."

"Have you been working all this week?" Keigo asked.

"Yes, since the holiday ended most stores have been wiped of their inventory, so they have been ordering shipments of their products. He really needs me to help him unload this week. He is trying to use me before school starts up again." "That means you won't be able to hang out with us anymore this week!" Keigo shouted. The people around them shot him annoyed and dark glares. One of the glares belonged a waiter.

Ichigo grabbed Keigo by the back of his neck and forced his face down to the table. He went to the overzealous young man's ear whispered, "Keep it down or that waiter is going to tell his boss and we are going to get kicked out. Do you understand?"

Keigo tried nod his head, but realized he could not with his face on the table. Instead he gave a verbal reply. "Yeah, I got it." He felt Ichigo's grip on his neck loosen before leaving all together. He quickly shot up, wearing his cheesy teeth revealing smile. Ichigo narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

Uryu decided to join in the conversation and to ask his comrade in arms a few his own questions. "Sado-kun," he called, drawing the silent giant's attention. "What made you decide to get a job?"

"Remember what Arisawa said a few weeks ago, but how it would easier to get a job now then in college?" Ishida nodded he continued. "She had point and I could use the yen. I decided to look for one during the break."

"I see," Uryu stated.

"This is so unfair! Arisawa gets a job and now you are getting one! We will never see each other again!" Keigo whined loudly again. He paid the price one again. Ichigo elbowed him in the ribs to make him shut up. Ichigo's plan worked.

"Calm down Keigo. It's not like Chad's going to war. We will still see each other and hang out, just like we always do," Ichigo assured.

"But he has already missed most of our week because of his job," Keigo protested.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "What can you do? If Chad needs to work then he needs to work."

"Ichigo, you don't understand what this means at all. This is the end of an era. Soon we will all drift away….." Streams of water ran down his eyes as he spoke. "….the end of our friendship."

"For love of god, Keigo it's just a job. We are still going to be friends we are just not going to spend as much time together as we use to. We are all going to Urahara-san's shop for that New Year's Eve party," Ichigo reminded.

If you blinked you would have missed just how fast Keigo's expression went from one being abandoned to ecstatic in mere seconds. "That's right we have a party to go to! And all five of us are going!"

Uryu looked, put off by Keigo's childish attitude. "Asano, do have to be as irritating as possible?"

"Yes I do," he joked back. The raven haired man did not seem amused.

Uryu continued, "I am not even sure I am going."

Keigo put all of his focus on the glasses cladded man. "Why not?"

"I've been pretty busy at night lately," Uryu answered. A week ago Urahara had called him to go to his shop as soon as he could. The quincy was tempted to head to the shop before school started, but it was finals week. He did not want to risk being late to the exam. There was no telling what Urahara would do. When the last final ended he went straight to the shop (after talking to his friends of course) to see what the shopkeeper wanted.

"_Greetings, Ishida-san. I see you got my message." Uryu nodded the light blond started to blabber on and on. "That's good because I wasn't sure how this whole text thing works. It's more convenient then the hell butterflies, faster to. That reminds me of my youth, when I would whisper sweet nothings to other girl's ear. Those were the days indeed."_

"_Urahara-san!" Uryu screamed to get the ex-captain of the 12th division. "Please tell me you wanted me over here for an actual reason." His face was becoming red from anger. _

_Urahara waved his trademark fan back and forth. "You are no fun at all," Urahara complained. _

"_I didn't come here for fun. I came here because you said you would call me with information. How did it go with the Soul Society?"_

_Miraculously the once childish and happy go lucky face was gone. It was replaced by a more serious, brooding, calculating stare. Uryu felt both relieved at the sight of the serious Urahara-san. However this expression was so much stronger than his other one. "As a predicted the new Central 46 is as corrupt and foolish as the old one. They did not seem very happy to see them at all. I supposed a banished shinigami who ran away to this world has to be punished, at least in their minds." He put his fan down and looked at Ishida. I mean he really looked into his soul and drag out some kind of emotions. _

"_I was correct about another thing. They have been watching you. They know of your recent "hollow extermination" as you call it."_

"_That's not surprising at all," Uryu said bitterly._

"_Ishida-san, if you continue to do this, hunt down hollows the way you have been doing it now they will send someone from the Gotei 13 to deal with you," he warned._

_Uryu scoffed at this claim. "I already told you that was not an option. I will continue to exterminate hollows should the situation call for it. Thank you for trying to help me Urahara-san." He gave the former captain a bow to show his respects. "I'll get going now."_

"_Why are you in such a hurry?"_

_Uryu stopped before he was even half way to the door. "No offense, but I don't exactly like it. This building almost feels like a hollow is possessing."_

"_Even so it is still pretty rude to just walk away when someone is trying to tell you something."_

"_What more do you have to say? It's pretty obvious by your words that the Soul Society does not wish me to kill hollows any longer."_

"_I believe my exact words were "if you continue to do this, hunt down hollows the way you have been doing now."_

_Uryu's eyes suddenly widened with realization. "Are you saying…..Do you possibly mean…..I could…." He could not even form words together. He was just overcome with surprise. _

_Urahara observed him with a slight smirk. "It took me some convincing, but I was able to work out a deal of sorts with the Central 46."_

"_You made a deal with the Central 46?" Uryu repeated in perplexity._

"_Yes, they will allow you to hunt down hollows and fight them off. However under no circumstances are you to finish one off. You are to wait for the representative of Karakura Town to finish the hollows up." His ear picked up Ishida's dissatisfied snort. "This is the best we can do. Don't take this lightly, Ishida-san. The Central 46 has given you a chance to battle hollows and protect the inhabitants of Karakura. You may not be allowed to finish them, but you can still stop them or stall them until the representative shinigami comes in. He'll finish the hollow off and purify their souls." He put his hand on Uryu's shoulder. "This is not what you hoped for, but this is the best we can hope for."_

"_I know and I appreciate everything you did for me. Thank you, Urahara-san." His voice was sincere and his eyes were filled with gratitude._

_Urahara's goofy smile returned. "It's the least I can do for you, Ishida-san!"_

Ever since that day he had been helping Kuchiki-san's replacement. He was much faster and stronger than the shinigami (which gave him a taste of satisfaction) so he was able to respond to hollow attacks nearly instantaneously arrived at the sight. He would quickly disable it and subdue it so that the shinigami could finish it off. Uryu's new job required him to be on alert always. He never knew when Urahara-san would call him and tell him a hollow was on the move. He had been fortunate that most of the times hollows attacked this week it had been night. He suspected that would change soon.

"You have been busy too, Ishida?" Keigo pouted. "Hmm, we are falling apart."

"Oi, Ishida whatever you are doing at night it can wait, right?" Ichigo asked. Ishida suddenly froze up. His eyes were filled with so much anxiety that it freaked Ichigo out. "It's a party at Urahara-san's shop. All of us are coming, so you might as well come to. Plus it would shut Keigo up about this drifting away crap."

He didn't know what to say. He didn't tell Kurosaki about his new hollow exterminating task. He was unsure how he would take it. They were rivals, but now that Kurosaki had lost his shinigami powers he could no longer compete in that area. Up until this point it was Kurosaki who had been exterminating hollows with assistance from one of them every now and then. It was no secret that the orange haired man had taken it upon himself to defend all of Karakura against everything. Since Kurosaki defeated Aizen and saved the town from the greatest threat it had ever faced and hopefully will ever face he had lost that very power that allowed him to save it in the first place.

Uryu understood better than anyone how it felt to have power you had your entire life, the power to make a difference, the power to protect others. Like Ichigo he was born with spiritual power. He was the last quincy and he took pride in that just as Kurosaki took pride in being a shinigami. Uryu also knew how truly earth shattering and universe falling it was to lose that very power. When he used the Quincy Final Form he had overloaded his body with too much power and it forced itself to shut down his spiritual power to save itself. He was unsure of what Kurosaki did exactly, but from what Urahara-san had told them Kurosaki had used a similar form to combat Aizen. Like with Uryu it cost Kurosaki the use of his spiritual power.

Ever since they got back he and Kurosaki almost had an unspoken agreement. Uryu would be there for him if he needed to talk, but otherwise he would not hold it over Kurosaki's head that he still had his quincy powers. How did his new job fit into this agreement?

"Ishida," Ichigo summoned. The quincy snap out of his thoughts. Ichigo was shooting him a unfamiliar stare. "Are you listening?"

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I asked if you couldn't get away from your job tonight and have fun at the party."

"Come on, Ishida! It will be really fun," Keigo tried to entice him. His attempted failed and neither of Ichigo or Ishida gave his words much thought.

"You don't have any other plans do you?" Mizuiro brought up.

Uryu shook his head. He did not care for the holiday because it meant he would have to spend it with his father. He tried to distance himself from that man as soon as possible. "I don't have any other plans," he admitted.

"Then it's settled, Ishida will come to the party with us!" Keigo cheered. He even threw his arms up in the air. "The party starts at 7'oclock. I figure we meet up somewhere and walk to the party together."

"I can't," Ichigo spoke up.

Keigo blinked unsure of why Ichigo could not go. "Why's that? Please don't tell me you have a job now too?"

"It's nothing like that," Ichigo replied.

"Then what is it?"

"I agreed to take Inoue to the party." Now he had to wait for Keigo's inevitable outburst. He would talk about how their group was drifting apart, the end of their friendship, and how he had caused all of this. To his great surprise that never came. Keigo continued to sit there and asked the rest of the table if they wanted to walk to him. "Ok, what gives?"

"What do you mean, Ichigo?" Keigo uttered in the same perplexity he had earlier.

"I mean why you aren't getting mad at me for taking Inoue to the party instead of going with you guys?" he asked point blank.

Keigo blinked a few times before answering. "I figured you would want to take Inoue there anyway. After all she is your girlfriend."

"After all she is your girlfriend. After all she is your girlfriend. After all she is your girlfriend." Those words played and replayed in his mind over and over again. How long he sat there contemplating those words he was unsure. He was aware that time had passed them and he was just sitting there frozen. "W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" Ichigo screamed at the top of his lungs. He disturbed many costumers.

"Kurosaki, shut up!" Uryu hissed.

"Yeah, Ichigo we really don't want to be kicked out of here," Mizuiro joined in.

What did you say, Keigo?" His tone was lower, but the hard from surprise.

"I said I figured you want to take Inoue because she is your girlfriend."

"Who said we were a couple?" Ichigo demanded. His chocolate eyes went from Ishida all the way to Mizuiro sitting on the outside of the booth. "We are just friends, nothing more!"

"Really?" inquired Mizuiro. "I am surprised because you two feel like a couple."

Ichigo shot his cell phone obsessed friend with unknown glare. It did not feel dark or venomously like it did when Ichigo normally glared. This one felt confused and lost.

"We give off a feeling?"

"Yes," Mizuiro confirmed.

"That's ridiculous. We are just friends," he protested.

"Then why have you been going out with her on so many dates this week?" Keigo asked.

"They weren't dates! We were just hanging out for a change, without worrying about homework, hollows, or other terrible event happening."

"Didn't you ask her out to the movies?" Ishida spoke up. Whatever he was so concerned about before that had kept him quiet must have slipped his mind. The quincy had found his voice again.

"And?" Ichigo inquired.

"And that you saw a movie with her alone and how nervous you were to ask her. There was the Christmas Eve date as well," Uryu added.

"None of those things were dates!" Ichigo slammed his fists down on the table. "Stop prejudging us!"

"Calm down, Ichigo. We made a mistake," Keigo said fearfully. Ichigo was scary before he met Rukia. There was no telling how vicious he had become since he met that woman.

Uryu scoffed at Ichigo's antics. "I still think those were dates he was on," he muttered. "Kurosaki is this party a date?"

"No," Ichigo sighed out in exhaust.

Uryu's lips curled into twisted smirk. "Why don't you and Inoue-san walk with us tonight?"

"I can't I already asked Inoue to the party," he tried to explain again.

"You misunderstood me. The two of you should meet up with us and we can all walk together. Inoue-san won't mind if it's not a date," he said smugly. He could feel Ichigo's death stare along with hearing teeth scraping against other teeth. He had Kurosaki now.

"Alright fine, we'll meet up with you guys then all go together." Why did Ishida have to go messing around with him? All he wanted was to steal a few precious moments with Inoue alone before they went to the party. That idea was shot down now. He could have just ignored Ishida' dare and taken Inoue to the party alone. But he did not want to give his rival the satisfaction. His damn pride wouldn't allow him. It was bad enough that Ishida had taken his job as protector of Karakura Town, but now he was interfering with his relationship with Inoue. It was getting to him.

Uryu wasn't really surprised that Kurosaki took his dare. He was hoping for the ex-substitute to just ignore his challenge and take Inoue to the party alone. Apparently that was too much to hope for. "Kurosaki, just because you do not think this is a date does not mean, Inoue-san feels the same way."

He stared at the quincy as though he were insane. Inoue Orihime wanting to go on a date with him was laughable. Or was it? They had been in synch with each other for weeks, possibly months now. They understood each other. There were moments when she would just touch him for no good reason. There was that look she gave him, the same one that unleashed his lust. No, it was probably just wishful thinking on his part.

"Hey, Ichigo."

He looked up see to it was Keigo who called him. "What?"

"Are you sure you and Inoue aren't a couple?"

"Yes, Keigo I am sure," he seethed.

"You won't mind if I try to kiss her at midnight?"

He shot Keigo the dirtiest and vicious look he could muster. Even his chocolate laced eyes were blazing intensely. The atmosphere around him became dark and inhospitable. It brought out the terror in Keigo who had turned white in the mere presence of such a terrible force. "If you try to lay one finger on Inoue I will kill you. Do you understand?" His tone was dark, words spewing with venom that matched his aura.

"Y-Y-Yes," Keigo said barely above a whisper.

"Good," Ichigo finished in a tone that his hollow would have been proud of.

The color did not return to Keigo's cheeks. He sat there inching away from Ichigo. Mizuiro had chills from that, whatever it was. Uryu had a smirk on his face. Sado finished the last of his hot chocolate, seemingly still wearing his mask of neutrality.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Ichigo blurted out. Those were the first words since they arrived at the party. He was standing in the corner with her by his side. He had pulled them aside so that he could explain to her the situation. Instead of seeing anger or annoyance as he was expecting, he saw confusion in those beautiful hazel eyes.

"What are you sorry about, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked. She did not have the slightest clue as to why he was apologizing to her.

"I asked you to go to this party, just you and me and guys tagged along. If I knew this was going to happen I would have told you to bring Tatsuki so you didn't have to endure Keigo's constant rants and Mizuiro's texting. I was so busy talking to Chad then Ishida that ignored you. I really messed up."

He looked so cute when he was apologizing for things that were frankly minor. She didn't have a problem talking to Asano-kun or Kojima-kun. They were nice. Oddly enough they told her stories of how they met Ichigo and how great of guy he was. It was almost as if they were building him up. She clasped her fingers on his hands and pulled them up, bringing him out of his rant. Their brown eyes met each other and the spark that had formed went off.

"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong." She squeezed his hands. "Asano-kun and Kojima-kun were very nice to me. We had wonderful conversations. Now stop worrying and have fun. You deserve to have a good time with everything you did." His fingers clasped on to her hands. There it was that ghost of longing feeling.

"Why is it that every time I start spinning out of control you are there to keep me balanced?" he asked.

Her cheek widened as bashful yet honest smile broke on her face. "You make too much of me."

His grip tightened on her's. The pressure she felt was not harmful, but rather loving. "You make too little of you. Do remember when we were on the tower in Hueco Mundo and Ulquiorra had just died?"

"Yes," she replied.

"I was in such a bad place back then. Ishida was trying to get me out of it, but I just kept thinking about how bad a messed up and how I almost killed you. You were there for me. You told me I wasn't like Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, or Aizen. You said I couldn't be like them because I felt so bad about hurting Ishida. Thanked me for rescuing you, healed me, and sent me off to help Rukia and the others. You knew exactly what I needed to hear to get me out of my funk. You kept me balanced."

Her eyes lit up. If they were a city it would be the brightest city in all of Japan, perhaps the world. Despite that modest smile she wore and cheeks reddening she kept her gaze on him. God she was gorgeous. He really hated that his powers were gone at this moment. He so desperately wanted to feel that wonderful reiatsu of hers. He wondered if it changed when she blushed or when she became flushed. He was perfectly aware that their hands were still intertwined. He just didn't wish to let go.

"It was the least I could do. Kurosaki-kun, you always save me. I am glad I could help you."

"You keep saying I save you, but the truth is you have saved me plenty of times."

"Stop teasing me," she laughed.

"I am being serious. You healed me after my fight with Byakuya, saved my life when Ulquiorra almost killed me after are first fight, even though Grimmjow forced you to do it. You brought me back from the dead even." Could her face get any redder? Not that minded. It only highlighted how cute she was.

"We rescued each other," she said.

"Yeah, we rescued each other."

"This is why I can't get mad at you," she stated.

"I don't understand."

"You say too many sweet things."

"So I get credit stored up. That's good because I say so many stupid things that I really need it," he joked. He was rewarded with enchanting laugh. They were both oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

"Are they flirting?" Yoruichi asked. Her cocky yet devious smirk was present.

"I believe they are," Urahara answered. He wore his own subtle, but sincere grin. "I don't think I've seen Kurosaki-san smile so much."

"Why wouldn't he smile? He's talking to a beautiful young woman who adores him. Normal life suits him," the Flash Goddess stated.

Urahara agreed with her by nodding. "He deserves to enjoy himself. They both do."

"Speaking of which, Kisuke somebody is here to see you." She pointed behind her to where Tatsuki was standing. The light blond turned around.

"Arisawa-san!" he greeted in his overly cheery tone. His mask was already on. "I am glad you could make it! It is so good to have you a young woman like you grace my shop with your lovely presence." His words were meant to be a compliment they seemed to have brought out the worst in both Yoruichi and Tatsuki. They both narrowed their eyes and shot him the menacingly glare. The mad scientist mental gulped.

"Are you implying that I am old?" Yoruichi said in a much too cheery voice. He felt her hand clasp on his shoulder. To his dismay she squeezed on it very hard.

"Can the sweet talk. It does not work on me," Tatsuki simply stated.

"Y-Yes," he stuttered. Yoruichi's vice grip was threatening to bring him to his knees. "Arisawa-san, how about we talk s-somewhere else!" It took everything he had to keep from screaming.

Tatsuki realized that the hat and sandals was trying to use her as an excuse to get away from the purple haired woman. Even from where Tatsuki was standing she could see how much pain the man was in. _'This woman is tough. I can sense a lot of force coming from her. Is this another one of Orihime and Ichigo's friends?' _she wondered.

"Arisawa-san," Urahara cried.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure let's go somewhere else."

The former captain of the 12th division silently cheered. He had been saved from the wrath of Yoruichi-san. She finally let go of his shoulder and he quickly escaped beyond her reach. She narrowed her eyes at the mad scientist as he ran scared.

"This isn't over, Kisuke," she said to herself. The Flash Goddess turned her attention to Tatsuki. She could see the fear form in her eyes. She must have thought that Yoruichi would take out her anger on her for giving Kisuke a shot at freedom. "Hi, I am Yoruichi," she held out her hand. "I've heard a lot about you from Orihime and Kisuke."

When Tatsuki saw the purple haired woman meant her no harm she took the hand. "I am Arisawa Tatsuki. I am sorry, but neither Ichigo nor Orihime has told me about you."

"That does not surprise me. They still haven't told you about everything yet. Don't worry they will eventually. They are your best friends."

"Yeah, I am just giving them their space. Orihime needs time to heal, but judging from how much she is smiling right now I think she's nearly there. That idiot over there finally proved himself useful," Tatsuki teased.

"It appears so," Yoruichi agreed.

The two women ended their shake and Tatsuki went off to where Urahara was standing. "I still haven't heard anything from you. What's the deal? Can you do this or what?"

"Be patient, Arisawa-san. These things take time. I've contacted them, but they have been busy. It has been three months since the war ended, but the Soul Society is still rebuilding itself. They are also trying to quall the Arrancar Civil War in Hueco Mundo. It could take quite a bit of time before I can get in touch with that person."

"I guess you are right," she gave in reluctantly. Her sight went to the two orange haired teens. They were still chatting away. "I really want Orihime to get better."

Urahara noticed where her line of sight was and followed it. He watched the carrot tops continue their flirting. "Inoue-san seems to be adjusting well. She's out of the danger zone. I think this can wait for a while."

"I know Ichigo has helped her a lot and I am really grateful to him for that. There is something in there that not even he can help her with. Orihime doesn't realize it yet, but it is keeping her back. It is keeping her from fully embracing Ichigo." She continued to look at her pseudo sister. Her gaze contained sadness in them. Suddenly she felt a strong grip on her shoulder. The short raven haired girl looked up to see the hat and sandals give her a sincere smile.

"I'll try to contact the Soul Society again. Perhaps I'll get lucky and get in touch with our friend."

"Thank you, Urahara-san."

His eyes slightly widened as he heard his name instead of the usual hat and sandals, as she referred to him as. He couldn't help but to grin. "Think nothing of it, Arisawa-san."

The party had been going on for nearly four hours. Midnight was approaching the shop. The shop was a mess to be honest. Coats and other garments had gotten scattered to the floor. Party games had gone awry knocking chair over. Tessai was weeping at all of the work he would have to do to clean the shop up. All of the guests had gone to the back of the room. The party had descended to the training grounds which had far more room.

Keigo and Mizuiro had gone exploring the grounds with Tessai following so they would not get lost. Sado, Kon (yes Ichigo took pity on him and allowed him to go), and the kids, Jinta and Ururu were talking. How or why that odd group formed was beyond anyone. Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, Tatsuki, Urahara, and Yoruichi stood around drinking and making small talk.

"No way!" Tatsuki exclaimed. She had a huge teeth revealing smile on. She trying and failing to contain her laughter. "Ishida you passed out because this woman suffocated you…" She let out another chorus of laughter. "….with her breasts!" she had totally lost and along with the rest of group (including Orihime). Uryu was red faced and closed his eyes trying to wish the laughter away.

"It's not funny! That bastard made her do that to me just to humiliate me!" the quincy claimed. This only caused the laughter to keep going.

"That sounds like something Mayuri-san would do," Urahara said once he stopped laughing.

Yoruichi had finally contained her own laughter. "I just can't believe Nemu would do that. Granted I have only met the girl a handful of times, but she seems so reserved. Now I wouldn't put a stunt like that above Matsumoto." She put her hands on her hips. "So Ishida, did you enjoy it?" she questioned in her playful tone.

Uryu's crimson face became an entirely new shade of red, one that went beyond human's perception. "Of course not! I am not some pervert who enjoys that kind of thing!"

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "You and Ichigo are such prudes. You have two very attractive women putting you in compromising positions and instead of enjoying it you turn all red and freak out. You skipped your teen years and went straight to old men."

"Hey, it's not a bad thing!" Ichigo and Uryu shouted together. Once they realized they were talking in unison they looked at each other. Both of them were red faced. This made Yoruichi, Urahara, and Tatsuki laugh harder. The pair turned their backs on one another and crossed their arms, obviously put off by being the butt of a joke.

"Ishida, you have to admit that Nemu is cute," Yoruichi continued.

The quincy refused to look at the Goddess of Flash's face. He did not want to face that mocking face with that cat like grin. "I've never really noticed," he said in a low voice.

"Oh, if that is true why is your face so red?" she continued.

"It's nothing!" he exclaimed.

"You got even redder. You must really think she is something else to get this worked up about her!"

"That's not it at all!" Uryu argued.

"She must be some looker," Tatsuki said slightly annoyed.

"Can we get off of it already?" Uryu begged.

"Yoruichi-san, give Ishida-san a break," Urahara urged. His smile still stood strong on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," she waved away. She turned her attention to Ichigo. "So Ichigo do you have any embarrassing stories in your time in Hueco Mundo?"

Ichigo scoffed. "As if I would tell you, so you can hold it over me."

"Quit being such a prude and lighten up, Ichigo." She went to the table to her left and started pouring a drink in. She walked up to the ex-substitute and handed it to him. "Drink and relax."

Ichigo eyed the drink suspiciously. "I'm underage you know."

"Eh, I know its nonalcoholic. I promise." Little did Ichigo know was that the tanned woman had her fingers cross behind her back.

He still eyed the drink wearyingly, but he drank it anyway. Something was off. The drink was warm and the taste was a bit bitter. "What's in this?"

"It always goes down rough the first time. You have to keep drinking it in order to discover its flavor," she answered.

Normally Ichigo would have questioned her more, but something told him to let go. He shrugged it off and drank more of it. It was still rough, but it went down better this time.

"Inoue, you drink up too," Yoruichi insisted. Before the healer could say anything the fellow goddess had already forced the drink upon her.

"Um, I guess it couldn't hurt," Orihime said. She drank it as well.

No one noticed the sinister smirk on Yoruichi's face well except for Urahara. But he was still in the hot water from his comment at the start of the party, so he was not going to stop Yoruichi anytime soon. A huge part of him wanted to see what would happen when the two reserved carrot tops lost their inhibitions. "Well this should prove interesting," he muttered to himself.

"Ok I have a story," Ichigo admitted.

Yoruichi's cat like grin rematerialized. _'Looks like it's working already,' _she thought.

"There was this little arrancar, named Nel. When we went to Los Noches to rescue Inoue she followed us. It turns out she was one of Aizen's old Espada. But this asshole Nnoitra the fifth Espada had messed her years ago with some underhanded trick. I am getting my ass kicked after by Nnoitra because I've spent most of my power against Grimmjow. Things look horrible when Nel transforms into a fully grown woman. She starts kicking the guy's ass while I and Inoue are in awe at the whole thing. At one point when she thinks she's won she walks up to us. I guess I should have said she has a huge chest, like Orihime's size. Keep that in mind. She comes up to me and starts hugging me, where is my face? Of course it's in her chest, so I can't breathe. Here I am thinking I am going to die in the most humiliating way possible. Thank god for Inoue stopping her or I wouldn't be here now. Just another time Inoue saved my ass."

The group shared another roar of laughter. Ishida had to laugh at the story. He was just glad he was not the only one who was sexually assaulted by a woman. Urahara leaned over to the Flash Goddess. "How much alcohol did you sneak in his drink?" he whispered.

"Only a little bit. He's obviously never had any before and has no tolerance for it," she whispered back.

"Seriously though, Inoue really did save me. This girl right here is my good luck charm," he announced to the group. Orihime blushed, but smiled. Uryu and Tatsuki looked on in surprise. Neither of them expected Ichigo to say something like that out loud. "She always has my back."

"Kurosaki-kun," she uttered. Normally she would have been humiliated by such public declarations. However at the moment she only felt flattered and loved.

"Hey let's go somewhere just the two of us," he said. She nodded her head. The duo went off, leaving the group.

"Hey it's almost midnight!" Tatsuki called to them. "Don't get lost or you will start the New Year off bad."

Ichigo waved at her to acknowledge he heard her. He wouldn't get lost he spent weeks here when he trained with Urahara. He wanted to be alone with Orihime. It was like Tatsuki said he wanted to start the New Year off right, he wanted to start it in Orihime's presence and just her's. Something told him if he started the New Year with her alone that the year would be a good one. They were away from the group.

"Here we are, alone, just the two of us," Orihime said. She was feeling giggly for some reason. "Why did you want to get away from the others?"

"I wanted spend time with you alone," he answered truthfully. "I didn't want to share you with anyone else." He grabbed her hands intertwining them just as they were earlier in the party. Orihime giggled before giving him the smile reserved just for him.

"Kurosaki-kun, you want me all to yourself?"

"Yeah, I do. Keigo was going to try and steal a kiss from you at midnight. I'll be damn if I let that happen," he stated.

"You are always so protective of me. I love that. I love when you fuss over me, when you hold my hand, when you hold me in your arms, it makes me feel special."

"You are special. Do you know how important you are to me?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "I know how much you value me. How much you cherish me," she repeated the words he told her on Christmas day. Suddenly he pulled her into him. She cried in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her. Her cheeks went red. She was not expecting him to initiate an embrace. She felt his hot breath on her ears.

"I really do cherish you, Inoue," he whispered to her. "I almost lost you all those months ago. I am so glad you are here with me right now. With everything that happened, losing my powers, not seeing Rukia, and feeling so helpless, but when I am with you that stuff doesn't seem as bad as before."

Orihime continued to blush. She felt so hot and giggly now, but she did not laugh. This was important. He was bearing his soul to her and only her.

"I love how your hair smells like strawberries and a meadow," he stated. "I'm probably freaking you out, huh?"

"No," she said finally finding her voice. "The truth is I am glad that you wanted to spend time with me alone. I enjoy the attention you give me. When you spent the day with me on Christmas Eve I couldn't help, but think of it as a date."

"I thought that too," he admitted.

"It's almost midnight," Orihime said plainly. On a whim she checked her watch. It was 11: 59 pm. "Can we stay like this until the New Year's?"

"Whatever you want to do," Ichigo agreed. "I'll do whatever you want to do." She laid her head on his shoulder. She wanted to stay in these strong arms for the reminder of the old year. She wanted it to be a sign of things to come for them. She didn't want to feel inadequate anymore, like a second choice. She wanted to rid herself of this unnecessary jealous of the woman who was one of her best friends. She didn't want to feel like she was betraying this best friend.

"Am I awful?" she asked him.

"How can you think that? You are not awful, you are anything, but that," he replied. He tightened his grip on her. She had to believe him. He brushed her red-orange locks away from her face. He lifted her face to his. He had to see those dazzling, lust inducing hazel eyes. They were doe like. They pleaded for him to stay there to be there for her. There were traces of fear in them. "Inoue, why are so afraid?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I really don't know," she repeated. Her eyes went to her watch. "It will be New Year's in, five, four, three, two, and one, Happy New Year's, Kurosaki….." She was stopped midsentence. He pushed his lips on to her lips. Her eyes widened in shock. He was kissing her! Was this a dream? No it couldn't be she still felt that giggling feeling. It ended just as quickly as it started. Orihime's cheeks were still red. She looked up at him still very much bashful. She put her index in middle fingers on her lips. "Kurosaki-kun," she simply uttered.

"I wanted to start the New Year off in a good way. I don't know why, but I felt like if I did that our year would be good." Ichigo's own cheeks shaded crimson. "Sorry if I offended you."

"No, it was the perfect way to start the year," she confessed.

"We better get back to the others." He let go off her, but he kept hold of her hand.

"Right, the others," she spoke. "Kurosaki-kun," she called him. Once his eyes were on her she continued. "Kurosaki-kun, I….." She felt something in that kiss, even though it was short and chaste, but that spark was there. It had to mean something. "….love…." She almost said the words. He was there watching waiting intently for her to finish. Just as she was going to say the words the violet eyes and raven hair flashed before her.

"_Inoue, I am so glad you are safe. I knew that idiot would save you. He has to be good for something. I knew I could count on him for this."_

She couldn't say it. That would betray her. "…..that we became such good friends," she finished.

"I am glad we became such good friends too," he replied. He squeezed her hand and gave her his small yet genuine smile. She returned it, but there was a hint of sadness in there. He wanted to ask her what was wrong.

"Ichigo, where are you?"

He instantly recognized Keigo's voice. It figures Keigo always came in at the wrong time. "I guess we better get there before they start making wild accusations." Orihime nodded. The pair walked back to the group. Orihime's thoughts went back to that moment. She was about to confess to him, but something held her back. Something that made her stomach boiled with guilt.

'_Kuchiki-san, am I betraying you by pursuing Kurosaki-kun?' _she wondered.

* * *

**Don't say I never did anything for you guys. I gave you a real non dream kiss this time. That should hold you for a while. I am even gave you flirting to make up for the dream lol. A lot of content was put in here, Uryu's job with Urahara as a hollow exterminator is brought back into the story since chapter 11. I even put Sado's job in here (although in the manga his job is never given, it just says he has one, so I had to make it up for this chapter). Anyway I am trying to tie all of this into what will eventually happen into the manga (for the most part there will obviously be changes with this story and the actual manga) which reminds me. To any manga readers out there could you tell help me describe Orihime's new hair style? I don't know hair or styles at all. I eventually have to incorporate that new do in this. I do want to describe so non-manga readers get a feel for what it looks like. I would appreciate it if someone could help me out with that. Thank you in advance.**

**Ichigo and Orihime get even closer when Orihime's guilt catches up her and holds her back. Will she get over it or will her guilt over a certain raven haired shinigami keep her at bay? Tune in next week folks, same Bat channel, same Bat time. **


	19. Bonds

**Hello out there it's me again. The newest chapter is here. This one is not so much romantic, but it is plot moving though. I think you guys will like it or hope you do. Sorry if you guys were expecting an immediate follow up on the kiss. However this chapter does led into important things that will affect the story. There is also another nice moment that I think readers will enjoy. Before I forget I want to answer The0Blind0Writer's question. The manga is still going on. In fact Kubo has said he hopes for another ten years of Bleach (though I think he was joking), but I think it is safe to say Bleach will be here for another few years or more.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

* * *

This was so aggravating. Why did this have to happen to her now and to have it happen here of all places. Her face was hidden in her hands. She let out a scream, but made sure to muffle it inside her hands so as to not alert her friends. They were clueless. That was to be expected though. They are boys after all and they never understood girls or their problems. They may have been the same age, but she was ahead of them in maturity. They wouldn't even be able to grasp this problem let alone understand it. The last thing she wanted was to be known as freak at school when break ended.

"Karin-chan, are you sure you are alright?" one of the boys called. He hesitantly knocked on the bathroom door. The group of four was at a lost as to what had caused this odd behavior in the fearless and smack talking Karin. Nothing set her off at least when she was in their presence. When something happened she would retort with some smart ass sarcastic remark. Or she would simply call them idiots for doing idiotic things as she deemed them. She did not run or hide. But here they were standing outside of girl's public restroom awaiting their friend's reemergence after she ran in there. "Karin-chan," he tried again.

"Kenta, stop it," another boy said.

"But Karin-chan could be in trouble," the boy known as Kenta protested.

"Or she could be really pissed. Calling her may be pissing her off more. I mean Karin's been on edge all day." It was true Karin had snapped at all of them at one point or another that morning. They were having a good old snowball fight and he had hit her when she walked up to them. Boy had that been a horrible, horrible mistake. Karin just unloaded on him, screaming and calling him an idiot. No she took that back and said even an idiot would have more sense than him. Afterwards she proceeded to punch him in the stomach. He keeled over and grasped for air. He tried to apologize to her, but she wouldn't have that. Needless to say the other three did not throw snowballs at her.

"Kenta, I don't want to get the wind knocked out of me again. For love of God just leave her be. Do you hear me, Karin? We won't bug you anymore. Don't be mad. Ok we are leaving the door, but we'll be right here. I mean not here exactly, but around. It's not like we will be far, but far enough not to bug you, if that is alright with you of course." He received no response. Quickly he turned around to the others for guidance, but none of them seemed eager to give it. He gulped and timidly knocked on the door. "Um, Karin is that you know ok with you?" Still he received no response.

"Let's just go guys," a third voice said.

The second boy shook his head vigorously. "No way if we leave and it's not ok with Karin then she will kill us all. I can't get hit like that again." He knocked again. "Karin is it….."

"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME, AKAKO! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!" she screamed.

The four boys jumped and let out girlish screams. "S-Sorry, Karin," Akako muttered. He bowed his head and clapped his hands together to take an apologetic stance. So fearful was he that he had completely forgotten that the raven haired girl could not see it. "Um call us if….you know….need anything." The boys prepared to leave when her forceful tone stopped them.

"Wait!" she commanded. Although she could not see it she felt the boys outside instantly freeze in place awaiting her command. "Kenta, you have a cellphone right?"

"Um, y-yes, Karin-chan," he answered.

"Give it to me," she ordered.

"I-I just can't give it to you, Karin-chan." The other boys looked at him as though he were lunatic. Did he not know just how bad of situation they were in? "I mean my parents will be very angry if I give you my phone. Our plan only covers if the phone is stolen, but if I give it away we can't get a new one without paying for it."

"Kenta," Karin called.

"Y-yes," he replied.

"Are you a total dumbass?" she asked.

"N-No," he replied.

"Well you would have to be if you thought I wanted to keep your DAMN CELLPHONE!" The four boys shuttered in fear. Akako and the other two slowly started to distance themselves from the soon to be dead boy. "I W-A-N-T TO USE YOUR PHONE NOT KEEP IT! Does your tiny, insignificant brain comprehend that or do I need to dumb it down for you even more?"

"U-Understood, Karin-chan. However…."

"What?" she seethed. The venom seeped out of her words infecting the group with an overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness.

"K-Kenta, you'll kill us all!" one boy hissed.

"I-I can only use the phone in emergencies. I can't make personal calls…."

"Kenta," Karin called again in the same venomous tone as before.

Kenta gulped again. Sweat was now running down his face. Considering the season it was that was a miracle. "Yes," he replied.

"If I kill you would that be an emergency?"

"Yes!" he quickly uttered.

"Should I do that so I can use your phone?"

"N-No, please don't!"

"Then give me the damn phone now! This is an emergency!" She opened the door enough for her hand to stick out. Suddenly she felt something rushed into her waiting hand. She pulled her hand back in. "Now leave, all of you." Her tone was soft it was still filled with killing intent. The boys asked no more questions and pushed each other out of the way to escape the bathroom door. On the other side Karin could hear their panicked stricken cries. She let out sigh. "Idiots, all of them," she stated. Her fingers pressed the assortment of numbers, dialing the number she needed. It was ringing. Good all she had to do was wait for it to be answered. God only knew how long that would be. Fortune seemed to smile on her. One the second ring the phone was answered.

"Hello," answered the voice.

"Oh thank God it's you," Karin rejoiced.

"Karin-chan, what can I do for you?" the voice asked.

"Listen, I kind of have a problem. Don't freak out or anything. It's not life threatening. It's just …." She breathed out almost worriedly.

"Karin-chan, are you injured?" the voiced cried. The worry in it was obvious.

"No, no I am not injured. It's just that something happened. I just need someone to talk to."

"Do you want me to get your brother?"

"NO!" she screamed out. "I can't talk to Ichigo about this or Yuzu she doesn't have this problem. I need you. You are the only one who understands what I am going through. I know this a lot to ask of you, but could please come and get me?" She collapsed against the wall. This was humiliating. She was standing here in the bathroom, lashing out on her friends who were just concerned about her, and now here she was on the phone begging for help. This wasn't like her. She never just broke down and asked for help. When her mom died Yuzu took on the responsibilities of the house while Ichigo stopped crying and became the man they needed him to be. All she could do was not complain and make life easier for her father and siblings. Up until now she had done that excellently. But this was too much.

"Karin-chan, are you crying?" the voice asked with uncertainty.

Was she? Her hand wiped over her face. She saw the hot liquid on her fingertips. Without realizing it she had shed tears for the first time in ages. Her chest was heaving and her body shaken. Where did these emotions come from? This flood of sadness and anger had erupted and washed everything else away. These tears were they of sadness or anger? Could they have been both?

"Karin-chan?" the voice called again. The tone was softer almost nurturing. That tone sounded so familiar. It was out of a half remembered dream that you knew you had, but could not remember the events within it. Whatever this mysterious tone was it soothed her.

"I'm fine," she got out. The tears were overrunning her cheeks at this point.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the park three blocks away from the clinic. I am in the girl's restroom," she replied.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't worry I won't tell Kurosaki-kun or Yuzu-chan." She was about to hang up the phone when the middle Kurosaki stopped her.

"Wait!" she cried.

"Yes, I am right here."

"Thank you, Orihime-chan," Karin cried out.

"You are welcome, Karin-chan."

* * *

She heard a knock on the door alerting her to the arrival of someone. The raven haired girl with tear stains on her face got to her feet. She prepared to run into a stall, not wishing anyone to see her in this state.

"Karin-chan, it's me," Orihime's voice came through.

A breath of relief hit her. She quickly went to the door and opened it. Her eyes caught the now familiar pink jacket. Her tear stained eyes went up to find the older girl's reassuring hazel eyes staring down on her. Overcome with relief and happiness she lunged out and hugged the red-orange haired woman. Orihime was caught off guard, but returned the hug no less. "Thank you for coming," she uttered.

"It was no problem," Orihime replied. Their embrace did not last long. Karin let go and returned to the bathroom. Orihime followed her and made sure to close it. She noticed that Karin's chocolate eyes were red. How long had she been crying? "Karin-chan, what happened? Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," she replied. "It's just stupid. I've been feeling really on edge since breakfast this morning. I didn't think anything of it until I left to meet with my friends. It just got worse from there. Everything got out of control….and I yelled at my friends. I….I guess I was mad….but I never just explode like that…." She huffed. Her shoulders felt two hands on them. She looked up to see Orihime was the culprit. The healer gently messaged her shoulders, trying to calm her. Her lips were curled up into U shape smile. I wasn't cheery or forced. It was just reassuring. It told her that everything would be well. Karin believed that smile.

"Slow down," Orihime said. "You don't have to rush. Tell me when you are ready. We can just stay here until you are ready. We don't have to tell your friends or your sister and brother, or even your father. We'll just stay here until you are ready," she continued.

There it was again that nurturing tone that she recognized. She knew it from somewhere but where was it? How did it have this power to put her at easy? Karin took deep breaths. The anxiety she was feeling was evaporating. The feelings of sadness and anger were being reined in. The old and sarcastic Karin was starting to emerge from the flood that had drowned her.

Orihime's smile brightened. "There you go." Her soft and small hands rubbed her shoulders again. "Let it out."

Karin wiped her eyes. This was new to her. She didn't let people see her vulnerable. She always had it together. People came to her and told her of their problems not the other way around. But that's why she called Orihime. She obviously had a knack at calming people down. Her brother was evidence of that. More importantly she had gone through this before. She would be able to relate to her to talk to her, whereas Ichigo and Yuzu just couldn't. "I'm ok," she revealed. The middle Kurosaki washed her eyes one more time. "I'm ready."

"May I ask you something?" Orihime questioned. The raven haired girl nodded. "On the phone you said I was the only one who knew what you were going through. What did you mean by that?" She had an idea on what Karin meant, but did not want to be presumptuous. But there were really not a whole lot of options. Karin was twelve the age when your body would undergo changes. She was crying and Orihime knew for a fact that was unusual. If she could go on what the girl in question told her she snapped at her friends for no reason. There was the little matter that Kurosaki-kun and Yuzu-chan would not understand, but she would.

Was it possible that she would have to discuss puberty to the younger girl? The mere thought of discussing that with Karin in a public restroom was enough to make her red as tomato. She thought she had at least a decade before she had to have this talk. Her own experience was bad. Sora was so awkward when he told her about her body. He used dolls, pictures, and hand gestures to demonstrate it. Watching a grown man use two doll imitate the act of love making was on her list of most humiliating events that happened to her.

Knowing Kurosaki-kun and Kurosaki-san their explanation of this event would be filled with awkward moments. Ok perhaps Kurosaki-san would be alright since he was a doctor, but he was also a father. An energetic father who would probably praise Karin on her journey to womanhood and completely miss the embarrassment she was bond to feel. Kurosaki-kun he was so reserved that he would be worse than Sora. Orihime would not wish that experience on anyone. While she may have felt uncomfortable talking to Karin about this it would be far better for her to hear it from another woman who at least knew what she was going through. She did not have that, but she would make sure Karin had that.

"Orihime-chan," Karin spoke.

"Um," the healer replied.

"I've had this problem for a while now, but I have been able to keep it under control."

Orihime nodded and urged the younger girl to go on. Yes this was definitely that "talk".

"Recently it's gotten out of control and it's driving me crazy. I just wanted to scream."

"I see."

"It's really frustrating," Karin breathed out.

Seeing the normally strong girl so crestfallen brought out the nurturing side in her. "I understand. It's a confusing time. I remember when I got my period for the first time."

"What?" she cried. Her brown eyes filled with confusion. "You think I am talking about….that?" Her cheeks went red.

"Well yes," Orihime answered sheepishly. She gave the younger another smile. However this one was forced and unnatural.

"How could you think I was talking about having my period?" she nearly squealed in an uncharacteristic squeak.

The healer threw her hands up in panic. "Well you were talking about mood swings and how I knew what you were going through. And you wanted me to keep quiet about it, so Kurosaki-kun and Yuzu-chan wouldn't find out!"

"Why would I ask you about that in a public restroom of all places?" Karin continued to shout.

"I don't know! I thought you were having a hard time and needed me!" she shouted back. Yet another humiliating moment has befallen over the red-orange haired goddess. Couldn't she ever catch a break?

Karin shared similar sentiments. She hid her face from view trying to conceal just how red her face had become. Embarrassment was not strong enough to describe what she was feeling. She only had herself to blame. She should have given Orihime more details to go on in order to avoid this misconception. Here she was with this woman whom had grown so close to their family. Although she was feeling incredibly awkward there was a small part of her that recognized that Orihime was just trying to help. She not only came down here to help, but was even prepared to share her own experience in "womanhood" with her despite not being of her blood. Her respect for the healer had grown along with her affections for her.

"Orihime-chan," she called. She took her hands down to face her.

Still red Orihime met Karin's gaze. "Thanks for you know trying to talk to me about that, but this problem isn't that type of problem."

"You're welcome, Karin-chan," Orihime replied. The awkward moment passed them. Their cheeks returned to their natural color. A silent agreement formed between them. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Ghosts," Karin answered.

"Ghosts," Orihime repeated.

"My ability to see ghosts has gotten stronger."

Orihime blinked in perplexity. "What exactly do you mean by getting stronger?"

"I mean there seems to be more of them coming to me. Before I would see ghosts, but they never just came to me." She turned away from Orihime. "Ever since that day that Ichigo came home in a coma more and more ghosts have just appeared before me. At first it was no problem. Only one or two of them would come to me. But now there are just a whole bunch of them. Every time I go outside they flock to me. They just keep talking to me, asking me for help, and badgering me about what's happened to them. The voices keep ringing in my ear. They are so loud now that I can't hear myself think. Today when I left from home they swarmed on me. All the voices it's all just too much."

She passed her hands through her dark locks. Orihime eyed her carefully. She was trying to discern just how badly this increase in her spiritual power was affecting the Kurosaki girl. Karin did look so exhausted and drained. She chided herself for missing this before. Turning on her sixth sense Orihime discovered that the reiatsu Karin normally gave off had indeed swollen. It was much large than it was only a month ago. Around the same time she had started staying with them. Was it a coincidence? Kurosaki-kun's monstrous reiatsu had been responsible for awakening the spiritual power that she, Sado-kun, Tatsuki, and Asano-kun now possessed. Karin's father would know how to control his reiatsu, but she had been having so many nightmares. Her reiatsu probably went out of control during her episodes and while not as large as Kurosaki-kun's previous levels it was quite strong in its own right. It was possible that it strengthened Karin's own reiatsu.

"Karin-chan, are you sure this did not start when I started staying at the clinic?"

Karin nodded her head. "It's been increasing slightly ever since…."

"Ever since what?" Orihime asked.

"Ever since Ichigo's power left," she admitted.

The hazel eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"I am not a fool. Orihime-chan I know Ichigo's power kept increasing last year. I could always feel this strange force coming from him. It was similar to mine, but during that year I felt that force increase more and more. That's when I started seeing these monsters. Nobody else could see them, so I knew they had to be ghosts. Ichigo fought with them and wore these strange black robes and had a sword. I saw it with my own eyes. I know you have too because you can see ghosts the same as me. I can feel the same force that Ichigo and I have on you and it's so much stronger than before. But that's not all. His other friends, Sado and that Ishida they have it to. I noticed it when they came to visit Ichigo when he was in his coma. All this time when I've been hanging out with you I've been trying to pry answers from you. Please don't lie to me even if my brother wants you to keep it from me just tell me that. The truth is you've become somebody I respect and care for. So please don't lie to me, Orihime-chan. Please tell me does my increased power have anything to do with Ichigo's power being gone? Is the reason I don't see him in those robes anymore because he no longer has his power? Are these monsters and ghosts involved in this?"

"Karin-chan," Orihime said plainly. Karin grasped at her forearm surprising the healer.

"Please tell me, Orihime-chan," she pleaded. One look into Karin's chocolate eyes and Orihime could not resist. She did not want to be the one to tell Karin this. She had hoped that Kurosaki-kun would reveal his secret to Karin himself. "Orihime-chan," Karin repeated.

"I can't tell you everything. But I won't lie to you about this. I value you too much to lie to you anymore Karin-chan. I am not sure why your spiritual power has grown, but I can tell you that your brother's is gone for a reason. You see there was a very bad man. He was like your brother and those monsters you see, hollows. He had incredible amount of spiritual power and he wanted more of it. To achieve his goal he wanted to destroy Karakura Town and everyone in it." She paused to hear Karin gasp. "I should start from the beginning. It all started last year on that day Kurosaki-kun became a shinigami."

* * *

"Yo, hat and sandals I'm here like you asked!" Tatsuki had just entered the Urahara Shop. The first thing her eyes spotted was the large frame of Tessai scolding the little devil Jinta. He looked up from the red haired boy as soon as she came in.

"Hello there, Tatsuki-san!" he greeted her with his usual enthusiasm. The red haired boy hid behind him for some reason. It was quite odd to see Jinta so fearful. Did their black haired visitor have something to do with it? She did help rein him in all those months ago during one of her visits.

"Hey, Tessai." Tatsuki greeted him with a quick wave. "Hmm, where is Ururu?" She did a quick scan around the shop, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Ururu is with Yoruichi-san. She needed her for a certain task she is up to," replied the former Kido Crops captain.

She scanned her memory to try and recall that name. Of course Yoruichi was the woman she had met at the New Year's party a few days ago. _'I wonder what she's doing that she needs Ururu,' _Tatsuki thought.

"The boss is in the back," Tessai answered the unasked question.

She waved her thanks then departed to the back of the shop. Tatsuki had been there enough times to no longer need an escort to find Urahara's office. She easily navigated her way to his door and walked in it. As per usual the shinigami captain turned shop keeper was sitting in his favorite spot.

"Arisawa-san you came!"

"Of course I did. You said you wanted me to come over." She walked up to his spot than sat down across from him. She noticed that his fan was absent from his hand and his cane was sitting right beside him.

"Well I have good news for you!" he exclaimed. Tatsuki's face remained straight. "Aren't you excited?" he asked cheeringly.

"I'm giddy," Tatsuki announced sarcastically.

"Arisawa-san, come on this is good news. Be happy."

"Yippee," Tatsuki said while she rolled her eyes.

The light blond man crossed his arms in a pouting manner. "Hmm, you are absolutely no fun at all."

She slapped her forehead. _'Stay calm. Remember you need him. You cannot kill him because you need him,' _she mentally reminded herself. "Can you please just tell me your news?"

Urahara continued to keep his arms crossed, but was no longer pouting. "I contacted the Soul Society yesterday and today I finally got a reply. I've made all the arrangements."

The neutral mask was shattered. Her eyes lit up and her smile formed. "Do you mean that…."

He nodded. "I mean that today Inoue-san will be getting an unexpected visitor," he joked.

Her smile widened. After all these weeks of trying to communicate with the other world he had finally been successful in contacting the person they needed. It couldn't have come at a better time. Orihime was slowly pulling away from Ichigo. While she was certain he did not notice it yet he would eventually. They were both too stupid for their own damn good. She was going to intervene and hopefully their contact would be able to liberate Orihime from the final pangs of guilt.

"In fact she should be here any moment now," Urahara said.

As if on cue a new figure walked through her door. Both Urahara and Tatsuki turned around to see this new figure.

"Speak of the devil," Urahara joked.

"Well I'm here. Now you mind explaining to me what is so important that you filled my division and my home with hundreds of requests to meet you?" the rough voice asked. Her voice was demanding with no hint of sweetness as she would normally fake when she was among humans. There was no need to. Arisawa knew who she was at this point. Besides she wasn't in a gigai.

Urahara let out a wolfish grin. "Well hello to you to, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia narrowed her violet eyes at the man warningly. "I am not in the mood, Urahara. My entire division is busy trying to subdue this Arrancar Civil War you brought to our attention. I am only here now because Nii-san got fed up with all those messages you left at his manor and pulled me out of the front lines to see what the hell you wanted." She turned her gaze to her fellow raven haired woman. "Does this have something to do with you, Arisawa?" Her tone sounded harsh, but to one who was paying attention you could see the subtle difference between how she talked to Urahara and how she talked to Arisawa. Her tone was tired and annoyed when talking to the former 12th Division captain. However with Arisawa her tone was more patient and calmer. She had never been particularly close to Arisawa during her time in the Human World, but she was close enough to Ichigo and Inoue to have crossed her path more than a few times.

Tatsuki looked up and down at the shorter woman. She still wore the same black robes as the last she saw her. She still carried the sword she now knew as a zanpakuto. "I kind of am," Tatsuki answered.

"What is it?" Rukia finally asked. She was genuinely intrigued by what the black belt would want with her that she contacted that pain in the ass Urahara just to get her to come to Karakura.

"It's Orihime," she said. Kuchiki's demeanor changed. Fear and apprehension formed into her vibrant violet eyes. The grip on her zanpakuto tightened. Even her reiatsu changed, it became wilder and untamed.

"What's wrong with, Inoue?" She both asked and demanded. Rukia made no attempt to keep the fear she was feeling hidden. Already she turned her senses on the town. She was searching for Inoue's unique reiatsu signature. Hundreds of thoughts raced through her mind. What was wrong with Inoue? Where were Ishida and Sado? Were they on her trail? Why the hell didn't Ichigo get off his ass and do something? But then she remembered that he could not do anything, not if the threat was hollow or arrancar related. Why hadn't she responded sooner? If anything happened to Inoue she could never forgive herself for responding so late.

"Kuchiki, calm down," Tatsuki urged. "Orihime is not in any immediate danger."

As soon as those words reached her ears she let out a great sigh. _'Thank the Soul King she is safe,' _Rukia thought. Her right hand even went to her heart. Still she continued to search for Inoue's warm and energetic reiatsu. In seconds she found it next to a considerably smaller yet familiar one.

Tatsuki continued, "I or we called you here…" She pointed to Urahara who remained seated. "….because Orihime has been having problems adjusting to normal life."

"What do you mean? Hollow activity is at an all-time low here. Aside from that one instant when a large number of them came here nothing has been abnormal. Inoue shouldn't have to worry about any hollow or arrancar to distract her from her life."

"Hollows aren't the problem here. Everything that happened to her in that other world, Hueco Mundo, it's been affecting her badly. She feels so guilty about what happened there and how all of you got hurt."

"Go on," Rukia stated.

"She's just been an emotional wreck and none of us can reach. None of us except for Ichigo, but there is even something he can't fix." She balled her hand into a fist. "Kuchiki, I'm not sure what to do anymore. I'm supposed to be her best friend yet I can't do anything. I feel so useless, so I did the only thing I could. I called you here to talk to her. You are also close to her and may be you can reach her." Her body started to tremble. She put her hand down in shame.

Rukia observed the young woman. She narrowed her eyes and listened intently. Things were worse than she had thought. She should have talked to Inoue before she departed. But with Ichigo in his coma and with all the work she had to do there was just no time to talk to her alone. When Ichigo finally woken up she simply said her farewells then went through the senkaimon and did not turn back. Now she regretted not keeping in touch with her human friends.

"I am begging you to see her before you go. I know you are busy, but Orihime needs you. You two are friends, so please promise me you will see her."

Rukia put her hand on Tatsuki's trembling shoulder causing the taller girl to raise her head. "Don't put your head down. You have nothing to feel ashamed about. I am the one who should feel ashamed. Arisawa, you are a good friend. Don't you ever doubt it for a second. Now it is my turn to be a good friend." The raven haired shinigami turned her back to the pair and made her way to the door.

Panic had fallen on Tatsuki. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To find Inoue," was her reply. She walked through the door without another word. Tatsuki watched in worry.

"Arisawa-san, there is no need to worry," Urahara stated. He succeeded in drawing her attention. "We can count on Kuchiki-san."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I am absolutely certain." He voice did waver in the slightest. There was no hint of his overly cheery tone at all as he said the words. Suddenly Tatsuki felt hopeful. Kuchiki could reach Orihime and finally mend the final scar left from the war. She was hopeful that would occur.

* * *

Ichigo was walking with his friends. They had just walked out of a restaurant. Mizuiro was texting another girl, while Keigo was bawling about Ichigo's latest decision and giving him a headache.

"How can you be getting a job?" Keigo screamed.

"Like I said I could use the money. With Tatsuki and Chad already getting jobs it just seems like it's time." He closed his eyes and counted down the seconds until Keigo made his next outburst. _'Three, two, one, and show time,' _Ichigo thought.

"But we've barely seen you at all these last few months. And now that you are finally all caught up with school work and don't have to hunt hollows anymore you spring this news on us!" He jumped in front of Ichigo to stop him from proceeding. "I am not moving one spot until you stop this insanity!"

Ichigo continued walking and pushed Keigo back with little effort. The long haired man tried his hardest to stop his friend but it was to no avail. Ichigo's shinigami training had made his physical strength which was already impressive even greater. Keigo no longer had the power to stop him. "Ichigo, be reasonable! If you get a job, Mizuiro and I will never see you!" he whined.

"You are exaggerating. We'll still see each other at school and depending on what type of work schedule I get we can work around it."

"Sure you say that now, but soon enough you'll have no time for us again!" Keigo argued.

Ichigo groaned. "I promise you I will make time for you if I get a job."

Keigo stopped pushing Ichigo seeing it a wasted effort. He turned to Mizuiro for support. "Aren't you going to say anything?" he demanded.

Mizuiro finished sending his latest text and put his phone away. He looked up to join the conversation. "I think it's a good idea for Ichigo to get a job."

Keigo's mouth fell wide opened. "T-Traitor!" he screamed. "Everyone is against me! First Chad, then Ishida, Ichigo, and now even you Mizuiro! Our group is falling apart!"

"Will you stop with this group falling apart crap?" Ichigo spat. "Look just because some of us are getting jobs does not mean we will stop being friends. Our bond is stronger than that. Keigo, I know you felt abandoned when Chad, Inoue, Ishida, and I left to fight in the war. I kept it a secret from you guys which I am sorry about. But if you thought I forgot about for even a second than you are a fool. We have all been friends since high school started. You, Mizuiro, Chad, and I have been friends for two years now. Ishida, Inoue, and Tatsuki are with us as well. The seven of us have formed a bond that won't be broken easily. Quit your whining already."

Both Keigo and Mizuiro became silent. They were shocked by Ichigo's words. Normally he was not one to let his friends inside of his heart or how reveal he felt.

"What?" he asked. He noticed the pair's footsteps stopped. The way they were staring at him gave him the creeps. "What's with those faces?"

"Nothing," Mizuiro answered. "Nothing at all," he repeated.

"Where to next on your job hunt?" Keigo asked. After hearing Ichigo say that their bond was strong enough to bridge any distance his irrational fear of the orange haired man getting a job vanished.

Ichigo blinked a few times at his loud mouth friend. "Are you feeling alright? Usually you do not cave in so easily."

"It's nothing. I was just being silly before. I mean you are right. We will still see each other." Keigo put his hands behind his head. "Come on led the way, Ichigo. It is freezing out here," he complained.

Ichigo groaned again. "Nobody is forcing you to come. If you much rather go home than by all means go."

"As if! If you get a job then I am going to hang out with you as much as I can before you are employed!" Keigo exclaimed. His eyes lit on fire with passion.

Mizuiro laughed at Keigo's stunt while Ichigo sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked.

Mizuiro turned to Ichigo. "This need for money wouldn't have anything to do with Inoue would it?"

Ichigo frowned. "What? Why would Inoue have anything to do with me getting a job?"

Mizuiro shot him a knowing stare. "The same reason you are growing your hair out," he shot back.

Ichigo did not touch his hair despite his original declaration on Christmas Eve. When Inoue said his long hair from his training in the Dangai made him look hot he felt a strange sense of pride and joy. He liked that she found him physically appealing. That was a strange feeling considering he never cared about what others thought of his appearance before. After the "date" he went into the bathroom and prepared to cut a little off the top, but at the last moment decided against it. He thought he would let it grow out just a bit longer. That was nearly two weeks ago. His hair had not gotten to the length it was at during the accelerated time training he had done, but it was starting to overrun his forehead. The back of it was building up its shagginess. Aside from his sisters questioning and a jab from Ishida and Tatsuki nobody seemed to make a big deal out of it. However he did notice Inoue gawking at him and bashful turn away when he turned to her. He took this as sign that she liked the growing mane.

"What the hell makes you think me growing my hair out a bit has anything to do with Inoue either?"

Mizuiro unleashed a sinister smirk that was unlike him. Ichigo had to lean in closer to make sure his eyes were not playing a trick on him. "Arisawa told me the reason," he said smugly.

"How would…." He stopped mid-sentence. He told Orihime that he was thinking about growing it out after her compliment. Tatsuki was Orihime's best friend. That meant she told Tatsuki that she liked his hair long and probably about Ichigo's declaration after the "date". While Inoue would think nothing of it Tatsuki would know instantly he was growing it out because of the goddess.

"I'll take your silence as an admission," Mizuiro said with a smirk.

"N-No," Ichigo tried to deny feebly. His cellphone loving friend was not buying it. _'Damn, Tatsuki,' _he cursed.

Keigo's lips curved into a huge grin. "Ichigo, you are growing your hair out for Inoue!" he declared. "Oh man this is huge!" Keigo screamed. He threw his arm into the air.

"Keep it down," Ichigo hissed. The last thing he wanted was for someone from school walking by them to overhear this and start a rumor about him having a crush on Inoue when school started up again.

"You like her don't you!" Keigo cheered.

"No!" he cried. However like before it was unconvincing. Neither of them wore expressions that inspired confidence that they believed his words.

"You are so full of crap that it's not even funny!" Keigo spoke up.

Mizuiro nodded in agreement. "Tell us the truth, Ichigo. We can keep a secret. Well I can at least."

"Hey!" Keigo protested.

"I'm telling you we are just friends!"

"Friends that flirt, like at the New Year's party at Urahara-san's," Mizuiro pointed out. Ichigo shot him another surprised look. "We saw you take Inoue to the corner when we got to the party and we saw you flirting."

Keigo added, "Not to mention all this time you want to spend with her. Now I am glad we talked you up on our way there."

"Talked me up?" Ichigo repeated in confusion.

"When we were walking to the party Mizuiro and I kept telling all these stories that have you look good to Inoue. Ha, I told you it was a good idea Mizuiro," he gloated.

"Just hold on one minute there!" Ichigo interrupted. "You guys are jumping to conclusions. Inoue and I are just friends."

"You keep telling us what you are, but what do you want to be with Inoue?" Keigo finally asked.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Simple, tell us right here and now what your feelings are for Inoue and we will not interfere in anyway if and only if you tell us the truth. I might as well tell you right now you suck at lying Ichigo," Keigo said.

Damn his friends were being persistent today. They were not letting up an inch. Should he really tell them about his growing affections for the goddess of Karakura High? He had no desire to have anyone hinder his relationship with Inoue and if they (Keigo) told anybody he would simply be one more person in the entire student body's boy population's rivalry for Inoue's heart. As a rival the others would make sure to be on his ass and hinder him in any way they could. Right now their relationship was perfect or as close as it could get. He would be damned if one of those love struck boys tried to screw things up for him and his Inoue.

"Ichigo," Mizuiro and Keigo called together.

"Ha," he sighed. "If I tell you this you keep it a secret from everybody and I mean everybody, Keigo."

"I promise," Mizuiro said. Keigo remained silent.

"Keigo," Ichigo growled.

He put his hands up to shield himself from the former vizard. "I am not going to tell anybody, but you really want us to keep this secret from Chad and Ishida?"

"Chad is good, but no way in hell do you say anything to Ishida. That four eyed bastard would never let me live it down. You see how bad he is now and he only suspects something. If he has word from me that I have feelings for Inoue he will hold it over me until I die."

Keigo nodded understandingly. "Alright I won't tell Ishida."

"You won't tell Ishida what?" a new voice asked.

"That Ichigo has feelings for Inoue," Keigo repeated. Ichigo shot him a death glare while Mizuiro shook his head in disbelief. He wasn't sure why they were giving him the strange looks. Until he realized that the voice that had asked him that question was neither Ichigo nor Mizuiro. He gulped and turned around to see the quincy standing behind him. "I-Ishida!" he cried. He was a dead man. Ichigo would see to that.

Uryu looked from the now white with fear Asano, to the disbelieving Kojima-kun, and finally landed to Kurosaki who was glaring daggers at Asano. This was ridiculous. "Before you kill Asano, Kurosaki I already knew you had feelings for Inoue."

"How the hell did you know that?" he demanded.

"Oh please, you are unbelievably transparent, Kurosaki," Uryu stated. "I've noticed with each week your demeanor, attitude, and the way you carry yourself has changed when Inoue-san is around. Besides your little declaration that she's your "good luck charm" was dead giveaway to even someone like Asano."

"Hey!" Keigo protested again.

"Where is it? No cleaver one liners you want throw out at me?"

"Please, Kurosaki. Hard as this is to believe your love life isn't one of my most pressing concerns. I have other things to worry about."

"Like hunting hollows," Ichigo suggested.

He pushed up his glasses. "I have no idea what you are talking about," Uryu muttered.

It was Ichigo who snorted. "And you say I am transparent. I already know you are hunting hollows instead of letting the afro guy do it." He put his right hand on the back of his head. "I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but be careful. The Soul Society isn't exactly the most understanding lot." Memories of Yamamoto deeming Inoue a traitor and ordering him to abandon her came to his mind.

"You are fine with this?" Uryu questioned carefully.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I can do it anymore. At least with you we know hollows are being taken care of. Afro guy isn't exactly reliable." He took his hand off his head. "Anyway what are you doing here?"

To answer the ex-substitute he raised his hand up to reveal a bag. "I needed some new yearn and cloth for crafting. By chance I saw you three when I was on my way home. What are you up to?"

"Looking for a job," Ichigo replied.

"Why don't you ask Sado-kun if the store he is working at needs more help?"

"Already tried that and he says the manger is no longer hiring. All the places I've tried so far have stopped hiring. Now that the holidays are done people aren't looking for more help anymore."

Uryu became transfixed on Ichigo's problem. Suddenly it came to him. "Have you tried down town? I remember seeing this store that had a wanted sign."

"What's the name?" Ichigo asked eagerly.

"I believe it was called, Nakamura Electronics."

"Thanks for the tip," Ichigo thanked the quincy. He walked off to the opposite direction he was originally going. Before he got too far however he stopped and turned around. "Hey, you won't tell Inoue will you?"

Uryu rolled his eyes. "I won't tell Inoue-san. But just so you know she feels the same way you do."

"How would you know that?" he demanded.

He shook his head tiredly. "Kurosaki, you are so hopeless." He departed from his friends leaving a confused Ichigo to wonder if what he said was true.

Ishida may have been right. He suspected that Yoruichi had spiked his drink at the party days ago. He felt so tipsy and loose lipped. Everything he did that night after he drank that drink had been so weird. He told everyone that humiliating story involving Nel, but publicly declared Inoue his good luck charm without hesitation. He took her away and embraced her, told her so many things he kept secret. He told her how he wanted to have her all to himself that night, how she made him forget his troubles, how he loved to smell her hair, and he even went as far as to steal a kiss. Luckily for him that she took it as a good luck charm. Though he suspected like him that she too was a bit drunk. She also said things that he had never heard her say. Her admission that she loved the attention he gave her or how she loved to be in his arms. She wanted him to hold her until the New Year's started. This information made Ishida's words seem believable.

However he had noticed that she seemed to feel more reserved around him lately. Every time they hung out and she was having a good time there was a hint of sadness and almost guilt. But he was unsure why. Whenever he was about to ask her what was wrong they were interrupted by someone, like his father or Yuzu or Karin, or even Kon. He was going to have to get behind the mystery of Inoue's new sadness. After all he did declare to Zangetsu months ago that he would bring a smile to her face. So far he had been keeping that promise and he intended to keep it that way. Unconsciously his hand went into his pocket and squeezed the charm she had given him. He went back to his job search with Keigo and Mizuiro following behind.

* * *

Orihime had finished telling Karin the entire story of her brother's adventures. Well she told her the parts she was allowed to. For instant she left the bit of mentioning that her father possessed shinigami powers as well. Kurosaki-san seemed insistent on keeping that part of his a life a secret.

"So Ichi-nii used some kind of weird technique and it took away his powers?"

Orihime nodded. "Yes that's what he told me. Ever since that day he defeated Aizen I haven't been able to sense even an ounce of reiatsu from him."

"He can't even see ghosts anymore or even hollows?" Karin continued to question.

"No he can't," Orihime replied.

"So Rukia was really a shinigami this whole time? That's why she just sort of disappeared months ago."

Orihime nodded again.

"Wow that's unbelievable," she uttered. Karin had known her brother had been fighting these strange otherworldly forces, but she had no clue he saved their entire town perhaps even the world from a mad man. She hugged herself. The thought of her brother being a shinigami protecting all of them from hollows was not beyond the realm of belief at least not for her. He had been protective of all of them especially since they lost mom. There wasn't a memory she had where Ichigo wasn't standing in front of her or Yuzu ready to protect them from something. In those days he would pick up a stick or log to defend them from middle school bullies when they he was merely an elementary school student. Recently though it seemed his new weapon of choice was a sword.

"Karin-chan, are you alright? I know this is a lot to take in. When I was told about all of this by Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san I could hardly believe it myself."

"That's why he is so protective of you," Karin spoke up. She turned to Orihime and curled her lips into strange smile. "He almost lost you and that's why he is so protective of you."

Orihime nodded. "Your brother is something else." She remembered that Kurosaki-kun had echoed words similar to Karin's at the party. "If he could I think he would follow me everywhere I go," she mused.

Karin sighed. "Yeah that sounds like Ichigo alright. Doesn't it kind of get on your nerves? I mean I love him and everything, but sometimes he is just too controlling. You can take care of yourself, especially considering you are the one with powers between the two of you."

Orihime couldn't help, but laugh at Karin's words. The Kurosaki siblings were very similar, especially Ichigo and Karin. Ichigo asked her a few times if he annoyed her with his protective nature. "I don't mind. It comes from his heart. Secretly I like it. He reminds me of my own brother sometimes. Kurosaki-kun is the kind of man who wants to protect those he cherishes. I am honored to be among those people."

Karin snorted, grabbing the healer's attention. "Orihime-chan, you are one of the most important people to him."

A smile broke on her face. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" she joked yet asked the girl at the same time.

"Because it is true," Karin said. She smiled again. "Yuzu told me about that Christmas Eve date and I've seen how he tries to spend so much time with you. He likes to be around you and more importantly he wants to be around you. You are special to him. I've never seen him like that with anyone else, not Tatsuki-chan or even Rukia." Orihime's smile broadened slightly more. "By some miracle you can put up with him. Have you thought about telling him how you feel?"

"Aren't we getting off topic? I was supposed to be helping you not the other way around," Orihime reminded her. "We have to figure out a way to keep all these spirits from overwhelming you." She put her hand on her chin trying to think of some idea. "It is odd. I see spirits all the time now and have a good deal of reiatsu yet spirits don't seem as attracted to me as they do you."

"Do you think I send them some kind of vibe that they pick up?" suggested the second scowling Kurosaki.

"You might be. It may be related to your growth in spiritual power and Kurosaki-kun's loss in spiritual power. It almost seems as if without Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu that yours is starting to blossom. Could Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu have been stunning yours?"

"Didn't your power grow because of my brother's though? Shouldn't the same be true with me?"

Orihime shrugged in absentmindedly. "Whatever the case is your new growth has attracted them. Perhaps your reiatsu is so similar to a shinigami's reiatsu is what draw them to you naturally. Souls that are still in this world are looking for peace after all so they can cross over. I guess that means the shinigami assigned here is really lagging in his duties."

"There is nothing I can do," she sighed. Her eyes went to the floor. She was really hoping the red-orange haired woman had the answers. Something inside of her told her for some reason that Orihime would make this all go away. It foolish to believe that one person could fix all your problems. She wasn't a naive child who went crying to mommy after all. Not that she actually could mind you.

"Whenever you get bombarded by spirits come find me. I'll help you talk to them."

"Really?" the raven haired girl asked surprisingly.

"Yes of course! Karin-chan I want to help you get through this. It is like you said I understand what it is like to suddenly be exposed to a world you knew nothing about. I can understand why you don't want to speak to Kurosaki-kun about this. You were just trying to spear you brother's feelings. You knew with his powers gone that this was a touchy subject for him. Yuzu-chan does not have the same power you do, but I can see ghosts, spirits, and hollows. I'll talk to you whenever you want me to. I'll help you the best way I know how. In fact we can go to Urahara-san's shop. He may have something that can help you."

"This Urahara guy is on the level?"

The goddess responded with a nod. "Urahara-san is odd, but I trust him with my life. He helped me, Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, and Kurosaki-kun a lot. I know he will help you," she said enthusiastically. "We can even go to him right now if you want."

Karin shook her head. "I'm not up for it right now. I kind of just want to go home and sleep. But I am afraid the moment I leave here that spirits will overrun me again." Orihime took her hand. The elder girl's slender fingers enclosed themselves on her own. This brought her comfort. A comfort she had not felt in ages. The only kind that one person had brought her, a person she had not seen clearly in years, and a person she could only see in dreams.

"Let's go home. I'll walk with you and if any spirits come to you, we'll face them together. I'll help you talk to them so they don't overwhelm you. I'll make sure you won't face this alone."

It was gone. The runaway emotions she felt over run her had been put back in their place. Orihime had some mysterious power that was the only explanation for it. Somehow she had managed to put Karin at ease by that simple promise and gesture. The normally neutral or scowling face wore an expression of happiness. _'I'm glad I called Orihime-chan.'_

"Do you feel ready to go?" Orihime asked her. Her bright smile rained down on Karin.

"Yeah, I am ready." Karin understood why Yuzu wanted so desperately for Ichigo to marry Orihime and become their sister. She wasn't as ecstatic as her twin, but she did have to admit having Orihime as sister would be something she would want. An older sister would have its advantages over an older brother. When puberty finally decided to stick out its ugly head talking to Orihime seemed to be the better option than Ichigo. "Thank you, Hime-nee," she whispered.

* * *

The walk to the clinic had been peaceful one. Thankfully no spirits attached themselves to the pair of girls. Once they hit the door Karin thanked her again and gave her a modest hug then immediately ran upstairs to her room. She really was like her brother. That reminded her that she had not seen her beloved Kurosaki-kun for a few hours now. She knew he was out looking for a part time job. He made sure to tell her what he was doing. She found it cute that he wanted her to be able to reach him. It was amusing that he checked in with her. She almost felt like a wife. That though brought forth a blush.

"I wonder if he is home yet." Orihime followed Karin's footsteps and walked up the stairs. She went down the hallway that led her to his or rather their shared room at this point. An icy yet vibrant wave hit her. She gasped. "This feels…." Her legs started to pick up speed and she broke into a jog. This force, this reiatsu was familiar. But it couldn't be. She had not felt this presence for months now. It was coming from Ichigo's room. She pulled the doorknob and ran in the room. Her hazel eyes broadened so much that they threaten to escape her eye sockets. Her hand went over her mouth as a gasp escaped her. It was her! The woman who had become one of her best friends, like another sister to her, the same woman she both admired and envied. This was the same woman she felt like she was betraying.

"K-Kuchiki-san," she cried out barely above a whisper.

The raven haired shinigami faced her. Her violet eyes shimmered with what seemed to be joy. If Orihime did not know any better she would have sworn she saw water form. Her lips were struggling to stay straight. She could see the smile threatening to break out. "Inoue, it's been a long time."

Unable to form words Orihime just nodded.

"I-I am so glad to see you again," Rukia said. She was horrible at this. Part of her wanted to just go up and hug woman she had come to view as a sister. However the other part reminded her that it was her duty to uphold the Kuchiki name. She must be a proper lady. "Inoue, I…." she just stopped for some reason. "I thought you might be here. When I didn't feel any of your residue reiatsu at your place I thought this was the only other place you would be. I felt your reiatsu coming from this entire room."

Orihime reminded silent. She still had no idea what to say. The apprehension radiating from her was so thick it was tangible.

Rukia held out her hand as though she wanted to touch her. "Inoue," she tried again. "We need to talk."

* * *

**Rukia returns! What will her arrival bring?**

**Yeah not much in the fluff, but it was plot driven. Tatsuki and Urahara's business is finally revealed. I am sure most of you guess what was going on though. I felt no need to keep Rukia a secret until the end of the chapter. After months of feeling guilty about the nightmares and for moving in on Ichigo, Orihime finally meets Rukia again. That decision will be big. I had Orihime and Karin bonding. I know the manga said Karin's powers increased, but she did not ask Ichigo for advice. I figured why not ask an older person who is going through what she went through. Orihime stood out in mind and it helps strengthen the bond between them. It seems perfect since neither girl knows what it feels like to have a mother to talk to. Orihime can relate to that pain and as determined to talk to Karin when she thought she was experiencing puberty so she wouldn't feel the same awkwardness she felt growing up. Ichigo had a small role, but the job thing will lead into something else. I hope you guys liked it. Please review. **


	20. Bearing the Burden: Sisters

**Really, really long chapter. This one totally got away from me. But I am happy with it. This chapter really focuses on Orihime and Rukia. Let me start by saying I really like both of these characters. I also like how close they became during the whole Arrancar saga. I wanted to capture that closeness and add a little more to it. Let me know what you think of it. I am also glad so many people are enjoying this story. I hope people continue to enjoy this story until the end. Thank you, mickiressa for giving me the description of Orihime's new hair style. That will help me in later chapters a lot. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

* * *

**Rukia Appears! The faithful reunion between these two women is about to begin! What will their conversation bring?**

How long had it been since she last set foot in this room? She had lost track of time. It had little meaning in the Soul Society. Decades and centuries had meaning, but months and single digit years were as seconds to them. For the raven haired shinigami it was not that long. If that were true why did it feel like an eternity since she last laid eyes on that closet she once resided in? Why did she just tell Inoue it had been a long time since they last met? She had spent too much time with the humans. Now she had gained their perception of time. Three months now felt like a great amount of time to her. Yes, that was the answer to her original question. It had been three months since Rukia walked into this room, three months since she last saw Ichigo, and three months since she saw the woman before her violet spheres now.

Her reiatsu felt all wrong. It was reeking of fright, it was hesitant, and there was shame there. Rukia was baffled by this. Inoue had nothing to feel shame about. Arisawa had been right to worry about kind hearted healer. She looked into Inoue's hazel eyes. She immediately ran away from Rukia's gaze. This concerned her greatly. Rukia reached out to touch Orihime, but decided against it. There was no telling how Hime would react to her touch. "Inoue," she spoke again. Orihime did not look her in the eye. "We need to talk."

The words flew into her ears. Her uncertainty and fear grew worse. What did Kuchiki-san want to talk about? Why was she here now after months of absence? She said that she had been searching for her. Orihime tried to look Rukia in the eye, but as soon as her hazel orbs met with Rukia's violet ones she recoiled. She saw Kuchiki-san's horror filled eyes as she struggled against Kurosaki-kun's clawed hand, her face illuminated by the crimson light of the cero being charged between the two horns on the mask, saw her mouth wide open trying to take in the sustaining oxygen she required. She saw the same violet eyes that pleaded for her to help while Orihime simply stood there.

The goddess grabbed herself as her body started to writher. Her eyelids closed to shield her for the horrifying images of the nightmares that haunted her in her sleep. A chill crawled up her spine forcing her grip to tighten on her arms. She hated feeling like this. More than anything she wished Ichigo was there to make them go away. But he was not there. She was in the presence of the woman she saw die in her nightmares. The same woman that dream Aizen said she resented.

Rukia felt another shift in Inoue's reiatsu. Fear had transformed into pure terror. It was pushing her away as if to try and shield Inoue from her. How could this be? How could Inoue want to keep her away? They had grown so close during their training in the Soul Society. They bonded over their desire to contribute to the war effort. They did not wish to be a burden to everyone around them. Most importantly they did not wish to be a burdened to him. "Inoue, you…." She paused again. Uncertainty had taken hold of her again. The words she wanted to express left her when she needed them. Rukia took a step forward. Inoue backed away to the door. "Inoue," Rukia called helplessly.

She was visibly hurt by Orihime's fear of her. She was one of Rukia's closest friends, her comrade in battle even. The raven haired shinigami always found it difficult to make friends. Before she met Renji and the rest of orphans she was alone. She could dream of not feeling this gaping hole inside of her soul. This hole screamed at her to fill it with friends. This hole was as big if not bigger than any hole a hollow possessed. No matter where she went or how far she traveled this hole grew larger. While she tried to make friends for one reason or another people avoided her. She now knew that her unusually high reiatsu is what repelled people. The fact that she carried an ice type zanpakuto meant that her reiatsu was also ice type. In other words her reiatsu was deathly frigid, so much so that normal souls were repelled by it. The sadder she was the colder her reiatsu became. It was a vicious never ending cycle. Rukia attempted to make friends, but her icy reiatsu pushed them away. This would in turn sadden her and make her reiatsu colder. There was no way for her to relieve herself of this cursed reiatsu.

Seeing Inoue recoil in her presence opened up old wounds. She couldn't linger on old memories of events that had long passed. She had a new task. Rukia needed to find out what had gotten into Inoue. Arisawa said the events of Hueco Mundo are what had reduced the healer to this state. That did not shade much light to her. She had no idea what Inoue had experienced in Hueco Mundo. The raven haired shinigami never asked Inoue what went on. She did not wish to make her relive the nightmare. She knew from experience how terrible it was to be powerless and locked up. She knew the first hand horror of praying that your friends did not fall in battle for your sake. Despite how eerily similar their situations was there were noticeable differences between them. It was possible that these differences could be the reason for why Inoue was so distant from her.

"Inoue," she tried for a third time. Like before she did not look up to Rukia. "We really need to talk. Please give me some sign that you are listening to me. Do you understand?" The taller woman continued to avoid her gaze, but she nodded her head. At least she knew Inoue was listening to her. "I came here to see you." She had no idea why she would say something so painful obvious. The healer could gather that much herself. This would be so much easier if this was Ichigo. With him all she had to do was give him a good punch in the head or kick in the ass. That would break the ice to allow them to converse. Would that work for Inoue? There was also the fact that the taller woman was nearly frozen in fear at the mere sight of her to consider.

"I came here to talk to you." Damn she was repeating herself again. She found it hard to socialize with women. She was a bit of tomboy. She could rumble with the best of the boys. She didn't take shit from anyone. Renji could attest to that, Ichigo to for that matter. Even her speech was rough, unrefined, and un-lady like according to her tutors at the Kuchiki manner anyway. These qualities made it awkward for her when she tried to bond with females in her division or at the academy in Soul Society. Sure there was Shiba Miyako and Kotetsu Kiyone. However Rukia wouldn't consider her relationships with them as close. She admired Miyako greatly to the extent that she wanted mold herself after her, but they were not particularly close. She wasn't as close to Miyako as she was to her husband, her departed vice-captain. Kiyone made small talk with her every now. The third seat however spent a great deal of time with their captain, not to mention the constant arguments she got with her fellow third seat, Kotsubaki Sentaro. She was more of an acquaintance than a friend. Her lack of women friends in the past is what made this conversation so hard for her. She was always unsure of how to talk with other women. That sounded unbelievable, but it was true.

Inoue was perhaps the first woman friend she made. How their friendship came to be was beyond her. They couldn't be more different. Inoue was polite, soft spoken, and a girl's girl. Rukia was a bit rude (before she became a Kuchiki anyway), loud, and a tomboy. On paper they could not be more different. The healer and shinigami shared one thing though. Both of them had elder brothers they loved and wanted to live up to their expectations. Byakuya and Sora occupied a big place in both their lives. That was what they talked about in the Soul Society after Aizen revealed his true colors. It was originally how they bonded beyond being classmates. Inoue would visit her every day until it was time for her and others to return home to the Human World. Afterwards Inoue stopped being just her classmate or Ichigo's friend. She became Rukia's friend. Her first act of friendship towards the healer was to make that sorry mess, Ichigo get off his ass and apologize to Inoue for avoiding her after he failed to protect her when the Espada made their first trip to Karakura Town.

Thinking about that day brought a smile to Rukia's face. She would never forget the surprise in Inoue's eyes as Rukia dragged Ichigo to her then forced him to bow before her. Why was it that she kept thinking about the past? Her focus needed to be on the present. In the right here and now Inoue was giving her an odd look. She needed to wipe the smile off her face. It was not very appropriate given the circumstances. "Urahara called me here." She thought it better to answer the question the orange haired woman had, but did not ask due to her fear. "He and Arisawa wanted me to talk to you. They seem to be concerned by your behavior, especially Arisawa." She diverted her gaze to the ceiling so she could gather her thoughts. "They did not go into detail. I do know that this has something to do with what happened to you in Hueco Mundo. I am here to talk to you about," she finished lamely.

Too much distance had grown between them. Before she left Rukia used to able to talk to Inoue about anything without second guessing herself. There were no awkward pauses or nervousness between them. She cursed herself for losing contact with one of her closest friends.

Orihime nodded her head hesitantly. "Oh, is that so," Orihime uttered. She started to twirl some strands from her vibrant red-orange hair.

Oh, that was all she had to say? Her violet eyes narrowed darkly at beauty. Didn't she know how worried Arisawa was about her? She went out of her way to ask that devious shopkeeper for help just to contact Rukia. The least Inoue could do was say more than "oh." The raven haired woman shook her head. She would not think of such thoughts. This was her friend who was obviously hurting a lot. She would be patient with her. "Ha," she sighed. "Do you want to talk about?"

Orihime glanced at Rukia. Her courage faltered and her gaze fell back to the floor. "I um….there really is nothing that comes to mind…." She couldn't look Kuchiki-san in the eye. Every time she attempted to do so she would be taken back to the tower in void sky of Hueco Mundo. The absolute horror and hopelessness she saw in the strong defying violet eyes were staring at her. "I appreciate that you came all this way, Kuchiki-san. I am perfectly fine though," she lied. She didn't bother looking up. "I had a bit of a rocky start, but I am all better now."

Rukia narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at Orihime once more. Now lies came from her mouth. The ice elemental shinigami had not become so out of synch with the healer that she could not discern when she was being untruthful. Her left hand went to her zanpakuto. She squeezed it to help relieve some of the frustration she was feeling. Things had progressed to the point that they could no longer talk to one another. What happened to the bond they shared?

'_You left and made no attempt to keep in contact with her,' _Rukia's subconscious reminded her.

She burned the bridge not Inoue. It was her fault that the healer was now a stranger. Damn it she was going to make up for that. She would not leave the Human World until she got Inoue to open up to her. If she ever valued their friendship at all she would do this at least. "Inoue, it is me. You can talk to me remember?"

Guilt swarmed her already troubled heart. Kuchiki-san came all the way from the Soul Society to talk to her. Instead of talking to her Orihime was trying to hurry her along by putting on an act. She truly was an awful friend. "Kuchiki-san, I…." She wanted to say more, but the words would not form. Something stopped her. Her heart reminded her of all the wrongs she had committed to this woman. The moment she left Orihime took advantage of it in order to get closer to Ichigo. She was happy to be his confidant in her place. She even hoped against all hope that he would start to love her, to forget about Kuchiki-san. That was unforgivable. She had no right to even talk to Kuchiki-san let alone confide in her. "….really am fine." She forced a smile on her lips. She closed her eyes in an attempt to mimic her happy expression. "I've been doing great actually! School has been going well, Tatsuki-chan knows my secret so we have no more secrets hurting our friendship, oh, and Sado-kun has gotten a job now! That's not all! Kurosaki-kun is thinking about getting a part time job as well. Ishida-kun isn't really doing anything new yet. I have noticed that he has gotten closer to Tatsuki-chan. I think something might be happening there. Can you believe that, Tatsuki-chan and Ishida-kun? Of course Tatsuki-chan won't say anything about it." She had no idea what came over her. Her intent was to mask her guilt from the shorter woman, so she started spouting off recent developments in their friends lives. Now she couldn't shut up.

Rukia blinked in amazement. Never in her long life had she ever heard anyone talk so fast as Inoue was doing now. Considering this was coming from someone who knew vice-captain Matsumoto one of the chattiest women in all the Seireitei that was saying something. The goddess of Karakura High wore her usual enthusiastic and ecstatic expression, but it was all wrong. The smile was strained. The brown eyes which radiated with joy held no joy at all. The one thing that Orihime could not disguise was her reiatsu. Normally it was so warm and rejuvenating. When someone felt it they would immersed with this indescribable warmth. It was so inviting and peaceful. Rukia envied Orihime's reiatsu. Her reiatsu was so isolated, cold, and barren. It was not inviting at all. It brought her sorrow to feel Hime's reiatsu so gloomy and inhospitable. It was laced with fear shame, and remorse. It made her sick to sense it. Her lip curved into an upside down U. Her grip on her Sode no Shirayuki tightened. Blisters would form on her hand tomorrow that was how tight she was holding it. Ire consumed her violet spheres. In a flash the distance between the two women was gone. Before Inoue could even react Rukia balled her right hand into a fist, launched it, and punched the poor girl right in her head.

"Ah!" Orihime screeched in pain. She attended to her now sour head. A slight bump formed. Orihime rubbed it careful, whimpering at the pain she was feeling. Rukia unlike the others could get pass the steel hardness of her head. The shinigami did not so much as even rub her knuckles. She had no time. Rukia pulled her by the scruff of her shirt. She pulled the clumsy healer down to her level. This forced her hands away from her injured head and returned them down. Their faces were inches apart. They were so close now that Orihime could see the rage that had built up in Kuchiki-san's eyes. The air around her was thick with ferocity of ten Kenpachis. She could not help, but gulp.

"I have had enough!" Rukia shouted. Inoue flinched at her sudden change, but she did not care. At the moment she was fed up with all the lies. If she wanted to get anywhere with Inoue she was going to give her a good kick in the ass as she did with Ichigo or Renji. "Inoue, I want you to stop lying to me and tell me what is going on this instant!"

"B-but I am not lying to you," Orihime stuttered.

Rukia scoffed. "You aren't lying you say. If your words are true than why is it that ever since you arrived in here that you have been unable to look me in the eye?" The brown orbs widened slightly before retreating and ultimately running away from her eyes. Inoue did not respond. She was tempted to wham Hime in the head again, but reframed for doing so. The only reason she did so to begin with was to stop the hyper speed blabbering she was doing. "You don't have an answer? Let me ask you something else. Why is Arisawa so worried? Why has your place been all, but abandoned? Why can I feel your reiatsu all over this place, especially this room? Why is your reiatsu which is always so warm so bleak? But most importantly why are you lying to me?"

She shook Orihime almost violently in order to make her look Rukia in the eye. Her attempt had succeeded. Now that she had the hazel eyes on her violet eyes she had no intention of losing them. "Why are you hiding from me?" She stopped to hear Orihime's answer, but it never came. The raven haired shinigami continued with her speech. "Where is the woman who always wore such an overwhelmingly happy smile? Where is the woman who visited me every day as I recovered in the Soul Society? The woman who would share her stories about her beloved brother to me and told me that my own brother loved me just as much? Where is the woman who did everything in her power to help rescue me despite barely knowing me?" Water started to form into her eyes. "Where is the woman who vowed to grow stronger with me, who went to the Soul Society with me, who trained with me?" The hot salty discharge began to leak onto her cheeks. "W-Where is my friend?" she said in a low tone.

At the sight of tears Orihime was taken aback. "Kuchiki-san," she quietly uttered.

"I know it's my fault that we have grown so far apart." The tears fell freely now as she made no more attempt to fight them back. "I haven't kept in touch with you. There is no excuse for that. I ignored you when you needed me the most. Now you can't even look me in the eye. You are even lying to me when you've never done that before. Our bond has deteriorated to this extent. But I cannot allow this to carry on. It's too late for this. I know that because I should have done this, three months ago." She released Orihime's shirt. Confusion took hold of the healer. Just as she opened her mouth Rukia threw her arms around her body. She heard Orihime gasp in surprise. "I am here for you. Please tell me everything."

Orihime's body tensed up. She was not on guard anymore. Her tension was created from astonishment. Kuchiki-san was hugging her to give her comfort. She shed tears for Orihime's sake. All the shinigami desired was to help her.

Rukia continued, "I won't allow our bond to completely dissolve. This is my effort to start to repair our damaged bond. Please tell me what's been going on with you, Inoue. Let me be your friend." The tense frame in her arms melted. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her smaller frame. The arms' hold on her was strong yet not tight. It wasn't possessive. It urged her to stay, it was almost apologetic. The reiatsu arising from Inoue shifted. Instead of repelling her it started to attract her to the healer. It was still darkened with despair. However the remorse that was swirling around in it had taken center stage. Rukia felt sadness, it cried out to her. New tears formed in her violet eyes. She felt another round of crying overcome her. This was unlike her. She didn't cry. But seeing Inoue reduced to this state, feeling her reiatsu constantly shift from depression to guilt tugged at her heart. It saddened her. If Inoue's normal reiatsu had the power to warm the heart and induce happiness than her depressed reiatsu must have had the ability to invoke misery.

"Don't blame yourself," Orihime croaked out. Her voice was raspy as if she had used in years. "This is not your fault, so please do not blame yourself, Kuchiki-san." Her reiatsu was not only one that was bleak. Kuchiki-san's reiatsu felt deathly cold. This was different from her normal chilling reiatsu. This felt like sub-zero temperatures that would freeze blood into ice; crack your bones with the frigid winds. It was a blizzard that had taken hold of the raven haired shinigami. That blizzard did not threaten Orihime or anyone else for that matter. It only threatened the producer of the storm reiatsu. Rukia was being attacked by her own reiatsu and she didn't even realize it. She would allow her friend to attack herself because of what she had done.

Orihime continued, "It might not seem like it, but I am happy to see you." The embrace tightened. "If our bond is damaged than it is not your fault." The images of an out of control Ichigo unleashing a cero on the ice elemental shinigami and Aizen's proud wide smirk appeared before her eyes. "I am the one who pulled away from you. Somewhere in my heart I felt guilty about what happened to you in Hueco Mundo."

"Idiot, how long are you going to blame yourself for what Aizen caused? You weren't at fault," Rukia stated.

Orihime shook her head in disagreement. "I know that now. Kurosaki-kun made me realize that, but I still feel awful for what I felt."

"What you felt?" Rukia repeated in perplexity. Her tear stained eyes narrowed questioningly. "How can your feelings make you feel guilt?"

Orihime broke the embrace. She turned around to avoid the questioning stare the shorter woman was giving her. "I am afraid to tell you. I don't want you to think less of me."

Rukia could only look on with same mystification that had formed from before. "Think less of you?" she uttered. "How could I think less of you? Inoue, you are my friend."

"I know you are. I want us to remain friends, but I don't think that's possible."

Dread washed over her. The healer had never seemed so far from her before. Even when Inoue was held in Aizen's tower in Hueco Mundo, she still did not feel this…..distance from Inoue. With each word she spoke Rukia felt that distance widened between them. "What are you saying?" It took all her strength to form the next set of words she was about to speak. "Are you saying our bond will fall apart?" She was unable to keep the misery out of her words. Inoue was her friend, her first real female friend, she was the one who she could divulge all of her secrets to, ones that she could not even tell Renji. She was the one who made Rukia not feel ashamed of her lack of "proper lady behavior" as all her tutors at the Kuchiki manor put it. She was the one who convinced her to simply talk to Byakuya when she was unsure of how to act around him after the truth about her heritage was revealed. Rukia in turn watched over Inoue. She made sure that idiot treated her right, she made sure Inoue knew the value of her caring nature, she helped her get stronger so she could fight with them, and she did whatever she could to make her feel like she belonged. They supported each other through thick and thin. That was the strength of their bond. To think that their bond would break was just absurd.

"I-I don't want it to," she hastily added. The last thing she wanted was for her friendship with Rukia to end. "There is just so much I haven't told you. Once I tell you then you will know how terrible I am."

"Let me be the judge of that." She put her hand on Orihime's shoulder. This caused her to face Rukia. Her lips curled into a small smile. Orihime returned it with her own modest one. Their eyes met each other and this time the brown shaded spheres did not run away. The feelings of remorse and despair melted away unleashing the normal sun like warmth that was held captive. She knew that her friend was still inside there hidden within the walls that trauma she experienced created. This realization only strengthened Rukia's smile. She moved her hand away from the shoulder. Her fingers brushed the strands of orange lovingly, dampening the healer into a secure state. More of Orihime's golden warmth reiatsu emerged. Rukia widened her smile then with speed exceeding average human capability she moved her hand and rammed it in the back of Orihime's hard head.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Orihime cried in agony. Frantically she grabbed the back of her head. "Kuchiki-san!" she whined.

Rukia crossed her arms and closed her eyelids, taking the stance of a sage-like entity. "Perhaps now I can get this through that hard, hard, head of yours. I refuse to allow our bond to disintegrate. I am here now, not just as a favor to Arisawa or Urahara. I am here because you are my friend. I am concerned about your wellbeing. Don't hide anything from me. We have always been honest with each other. I know Ichigo has been helping you, but I can offer something that he cannot. I understand the pain of being in captivity, of being helpless while you watch your comrades battle for your sake, the pain of feeling them fall. I understand the dread that enters your heart and how it threatens to smother you. I understand how you can blame yourself for everything that happened. The self-loathing that increases every second, it tells you how worthless you are, how it accuses you of bringing catastrophe on others, how you pretend to feel bad about luring your friends there, but how you are secretly happy that they came."

Frozen with disbelief the goddess could say nothing. She had been completely engrossed by Kuchiki-san's tale. Everything she said was exactly how Orihime felt. Zealous had overtaken her. It compelled her to listen to the older woman.

"If you think you are feeling anything that you shouldn't feel, let it go. Let go of that guilt and shame you are feeling. Don't feel like you cannot talk to me because you think you did something wrong. Remorse, dread, sadness, despair, and anything else you are feeling tell me about it. Confide in me and I'll do my best to help you."

"Kuchiki-san," Orihime said in a low whisper. "It's such a long story. So much has happened since I saw you last. I am not sure where to begin." Rukia cupped the side of her cheek. She looked into her eyes and found strength she needed to force down the nightmares plaguing her.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened in Hueco Mundo than work your way to this moment. I don't want to miss a single detail."

Orihime took hold of the hand on her cheek. She gave it gentle squeeze to thank her. "Do you remember the day we went through the Senkaimon?"

"Yes," Rukia replied.

"When I went through it with escorts one of the Espada, Ulquiorra ambushed me. He attacked the shinigami escorting me. I managed to heal them though. He told me Aizen wanted me to join his forces and that I had no say in the matter. He said if I didn't that all of you, my friends would be killed. To prove his point he showed me images of all you on verge of defeat in your battles. I was afraid you would all die….I doubted all of you and agreed to go."

Rukia frowned. _'That's why the Espada just left that day so suddenly.' _The blue haired Espada, Grimmjow was furious about being toyed with by Hirako.

_Flashback_

_Grimmjow was on the ground bleeding heavily, while trying to catch his breath. Fear, shock, and hatred all swirled within his eyes. "Shit, shit, shit!" breathed out the sexta Espada._

_Hirako in his pharaoh like hollow mask stood perfectly intact. He observed the weakened arrancar with his sword still in hand. "So you hit you cero onto mine to reduce damage, huh?" An amused grin materialized beyond the mask. "You're pretty good," Hirako mocked._

_Pure rage filled Grimmjow's body. His blue eyes glared at the vizard with venom that was stronger than any hatred. "Piece of shit!" he screamed. He moved his blade and prepared for his next assault. "Grind Pan…." His next line was interrupted by the arrival of black haired arrancar with a void expression. He grabbed Grimmjow by his forearm and stopped him from attacking. The blue haired Espada was overcome with shock to respond. _

_Hirako, Ichigo, and Rukia watched on. Like Grimmjow they were also surprised by the appearance of the newest arrancar. His reiatsu was incredible. It was greater than Grimmjow's without a doubt. There was no doubt in any of their minds that he was an Espada. _

_Grimmjow had finally reined in his surprise. His unrivaled rage found its way back to him. He glared daggers at his comrade. "Ulquiorra!" he hissed. _

"_The mission is complete," Ulquiorra stated. Unlike Grimmjow he wore blank expression. "We're going back." The duo was engulfed in Negation. It carried them away. They stared down on the trio before they finally left to Hueco Mundo. The group wondered what the hell just happened. _

_End of Flashback _

Orihime continued, "I was given twelve hours before I had to go to Hueco Mundo. He gave me a device that would keep me hidden from everyone. I was instructed to say goodbye to just one person and they could not know I was there."

"Ichigo," Rukia said abruptly. Orihime blinked in confusion much to her amusement. "The person you chose to say goodbye to was, Ichigo," she elaborated.

"Eh! How did you know?" the healer muttered nervously.

A chuckle escaped her lips. "Fool, it's obvious. I saw how badly the injuries he sustained were. The next day they were healed. That idiot declared that it was you who healed him."

"O-oh," she muttered in humiliation. Her cheeks became rosy red.

"But even if he didn't say anything I know he is the person you would have said farewell to," Rukia added. "I know how much you cherish him."

A ping of guilt hit her. Kurosaki-kun meant a lot to Kuchiki-san as well. They never actually talked about the orange haired protector and the role he played in both of their lives. It was awkward issue for her. She knew the raven haired shinigami was close to him. These three months of separation must have been hard on her. Orihime on the other hand had been spending a great amount of time with him and enjoying it.

"Please continue," Rukia urged.

She put that unpleasant thought aside to continue with her story. "After I said goodbye to Kurosaki-kun I was picked up by Ulquiorra and the other Espada that invaded. They took me to Aizen. There I demonstrated my power by restoring the Espada, Grimmjow's arm." She put her hand over her mouth.

Rukia asked, "What is it?"

"He, he killed one of the Espada with his newly restored arm. I felt terrible. I couldn't help, but think if I didn't heal him than that wouldn't have happened." Rukia rescued her from her guilt. She stroked her arm to reassure her.

Rukia stared at the bed in the corner of the room. "Let's sit down. This sounds like a long story." She ushered Inoue to the bed where they sat down. She listened to Inoue as she opened up her heart to her. Her entire being was focused on every flinch, every shift in reiatsu, every twitch, and every noise she made as she spoke. Rukia refused to fail Inoue again. This time she would be a good friend.

* * *

"Nakamura Electronics is one of my favorite places!" Keigo exclaimed. He along with Ichigo and Mizuiro had walked into the store. The interior of the building was quite large. It carried a large array of many items. There were at least seven shelves with DVDs in them (stacked in alphabetical order and genre of course) on the far left of the store. On the right of it was at least ten encased shelves filled with video games of different systems. CDs and other music merchandise were to the right of that. There was walkway clear of any items after the music section. On the far right of the store there were DVD players, televisions, VHS players (yes it still carried those), along with DVD/VHS duo combos, Blue Ray players, and stereo systems. Each item was neatly stacked against the walls in boxes. The largest were on the bottom while the smallest on the top. Hard drives, monitors, and other computer software were in the back of the store. There seemed to be cellphones spread out through the store sitting on different shelves.

Keigo grabbed Ichigo's right arm causing the orange haired man to jump slightly. He stared at his friend as though he were insane. "Ichigo, you have to get a job here! You'll probably get a discount which means we can use it to buy whatever we want!"

Ichigo ripped Keigo's hand off his arm roughly. The energetic young man attended to his hand, rubbing it while moaning. "First of all, Keigo I need to make sure they are still hiring. The sign might be out, but they could have hired someone today. Second, if I do get the job and there is a discount it's not going to be enough to buy whatever we want. Third, can you calm down and not blow this for me? If you get all excited you might break something then I'll stand no chance at all in getting a job here."

"Hmm," Keigo pouted. He crossed his arms in a huff. "I've been in this store a bunch of times and never broke anything. Give me some credit."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He wasn't entirely sure if Keigo was being truthful or not. He certainly didn't want to risk it with a potential job on the line. "Well make sure you don't start breaking things today."

Mizuiro put his phone away and started looking around the store. "This is a pretty big place. With a name like Nakamura Electronics I was expecting it to be one of those family owned stores."

Ichigo nodded in agreement with him. "Same here," he stated. "I've never been in this store before. I usually go to the mall for CDs and dad buys stuff like T.V.s on his own." They started to walk around the store. Ichigo and Mizuiro scanned the room in awe. Keigo walked to the counter/register. He awaited his friends while they explored the store.

"It is a sweet place right? It's a little more pricy than the stores in the mall, but it has a larger selection."

Ichigo said, "Tell me about it." He was looking through the CDs. One of his favorite bands' albums had caught his eye.

When Keigo saw what Ichigo was doing he frowned. "You still pick up CDs? When are you going to convert and get an MP3 player or iPod? Buying music on the internet is way more practical this day in age. You can get songs as soon as they are released and if you don't want the entire album you can just buy the songs you want."

"One of the reasons I am looking for a job is because I don't have money. I can't exactly buy an iPod with no yen. My old man gives me money for basic stuff," Ichigo stated. He put the CD down and walked to the counter. "He doesn't believe in the whole allowance thing."

"That sucks. No wonder you need a job."

The ex-substitute shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's not a big deal. He gives me money to go out to see movies and stuff like that. He just doesn't buy me stuff like a cellphone or an iPod. I don't really need them, so I have no complaints."

Keigo thought of what his life would be like if his parents didn't give him an allowance and he couldn't afford a cellphone or other precious technological friends. Water started to flow from his eyes. He shook his head vigorously to rid his mind of the terrible, terrible images. "You are way more mature than me Ichigo!" he complimented.

Ichigo wasn't listening to him. He was preoccupied with looking in the back of the counter/register. There was nobody present here which stroke him as odd. "Where the hell is the clerk?"

"They are probably in the back of the room to bring something out here in the front," Keigo suggested.

The scowl that he was known for formed on Ichigo's face. "It's pretty risky to leave the store unsupervised. Anyone could just come here and lift something right out of the store."

"Which is exactly why we are looking help," a voice said.

Ichigo and Keigo turned their attentions to the counter/register. A woman was walking into the room from the back. She looked to be the same age as they were. She looked to be average height. She wore dark blue jeans along with a long sleeve striped shirt. The strips were green; one set was dark green, while the second set was light leaf green. The woman was blessed with an hour glass figure, along with golden hair that went past her waist (which Ichigo found to be incredibly long). Her hair was so straight that you could count each strand without touching it. Her forehead was free from any bangs. Her cheeks were round with dimples. She had a bit of tan, her skin was darker than Ichigo's complexion, but it was certainly not as tanned as Yoruichi's rich skin. It was perfect balance between the two tones. She was also free from any blemishes. Her lips were plush with a light shade of pink on the bottom. What captured Ichigo's attention were her unusual sky blue eyes. They had to be the same unnatural shade of blue Tensa Zangetsu's spheres were. The woman was like a living painting. Her beauty was astounding.

Keigo's mouth fell open. Drool started to fall from his mouth while his eyes popped out of their sockets. He gave her a once over, scanning her head to toe (at least twice) before his gaze fell upon her chest. The woman had an ample bosom. She was not in Orihime or Matsumoto's class; she still belonged to larger class than most. "W-wow, so beautiful," he managed to get out. He was seconds away from jumping at the living painting.

Ichigo recognized the gleam in Keigo's eyes. Immediately his hand went to Keigo's shoulder then crushed it. He squeezed Keigo so tightly that the latter's knees started to wobble. It took everything within him not to cry. He turned to face Ichigo. When his eyes landed on the orange haired man's face he saw the dark venomous glare. It told Keigo that if he jumped this woman that he would beat Keigo to within an inch of his life. Keigo gulped. To show Ichigo he understood him he smiled albeit it was rather nervous one.

As soon as the unknown beauty walked up to the counter she curved her lips into large welcoming smile. She looked to Keigo than to Ichigo. Her gaze lingered on to the oddly colored man. Unbeknown to Ichigo her smile widened about two centimeters. "Welcome to Nakamura Electronics." She directed the duo to her name tag. "I'm a clerk here, Masaoka Shiori. What can I do for you?"

Ichigo held his hand up in a greeting gesture. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, this guy right here…." He pointed to Keigo with his head. "….is Asano Keigo."

"I am Kojima Mizuiro." Mizuiro walked up to the counter having addressed his identity. He shot Shiori a friendly smile. She returned it, but then returned her gaze to Ichigo.

"It's nice to meet all of you. Did you want anything in particular?" she asked politely.

Ichigo answered, "Actually yes. There is a sign out front that says help wanted. Has the position been filled yet?"

Shiori shook her head. "No, we are still looking. In fact we haven't had many promising applicants so far. I take it you three all want an application."

Mizuiro and Keigo promptly shook their heads no. Ichigo answered once again. "I am the only one applying."

"Is that so," Shiori said with a hint of glee. She reached for something below the counter. In seconds she retrieved a sheet of paper. "Fill this out and I'll give it to Nakamura-san. He'll make the final decision. When he calls you for an interview, be on your best behavior, Kurosaki right?"

"Yeah, um what was your name again? Sorry, but I am really bad with names."

'_Tell me about it,' _both Keigo and Mizuiro thought.

Shiori only smiled again. "Masaoka Shiori," she replied. "If you get the job just look on the name tag if you need help remembering it."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea. I wouldn't want you to think I am staring at your chest."

"You don't look like the type of guy to do that," she answered. Shiori narrowed her sky blue eyes alluringly. "Besides who says I'll mind if you stare at my chest?" she asked in a low almost seductive tone.

Ichigo cheeks flared up into a deep crimson. His stomach was doing boiling while he became flushed. "I um….you know….that really isn't appropriate talk….to a possible co-worker," he spat out nervously. A huge grin materialized on Shiori's face before she broke out in laughter. Ichigo failed to see anything humorous about the situation. He simply just stared at the blonde woman with his crimson cheeks. Keigo and Mizuiro gave her questioning stares themselves.

The laughter died down. Shiori continued to smile brightly at the group. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. I wanted to see your reaction. At most I thought you would try a cheesy pick up line. I had no idea you would get so flustered that you could barely form words." Another laugh escaped her lips. "Are you a prune, Kurosaki?" The mirth in her voice was obvious.

Ichigo with scowl on full force shook his head. "I am not a prune! I just don't go for those perverted jokes," he defended.

Shiori shot him an unconvinced expression. "What do you two say?" She directed her question to his companions.

"Nope, he's a total prune," they answered in unison.

"Screw you guys! I am not a prune! Just because I believe in a little common decency does not make me a prune!" he continued to argue.

Shiori folded her arms and just shook her head as though she were talking to a child. "Why are you getting so worked up about it? There is nothing wrong with being a prune. It just means you are decent guy. I happen to like decent guys." She smiled at him again. Unlike the other ones this one was complimentary. This made Ichigo blush again. "You can fill that out here or at home."

"I'll fill out here and just give it to you now."

"That works," she approved. "If you don't mind moving to the side a bit so customers can still come up here."

"Right, of course," he said. He moved to the left. "Can I borrow a pencil or pen?" She nodded. Shiori handed him a pen. Ichigo started filling out his application. He had already gotten references from Ochi-sensei, Bakusui, and that bastard Urahara. The latter was way too happy to lend his services. He knew that somehow that he was going to pay for using Urahara to help him get a job. Knowing that man he would hold this over Ichigo's head until the day he died. It took him five minutes to fill out the application. Once he finished it he returned the pen and the paper to Shiori.

"Thank you and good luck," she offered.

"Thanks. Well see you around hopefully…." He paused to look at her name tag. "….Masaoka." He gave her wave before leaving with his friends. Shiori waved at the trio until they left.

"That Kurosaki is pretty hot. I wonder if he has a girlfriend." She put the application along with the others. "Hope he gets the job. It would be nice to have hottie working here. Not to mention it could be fun." A mischievous smirk formed on her lips.

* * *

Rukia was listening to Orihime telling her about all the events that had happened in her life the last four months. Thankfully the healer did not seem to be holding anything back from her anymore. Their bond was not as damaged as she thought it was. Rukia had found out about Orihime's captivity. She learned of the emotional abuse that Ulquiorra had inflicted, the attack of the two jealous arrancar women, Grimmjow's rescuing of her and how he forced her to heal Ichigo in order for him to battle the orange haired man, the fear that Ichigo's hollow powers had made him like her brother when he became a hollow, her plea to Ichigo to stay alive that allowed him to defeat the sexta Espada, the quinto Espada's ambush, little Nel transformation into a full grown powerful former Espada, Captain Kenpachi's arrival, her recapture, Ulquiorra's taunts, the battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra, the women's second attack on her, Yammy's arrival as well as Ishida's, Ichigo's "death" at the hands of Ulquiorra, is dark resurrection into a new hollow form, the decimation of Ulquiorra, Ichigo's attack on Ishida, his declaration to save Inoue, Ulquiorra's surprising hand in restoring him to normal, Ichigo's funk and how Inoue got him out of it, and of course his departure to help her and the other against Yammy. Now she was learning of the nightmares that Inoue had been having since the war ended.

"My nightmares are usually about when Kurosaki-kun transformed. I see when Ulquiorra is holding his motionless body from the highest point outside of the dome. He stares at me with those cold eyes. He mocks me by telling me I am in time to see Kurosaki-kun die. Just like what really happened Ishida-kun holds him off well I try to save Kurosaki-kun. I fail just like I did in real life. I panic and beg him to save us and he transforms into that. The only difference is that in my dream he doesn't return to normal. After he kills Ulquiorra he attacks Ishida-kun by stabbing him. I plead for him to stop, but he says he'll save me. That's when he fires a cero and blows Ishida-kun into bits." The memory of that vision brought a chill to her spine.

"What happens after that?" Rukia questioned carefully. She did not wish to rush Orihime, but at the same time she did not want her to stall either. If she stopped to dwell on things too much she would only start to attack herself again. Rukia was here to put an end to that.

"You, Sado-kun, and Abarai-san come. You try to help me, but Kurosaki-kun stops you from reaching me." She paused unsure how to explain the next part. "He thinks you are a threat to me so he attacks you." She stole a glance at Rukia. The raven haired shinigami made no face of disgust or horror. She still seemed to be listening with neutral mask on. "He kills Abarai-san and Sado-kun without hesitation. You tell me to run, but that's when he appears in front of us. I try to stop him by reminding him who you are. For moment he stops to listen. In the end he unleashes a cero on you and kills you."

"It must have been horrible to see all of this," Rukia stated. "I am sorry you had to go through this alone."

"I didn't face this alone." Rukia looked up in surprise. "Kurosaki-kun helped me face it. I still have nightmares, but after talking to him they aren't so bad anymore."

"I see. Ichigo has really helped you then?"

Orihime nodded before a bashful smile formed. "Before I would only get two or three hours of sleep because of my nightmares. Every time I closed my eyes I would return to void skies of Hueco Mundo. I would relive this horrible event as well as experience a new terror. It was overpowering that I started to doubt I could ever overcome it. One day I fell asleep in class. I had another nightmare and I woke up screaming. I ran out of class as fast as I could. Tatsuki-chan came after me and tried her best to help me, but I wouldn't listen. I was too exhausted and riddled with self-loathing to listen. In my darkest hour, Kurosaki-kun came. He came to rescue me again."

Rukia couldn't help, but smile herself. That sounded just like Ichigo. Always rushing off to play hero, to protect his cherished ones from any danger physical or emotional, he would always be there for them.

"He started yelling at me at first for not talking to him. I got so upset with him because he didn't understand how I felt that I screamed at him." Rukia gasped causing her to stop.

"You screamed at Ichigo?" she uttered in astonishment.

"I know that's not like me. We got into an argument and I left. He came to my apartment. He said he wasn't sorry for what he said." She saw Rukia's indignant stare asking her if he was actually serious. "But he said he was sorry for how he said it. He went on to tell me how he would be there to talk to me. He explained that none of this was my fault, and he said he wouldn't judge me and just listen. I started crying and I told him everything. Ever since that day I've told him everything I felt, all the stories of my time in Hueco Mundo, and about my nightmares. It's really helped me. The nightmares are become less frequent. I've started to sleep more as well."

"That idiot is actually talking to you?" Rukia's eyes widened. The disbelief in her violet eyes was evident. "I can't believe it. Usually it takes a lot just to get him to open up. Here he is talking you through your nightmares."

"I was surprise too, especially when he started telling me his stories of what happened."

"What?" Rukia screamed. Where they really talking about the same Kurosaki Ichigo? The Ichigo who avoided Inoue for days because he failed to keep her safe from Yammy? The same Ichigo who was oblivious to Inoue's love for him? The same Ichigo who barely expressed himself with words?

Orihime blushed. She had gotten use to Ichigo's sharing that she forgot how closed off he used to be. To Kuchiki-san this must have sounded absurd. "Well he only started telling me because he was worried he harmed me when he transformed. He was so frightened that he harmed me like he did Ishida-kun. I could see the fear in his eyes."

"What did you do?" Rukia was genuinely interested in the conversation between the two carrot tops. Things had progressed a lot between them during her absence. Like a school girl hard up for a good gossip she moved closer.

"I told him that he didn't hurt me and how he told me in that transformed state that he would save me. He made me a promise that he would become the man I see him as. I don't understand it. Kurosaki-kun is already the man I see him as."

"The two of you have become closer then?" Orihime gulped, but nodded. A wicked smirk formed on Rukia's lips. "Is that why I feel your reiatsu all over this bed?"

"Eh!" Orihime squeaked. She was such a bright shade of red that even a tomato would pale in comparison. "I-It's not what you are thinking!" she screamed.

Feeling particularly evil at the moment Rukia decided to make Inoue suffer. "Sure it isn't. That's the classic line from all those manga I read and television shows I watched while I was here. I know that means it is exactly what I think."

She kept shaking her head so hard that she was making herself dizzy. "No, I am telling you the truth! Nothing has happened between me and Kurosaki-kun!"

Rukia showed her disagreement by shaking her head slowly. "If that were the case I wouldn't sense your reiatsu in his bed. I admit I am a bit surprise at the two of you. Knowing him I am sure you had to take the initiative." She narrowed her eyes mischievously. "Inoue, I had no idea you were such a seductress." She elbowed Hime in the ribs. The healer slumped down in embarrassment. She hid her face in her hands. "Matsumoto must have rubbed off on you."

"Kuchiki-san!" she cried.

Rukia held her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll stop." A ghost of smile still existed on her face. "What is the real reason you are staying here?"

Removing her hands from her flushed face Orihime started to mutter, "Kurosaki-san invited me to stay here until I get over my nightmares. Kurosaki-kun gave me his bed. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You two share a room."

"H-How did you know?"

"I saw the sleeping bag thing and I remember it because Ichigo tried to give it me when I was staying in his closet," she explained.

Orihime blinked as sweat formed on the back of her head. Rukia was odd to have slept in a closet, but not use a sleeping bag. A thought jumped into her head. "You never slept in Kurosaki-kun's bed when you stayed here?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

If Rukia thought the question was odd she did not show it. She looked perfectly calm as always. "No, I slept in his closet. I've never slept in his bed."

A sense of pride swallowed within her. He let her sleep in his bed. She was perhaps the first person he allowed into his own personal space. That thought made her unbelievably happy.

"I am glad to see that idiot is taking good care of you. I am happy to see you are keeping him from beating himself up."

"You aren't upset?" Orihime asked.

"Why would I be upset?" She stared at Orihime oddly.

She started to twiddle her fingers. "I thought you might be upset with me for spending so much time with Kurosaki-kun."

Rukia scoffed at Inoue's words. "That's stupid. Why would I be upset over something like that? Is this why you thought our bond was going to break?"

"Not exactly…." Orihime continued to play with her fingers. She could feel Rukia's penetrative stare hit her full force.

"Tell me what you thought would break our bond," she demanded. Orihime turned her sights on to her. Her brown spheres were consumed by apprehension and anxiety. "Inoue," she said warningly.

"I have another nightmare," she muttered.

Rukia urged, "Go on."

"It's more of a continuation of the first one. After Kurosaki-kun kills you Aizen appears. He tells me that he used me to lure Kurosaki-kun and everyone to Hueco Mundo and also to force him to get stronger. He said by rescuing me it would force Kurosaki-kun's power to increase. He told me I helped move his plans along more than the Espada and that I should be happy that Kurosaki-kun transformed to save me. He said it was evidence that he cared about more than anyone, more than you."

Confusion found its way to Rukia's face. She couldn't understand why Orihime's subconscious would tell her something like that. She stayed silent in order to hear more about what the princess had to say. She needed more information before she could weigh her opinion.

"I never told you this because I felt bad about this. You have always been so kind to me and you have been there to help me through a lot. But the truth is when you came back to the Human World and you helped snap Kurosaki-kun out of depression I couldn't help, but feel jealous."

"Jealous," Rukia repeated.

Orihime reiterated the idea with a short nod. "I felt jealous. I was happy to see Kurosaki-kun back to normal. I was also happy to see you again, but there was just a small part of me that felt jealous. Kurosaki-kun wouldn't even look at me let alone talk to me after the battle. When you returned you were able to talk to him, to help him get over it, and he opened up to you. It made me realize that I wasn't that close to him."

"And that I was," Rukia added finally understanding. It made so sense that she criticized herself for not seeing this sooner. She knew how strong Inoue's feelings were for Ichigo. Her relationship with the scowling man was complex. They understood each other, knew how the other one thought, and sometimes all they needed was a look to convey entire messages to each other. They were cut from the same mold. She never thought to look at their relationship from another perspective. Inoue who longed to be close to Ichigo would feel some form of envy to the relationship he shared with her.

"I hated feeling that way especially about you. We are friends." Rukia moved her hand on to her knee; giving it a squeeze to give her support.

"I know," Rukia stated. She gave an encouraging smile.

This made Orihime's heart feel lighter. So far Kuchiki-san did not hate her as she feared. However she hadn't told her the entire story yet. "Aizen in the dream told me that resented you for being so close to Kurosaki-kun. He said that deep down in my heart that I wished you would just disappear. I denied it, but he said it was impossible for me not to feel some resentment towards you." A forlorn expression materialized on her flawless face. "He even said that I might have gone with Ulquiorra to see if Kurosaki-kun would come after me like he did you. How disturbing would that be?"

"You would never do that!" Rukia protested. "You aren't the type of person who would do something like that! Inoue, even if you felt jealous, even if you felt some resentment towards me I know you would never go to Aizen willingly for such a shallow reason."

"How can you be so sure though?"

"It isn't in your heart to do something like that. You just said you felt jealous of me and immediately told me how bad you felt for feeling that way. You are a woman who refuses to harm others for petty reasons. That's why you allowed those two women to attack you without lifting one finger to defend yourself even though we both know you could have. You turned around and brought one of them back to life despite what they did. Your heart is so large. It has nearly limitless capacity of love and forgiveness. I know you love your friends so much that you value their lives above your own. You fought against that Espada, Yammy when Sado was at his mercy instead of running. You tried to defend Ishida when he was fighting for his life against Ulquiorra and heal Ichigo at the same time without a thought to your own safety. You even came all the way to Soul Society to help me a person you barely knew. No matter how jealous you might have felt it isn't enough to corrupt your heart. You would never risk our lives for something like that." Her words were laced with such certainty that there was no room for doubt. Her eyes did not waver in slightest. They burned with a fiery determined glare that captured the healer's gaze.

Orihime was unable to look away from Rukia. The petite woman held such conviction in her eyes that she felt the normally icy reiatsu radiating from her body transform into gentle rejuvenating breeze that blew over her. It blew away the negativity that lingered in her heart. The shackles that still clung to her were loosening. "There is more. In the dreams I didn't try use my shield to protect you. Aizen said the reason I didn't is because I wanted…."

"No!" Rukia interrupted.

"You didn't let me finish."

"I don't need to hear the rest. The answer is no. You would never want me to disappear."

"But isn't that what happened?" the healer asked. "Since Kurosaki-kun lost his powers he couldn't see you anymore. You have disappeared from our lives. I've been getting closer to him all this time. I was happy that we were becoming closer. I…somewhere along the line I stopped missing you as much. Now we've become so close and we spent all this time together. I can't help, but wonder if I took advantage of your departure. If you were here I know he would have talked to you instead of me about everything. I just stepped in to fill the void you left. As soon as you left I tried to get closer to him."

"Inoue, you feel guilty about that? That's why you couldn't look me in the eye earlier."

"Yes," Orihime admitted.

"Inoue, what exactly do you think I am to Ichigo?" Rukia finally worded the question that she knew both of them wanted answered.

"I-I am unsure."

Rukia shook her head. "Don't lie to me. Remember we have always been honest with each other."

"I think that….You two are so close….the way he looks at you….I…it hurts to see him look at you like that," she said truthfully. "There is such devotion and love in the way he looks at you. It's the same way I look at him. He's in love with you." There she said it. She finally said the words that had been in the back of her mind all this time. This heart breaking feeling that she had tried so hard to bury within her soul. It had been screaming to get out all this time. It screamed so many awful things to her. It told her that she was happy Rukia was gone. It also told her that her beloved would always care more for the raven haired woman than her. She was his second choice. The person he had grown close to due to his true confidant being absent. It always reminded her that no matter what words he said, the declarations, the promises, his need to be near her, and even the kiss was nothing more than products of Rukia's absence.

'_He loves her not you. All you are is a runner up. If she was here you wouldn't even be on his radar.'_

Those were the words echoed throughout her heart. Those words prevented her from fully giving herself to him. It's why she was pulling away from him now. She couldn't ignore it anymore. "I've tried to accept that fact. I have tried to be satisfied with just being by his side. But it is so hard to do that when he feel this spark."

Rukia questioned, "Spark?"

"Lately I've felt this connection we've been building. It's changing into something else. When I look him in the eye I can feel this jolt all the way down to my toes. I can't look away from him and he doesn't look away from me. Sometimes I think I see this shadow of something inside of his eyes. It makes me really happy because I think he could share my feelings. It makes me hopeful. I know I shouldn't feel that way."

"Why?" Rukia wasn't sure why Inoue felt her emotions were so unjust. In all the stories she read and seen about this type of situation the girl who kept her feeling secret would eventually reveal them to the guy and they lived happily ever after. Could it be that human romance was more complicated than the stories she had read or seen during her time there?

"I know he cares about me, cherishes me. I don't want to confuse our friendship for anything more." She shook her head. "I don't want the reason he returns my feelings is because you aren't here."

WHOP!

Orihime found her poor unfortunate head aching for the third time that day. The pain was so great the tears leaked from her eyes. "Kuchiki-san, why do you keep doing that?" she screamed in annoyance and agony.

Rukia attended to her knuckles. Brushing against that steel like head three times was starting to break them. "That's for not having faith in Ichigo or yourself. Stop being on guard!"

"On guard?" she uttered. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Don't you see it? You are so afraid that it's sickening. You are afraid that Ichigo's in love with me. You are afraid that you are happy instead of missing me. You are afraid that your relationship with Ichigo is not strong enough. You are afraid to take a chance and tell him how you feel. You are even afraid that you want more than friendship from him. Why are you so afraid, Inoue? What are you afraid of? Do you think he'll reject your feelings?"

"I don't want to lose what I have with him now. Before you came we were just classmates. I was just Tatsuki-chan's friend to him. But now we are actually friends. We are cherished friends now. When I feel upset or scared he knows something is wrong and asks me about it. He talks to me about how I am feeling or what he is feeling. I've become someone he can lean on now and I in turn lean on him. That's already more than I could ever dream of in the past. Isn't it selfish to want more?"

"No! Inoue, if you want more than tell him. He could feel the same way you do."

"He doesn't though," she argued.

"Why is that, because he's supposedly in love with me?" Rukia rolled her eyes. "There is nothing going on between Ichigo and me. We are just friends. I can't speak for Ichigo, but my feelings for him aren't romantic. He's helped me a lot. He fought for my sake and made start believing in myself again. I love him, but not in a romantic way. It's hard to put in words. We understand each other, almost like we were cut from the same cloth. He changed my world. But my relationship with him isn't like your relationship with him. I've seen the way you look at him. When we reunited in Hueco Mundo I could feel the same terror in your reiatsu that I felt today only it was worst. It didn't dissipate until I told you were Ichigo was. I was worried about him to, but not to the extent that you were. When we met him again I felt your happiness burst out of your body and swallow all of us in it. It was like the sun returned to your world. I didn't feel that same happiness that you did. I love him, but you are in love with him. You said you felt this spark right. That means there is a good chances he is in love with you."

She noticed that Orihime still looked doubtful. "Look Inoue even if you are right and Ichigo had romantic feelings for me isn't possible that over time and spending all this time with you has made those feelings fade away? That he formed new feelings, affections for you?"

"I-I'm not sure. It might be possible, but he misses you so much."

"I miss him too. That's why I've stayed away. I thought it would be easier for all of us if I stayed away. Like you I felt responsible for all the troubles in Ichigo's life," she confessed.

"Eh, but why would you feel responsible, Kuchiki-san?" the red-orange haired healer asked.

"If Ichigo had never met me than he never would have become a shinigami. He never would have got involved in our affairs with hollows, arrancar, and Aizen. All the hardship he had to endure when he came to the Soul Society to rescue me and there was when you were kidnapped. None of that would have happened if it weren't for me."

"That's not true," Orihime protested. "Kurosaki-kun told me that Aizen is the one who sent you to Karakura Town and he unleashed the hollow that attacked Kurosaki-kun's family on him."

"What, but why would Aizen be interested in a human?" asked a bewildered Rukia.

"According to Kurosaki-kun, Aizen knew that his father was a shinigami. I guess he must have thought you would give your powers to him to awaken his own powers. He said Aizen wanted to consume him, but I am not sure what that means."

"Damn it!" Rukia exclaimed. "To think that bastard even orchestrated my meeting Ichigo and that I would give him my powers so he could fight that hollow." She growled. "That man is almost all knowing! Damn it I hate to admit this, but he must have been telling the truth. I always suspected that someone or some force was sending so many hollows to Karakura Town when Ichigo became a shinigami. I just thought it was a hollow who was interested in eating Ichigo's soul due to his unusual amount of reiatsu. To think it was really Aizen pulling the strings all this time."

"It's funny to think that Aizen is the reason either of us got to know Kurosaki-kun. It makes it bitter sweet to know that man is responsible for all of that." She could see Aizen's wolfish smirk right now mocking them.

"Even if Aizen is responsible for me meeting Ichigo and for your bond with him it doesn't change the fact that it was still us who chose to befriend him." Orihime eyes broadened at the comment. "He may have manipulated the events responsible for my meeting Ichigo, but in the end it was still me who chose to befriend Ichigo. It was still me who bonded with him, just like it was still you who chose to go to Soul Society. It was you who chose to know me and later help me. It was still Ichigo's choice to get to know you as well, it was his choice to vow to protect you, and it was still his choice to go to Hueco Mundo to rescue you. As much as Aizen wants to take credit for orchestrated everything that has happened to us he can't. In end it was still we who made those decisions. Don't think of your bond with Ichigo as something created by Aizen and I won't think of my bond with him as creation of Aizen's either. Your bond with Ichigo is what you make it. Don't think of what ifs or what might have been because they did not happen. If you are unsatisfied with what happened in the past do something about it in the future. Do you understand, Inoue? I am telling you that even if your bond isn't what you want it to be today that you can change it in the future and make it to your liking. Don't let the past dictate your future. Please don't let me become the wall that blocks your happiness. I couldn't stand it if I made you unhappy. I don't want to make you feel guilty or bad about yourself."

The ice elemental turned to face the healer. She cupped her face and gently turned her so that they were face to face. She wanted Inoue to not only hear her words, but feel them through her reiatsu, and see them through her violet eyes. "I use to be alone. I had no family and wondered around the Soul Society with nothing to care about, with nobody to care for. I met Renji and the other orphans. Some of that loneliness disappeared. I met my vice-captain Kaien and he helped me see value in myself. He chipped away at the loneliness. I met Ichigo and all of you and you filled the last void in my heart, especially you. You talked to me about everything, my brother, my duties as a shinigami, and even the type of manga I read. Inoue, you are like my sister. I want you to be happy. Ichigo makes you happy. You can stand that idiot for more than a few minutes that's more than me," she joked.

Even Orihime had to laugh at Rukia's last comment. Rukia let go of her face, but continued to stare at her. "Do you want to know a little secret?"

"Um sure," Orihime said with a bit of uncertainty.

"I always thought Ichigo had a bit of a crush on you."

"Really?"

"He was so pitiful after that battle with the Espada that he couldn't even face you. I'll never forget how enraged he was when the Captain Commander said you were a traitor. He looked so lost when Renji and I were forced back to the Soul Society. Now you are saying you've grown closer. Don't pull away from him. He worries about you a lot you know."

"I know he does. He worries about you to."

"I know. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Please don't tell him I was here."

The healer's face scrunched up into a baffled frown. Surely she heard wrong. There is no way Kuchiki-san would tell her to keep her visit a secret from Kurosaki-kun. "What are you saying?"

"You know how he is. If he knew I was here he would be hurt and start to dwell on his lost powers even more. I don't want that. He should enjoy having a normal life. As much as I miss him and miss talking to him I can't hold him back. He needs to move on. After all Ichigo never wanted to be a shinigami to begin with." A grin broke out. "Now he doesn't have to worry about any of that."

She still felt reservations about lying to Kurosaki-kun. She promised to share her feelings with him. Could she keep the fact that Kuchiki-san visited her and in his room no less? "Kuchiki-san, I know he would want to know if you were here."

Rukia nodded along with her. She understood how Ichigo would react if he found out she was here and they kept it from him. However she also knew how he would react if Inoue told him. "I am a shinigami and he is a human. Now that his powers are gone he has no place in my world. I have no place in his world. He should stop dwelling on a world he no longer has any ties to and start concerning himself with the world he belongs to. This may sound cruel and my words may sound harsh, but this is the truth. I won't ask you to lie for me Inoue. If you do not have to tell him I would appreciate it."

"I understand." No longer wishing to dwell on serious things the princess decided to start lighter conversation. "Have you been? I am sure you are busy. Urahara-san told us that the Soul Society is still trying to recover from the war."

Sudden Rukia's face fell into a dark scowl. This surprised Orihime. "The 6th division, the 10th division, and the 13th division have been sent to Hueco Mundo to quall the arrancar threat. As you know the massive hollow attack that happened here weeks ago was orchestrated by one of Aizen's arrancar. Urahara brought to our attention that there is an Arrancar Civil War."

She nodded. "I know. I was the one who found out about it and told Urahara-san."

"I thought as much. Urahara wouldn't have stepped in unless it was serious. You, Sado, and Ishida could handle a bunch of hollows and one arrancar." The orange haired woman smiled at Rukia's compliment. "Fearing that the left over arrancar may make more moves to the Human World or worst that someone tries to revive Aizen's plan the new Central 46 has ordered us to take control of Hueco Mundo and get the arrancar under control. "Nii-san, Captain Histugaya, and Captain Ukitake are in command of the operation. All of our divisions have been working overtime to battle the arrancar."

"Three divisions and you still haven't gotten things under control?" she questioned.

"This is different from the war with Aizen. With him we just had to worry about defeating the Espada and the traitor shinigami. The other arrancar were beyond notice. If they got in the way we were to eliminate them, but our focus was never on them. Now however we are trying to quall them. There are a large number of them. We only send are best shinigami there so our numbers are not as large even with three divisions."

"Why not send more shinigami?" Orihime questioned.

"If we lower our standards just to send more shinigami in they will do more harm than good. The other divisions are busy trying to keep order in the Soul Society."

"It sounds like a difficult situation. You look really frustrated."

"That's not why I am frustrated," Rukia spoke up.

"It isn't?" asked a baffled Orihime.

Rukia shook her head. "That idiot Renji," she whispered.

"Abarai-san? Is he alright?"

"That idiot is fine. He made that perfectly clear!" she snapped. When she saw her sister jump she realized just how loud her voice was. A small blush appeared on her cheeks. "S-sorry," she muttered.

"Did he do something wrong?"

"Hmm," Rukia scoffed. She crossed her arms in protest. "I can't believe him," she grumbled.

"Kuchiki-san?"

"He is such a jackass! I was worried about him and he didn't even think to let me know he was alright. No he was busy spending time with Matsumoto! We are both vice-captains so we have to spend a lot of time together, he says. As if that stops him from telling me he is alright!"

Orihime's face lit up in realization. "Abarai-san is spending a lot of time with Matsumoto-san and you are jealous!"

"W-What? As if I would care if that dumbass spends all that time with Matsumoto! He's such a….." She groaned. "He's just a dog. He just wants to fuck her! He could care less about if he actually likes her!"

"Kuchiki-san, do you have feeling for Abarai-san?" Orihime's smile widened.

"NO!" she screamed. "Who could like a crazy eyebrow, loud mouth, no class jackass like him? He can't even keep his eyes in head when she's around." Without warning she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Don't worry, Kuchiki-san I am sure he really likes you."

"Let go of me this instant! Who says I want him to like me? I could care less how he feels!" She tried to worm her way out of the embrace.

Orihime tightened her hug to keep the petite woman locked in. "Kurosaki-kun told me how desperate he was to save you that he even entrusted his mission to him. I know he really cares about you. He's probably in love with you. You two would make such a cute couple."

"Shut your mouth! Being in a couple with that….no way!" she continued to protest. If only she could move her arms than she could cast a kido to get out of this. "Inoue let me go!"

"I can't believe you never told me about this before. We could have been talking about Abarai-san and Kurosaki-kun together! We could have given each other advice on how to get them!"

If one had seen the red in Rukia's face they would never have pictured her to have an ice type zanpakuto. "I am telling you I do not like Renji!" She succeeded in breaking the hold on her. With no time to waste she jumped off the bed and put distance between Orihime and herself. "Get this through that thick and hard skull of yours. I will never ever have feelings for that freaky eyebrow, perverted, insensitive, and idiotic jackass!" The hazel eyes belonging to the healer shimmered with a knowing look. Rukia became very annoyed with that look. She was about to open her mouth to tell Inoue about her annoyance when the door opened up. Both women turned their attention to the door. The familiar orange haired and scowling former vizard walked in.

Immediately Rukia turned to Inoue. "Don't tell him I'm here!" she ordered. She didn't have worry about keeping her voice down. Ichigo's shinigami powers were completely gone. He did not have a trace of reiatsu left within him. Without reiatsu he could not see or hear spirits. For Ichigo it was like Rukia was not even there.

As soon as he opened the door his eyes landed on the proclaimed goddess. His lips curled into his Inoue smile. He couldn't help, but smile. Whenever he was in her presence he seemed to find his mood brightened. "Hey," Ichigo greeted.

Orihime gave him a nervous wave. "Hi," she squeaked out. The smile on his face quickly receded. She really was a horrible liar.

"What's wrong? You seem nervous." He walked past Rukia without his knowledge and sat on his bed next to Orihime.

"Oh I was just talking to someone that's all." Rukia shot her irritated look.

Ichigo raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Um, Inoue you are the only one here," he reminded.

"No I am not," she spat out. Ichigo continued to become more perplexed. Rukia on the other hand looked as though she wanted to strangle Orihime. "I was talking to a spirit who came to see me." Both faces became at ease to her relief.

"Oh I get it now. Spirits used to come to me all the time. Don't worry you get used to it," he told her.

'_Phew, thankfully he's not asking me who the spirit is,' _Orihime thought. "How did your job search go?" She wanted to keep his mind of anything spirit related. If he asked her more details about the spirit she would crack and reveal the identity of the spirit was Rukia.

"It went pretty bad. Most places were no longer hiring new employees. I did find one place, Nakamura Electronics. I filled out the application. Now I just have to wait for a call. I think my chances are pretty good. The clerk, Masaoka I think that was her name said there weren't a lot of promising candidates."

"That's good then!" she cheered. "Tell me more about it. Do you like the store? Was the clerk nice?" She was hoping to keep the conversation up and off of her "spirit friend."

"It was a pretty big store. I never went in there until today, but Keigo apparently goes there all the time. He says its good store. The prices are a little up there, but with the selections they offer it is to be expected. I'm not sure about Masaoka though."

"Is she mean or unpleasant?" she questioned.

He shook his head. "No, she seems nice enough. I'm probably just a little worked up over her joke."

"What was the joke?" she continued to ask.

"It's stupid and embarrassing. I would rather not say."

"You can tell me. I won't laugh," she promised. To prove her point she gave him the small yet loving smile she reserved just for him. She had recently discovered that when she gave him this smile his guard would melt.

Damn there was his smile one her lips again. There was no point in even trying to resist it. He always lost to it. "It was stupid. You know how bad I am with names right?" She nodded and he went on. "I told her about it and she said if I got hired all I needed to do was look at her name tag. I said I wasn't sure about that since it was on her chest. I didn't want her to think I was leering at her. She joked by saying: "Who says I'll mind if you stare at my chest." She busted out laughing. It's nothing major."

"I wouldn't think much of it. She was probably just having a bit of fun with you," Orihime encouraged him.

"You are probably right." He cleared his throat. "Hey I've been meaning to talk to you for a couple of days now. But every time I try to we've been getting interrupted by someone."

"What did you want to talk about?" She shot one look at Rukia unsure of the raven haired shinigami was going to stay or leave.

"I've noticed that since the New Year's party at Urahara-san's that you've been a bit distant from me." Amazement found residency with both Orihime and Rukia. Neither of them was expecting Ichigo to bring up this topic let alone notice it. "I want to know if you alright? Your nightmares haven't gotten any worse. I know that for a fact because you are waking up screaming less and less. The only thing I can think of is the, you know kiss."

"Kiss!" Rukia exclaimed. "You didn't say anything about a kiss!" A wide prideful grin broke out. "Inoue!" she cheered, making the healer blush.

"I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

She shook her head vigorously. "No, no the kiss didn't bother me at all! I liked it! There really isn't anything to worry about!" she cried. Orihime was desperately trying to ignore her grinning friend who was still giving her praise.

Ichigo blushed at her admittance. "Oh well, I'm glad you liked it. If that isn't what's bothering you what is?"

Rukia had wicked idea that she knew would drive Inoue wild. She walked up to the pair. Orihime narrowed her eyes at her warningly, but she ignored it. She leaned in to Ichigo's ear and whispered, "You are bothering her. Can't you see she is madly in love with you?"

"Eh!" she squeaked loudly.

Concerned Ichigo put his hand over hers. "What's wrong?" he asked a gentle tone.

"N-Nothing," she squeaked.

"What's wrong you ask. Ichigo you are so clueless. How many guys get such a desirable young woman in thier bed and not make a move? Talk about hopeless."

"Umm," Orihime moaned. She was pleading for Rukia to stop.

"Inoue, are you sure you are alright?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah I am fine. It's just that the spirit is doing really, really inappropriate things," she hissed. She mustered the darkest glare she could. This only succeeded in making Rukia laugh.

"Oh the spirit is still here?" He looked around despite knowing he could not see him or her.

Rukia continued her teasing. "So Ichigo tell us if you ever had any dreams involving Inoue?"

"No don't say things like that!" Orihime shouted. If her face was any redder she would have been mistaken for a tomato. Ichigo gave her the strangest look possible much to her humiliation. Rukia was laughing so hard that her sides were splitting.

"What is the spirit doing exactly?" Ichigo finally asked.

"It's just trying to embarrass me."

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it. _'That's the best I am going to get out of her. Judging by red she is it is really embarrassing. I'll let it go.'_

"What's wrong, Inoue? I thought you wanted us to talk about "Abarai-san and Kurosaki-kun" so we could help each other get them?" Rukia mocked.

Orihime pouted. "I get it. I am sorry for earlier."

Rukia's grin did not let up. "No let's help each other out. Have you ever had any wild dreams involving Ichigo?"

"I hate you right now," Orihime uttered.

"I'll take that as a yes," Rukia continued to tease.

Ichigo had no clue what was going on between Inoue and the spirit. He just sat there in attempt to wait it out. After a minute with no more out bursts he decided to try to talk again. "Inoue," he called. She drew her glare away from the spot the spirit was apparently standing and put it on him. "What has been bothering you lately?" he asked again.

The unnatural glare was gone from her face. "Lately I've been feeling a bit guilty."

"About what?" he asked.

"I've….we've been getting so close. I love that we are so close now." She felt a light squeeze on her hand. She knew that was his way of agreeing with her. It made the mutant butterflies swarm. "I thought that I was being unfaithful to Kuchiki-san."

"Why would you think us becoming closer was being unfaithful to Rukia?"

"I thought I was stealing her place. You two are so close I didn't want to get in the way."

"That's crazy. Our bond won't mess up anything between me and Rukia. She wouldn't get upset over something like that. You have nothing to feel guilty about." Ichigo gave her hand another gentle squeeze.

"I know that now, but thanks for saying it." Their eyes met and once again she felt a strong jolt hit her. Orihime let out small smile. The longing and love emerged from her gaze ensuring Ichigo into his own smile. They stared at into the other one's eyes while Rukia watched on wearing her own smile.

"Do you want to get some Ramen at Bakusui's cart tonight?" Ichigo asked.

"But what about Yuzu-chan's dinner?" she reminded.

"So we'll miss Yuzu's dinner tonight. She won't mind. What do you say?"

She smiled bashfully at him making the ex-substitute's insides warm. "Yes," she answered. The butterflies were wreaking havoc through her stomach, causing as much of a commotion as they could.

"Good," Ichigo replied. He couldn't get enough of her beauty. "I am going to tell Yuzu we won't be here for dinner." She acknowledged him with a nod. Ichigo got off the bed then departed from the room. Once he was gone Rukia took his seat.

"The two of you are going to eat together. That sounds like a date," Rukia teased.

Orihime still wore her bashful smile. "I think it is date."

The raven haired shinigami chuckled. "It seems like you are doing better."

"I am," replied the healer.

"I have to get going. Nii-san pulled some strings to get me out of Hueco Mundo to see what Urahara wanted. I can't stay long thought so I have to…."

"Leave," Orihime finished. Rukia nodded. The two women got to their feet and left the bed.

"Remember what I told you. Don't worry about the past. The future is undecided."

Orihime replied, "I'll remember. Thank you for coming all this way to see me."

Rukia held out her hand, but stopped herself. She looked uncertain as to what she was supposed to do. Orihime giggled at the shorter woman's awkwardness toward affection. She initiated a hug, wrapping her arms around the petite woman. The violet eyes widened in complete surprise. The surprise turned to comfort. She snaked her arms around the taller woman's slim figure.

"This is goodbye," Orihime croaked. Salty liquid started to form in her brown orbs.

Rukia nodded her own violet spheres were forming with liquid discharge. "Yes, this is goodbye. I'm not sure if we'll see each other again. But if you ever need me just go to Urahara and he'll reach me. I'll be here as soon as I can."

"I will. I wish that you would come back every now and again. Just to stop by and check in," Orihime said hopefully.

"I won't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. I have to check in on you every now and again. You are hopeless without me," she joked.

"I'll miss you, Kuchiki-san. Thank you for everything. I am honored that you view me as a sister. I feel the same way, Nee-san."

The tears flowed from Rukia the moment Orihime called her Nee-san. It was odd. Even though she was crying she couldn't have felt happier. For once she felt as though her icy reiatsu had attracted someone to her instead of repelling them. Chilling winds no longer had the power to keep others at bay. "I'll miss you to, Nee-chan." Their embrace lasted for a moment longer before both of them reluctantly let go. Rukia walked to the window. She turned around to give Orihime one last glance. She gave the healer one last half smile. Orihime returned it with her whole smile. Rukia walked out of the widow and prepared to make the journey back to the Soul Society. She did not look back this time because now she knew that both Inoue and Ichigo were in good hands with each other.

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**Well that was one long chapter, but if you are reading this you stuck through it so congrats. I think I kept Rukia in character for the most part well up until she started teasing Orihime by telling Ichigo all that stuff knowing he couldn't hear her. I thought it was funny so put it in there. Please forgive mistakes it was really long that I only re-read this once before I uploaded it. The B story with Ichigo introduced an original character that will appear again. I hope you guys like it. Please review. **


	21. The Untouchable Bond

**Here is the next chapter. This one has some good Ichigo and Orihime bonding in it. I am not sure about this yet, but next week may not have chapter. It depends on if I get time to write it. May is here and finals are going to start soon, so I may be busy with work. The good thing is when finals are over I'll have the summer off. I'll get free time then to write. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

* * *

Today was the same as the as it was for the last six weeks. The sky was gray as result of the clouds blanketing it. They shielded the sun and blocked its life giving rays from hitting the Earth. Snowflakes had fallen from the previous day engulfing the streets with more white powder. Cars were covered in the white annoyance, infuriating the owners who now had to wait for their engines to warm up before they could move the automobiles. The winds blew across the entire town causing people to shiver despite wearing coats. Sickness had fully emerged and plagued people. A good number of people had been or now in bed trying to fight of the sickness that Mother Nature's frigid winds had caused. That was to be expected in Mid-January going on to End of January. The winter break was over. It was the start of a new term. Students were once again in school. The two week break had come and left in the blink of an eye, leaving many people baffled on rather or not they even had a break to begin with. So life returned to normal for the children and teenagers of Karakura Town. Their mornings were no longer their own. Instead they marched to their respective schools in the morning and left in late afternoon. This morning was no different.

"Get a move on it, Inoue!" A clearly irritated Ichigo stood outside in the unforgiving cold. He was wearing his heavy black winter coat. Today he wore dark gray gloves (a Christmas present from Yuzu). His cheeks were stained with blotches of crimson, the cause was joint effort of Mother Nature's artic breath and his impatient nature was starting to beat way at his temper. "Damn it, what can be taking the girl so long?" he hissed. Unable to resist the cold any longer he crossed his arms together to try and retain more of his heat. He hated walking to school in the winter. January was the worst. That was when winter had fully kicked in. No longer was Karakura a winter wonderland that its residents enjoyed. It had become a bitter enemy that challenged everyone and anyone to cross it if they dared.

"Inoue, hurry up! I am freezing my ass off!" he shouted again.

"I am coming! I just need to check on one more thing!" she called back.

This caused the orange haired man to let out an exhausted groan. He liked Inoue, in fact he adored her in her many quirks. The way she would start babbling about any little thing when she got excited or nervous made her cute. The way she pouted her plush bottom lip when she was annoyed was endearing. The way she fussed over everyone and made sure they were alright was something he loved about her. It was one of her best qualities in his humble opinion. Even her clumsiness brought a small smile to his face. If he was honest with himself all of those things were the reason he was attracted to her. However the one quirk of hers that he did not find endearing or cute in anyway was how long the girl took to get ready. Damn, how long did it take to get ready in the morning? It had to be a girl thing because Yuzu and Karin also took forever to get ready.

Usually she was done by now and they would be on their way to school. For some unknown reason Inoue let him, not let is the wrong word. Inoue demanded he take a shower first and get ready before her. He was clueless as to why she was so demanding this morning. She kept insisting and even went as far as to enlarge her glimmering hazel eyes and pout her plump bottom lip at him. In the most alluring and perhaps adorable tone she could muster she asked him, "Please do this for me." It was a dirty trick, a low blow. How could he resist that face? No matter how many times he battled her or how much training he did to try and defeat that face it never worked. She won another argument without so much as raising her voice. He hated losing. He hated the fact that these loses were become frequent, but he hated himself for giving in to her so easily. But more than anything Ichigo hated that he never cared he lost when she rewarded his surrender with his smile. This woman and her effect on him were absolutely maddening. Inoue was not a manipulative person that's what killed him. She would try to persuade him, but that was it. She was able to exercise control over him without even meaning to.

He took his shower, brushed his teeth, combed his growing orange locks, and got dressed. By the time he got out Inoue hurried him along then jumped in herself. This added to his confusion. She missed breakfast with the family. When she finally came down stairs she gulfed down the meal Yuzu made before returning upstairs to retrieve something which she did not go into detail about. That was five minutes ago. Ichigo was waiting outside of the clinic on the orange haired woman.

"She is taking way too long," he muttered to himself. With every passing second Ichigo got colder and colder. His anger also got higher and higher. Since the term started they had begun to walk to and from school together. On days that Keigo and Mizuiro came by they would simply say she came over for breakfast so they could walk together. His favorite days were when Keigo and Mizuiro did not come over and it was just the two of them walking together. This morning would be one of those days they would just enjoy each other's company if she hurried up that was. He hated the cold! Just when he was fed up the door opened up. Orihime jogged her way through it. She flashed him a quick smile before turning around. She was in her pink jacket, white and pink stripe beanie, and white gloves.

"Bye, Kurosaki-san! Have a nice day!" she told the shinigami turned physician.

"Farewell, Orihime! I wish you a wonderful day as well! Keep Ichigo out of trouble!" he shouted. "He is such a troublesome man. He needs a woman like you to keep him straight!"

A vein formed on Ichigo's forehead. He shook his fist threateningly despite knowing his father could not possibly see it. "Old man….." he seethed.

Orihime found Isshin's comments humorous. Her innocent laugh graced the Kurosaki men's ears. She bid Isshin another farewell. "I'll keep Kurosaki-kun out of trouble. Don't worry." She closed the door and hurried over to scowling orange haired man. Orihime could tell by the vein in his forehead and irritation in his brown eyes that he did not find her tardiness acceptable. In order to appease his legendary wrath the healer urged her feet to go as fast as they could. This had consequences for her. In her rush Orihime failed to see the ice on the sidewalk. When she ran past it she lost her footing and slipped. She staggered trying to recapture her footing. It was to no avail. Orihime found her face in the white powder in the front of the Kurosaki Clinic.

"Inoue!" the ex-substitute cried in panic. He rushed to her side, carefully avoided the ice and went down to the woman within seconds. He helped her out of the snow. She avoided his gaze. He caught a bit of red in her cheeks. It was obvious that she was embarrassed about her fall. He did not find it odd for her to withdraw from him after such a humiliating fall. "Are you alright?"

Not trusting her body not to betray her Orihime brushed her red-orange strands in front of her face to give her some kind of buffer between her burning cheeks and her beloved. "I am fine, Kurosaki-kun!" she quickly blurted out. "I can't believe I slipped on a patch of ice. That's so embarrassing! You probably think I am such a klutz! I shouldn't have been in such a hurry anyway. It is really dangerous to just running in this cold weather in the first place. Eh and my face fell into snow!" She could hear her voice getting higher with each word she spoke. She tried to brush off her fall, but it was no use. Every word she said was about her fall and how clumsy she was. That only reminded her how she had just made a complete fool of herself in front of the man who had stolen her heart. That made her cheeks redder. Did she mention that the entire left side of her face was now numb with cold? Well it was. Life was always so cruel to her!

There she was blabbing about anything that popped into her mind, while she was plainly embarrassed. A small part of him was glad she fell. It wasn't that he enjoyed to her suffer, far from it. He despised it with a passion. The small part mind you was glad Orihime had her accident only because he got to see that bashful attitude go in full force. The constant chattering of nonsense and nervousness were cute. Yes he had to admit it to himself. Although Ichigo found his new behavior to be a bit unsettling at times (he didn't find things cute). He could not help, but find the things that Inoue did were cute. When did he become a walking cliché?

'_Probably around the time you started smelling her hair just to get a whiff of her scent,' _his subconscious answered. Damn that little annoying voice.

"Inoue!" he called at a volume higher than her chattering. The healer ended her long winded speech. He held out his hand in front of her. "Here, let me help you up," he offered. If it was possible Inoue's face became even redder. She embarrassed way too easily. Orihime took his hand and pulled her up with no difficulty.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," she said just barely above a whisper. If it weren't for this small break in the wind he was certain he would not have heard her.

"It's no problem." He watched as she brushed the shimmering strands of orange out of her face. She was still determined not to look him in the eye. That probably wouldn't change until her humiliation subsided. "If we don't get going we are going to be late." His last assessment had been incorrect. Orihime let out a loud gasp, looked at her watch then turned to face him. She wore her typical overzealous alarmed mask. It was comical. Her eyes would bulge to the point that they became cartoon like. Her voice would become higher. She would give a little squeal before given in the panic. This was yet another mannerism he had grown to find adorable.

"Oh no!" she squealed just as Ichigo predicted. The ex-substitute smiled when she wasn't looking. "I can't believe I took so long! If we hurry we can still make it on time!" Orihime pulled Kurosaki-kun's arm urging him to move quickly. "We have to move now, Kurosaki-kun!" She moved her legs, but found that she was not moving even an inch. Confused as to why she was not moving despite her legs' best efforts. If she could not move that meant someone had to be holding her in place. The realization hit her like ton of bricks. Orihime turned her head to see the orange haired man was standing firmly preventing her from successfully moving.

"Slow down, Inoue," he said in a strong tone. Despite the force in his voice it was not demanding. It was more urging than demanding. "You just slipped on a patch of ice when you were hurrying. If it weren't for that snow you landed in you could have gotten hurt. We are not going to run. There is no telling how much ice is actually out there."

"But we are going to be late!" she protested.

Ichigo disagreed with her by shaking his head. "If we go at a quick pace without running we could still make it in time. But even if we are late this will be the first time since the new term started." School had been in for two weeks now. Determined not to make a bad impression this term Ichigo vowed to make it to school on time and avoid missing class as much as possible. Both tasks were within reach. Now that he was no longer a substitute shinigami he did not have to worry about disposing of hollows. That freed up a great deal of his time. No more long night patrols meant a decent night's sleep. He could actually get up and not feel like a zombie. No more leaving in the middle of class to take care of hollows or missing lectures. He missed being a shinigami, but normal life had its advantages. For the last two weeks Ichigo had been the model student (while the student he was before he met Rukia anyway). Ochi-sensei commented on his improved behavior. She even went as far as to compliment him on it.

He wanted to maintain his "good student" status by making it to class on time. However if he had to choose between being late thus earning a glare from Ochi-sensei or making it on time, but potentially cause harm to Inoue it was no contest which one he would choose. Beside he could take a hit from Ochi-sensei so long as his Inoue was out of harm's way. "Don't concern yourself over being late just this once. If we are late, we'll just make sure to get there on time the next day. The important thing here is that you are careful where you step on. Honestly as clumsy as you are this ice is like an accident waiting to happen." The image of Orihime with a broken leg sprang fourth from his mind. He shuttered at the thought. "Be careful," he expressed his concerns. If there was ever a time he needed her to be on the same wave length with him it was now. He mentally pushed his fears into her mind and pleaded with her to listen to him.

He spoke in his usual low rough tone, but Orihime could hear the slight pleading hidden with the rough tone. The last thing the healer wanted was to make him worry. "I'll be careful," she promised. To show her sincerity she gave him her ultra-serious expression which was followed up by her determined nod.

It was all that Ichigo could do to keep himself for laughing at that serious expression. He internally shook his head at her antics. Time was a pressing matter, so the two carrot tops began their speed walking. "So?" Ichigo started.

Orihime turned her attention to her protector, already wearing her questioning gaze. "So, what?" she repeated.

Ichigo elaborated, "So are you going to tell me what you were doing that forced me to take a shower first and made you miss breakfast?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Orihime directed her gaze to the sky while she put her arms behind her. She had hoped this gave her a nonchalant gesture. Little did she realize just how much she was underestimating Ichigo's prowess in reading her body language.

He produced a smug grin. If he just stared her down he knew she would crack so that's what he did. He stared at her knowing she would continue to avoid his gaze at all cost while the pit of her stomach would be gnawed at by her conscious. Orihime did not disappoint him. She threw her eyes on anything and everything so long as it was not him. While she kept her mouth closed most likely to avoid spilling her secret to him her body gave away her guilt. One of her hands was playing with her hair, twirling it around. The other hand swung her bag up and down. This would have gone beyond notice from most. Ichigo knew these were all tells. In all the time he had spent with Inoue the past few months he knew she only played with her hair if she nervous about something. She was only nervous if she was lying or trying to keep something secret. She was trying to do both.

"Stop it!" she finally blurted out.

Grin still in place Ichigo merely replied, "Stop what?"

The bottom lip went up. The frustration and annoyance converged into her brown eyes. "You know what."

Ichigo continued to play dumb. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Mm," she pouted. Fine if he wasn't going to stop she would continue to avoid him. It wasn't that hard after all. She could handle his penetrating and accusing stare, right? Implementing her plan the princess refused to look him in the eye or even speak to him. If she spoke she knew she would crack which is what he wanted. She was not going to let him have his way this time. As before Orihime underestimated Ichigo. He kept his eyes on her never moving them once. What was more annoying is that despite how fast she was walking he was keeping up with no problems without even looking! Oh and that annoying sexy smirk of his was both enemy and friend to her. She stole glances at him through the side of her eyes. It was not looking if she did not look directly at him. That's when she noticed the increasing length of his untamed hair had achieved yet another new length.

While it was still not as thick or luscious as it was during his final battle with Aizen it had certainly reached the length it had once been. She hated how she kept stealing glances at it while simultaneously trying to avoid that knowing glare and half curved smile. Throw all that in with his rugged orange hair he was like the ultimate sexy badass of Karakura. Yes, she said he was a sexy badass. It wasn't her fault! Sure she revealed she thought the long hair made him look hot, but had no idea he would grow it out. It was bad enough when he reached the height he achieved during the three months span of training in the Dangai along with the muscle mass. Oh god she noticed his muscles were becoming even more defined. All that fighting with shinigami, hollows, arrancar, and the average thugs had built up his body tone. One day last week he walked into his room without a shirt. He apologized and said he needed a new shirt after Yuzu spilled something on the other one. She tried not to look. She really did. Her traitorous body would not fellow her commands again! Instead she ogled him much like the way her admirers would ogle her.

His arms bulged with new muscles he did not have before. The shoulders had become broader. His frame was still lean, but there were noticeable changes. She could clearly see the beginnings of a six pack forming. His breasts were no longer flabby, now they were firm. So firm that they could probably bounce back anything thrown at them as easily as a wall threw back a rubber ball. Why was she thinking about that now? He was wearing his shirt now there was no reason for her mind to take her back to that day. Now her body was heating up just as it had on that day. Her heart started racing. She felt so hot that she wanted to shed this accursed jacket, but knew if she did he would know something was up. It was hard to believe this started from a stupid smirk he was giving her. He was still wearing it! There was no telling when he would notice that her red face was not from embarrassment. If he even suspected she was aroused she would just die. She was not exaggerating she was fairly sure you could actually die from humiliation. If she died he would never forgive himself. For both of their sakes she would have to rid that stupid arrogant sexy smirk. She had to give in and tell him her secret.

"Stop it!" she finally cracked. Orihime covered her face with her gloved hands just so she could avoid that horrid smirk. "I'll tell what I was doing if you just stop it!"

Inwardly celebrating his victory over the goddess and redeeming his earlier defeat to her Ichigo's grin became a full blown teeth revealing smile. "Spill it, Inoue. What were you doing?"

She did not fully trust him yet. He probably still had his stupid grin on just to make sure she would not back out. Orihime kept her face covered. It was not the best idea considering just how accident prone she was, but she trusted Kurosaki-kun to steer her away from anything dangerous. He did take it upon himself to become her personal protector from everything. "The reason I was late this morning is because I was making you something."

Curiosity made its appearance on his face. "What did you make me?"

Orihime removed her hands from her face, but still avoided his chocolate eyes. She went into her bag and grabbed something he did not catch. The next moment she shoved it into his chest and quickly retreated. Ichigo's reflexes were sharp enough for him to catch whatever it was Inoue handed him. On closer expectation he discovered that he was holding what appeared to be card. He looked up from it to ask her about it, but noticed she was still avoiding him. He opened it up. It was a handmade card. On the card was a little cartoon figures of himself, Rukia, Ishida, Chad, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and finally herself. They were holding up a sign that read, Congratulations on Your New Job! He looked up from the card again wearing a smile. "Inoue, you made me a card for getting a part time job?"

Orihime nodded. Her hands found their way into her hair again. "Today is your first day. I wanted to show you my support," she said meekly. Last week he had finally gotten the call from Nakamura Electronics for an interview. Kurosaki-kun tried his best not to show it she could tell he was nervous. He combed his hair three times in an attempt to tame it to look presentable without having to cut it. His efforts were in vain though. His father jumped him in his usual manner completely ruining all the work her beloved put into it. He delivered such a beating to Kurosaki-san that none of the girls could bear to watch. Before he could completely spiral down into panic she talked to him.

_Flashback_

_Ichigo sighed for the tenth time in the last ten minutes. He was already tensed enough with the job interview only thirty minutes away then his father had to go in pick a fight with him. He completely messed up his hair! If he wanted to get there ten minutes before his interview (he wanted make a good impression after all) he would have to leave now which meant he could not fix his hair. "Damn you old man." The only thing that made this disaster bearable was the fact he beat his father so badly that Yuzu and Karin had to help him to his office to rest. He sighed yet again then went to the door. _

"_Wait, Kurosaki-kun!"_

_He turned around to see the owner of the voice, Inoue Orihime. As soon as he laid eyes on her some of the dread he felt disappear. That small smile worn on her lips was enough to make him momentarily forget his dilemma. _

"_I want to wish you luck before you go," she stated. _

"_Thanks." He let out a nervous smile. _

_His uneasiness was so tangible that she could have sworn she could see it. "I am sure you will get the job." She had to make him relax a little so he could interview well. If he kept all of these negative emotions it would seep through to him and effect how he presented himself and answered the questions._

_He tried to keep his weak smile up, but failed miserably. "I hope so. I mean my hair is a mess. I wish I had cut it now." Ichigo ran his hand through his ever growing mane. "It gives off the wrong impression you know."_

"_Yes, but I am sure you will get it because you are very hard working. You have good references," she reminded. "With all of that you are a shoe in!" _

"_You forgot something."_

"_Eh?" she squeaked. Unsure of what he was talking about. _

"_I also have this." Ichigo held out his good luck charm. _

_Her eyes lit up. "My good luck charm!" she cried._

"_As long as I have this I know I'll get the job," he said with the same conviction he had when he told Ulquiorra he would save her. He managed to produce a true smile for her. She knew while he was still nervous that he still had confidence in his ability and in her charm. That was enough to get him through the interview. She was tempted to kiss him under the pretense of good luck but decided against it. Instead she gave him a quick hug and her best wishes. He bid her farewell and went out the door._

_End of Flashback _

He was flattered that she would put so much effort into doing this over something minor. It wasn't outstanding art work, but it was better than Rukia's crappy drawings. He could at least tell who everyone was.

The miniature Ishida was wearing his traditional white quincy attire. He even had a little bow to boot. Chad was recognizable due to his black and magenta armored arm. The Mizuiro drawing had his face in his cellphone much like his real life-counterpart. Keigo was waving his arms back and forth giving away his identity. Tatsuki was in her karate wear. Rukia was easy enough to discern with that fake cutesy face she often wore and of course the black from her shihakusho. His drawing was by far the most detailed. He could easily see the brown in his eyes. There was his classic half smile and the V shape his eyebrows made to capture his intensity. What really stood out was that he was holding a large curved shape blade that was unmistakably Zangetsu. That's when he noticed like Rukia he too was wearing a black shihakusho. "You drew me as a shinigami."

"Yes," she muttered. Now that the flames in her body had died down Orihime found the courage to look him in the eye. "That's how Kurosaki-kun sees himself."

"But that's not who I am anymore," he said sour tone.

"You are wrong."

"What?" He gave her a questioning gaze, beckoning her to explain herself. How could he still be a shinigami? He could not even see spirits anymore not to mention he lacked any kind of reiatsu whatsoever. "My life as a shinigami is over."

"No it's not!" she stated. "Kurosaki-kun, you will always be a shinigami." He continued to stare at her with doubt and displeasure. "You may not be a shinigami anymore, but your soul is still one. You still protect everyone you care about. Just because you can't fight hollows anymore or send lost souls to rest or even use a zanpakuto does not change who you are. Kurosaki-kun, the man I know is and will always be protector. He will always do everything within his power and then some to make sure everything he holds dear is safe. That's what a shinigami does. They protect the souls they hold dear from hollows and corruption. So long as you never let go of that, of your protective nature you always be a shinigami. At least that is how I see you as."

A pensive expression formed. He directed his thoughtful gaze to her. "You still see me as a shinigami?" He yearned to understand why she felt this way. How could he still be a protector? Their roles had reversed. She had protected him from an arrancar who had wanted his head. She defeated him in order to protect him. Yet he was still a protector? What a laugh that was. "I can't protect anyone with my power. I can't protect you with these hands." He narrowed his eyes reliving the shame of mortality. The chains of human limitations still bonded him and they would forever bond him. His brown eyes fell to his hand. He urged his brain to remember how it felt when he held Zangetsu in it. The memory was dying. It was like a dream, another life. As months passed the more his body forgot what it was like to soar into the skies, to wield a zanpakuto, to travel at speeds beyond any normal human, even the feeling of reiatsu was starting to escape his memory. In anger he squeezed his hands into a fist, punishing it for forgetting his partner and teacher, Zangetsu. Two hands grabbed on to his hands. They brought him out of his anger. She held both of their hands together and looked up to him. Her eyes were clear. They were surprisingly soothing.

"These hands can still protect me. They protect me every time I wake up from a nightmare. They comfort me by holding me. You don't need a sword to do that. Not having your powers has not stopped you from trying to reach out to me. It certainly did not stop you from protecting me. I don't care if you can't see spirits or if you don't have a zanpakuto. You will always be a protector rather you are a human, shinigami, or hollow. That is why you will always be a shinigami to me."

"Inoue," Ichigo just uttered. He could not find the words he needed to express what he felt for this woman at this moment. Gratitude, satisfaction, joy, secure, thankful, and the strongest emotion he felt for her at the moment was weight crushing attraction, this affection. It drew him towards her. He felt closer to her than he had ever felt before. This affection told him to go over there to wrap his arms around her and kiss her to show her how much she meant to him. It was hard to describe. It was almost nauseating yet overwhelming happiness that came over him. It was familiar from all the other times he found himself feeling particular affectionate towards her, but it was stronger. Was this love? Did he love her? Obviously he loved her like he did all of his friends, but was he in love with her? He had nothing to compare it to. He couldn't exactly say with certainty, but he if he was pressed for an answer at this moment he would have to say yes.

"We are going to be late," she said. "If we don't hurry that is," Orihime elaborated. Ichigo acknowledged her with a nod. They sped up their pace. The conversation had died again. This left the former vizard to ponder on the strength of this familiar yet alien emotion.

* * *

The last bell of the day rang. Students hurried out of their classes creating a large mob of people battling to get to the door. In order to avoid the crowds Ichigo decided to stay back and head to the locker rooms. He brought a change of clothes for the day. He had no desire to wear his school uniform on his first day at work. His friends being the shadows they were followed him and waited outside for him. Keigo was about to go in, but Ichigo punched him in the arm. This wasn't gym and since Keigo wasn't changing either it felt a little strange to him to have his friend watch him undress.

"Are you nervous about your first day, Ichigo?" Mizuiro asked from his cellphone. He had just secured a date for the evening.

"Eh, maybe a little, but nothing too bad," Ichigo replied from the locker room.

"Why should he be nervous?" Keigo questioned. "He has fought monsters and insane pixie/angel like things. This is going to be a walk in the park for, Ichigo."

"But it is also his first job- job. It is perfectly normal for him to still be nervous," Mizuiro argued.

Keigo was still unsure how anyone who could fight hollows and rogue shinigami could find a part time job as a clerk challenging at all, but dropped it. He decided to start a new topic. "What time do you get off?"

"Well I start at 4: 30 and don't get off until 7: 30 today. Since I am a student I only have work three hours on the weekday. However I make up for it on the weekends. I start work at 1 o'clock and get off at 6."

Keigo whistled amazement. "Five hours on the weekend, huh? Damn that sounds rough."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Masaoka says if it's a slow day that sometimes Nakamura will let one of us go early. Plus schedules are subjected to change. This is all just my first week," Ichigo explained just as he emerged from the locker room. He was wearing old faded blue jeans, with short sleeved red T-shirt; over it he wore jean shirt/coat. In one hand he was carrying a bag that held his uniform. The other hand held his school bag in it. "Chad seems to have similar hours too so it sounds typical. It's not that different from school."

"That's true. When you really think about it anyway," Keigo agreed. "Since you get off at 7: 30 you guys want to go get something to eat later?"

Mizuiro was the first to answer. "I have a date. Can't make it," he replied quickly. He was already texting back a reply on his phone to the girl as he spoke.

Disappointment showed on Keigo's face he did not let that deter him. After all he still had one more friend to convince. "Looks like it will be just me and you Ichigo."

Like Mizuiro, Ichigo had to decline Keigo's offer. "Sorry I can't. When I get off I have to go home and do my homework. Afterwards I am hanging out with Inoue. She's supposed to be taking me out for a celebration for getting my job."

"So you both have dates!" cried Keigo. Ichigo and Mizuiro counted down until the bomb that was Keigo would go off on wild rants that frankly went nowhere. "I am the only one among us without a girlfriend! How did this happen? I am a good looking guy! I have a great personality and make people laugh! I should be able to easily get a date!" he whined.

Mizuiro sent of his text. He was now ready to deal with the storm that was one of his best friends. "You scream and whine a lot that might have something to do with it," the short man jabbed. "There is the fact that you are known pervert."

"What are you saying that women do not find me attractive or appealing?"

"In a nut shell yes."

A wave of sadness washed over Keigo completely causing him to sink to his knees. The atmosphere around him became bleak and hopeless. Tears streamed down his eyes. "Hmm, hmm, hmm," he whined like a dog.

Ichigo and Mizuiro almost fell down at the sight of the now very blue Keigo. "This is ridiculous. Get up Keigo and stop embarrassing us and you!" Ichigo shouted. His pleas either did not make it to Keigo or Keigo did not care. Ichigo's temper flared. "Damn it, I said get up now!"

Keigo shook his head sadly. "No, I am too depressed to stand again," he pouted as traced small circles on the floor.

The chocolate eyes were flickering from annoyance. _'This guy is too much,' _Ichigo thought.

Mizuiro had the opposite expression of Ichigo's. His eyelids were closed with amusement while his lips were curled into a U shape. "Asano-san is too much," he joked using Keigo's surname to annoy him to boot.

"Don't call me that," Keigo protested in the same defeated tone.

Keigo did not look as though he would get out of his latest depressed state anytime soon. The obsessive cellphone user went to converse with the ex-substitute instead. "Ichigo, you are hanging out with Inoue again? That's good news right?"

"Yeah, I just hope she doesn't do anything too over the top. She already made me this card. She really doesn't need to do anything else."

"You should be happy. She is obviously going through all this trouble just for you. It is proof of her affection for you," Mizuiro said knowingly.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "I think you are reading too much into it. She just wants to celebrate as friends."

He couldn't believe his ears. How could Ichigo still be in the dark about Inoue's affections for him? She wasn't very good at hiding it. The orange haired man was the definition of oblivious. "Come on, Ichigo. Get with it. There is more than just friendship with you and Inoue."

"Sure it is," Ichigo scoffed.

"I am being serious. You two are inseparable at this point. She goes out of her way to eat breakfast with your family just to walk to school with you. The two of you do homework together at your house. She even eats dinner with your family. Arisawa is complaining because you take most of her time."

"What's your point?" Ichigo asked. He wanted know where Mizuiro was going with this.

"That you two are in a relationship without even realizing it."

"What? That's crazy. That sort of stuff only happens in T.V. shows and manga." Honestly that never happened in real life. Being in a relationship without even knowing it, he expected that from Keigo, but not Mizuiro. Mizuiro was the sensible one.

"Two months ago I would have agreed with you. But somehow you and Inoue managed to bring the myth to life," he joked. His cellphone went off. He went for it. Ready to read the reply his date gave him.

"You are exaggerating."

Mizuiro silently read his text before responding to Ichigo. "You constantly ask a girl to eat with you or see the movies with you or just hang out with you alone. You insist it is just the two of you. You hold hands. Yes we've all noticed the hand holding, which reminds me you two look for any excuse to touch each other. Today at lunch you spilled some food on your coat and Inoue wiped it off for you, but kept her hand on your chest longer than it needed to be. There is the constant flirting. The charged stares you two share. Do I need to keep going or did I make my point?"

He was left speechless. Mizuiro was far more observant than he gave him credit for. He remembered all of that and recited it back to Ichigo. Ichigo wasn't a total idiot. He sensed something was different between them. It seemed like ever since that day two weeks ago when he asked her out for ramen that something changed. Orihime was no longer pulling away from him. She gave more of herself to him. She told him about a conversation she overheard her brother have with her mother. She even told him of her fears of becoming just as bad as her mother. Personally he thought it was ludicrous for Orihime to ever be as bad as her mother with the little he knew of her. He was both touched and honored that she would share something so personal with him. In turn he told her stories about his own mother. She was delighted to hear his stories. Their bond had never been stronger. He thought if bullet proof now.

Their new closeness was not just emotional. As Mizuiro pointed out they had become more physical. Not in that sense, but they did hold hands in public minus school. He wasn't sure how it occurred. They were walking home one day and he noticed their fingers intervened. Instead of blushing or freaking out he merely shrugged it off and continued to hold it until they reached the clinic. She was already prone to resting her body on his. Before she would do it sparingly like when they had their date on Christmas Eve or during the New Year's party at Urahara's shop. Now these touches became frequent. He wondered what she would do if he did the same thing. When they were reading their assignments he joined her on the bed. He built up his courage and rested his head on her lap. She said nothing and allowed him to do it. It was natural almost. He noticed all of these changes but refused to acknowledge them. He was afraid. Afraid that if he mentioned them that Inoue would stop, and put boundaries to their ever growing relationship. He didn't want that. He wanted to learn more about her. He wanted to hold her hand for no reason other than he wanted to. He wanted to lay his head on her lap. If he did not acknowledge these changes there was no fear of it ending. Being so committed to this lie that he was he refused to even hope that these evolving feelings were romantic in anyway.

"I better get going if I want make it in time for work," he told Mizuiro.

'_Typical Ichigo he is changing the subject. Oh well it can't be helped I suppose,' _Mizuiro thought. "I'll see you then." Mizuiro waved Ichigo a farewell.

With his back turned Ichigo returned the wave. "See you, Mizuiro, Keigo," he called back. He was just happy to get out of there. Ichigo may have become more open with Orihime, but that curtsey did not extend to the rest of his friends. He certainly did not wish to share his fears about this. It felt a little too personal for his tastes. He would figure out his relationship with the beautiful healer on his own.

* * *

The first hour had been uneventful. There were a few customers to come in every fifteen minutes or so, but it had been quiet. According to Masaoka Mondays in the mid-afternoon were slow. She said it would pick up at 6. Ichigo's first day was going well. Masaoka showed him were they kept the safe, gave him a key to the locks of cases in order to retrieve encased items for buyers, showed him the break room, etc. Right now he was putting CDs up. He thought it wiser to do this task now before things picked up as Masaoka said.

"Hey, Masaoka!" he called.

"What is it, Ichi-kun?" she called back. That was her nickname for him. He cringed at it when she greeted him by that name today. She knew it bugged him, but did it anyway.

"What do we do if some of these don't sale?"

"Well it depends. Sometimes we just leave them out until someone buys them. Other times we just sale them back to our supplier." She was leaning on the register. Today she wore white long sleeved shirt with a yellow vest. She wore jeans again. "Why, are you hoping to get some CDs for free?" she joked.

"Of course not!" he quickly protested. She narrowed her eyes almost suspiciously before grinning.

"If you say so, Ichi-kun." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Say it like you actually believe me!" he screamed in irritation.

"Hey, hey you do not have to explain anything to me. I get it. If you can get it for free of course you would be interested. I should warn you that if steal from the store in addition to being fired charges will be pressed."

"I am no thief! The fact that you would even suggest a thing is insulting!"

Shiori continued to shake her head as though she were dealing with child throwing a temper tantrum. "I am not the one who asked about CDs am I?"

"You," Ichigo seethed.

"Calm down, clam down. I was only having a bit of fun." She waved her hand in an attempt to make a flag of surrender. "Truce, alright."

"Truce," he agreed. Masaoka was interesting to say the least. She was cool. They had the same tastes in music so they talked about a few songs they liked to listen to. She loved to tease him, but despite how worked up he made himself seem the truth was he did not mind it so much. She didn't go to Karakura High. She went to another school he had already forgotten the name of it. She had been working at Nakamura Electronics for about a year now. She knew the ropes at this point and was passing the reins down to him so to speak. The girl was bold. She didn't seem to take crap from anyone. When an unruly customer made trouble for her when he walked in she basically told him he could either accept that she could not give him a refund or shop somewhere else. Her exact words were, "I am not going to kiss your ass and do whatever you want. We have rules here. Just because you broke your DVD player does not entitle you to a refund without a receipt." It didn't end there. His brain went blank and he forgot her name. Ichigo had to embarrassingly ask her for her name again. She smirked in that same alluring manner as she did two weeks ago. Gorgeous golden haired woman pointed at the name tag on her chest then asked him if he liked what he saw. Of course he went completely red to her amusement. Needless to say after that he made her name into a mantra to avoid another situation like that.

Ichigo put the last CD up. Taking pride at a job well down Ichigo allowed himself to smile. He allowed his gaze to linger on the CDs for a while longer. He failed to notice a slim figure sneak up behind him. She waited to see if he would turn around. When he did not she pounced, throwing her arms on to him, startling him. "Got you!" She pulled him down. They collapsed on the floor.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed. His back was on the floor, while Shiori was lying on top of him. The sky blue eyed woman made no attempt to hide her amusement. She let out string of giggles. "I fail to see how this is funny!"

"Let's see me scaring you then us falling down. Yes that is very funny." She renewed her laughter.

His ire was still very much stirred. However seeing Masaoka laughing or perhaps seeing the humor of the situation himself his wrath he allowed himself to smile slightly. She was just lucky she was so light or else his wrath would not be so easily appeased. "Yeah, yeah, ok I guess it was sort of funny."

"It was totally funny. Lighten up, Ichi-kun. Nobody is here. We can afford to goof around for a bit. Besides you get to have someone like me lying on top of you. It's can't be all that bad." The last part was soft and siren like. The oddly pale blue eyes igniting with hungry that Ichigo had never seen before. The look shook him. What did it mean?

He was about to respond the door opened up. This is just what he needed, a customer walking in and seeing two co-workers on the ground in a compromising position and on his first day too. Could it get any worse?

"Kurosaki-kun?" cried an astonished and familiar voice.

His eyes widened in horror. The universe met his challenge yet again and made it worse, much worse. Ichigo shifted his head to the left to see Orihime standing in the doorway. In all the time he had known her he could not recall her wearing an expression of such utter shock. Her mouth was open while her hazel eyes were scrunched up. Perhaps she thought if she adjusted her eyes enough she would make this image before go away. "I-Inoue," he called weakly. "Hi," he greeted. She said nothing and continued to stare at him or rather them. Damn why didn't Masaoka get off of him?

"Hi," Masaoka greeted the red-orange haired woman. "You are friend of Ichi-kun here, right?" It was then she realized she was still on top of Ichigo. She lifted herself from him (to Ichigo's delight). He followed her lead got to his feet.

"I-Ichi-kun?" the healer repeated. She looked from Shiori to Ichigo. Her gaze stayed with him. He knew what she was trying convey. Her hazel eyes silently asked him to explain why Masaoka was on top of him. He saw the mixture of surprise and what he thought was anger. However he blinked and the second emotion was gone leaving only surprise.

"This isn't what it looks like!" he blurted out. Both women turned to him. "Masaoka thought it was funny to play a joke on by scaring me and we fell down. That's when you came in," he continued in quick succession. They both continued to stare at him. However his focus was completely on Orihime. She looked miffed, but it quickly went away.

"Oh I see," Orihime said.

There was something off with her tone. It seemed strained almost forced. It was as if it was all she could from keeping her voice even. She was obviously bothered by his little episode with Masaoka. He just wasn't sure how much.

"Hi I'm sorry. I was just joking around. I didn't mean to jump all over your boyfriend here," Shiori apologized.

Orihime turned to Ichigo again. She saw how tense he was. She knew he was telling her the truth. The minute he spoke she knew it was all true. However it still didn't change the fact that this girl was on him. She called him Ichi-kun! Who was she to call him that? They had only met what two or three times and she called him Ichi-kun already! She was never so bold. It bothered her that this woman was lying on her Kurosaki-kun, giving him a nick name. That's when she took in her appearance. This girl was like a living work of art. Every curve, her figure, her face, her eyes, her nose, and even a speck on her seemed to be there by design. That gnawing feeling that was eating away at her stomach was flaring up. The green eyed monster had possessed her. Suddenly she did not want her Kurosaki-kun anywhere near this woman. When she realized what she was thinking she pushed that thought out of her head. This was his co-worker here and nothing happened. Orihime refused to be that girl, the one who did not want her boyfriend near a pretty face.

'_Wait did I just think of Kurosaki-kun as my boyfriend?' _she thought. How presumptuous was that? They weren't a couple. They were, she wasn't exactly sure what they were, but they did not clarify it.

"Inoue," Ichigo called. She just stood there. His protective natural was starting to set in.

"Yes," Orihime replied.

Shiori said, "You were kind of just spacing out there."

"Oh I'm fine!" She forced a smile on. "I was just um…."

"Upset you saw me on your boyfriend," Shiori said embarrassingly. Her cheeks were red.

"Well we are friends," she answered.

"Oh, really," Shiori said with a hint of enthusiasm. Orihime picked up on it. A small frown suddenly formed. She did not like hearing this girl brighten at that news. She regretted saying anything at all now.

"Inoue," Ichigo tried again. She took her eyes off Masaoka and turned them on him. He was taken aback slightly when he saw the glare. Like before it dissipated before he could get a closer look.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun." The same forced cheer radiated in her voice.

"Umm, let me introduce you. This is my co-worker, Masaoka Shiori. Masaoka this is Inoue Orihime, one of my best friends." He observed the two woman shake hands giving each other smiles that seemed false to him. "Hey, Inoue did you need something?"

"No, I just came here to see how your first day was going," Orihime replied. She tried to hide her jealousy from him. She did not want him to see her like that.

"Things have been slow so far. Masaoka says they will pick up at 6." There it was again that displeased frown grace her lips once more. Just as quickly as it appeared it disappeared. That frown and that glare sent chills down his spine. "Hey are we still on for tonight?" he asked.

"Huh? I mean yes tonight. Yes we are still on for tonight. It is almost 6 now. I don't want to stop you two from working." She turned for the door. "Bye Kurosaki-kun I'll see you later. Bye Masaoka-chan!" They said their farewells and she was out of there. As soon as she left the store her force smile fell into a frown. She could not believe how possessive she was back there. It was so unlike her. Even when she was jealous of Kuchiki-san she was never like that. The moment her eyes fell on that girl lying on Ichigo, with this look of desire it set her off. Masaoka was going to be Ichigo's co-worker she had to get her jealousy in check. That was easier said than done though. There was still that suppressed joy when Masaoka found out Ichigo was not her boyfriend. Suddenly she recalled Yuzu's words.

_"You should tell him. I mean you say you are fine with just being his friend, but what will you do if he shows interest in another girl?" _

Could Yuzu's words have been a true? Did she wait too long? Was Kurosaki-kun interested in that girl? No she wouldn't even think of that. It was too painful to even think of her orange haired savior giving Masaoka that same loving stare that he gave Kuchiki-san, the same one he gave her. There no sense in worrying about something that had not happened yet. Tonight they would talk like they always did. Until then she was determined to not think about Masaoka Shiori.

* * *

They had been walking for some time now. He wondered where this celebration would be exactly. When he got home Orihime hurried him along up stairs. She told him to finish his homework so that they could hurry up and go. She was a bouncing ball of electricity constantly jumping from one spot to another one. He asked her what had gotten her in this good of a mood she simply said he would have to wait and see. Several questions later and having them all shot down the ex-substitute conceded trying to weasel any information out of the goddess. Ichigo did as she wished and did his homework. With Orihime's help he was able to quickly power through the assignments. The second he finished writing she grabbed him his hand and hurried him along. He was very interested in what had gotten Inoue this excited. He hadn't seen this side to her in a while.

They bid his family a farewell and they were out the door. Inoue guided him to wherever they were going and he just followed. The journey had a comfortable silence that lulled them into well-deserved and sought peace; a peace that did not seem to be in sight during the war. She spoke only once to tell him to shut his eyes. When he asked why she replied that it was a surprise. He recognized that furious determination in her eyes. No amount of staring would break her resolve this time. With no chance of victory Ichigo did as she asked and allowed Inoue to lead him to their mystery destination. He stayed true to his word and kept his eyes shut. He had no idea where they were or how long they had been walking. Despite this he had no fear. That was the strength of their bond. He trusted Inoue with his life. He would follow her anywhere without hesitation.

"We are here," she said excitedly.

"Can I open my eyes now?" he ventured.

"Yes," Orihime replied.

Ichigo opened his eyelids. His heart stopped for a second. His eyes found one of his favorite sights to see when they opened, her smiling beautiful face. It was a sight he was certain he would never grow tired of.

"Toda," cheered the healer. Orihime moved out of his line of sight revealing her apartment door. He face frowned in perplexity. His surprise was her apartment? They must have been on the same wavelength at that moment because she addressed his question. "It is inside," Orihime stated. She intertwined her fingers with his. Without words she beckoned him to follow her. Once again without doubt he followed her. They went through the door. The apartment was free from any clutter or dust. Orihime stayed with the Kurosakis she still made it a point to go home every so often. She had to maintain it for when she finally returned. Plus Tatsuki was still no wiser to her residency at the clinic. It helped to keep the place still looking in shape for when Tatsuki and she hung out. Ichigo scanned the room to find any changes. Everything looked normal until he spotted a table set for two.

"You um made me dinner?" he asked nervously. He hoped that his face did not show the dread that taken over his heart. Inoue had odd taste in food. She mixed very unlikely ingredients and food items together. Ichigo would brave through a lot and he had. One thing he had prayed and hoped he would never have to brave her cooking.

"Actually I didn't make dinner."

Oh thank the gods. His stomach was safe for another day. It showed its gratitude by doing summersaults.

"I took some of Yuzu-chan's meal and brought it here earlier when you were at work," she explained. She crossed the room with Ichigo in toe. "That's not all."

"Oh," he said with bit of mirth. "What is the rest of it?" He crossed his legs and sat on the floor, in front of the table.

"I just rented one of your favorite movies, Demon Fighter 2!" Orihime presented the DVD cover.

Ichigo's face lit up (not to the extent that Inoue did of course) "Alright! Don't tell me you rented this while I was at work too?"

The healer nodded. "The reason I visited you today is because I was going to the video store to rent it," she explained.

"You lied to me without giving yourself away."

"No! I did not lie to you! I did stop by the store to visit you. I just neglected to tell you I was going to the video store afterwards," she defended.

"I think I might be a bad influence on you," he joked. "I better watch my back. Tatsuki is sure to hunt me down once she finds out about your increasing deviousness."

Orihime shook her head back and forth. "Don't say things like that!"

A smile broke out on his face. Inoue seemed to get these glow to her when she became flustered. "Sorry," he apologized.

She was quick to forgive him. "Do you want to eat first then watch the movie or do both?"

That was right her table was set up near the T.V. If they wanted to they could actually do both. "How about we eat first then watch the movie?"

"That sounds good to me." Orihime took her seat across from him. They started to devour their meals. "How did the rest of your day go?"

"It went good. After you left the store got a lot busier. It made time go by quicker."

"You and Masaoka-chan were pretty busy then?"

When she mentioned Masaoka he tensed up. He was hoping this wouldn't come up. "Yeah, we were pretty busy," he replied.

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime summoned. Ichigo gave her his attention. She was unsure how to exactly broach this subject. "How do you like Masaoka-chan?" His skin turned as white as the hollow form he took when he was resurrected.

"H-How do you mean?" The confidence he was usually known for had abandoned him.

"It's as it sounds," she said with a bit of annoyance. Was he trying to avoid the question? "Do you think she's nice or pretty?" All of her being was now focused on him and his answer.

"Well she is cool I guess. She reminds me of Yoruichi-san." He was looking straight at his plate, but he felt her stare on him. Sweat started to escape his pours. This was no longer a care free conversation. It was interrogation. He had to choose his words very carefully.

"I am glad you get along with your new co-worker so far." That didn't tell her anything. He did not answer rather she was pretty or not. This called for a new tactic. "Masaoka-chan is very pretty, don't you think?"

"Umm, I guess. I haven't really noticed," he said unconvincingly. It was a good thing he avoided her gaze because she was shooting him a glare. She hated when he lied to her.

"Kurosaki-kun, I…..I felt bothered when I saw Masaoka-chan lying on top of you today." Ichigo looked up from his meal. His eyes had broadened. It was apparent that he had not expected her to say that. "I….I don't like how she was looking at you when I came in there. I am unsure if this is stepping over any boundaries, but I want to tell you how I feel. I know she is your co-worker. I know you will be spending a lot of time with her. I just…. That way she looked at you it just…."

"It bothered you," he finished for her. The healer nodded in agreement. "Inoue, you are very special to me."

"I know," she said.

"I am sorry I made you feel….bothered. You know I didn't do anything though right?"

"Yes, I know you didn't. I believed you when you told me earlier this evening."

He let out a huge breath of relief. Thank whatever deity it was that made her believed him. "After you left customers came in by the minute. We spent the rest of time ringing items up and retrieving things for people," Ichigo explained. He rested his hand on her knee. "You don't have to worry. We are good, right? Things between us have been going so good. I feel like you know me better than anyone else. I love being so in tune with you. You know when I feel shitty and tell listen to me or make me feel better. You….we…..our bond it's different from the other bonds I have with Chad or Ishida or Rukia." He moved his hand to her hair. He brushed the vibrant orange strands away. "Our bond is so strong, it feels untouchable, but I don't want to test that."

"What are you saying?" Orihime asked.

"If Masaoka bothers you I can quit."

"What?" she uttered. Orihime stared at him unsure if this was reality or fantasy.

"Inoue, today I talked to Mizuiro and realized how much closer we are. I don't want to lose that. I don't want you to pull away from me. The way you looked at Masaoka today I was afraid you might start to do that."

"But you just started working there. I shouldn't have mentioned this."

"No, I am glad you told me. I want you to be honest with me about how you feel."

"I am being selfish. I can't ask you to quit a job because I felt bothered by something," she argued.

"I don't want you to feel that way."

"You can't always put me above yourself!" she blurted out. He was taken aback. "I didn't tell you that so you would quit. I just wanted to know where we stood. You need this job." Her fingers touched the cool flesh of his hand still in her hair. "I won't pull away from you, but you can't quit this job. I know that's hard for you because you want to protect me. That's your nature. But sometimes it makes you do drastic things. I am going to protect you from yourself."

He scrunched his face up. "Protect me from myself?"

She smiled. "I told you there are times when I can protect you. This is one of those times. Promise me you will keep this job. Kurosaki-kun, I want you to be happy. I think you aren't going to be if you keep putting my needs first. I think you'll start to resent me if you do that."

"I would never resent you!"

"Not yet, but always making changes for me without a thought to yourself. I'll get over it. Masaoka-chan and I will probably become good friends. I'll deal with it, but please don't quit for me. Trust our bond. You said yourself it is so strong that it can endure anything. I believe that too. I believe that because I don't want to lose any part of you either. I want to us to keep what we have now and get more. But that won't happen if you don't trust our bond."

"Damn you are a lot smarter than me." His lips curved into a U shape. "Inoue, thanks for protecting me. I'll trust our bond and won't quit." His smile formed on her flawless face.

"Do you want to watch the movie now?" she asked.

Ichigo however shook his head surprising her. "I would rather just sit here with you." Their fingers became intertwined once more. Orihime crawled over to him. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"This is what you want to do?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "I like holding this hand."

Blush formed on her face. "I like resting on your shoulder."

"Inoue, don't take this the wrong way, but um would you mind if I slept in my bed with you tonight?" She took her head from his shoulder and looked up at him with an unknown look. "I don't want to be away from you tonight."

"I don't mind at all."

Whatever they were or weren't she could no longer deny that there was something there. They both felt it at this point. It wasn't a declaration of love, but that was fine. Their bond was evolving slowly, but considering whom they were it made sense. It might not be what Rukia or Tatsuki had intended for it to be, but it was just right for Orihime. She was still making her bond with Ichigo be what she wanted it.

* * *

**Do you hate me for no actual confession yet? Stick with me its leading somewhere guys, I promise. It's Ichigo and Orihime though. They are stubborn and emotionally guarded people. The progress is slow, but I think they would actually be this slow. Orihime won't tell Ichigo and while Ichigo loves his friends he keeps them out most of the time. I can't imagine him being any better than Inoue at telling anyone he has feelings for them. That's kind why I am doing this semi-relationship thing. They know they are going beyond friends now, but fear and nervousness if keeping them from bringing it up. This is going somewhere. January is almost over and you know what that means, February which has a certain holiday in it. I hope you guys like it. Please review. **


	22. Valentine's Day

**Hello again readers. I found myself with time after all, so I was able to work on this chapter. I want to thank everyone who has taken an interest in my story. 972 hits in one day surprised me. I am happy that so many people are finding this story enjoyable. I will strive to maintain your interest, while trying to create a good plot. This chapter is a Valentine's Day one. I am sure you guessed that by the name of the chapter. This chapter has romance in it, along with some mystery, a little action, comedy, and some drama. I am lazy so I am just going to copy and paste Valentine's Day in Japan from one of the websites I did research on: **

_**Valentine's Day (February 14) in Japan is basically the day for women to give men chocolates or gifts. This is how Valentine's Day is celebrated in Japan and attractively packaged chocolates are widely sold at stores in Japan before Valentine's Day. Women are expressing love to men by giving chocolates on Valentine's Day. But it's also common for women to give chocolates to men who they don't actually love, such as co-workers and friends. This kind of chocolates are called giri-choco which mean chocolates given because of obligations. Japanese women commonly buy many giri-choco. **_

_**Men who received chocolates or gifts on Valentine's Day are supposed to give gifts back to the women on March 14th called White Day. Gifts for White Day vary but they are usually sweets, such as candies and cookies. **_

_**New Valentine's Day customs have recently been practiced in Japan. One is called "gyaku-choco (reverse chocolate)" which means chocolates given by men to women on Valentine's Day. Also, "tomo-choco (friendship chocolate)" is becoming popular among Japanese girls. They give their friends chocolates on Valentine's Day. **_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo owns everything. Well I do own Masaoka Shiori, she is totally original character. P. S. mickiressa I think you will find this chapter interesting. **

* * *

"You are an idiot," Tatsuki said. It was not uncommon for her to say such things. She would often hear those words whenever she did something that drove her best friend mad with her actions. Sometimes she would tell her those words when she was really being an idiot, like when she refused to talk to Kurosaki-kun. There were times when she would find herself agreeing with Tatsuki's assessment especially about the keeping Ichigo at bay. However this was not one of those times. She did not understand where Tatsuki was coming from. In the past she would understand the reason for the raven haired woman's jaded remark. This time it just came out of nowhere. She had been sitting down in their favorite booth at one of their favorite winter hang outs, the café that was half way between both of their places. Tatsuki walked through the door and without so much as a greeting sits down then threw said remark at her.

"I don't understand. Why am I an idiot, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked clearly baffled. She was so baffled that imaginary question marks formed around her head.

Tatsuki shook her head. She shot Orihime with a frustrated yet exhausted glare. It was the look of a worn out woman, the one who had been fighting all of her life to achieve goal that had always eluded her. It was a look that Orihime was not familiar with on her pseudo sister's face. "You forced Ichigo to keep that job with that oversexed blonde!" she exclaimed. The raven haired woman slapped her forehead then slapped the red-orange haired woman sitting across from her on the forehead.

"Ow!" exclaimed the goddess of Karakura High. Tatsuki looked unsympathetic in her plight at all. Her glare remained in full force.

"I don't understand how you can be so smart and do such stupid things! Does your brain go on vacation?" Tatsuki continued.

Orihime carefully rubbed her forehead which had turned slightly red. "Hmm, you are mean, Tatsuki-chan," she whined.

The second strongest girl in Japan slammed her fists on the table causing Orihime to jump. "We have bigger problems than your forehead! Stay focus! Now why on Earth would you make Ichigo keep that job after he offered to quit?"

Orihime stopped nursing her head. The two women were now staring right at each other. None of the humor or ecstasy danced in Orihime's hazel eyes. They were clear and focused. Tatsuki was caught off guard when she met these eyes. She knew her best friend was serious. "I don't want Kurosaki-kun to always put me above himself," she said plainly.

Tatsuki was trying very hard not to hit Orihime again, but it was very difficult not to. The gentle healer was just making it too easy for her to do. "Please tell me you have a better reason than that?" Orihime did not respond. She kept looking at Tatsuki with the same cleared gaze as before. The raven haired woman let out an exaggerated groan. "Orihime, what is wrong with you?"

"I do not see anything wrong with what I said," Orihime defended. Her reasoning was valid. If she wanted her relationship with Ichigo to evolve further she could not expect him to always change something just to accommodate her. That was not to say she wanted him to ignore her concerns, but if she accepted his offer and forced him to give up that job it would have started a slippery slope. If he was going to quit this job for her would she expect him to do it because she found his next job un-suitable because another woman had taken an interest in him? There was also trust to consider. If he quit his job it was as if it said she did not trust him. Without trust their relationship would never evolve. It was as Rukia had told her. She needed to put more faith in her bond with Ichigo. That was something she had always been unable to do it. This was her chances to put the raven haired shinigami's advice to the test.

Tatsuki apparently did not feel the same way judging by the scowl she wore. "Orihime, I just came from that store to visit Ichigo. His co-worker, Masaoka is hot! If I were to score her out of ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest she would be a twelve!" she exclaimed. This put a frown on her pseudo sister's face. Tatsuki could not remember the last time she saw Orihime glare and actually mean it. When the healer did glare she was unable to totally leave the happiness that coursed through her veins. At present there was no happiness or mirth hiding anywhere in the hazel eyes. "I mean don't get me wrong you are prettier than her. Going by what you told me and what I saw today she is going to be trouble."

Orihime's eyes widened, dropping her glare. Fear made its way into her heart. "What did you see?" she asked before she could stop herself. She turned her gaze to the table as she tried to hide her eagerness.

Tatsuki did not immediately answer. She took her time to gather her thoughts. She did not wish to worry her best friend. However she desired to prepare her friend for the battle she was not fighting, at least in Tatsuki's humble opinion. "She was flirting with him." She was subjected to Orihime's worried filled gaze once more. "It wasn't like a really obvious way. It was subtle and I don't think Ichigo caught on to it. But you know how dense he is." Dense was the kind way to say that Ichigo was a totally oblivious and a bit of an emotional idiot. Come on quit dancing around the idea of being with Orihime and get on with it! "But on the bright side Ichigo was not flirting back."

Some sense of satisfaction wormed its way to Orihime's heart. Masaoka was not making any head way at least from what Tatsuki said. She on the other hand was making steady progress with her beloved.

"This brings me back to my original question. Why would you not only object to Ichigo's offer to quit for your sake, but also make him promise you he would keep it?"

"It is like I said before. I do not always want him to put me ahead of himself. I don't want him to keep on changing for my sake. If he does he could end up resenting me for it. Maybe quitting this job would not have done that, but it could have been a stepping stone. And…."

"And, what?" asked Tatsuki. She was still unsure if Orihime's reasoning was sound.

"I am tired of doubting my bond with Kurosaki-kun. I have been so afraid to get closer to him because I did not trust my bond with him. Kuchiki-san made me realize that. I understand what you are saying. I still feel this ping of jealousy when I see Masaoka-chan touch him on the shoulder or smile at him or studying him when I walk him to work or stop by to walk with him after his shift ends. Part of me does not wish him to be near her at times, but I trust him." Tatsuki looked like she was about to say something, but did not open her mouth to speak. Even with her silence Orihime could see the apprehension in her friend's own brown eyes.

Orihime continued, "I told him how I felt and he reassured me nothing happened. I know he cherishes our bond as much as I do. Like I did he still has some doubts. He is afraid I am going to pull away from him because of Masaoka-chan. I need to show him that will not happen. We need to have more faith in our bond in order for it to continue to evolve. There is always going to be someone who is interested in Kurosaki-kun. Making him quit a job to stop one makes no sense. I have faith that my bond with him is strong enough to endure this."

"You have that much faith in your bond with Ichigo?"

"Yes, I hold a special place in his heart that nobody can take, not Masaoka-chan or anyone else," she said confidently.

Pride and admiration made themselves known on the raven haired woman's face. It was astounding how much more confidence Orihime possessed after having a conversation with Kuchiki. She was unsure if contacting the fellow raven haired woman would do much. She even feared contacting her would cause Orihime to alienate herself from her, thinking Tatsuki's contacting the shinigami was a violation of her trust. She was glad her fears went unwarranted. The proclaimed goddess sat before her telling her that while she was jealous of her latest rival she had so much faith in Ichigo and her bond with him that she felt comfortable to reject Ichigo's offer to quit his job.

"Besides it has been two weeks since he started that job. He likes it. He even likes Masaoka-chan although I can tell he does not want to for my sake." Tatsuki silently told her to explain with a look. "I mean as a friend. Since his first day she has not been on him. You know what I am ok with that." She giggled promoting another questioning gaze from Tatsuki. "Kurosaki-kun feels so guilty about actually getting along with Masaoka-chan that he has become a bit more affectionate towards me."

Now the second strongest girl in Japan's interest was at its peak. "Explain what you mean by affectionate?"

Her lips curled into a shy yet proud smirk. "You know how sometimes he will hold my hand when we walk?"

"Yes," Tatsuki replied.

"Well he started to grab my hand and give it a squeeze when we are walking. He'll just brush my hair at times without warning. I think he just looks for any excuse to touch me to show me he cares."

"I can't believe Ichigo of all people would do that."

"I know. He does it when we are alone. He'll never do that at school or when we are around you or the others." That was not the extent of his more affectionate behavior. It was just as much as Orihime could tell Tatsuki without revealing her staying at the Kurosaki Clinic. One particular interesting tidbit that she could not tell Tatsuki without fear of her going out to murder her beloved was that they found themselves sharing the same bed. Neither of them meant for it to happen more than that one night two weeks ago nor was it by any means an everyday event. Originally they only shared his bed when she had troubling nightmare and his presence helped sooth her back into sleep and even then when she went back to sleep he would leave. Recently they would just share his bed. Like he said on that night of his first day at Nakamura Electronics Kurosaki-kun would sometimes say he wanted to be near her. She would welcome him and they would sleep together. He would wrap his arms around her, sometimes nuzzle her hair (which she loved) and they would fall asleep basking in their presence.

It was innocent in nature, but they did not dare tell anyone least of all his father. It was not a regular occurrence. This happened four or five times in the last two weeks. She loved those nights when they actually laid together. As she had said many times in the past his embrace, the warm secure blanket she felt from his presence would cover her. She felt no fear from anything in that embrace. Her nightmares had no power to induce terror within her when she was wrapped in the blanket of his aura. Not that her nightmares held much power any more. They had all but fade from existence. She would have one every now or then, but they appeared sporadically now. Over the last few months she could feel them becoming weaker. Now that she had resolved her issues with Kuchiki-san they lost what little hold they had left. The guilt was no longer there, lurking in her heart. The voice that had kept screaming at her that she was inferior to Rukia in Ichigo's eyes was silent as well. With the last foot hold gone the war seemed to at last be behind her. Of course that meant one thing. She would have to brace herself for leaving the Kurosaki household and return to her own place. This was a bittersweet realization.

The nightmares she had fought so long and hard to be rid of, that had caused her such pain had brought her a blessing. It was only through her nightmares that she had been allowed to stay with the Kurosaki family. Their kindness and understanding gave her something she had not felt in such a long time, the love of a family. The meals, the family meetings (which Isshin insisted she be a part of), doing homework with Yuzu, going to Karin's games, and even allowing Isshin to introduce her to the giant picture of his late wife. As wonderful as it had all been it was still temporary. Now that her nightmares were no gone she would have to return to her normal life.

"You two have made great progress," Tatsuki complimented. She had a smirk that rivaled Orihime's. "Now it's time to pull him in!"

"Eh?" cried a bewildered Orihime. The question marks made their return around her head. The smirk faded into a frown.

The black belt punched her left hand as if preparing to do battle. In a way she was readying her Orihime for the battle of her life (not counting the ones involving hollows, shinigami, and arrancar). "You and Ichigo are still not an official couple. It's only a technicality considering you two are basically an item. Now we prepare to make it official and we have to do it before Masaoka makes her move," she explained. Orihime was still unsure what she was saying, that was obvious based on the cluelessness attached to her face. "Two weeks from now is Valentine's Day. I know I do not need to tell you the significance of that day. I am taking it upon myself to help you make chocolate for Ichigo."

"What?" Orihime squeaked.

Tatsuki put her hand on Orihime's left shoulder, caressed it comfortingly. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you have the oddest taste in food. If you don't want to make Ichigo vomit you will need someone with normal tastes to help you make it. We will get Yuzu to help us. She wants you to date her brother so badly she'll jump at the chance to help us make chocolate."

Her stomach dropped and uneasiness formed that made any previous nauseous feeling feel tame in comparison. Suddenly eating or even drinking anything became a bad idea. She had no clue whether or not she could hold down anything at the moment.

"Orihime," Tatsuki called worriedly. The healer rested her hands over her stomach, causing panic to set in her own stomach. "You look a bit green."

"H-homemade chocolate, you mean hom….honmei ch….choco?" she managed to stutter out.

Tatsuki nodded her head slowly so the healer would follow. "Yes, homemade honmei choco," she repeated slowly.

The sickly green shade that had plagued her normally milk white skin got deeper. "Don't you think that honmei choco especially homemade is a bit too much at this point?"

The chocolate laced eyes of the raven haired woman were consumed by disbelief and irritation. What was wrong with her? Tatsuki just heard her say not five minutes ago that Ichigo would grab her hand and brush her hair to show affection. However the thought of giving him homemade chocolate for Valentine's Day still had the power to make her green with illness. Orihime needed to pick a side and stick with it. "Come on you are past the point of does he like you or not. It's a fact at this point. You two are past the point giri choco."

There was truth in Tatsuki's words. She had been spending a great deal of her time with Ichigo. If she were honest with herself she saw more of the orange haired ex-substitute than she saw her best friend. Something that Tatsuki was quick to point out. The pretense of their relationship being completely platonic had all but dropped. The loving stares and hand holding they did could not be masked in a purely platonic fashion. Romance had infected those actions. While small gestures such as the hand holding or stolen glances they took, the romantic affection in them seemed to speak volumes. Neither of them voiced these non-platonic actions they participated in though. Orihime now had faith that Kurosaki-kun shared her affections, but nervousness or her bashful nature prevented her to bring up these undefined tokens of affection. She imagined it was the same for him. From this an unspoken understanding had formed between them. She had hard time fully articulating it in words alone. If pressed to do so she would say that they were toying with the idea of being in a romantic relationship. There were no rules per say. They were more like implications and guidelines that they followed. In here is where the problem sprang. With no rules she was unsure what or where Valentine's Day entitled her to do. Obviously she would give him chocolate. That was not the problem. She had no idea if she should give him giri choco like she would give her other male friends such, as Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Asano-kun, and Kojima-kun. Or if she should give him honmei choco to officially reveal her love for him. It was all so black and white and they were one blurred gray color. They were not friends, yet were. They were not a couple and yet were somehow. They were like semi-couple a combination of the two. They were slowly leaning to the black couple side although it was still far from being clear and untainted by the splotches of white friendship.

"I am…..uncertain if I can give him honmei choco."

"Orihime!" exclaimed Tatsuki in irritation. "This holiday is perfect for you two to finally get your feelings out there! You cannot continue to dance around the idea of being together and not go for it. How would Ichigo react if you gave him giri choco? That is the same way of telling him you just want to be friends. That will undo all of the progress you made with him!"

That thought had not even entered her mind. If she bought some giri choco it could send the wrong message to Kurosaki-kun. She did want to do something that at least hinted that she was hoping for more of their relationship.

"….And you have to take Masaoka in account," reminded the black belt.

"What does she have to do with this?" A small frown graced her lips. She did not like the mention of Valentine's Day, Kurosaki-kun, and her lumped in together.

"She is interested in Ichigo. What if she gives him some honmei choco? Now Ichigo looks at your chocolate which expresses your desire to remain friends then looks at Masaoka's chocolates that show that she has an interest in him. He'll go after her and you will have pushed him into the arms of another woman," she warned.

"That would….." Orihime stopped in mid-sentence. The idea was ludicrous at first, but after her mind analyzed it and put a simulation of the events Tatsuki described it sounded quit possible. Masaoka was a co-worker. It was not uncommon for women to give chocolate to their co-workers on the 14th. The blonde made it clear with her actions that she had taken an interest in her beloved. No, there was no way she would allow herself to be beaten! Not this easily and not without a fight. The brown eyes hardened with a determination akin to Ichigo's steely gaze.

"That is more like it!" Tatsuki cheered. "You are going to have fight for what you want this time around."

"Yes," Orihime stated with the same hardness her gaze possessed.

Impressed with the fire in Orihime's brown doe like eyes which were now narrowed into a slight triangular shape Tatsuki could only smile. It was not a small or modest smile. This was a full-blown, teeth showing smile, plastered on. "While we are at it lets give you a makeover."

The mask of the determined hard warrior was shattered, revealing her perplex expression. "Makeover?" the healer repeated dumbly. "You don't like the way I look?" There was some pain in her tone.

Guilty about making Orihime feel this way Tatsuki's own expression fell, leaving a remorseful one in its place. "No, I am not saying that I dislike the way you look. I envy your appearance some times. But I think you should change it a bit to lure Ichigo in. Not to say that Ichigo dislikes your appearance." She hastily threw in the last part so as not to make the poor energetic healer feel fear. "All I am saying is a little change would be nice." Her hand reached out and brushed the vibrant orange stands. "Masaoka is pretty, but you are beautiful. A new look would highlight that."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah, when we are done we will drive Ichigo wild." This destroyed the pained look on Orihime. Her normal sunny and overly cheery persona returned. "We won't make you over until the 13th that way it will be a surprise to Ichigo on Valentine's Day. Got it?"

Pure jubilation had burst from her. Kurosaki-kun going wild over her appearance would be spectacular! She saw him linger on her a little more than he needed to. He had called her beautiful a few times, but she had never seen him lose total control over himself as she did at times. She never caught him stare at her as though he could not help it, like she did. "Got it!" she replied excitedly. The two girls had made a pact. Two weeks from now they would succeed where even Aizen failed to do. They would defeat Kurosaki Ichigo. He wouldn't even know what hit him.

* * *

It descended from the skies and crashed down into the Earth. The force it created when it hit the ground created an earth shattering shockwave that most likely went for miles, shaking people up. They would assume it was an earthquake, nothing more. Then go on with their lives. They were unaware of the true nature of this shockwave. They were ignorant to the fact that what had been cast out from the heavens was far more dangerous than any earthquake. This danger would do more than just bodily harm to their physical bodies. It would devour their souls in its never ending quest to satisfy the unending hunger it felt. A quest meant to close the hole left when his heart was consumed by its own selfish desire.

He could see it clearly even from a distance. Its appearance was monstrous, but he was not surprised. He had seen enough of them and their varying yet equally grotesque appearances to be used to them by now. This being was no different from the others. Its appearance had its own uniqueness of course, but it was still in the realms of the grotesque forms those of its kind shared. It had a humanoid body, but did not share a human's size. Even though it was slouching he could tell at its full upright height could easily clear ten feet. Its hands were three times the size that you would expect of a being of his height. This problem could be attributed to the razor sharp white talons it had. They looked as sharp if not sharper than any blade. The length of his arms nearly reached the ground it stood in. He noticed that it possessed a tail, which it clumsily thrashed around without care or worry. Long gray spikes sprouted from the tail. There was a pathway of spikes starting with the tip of the tail and ending at the spine. Despite the reptilian feature it had dark brown and red fur all over its body. The most unique features it had was the big circular hole in its chest and the mask it wore over its face. To the average observer this being would appear to be a demon, but he knew better. This was no demon. It was no better than one in his opinion, but demons were wicked in their own right. This poor creature had been an innocent soul who had lost its way, this being was a hollow.

A loud cry filled the skies. It was powerful enough to scare all wild life that had remained here during the winter. They fled while the people around them remained. They could not see or hear the creature. Completely unaware that they were being stalked they continued to frolic and play. The cry had been mighty yet there rang a sorrow in it that touched him. He soon pushed that sorrow out of his heart. If he was to do his job he would have to be detached and cold, unyielding and unwavering. The hollow dug itself out of the crater it created. It started to journey to where the children were playing in the snow. In its mad dash it did not even notice his presence. If it did it would have surely gone after him due to his having the highest amount of reiatsu in this area. This suited him much better. Now that he was unnoticed he could make quick work of it. He pulled the string created from spiritual energy gathered from environment. Summoning his own reiatsu from within an otherworldly radiant blue arrow materialized as soon as he pulled the string back as far as it would go. With swiftness and coordination of feline about to strike his prey he took aim, lining up his bow and arrow with the hollow's back. He released the string, sending the reiatsu created arrow flying at speeds undetectable to the human eye.

The hollow never saw it coming. Within seconds the arrow flew through his throat. Blood splattered from the fresh wound. It would contaminate the white powder that rested on the ground, but not before the hollow's body collapsed to the ground, beating its own spilled blood by seconds. It probably would have screamed in agony if its throat was not been pierced. Not waiting for the hollow to even twitch he fired off four more arrows in rapid succession, each had a different target. Two arrows went through its hands, while the last two went through the back of its legs. It was pinned down to the ground. However he did not stop there. He unleashed two more shots. They went through its tail, safely securing it to the ground. Having been satisfied he used his hirenkyaku to materialize himself right in front of the bonded hollow. Once it laid eyes on him it opened its mouth, but no sound came out. He knew it wanted to roar its hatred of him. The poor soul no longer had the ability to create sound with the arrow lodged through his throat. In fact his arrows restrained his movement to the point where it could only tremble.

It was tempting to finish it off now and put it out of its misery. He knew he could not do that. He was forbidden to kill hollows. The best he could do was to restrain them until that unreliable shinigami came to properly finish, cleansing its soul. Whether it crossed over to the Soul Society or sent off to the deepest pits of Hell was up to the deeds it did in its human life. "Struggle all you like. I made sure to implant the arrows so deeply into the ground that you will not be able to uplift them. Not with your diminished strength," he said.

The hollow opened its mouth as before no sound came from it. "Are you trying to ask me who I am?" he asked. The hollow responded by opening its mouth, trying its hardest to convey some message to him. "If that is your question then I'll answer it. My name is Ishida Uryu, I am a quincy," he replied coolly. He was not wearing his white quincy uniform. Instead he wore his sky blue jacket over his school uniform. There was no time to change into the attire of the quincy. It was faster to go out in what he was wearing now. "You are the fifth hollow I stopped today," he said curiously. It was not unheard of for multiple hollows to appear at different times of the day. It was still unusual for more than three to show up only hours apart from each other.

Uryu's normally neutral mask was gone. He wore a scowl that while not as fierce as his rival's was still frightening in its own right. _'What does this mean?' _he wondered. Even Urahara had thought it strange for a fifth hollow's appearance in Karakura Town when the last one appeared only twenty minutes ago when he had called Uryu. At first he assumed another arrancar came to the Human World and was sending this hollows like the one Inoue-san had fought weeks ago. However he did not sense any traces of an arrancar's reiatsu. All the hollows he exterminated had lost the conscious mind to their hollow instinct. They were little more than mindless beasts who let their hunger lead them. Unable to question them Uryu left the hollows to their fate, to be purified by that unreliable shinigami.

"Hey!"

The quincy cringed as he turned around to see the large bushy afro, loud mouth, and conceited man he was just thinking about. He wore that underserved proud smile. It made Uryu sick to see that smile. This man had nothing to be proud about. From what he gathered he was an average shinigami at best, but acted as though he were some kind of elite. His swordsmanship was poor, he had no skill in the shunpo, and while he had not witnessed the man perform kido he was willing to bet the man was average or mediocre in it. How this man thought he was anything more than a foot soldier was beyond Uryu. He had battled his fair share of shinigami in the Soul Society. The quincy had some good measure of how strong their elites were. This afro shinigami was not even at a fifth seated officer's level. He was certainly a step down from Karakura's last shinigami representative, Kuchiki-san.

"Yo, glasses guy!" the shinigami shouted again. He landed beside the glasses cladded man and the sealed hollow. The detested smile was still in place.

Uryu sighed in aggravation before closing his eyes. His back was to the man, hiding his annoyance from his co-worker. "I told you my name is Ishida, Ishida Uryu. Stop calling me glasses guy, Kurumadani!"

The afro man was taken aback. "Calm down, it is no big deal."

Irritation seeped into Uryu's face. He turned around to glare daggers at the shinigami. "I had the common curtsey to learn your name. The least you can do is to learn my name!"

"Ok, ok I'll learn your name, I-I…." He paused. His memory faltered as usual which drew more of the glasses cladded man's contempt out.

"ISHIDA URYU!" screamed the quincy. His voice had been so loud that it drew the children's attention. They looked puzzled as to why the man was shouting when he was by himself. "I can't stand you, do you know that? You are the most self-centered and ego-centric man I have ever met! After all these weeks you still do not know my name!"

Kurumadani put his hands up in surrender. He mustered his best apologetic expression. "I am sorry, Uryu just please calm down," he urged.

Still enraged by the afro shinigami's nonchalant behavior Uryu snubbed him. "It's a bit presumptuous to believe you can use my given name." He crossed his arms.

"Fine, Ishida is that better?" he asked. The only response he received was silence.

"Just hurry up and purify the hollow so I can leave." He was so sick of waiting for this sad excuse for a shinigami. He still needed to finish his homework. He had to deal with sewing for the crafts club and now that he had become president of the student council he had even more things to do.

"Somebody is impatient," Kurumadani stated taken offense to Ishida looking down on him.

"I have other things to do. You are too slow to respond to hollows so it forces me to not only restrain them, but watch over them until you come to finish the job."

"Well that wouldn't be an issue if you simply waited for me and we dealt with hollows together," Kurumadani replied. "You are supposed to be supporting me, not showing me up," he complained.

The quincy scoffed. "Are you a complete moron, Kurumadani?"

A vein formed on the shinigami's forehead. He gritted his teeth and scrunched his eyes, while his body shook with anger. "What did you say?" he screamed. "Show some respect human! You cannot talk to me that way! I am a shinigami after all you are just here because the bosses threw you a break!"

Unaffected by either Kurumadani's dark expression or by his words Uryu narrowed his eyes before shaking his head to show his dismay. "Do you not understand my role at all? I am to respond to hollows as quickly as I can. From there I am to either stall them or stop their movement until you arrive to finish the hollow off by purify it with your zanpakuto. By going in first I lessen hollows' chances of devouring souls of humans or pluses. In other words we supplement each other. If I were to wait for you before I acted it would defeat the purpose for me helping you at all. Take today for example. Had I waited for you before I acted this hollow right here would have attacked those children out there. Or worse he could have ripped them to shreds and devoured their souls. However by acting first I prevented that situation from occurring. This is the renewed Quincy Plan."

Kurumadani looked completely flabbergasted. He was left speechless. This human from a nearly forgotten clan had berated him then talked down to him as though he were a child. What was worse was that everything he said made sense. He had no comeback to hurl at him. All that was left for him was to accept defeat.

Satisfied by the boastful shinigami's silence a small half smirk graced Uryu's lips. He did delight in getting the better of a shinigami, especially one as annoying as Kurumadani, but he still needed answers. Although he was doubtful this idiot had even noticed the string of hollows that appeared today it was still worth mentioning. On the unlikely chance he did notice he could have reported it to the Soul Society and they may have had answer. "Kurumadani," he called, drawing the afro man's attention. "Don't you find today's hollow attacks odd?"

Kurumadani blinked a few times before rubbing the back of his head. "No, they arrive like always. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary."

Internally he groaned. He was correct Kurumadani did not notice anything. This man was so oblivious that it almost made him miss Kurosaki, almost. How did he ever become a shinigami was beyond him, but then he recalled all of the lower level shinigami he encountered in the Soul Society. Unfortunately the afro man's behavior was not out of the ordinary. Were the only real shinigami the captains, vice captains, and seated officers? No wonder the lower ranks were left out of the war. They would have been slaughtered by Aizen's arrancar. "Didn't you notice that the five hollows that appeared here today all came twenty to sixty minutes after the last one?"

Kurumadani continued to scratch the back of his afro. "No," he replied. This caused the quincy to collapse in surprise (typical anime fashion). The shinigami wore a baffled expression while Uryu recovered. Fixing his glasses the raven haired man tried to contain his frustrations.

"These attacks seemed almost coordinated in a way to appear random, but still had some kind of structure. The hollows that attacked had all lost their reasoning. They were mindless. None of them could possibly be behind this attack. I suspect that someone more powerful is controlling their actions; sending them to the Human World. If that is the case that means it could only be one of the arrancar."

This time it was Kurumadani who scoffed. "Impossible those guys are all in Hueco Mundo. If by some chance one of them came here we would have sensed its reiatsu. You are worrying too much. These were just random attacks, nothing more, nothing less. There is no need to worry about Hueco Mundo. You are my support and I am a representative of this town. That means that your concern should also be this town. Hueco Mundo, the arrancar, and their Civil War are a concern for the Gotei 13. In other words do not concern yourself with that stuff anymore. You humans should not have gotten involved in the first place. Let higher ups handle things from now on. Enjoy your life, Ishida. You earned your peace."

He was going to argue how ineffective the Soul Society was against Aizen's betrayal. How Aizen had manipulated them into nearly executing one of their own. To his credit he held his tongue. Despite whatever problems Uryu had with the Kurumadani or the Soul Society he knew that the afro man's words were meant to put him at ease. The war was over at least for him and his friends. They had rescued Inoue-san, defeated the Espada, and Aizen had been vanquished. Their roles in the Soul Society's affairs ended. Their focus should be on their own lives in Karakura Town. Try as he might he just could not shake this feeling that the arrancar had a hand in these attacks. After all the one Inoue-san fought was able to suppress his reiatsu. It was not entirely far-fetched that one of them could be behind the attack. Perhaps he was just paranoid. These last few months had been so peaceful. A small part of him thought this was too good to be true. That another danger or threat would emerge to disrupt it all.

"Perhaps you are right," he admitted. The raven haired man walked away from both the afro haired shinigami and the bonded hollow. His presence no longer served any purpose. Now that Kurumadani was there the hollow would soon cross over to afterlife depending on what deeds it committed during its life. He would stop by Urahara's place before he returned home. He would give him a summary of what happened then tell the former captain his theory. After that he would leave it alone unless Urahara gave him any reason to be concerned.

Kurumadani watched as the quincy departed. Once again the human had left him with much to think about. He believed his words as he spoke them, though he could not completely disregard Ishida's concerns. He would mention them in his next report. However he was determined to keep the quincy out of this. He had been right about one thing. Ishida and his friends were human. It would be wrong for his superiors to continue to lean on them. They had earned their peace. Now it was time for the Soul Society and this new Central 46 to shine by handling this situation themselves. He drew his zanpakuto, bracing himself to finish off the hollow. He raised his sword above his head then pulled it down, slicing through the hollow's head. It died, its body faded with him as its soul crossed over to the Soul Society.

* * *

"Ichi-kun, you just did the inventory right?" Shiori asked from behind the register. She had just finished counting money to make sure they were not short.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. He had just stocked up the last video game and locked the case up. "We come up short?" he questioned her back.

"No, all the money is here."

"That's not surprising considering how you basically keep the customers there until you've counted and re-counted their yen," Ichigo said jokingly.

Shiori closed her eyelids and huffed. "Don't make fun. When I started here we had a real problem with people cheating us. I almost got fired because of it. I always make sure we have the right amount of money to protect not only my job, but yours as well. Let me tell you it's hard to get a new job when your resume has fired for suspicion of theft."

He had to admit she did raise a good point. Ichigo would definitely not appreciate being called a thief. Knowing him his anger would probably cause him to lash out. In addition to having suspicion of theft on his resume there would be assaulting his former employer.

"Hey," she summoned, drawing his attention. "Do you have any plans when you get off?"

"No, my friends all have plans when I get off today," he replied.

"So do you want to get a drink with me when we get off? I mean non-alcoholic of course," she added the last part knowing what a prude he was.

"Oh, well….." He was unsure how to answer. Over the last two weeks he and Masaoka had formed some sort of friendship. Working somewhere for hours with only one other person to talk to did that. They did have the same tastes in music and like Inoue and himself she had a scary movie fixation. While he got closer to her there was this little voice in the back of his head that asked him if Inoue would appreciate this. Considering what happened on his first day. Ichigo told the healer about befriending Masaoka. She smiled at him (a real smile) and told him it was ok. She wanted him to make friends with his co-worker to his surprise. She finished by telling him she trusted him. Right there his affections for her grew even more if that was possible. She trusted him despite the compromising position he was in two weeks ago. Her trust meant the world to him.

However this situation had never come up. Hanging out with Masaoka seemed innocent enough to him. Would Inoue see it as such though? The last thing he wanted was to cause her anymore pain. The healer told him that he needed more faith in their bond if it was to continue to grow. He had been doing that. That was his reasoning for befriending Masaoka. He was glad he had done such. It would be pretty boring to not have anyone to converse with when it was a slow day. She did not pounce on him anymore. That was a plus. But still, working together in a store was entirely different from going out somewhere to drink refreshments alone. "Let me call home and see if it's ok," he finally said. The golden haired beauty acknowledged him with a nod. Ichigo went to the back to use the phone that was meant for their use. He dialed a number, but it was not his house number, it was her cell phone number. She had just gotten one recently. Inoue had been saving up for one for over year now and had enough for the next series of payments. However she would need a stable income to maintain it. Like Chad, Tatsuki, and him she was looking for a part time job.

He did not have a long wait. On the second ring the phone was answered. "Hello," she said.

Unknowingly a small smile formed as soon as he heard her voice. "Inoue, it's me," he replied.

"Hello, Kurosaki-kun!" He could hear the jubilation ringing from her voice. That was most definitely his Inoue. Nobody else had such joy and innocence radiate so powerfully that it leaked from a phone. "I can't believe you are calling me! You remembered my number too! That is really surprising!"

He wished he could be offended by that, but she was right to be surprised. His memory sucked. He barely remembered people's names. It took him four weeks to remember her name when they first met. Until then he had just been calling her Tatsuki's friend.

"Why are calling me?" she asked having finished her latest chattering.

"I wanted to know if you were alright with me…." In a rare moment he was actually glad she was nowhere near him. He was afraid what her response would be. That dark glare he saw within her lovely brown eyes sent a chill down his spine. Ichigo had been flipped once by this girl and it hurt. I mean it really, really, hurt. He was quite sure she could do it again if provoked. Inoue was usually so gentle she would not even harm a fly, but he was sure she could be provoked to the point where she would attack. God help him if he was the one the one responsible for it. "….hanging out with Masaoka after I get off." He wasn't sure if it was his fear that made the seconds seemed like an eternity or if the healer actually paused for an incredibly long time. Whichever one it was Ichigo could hear his heart beating against his chest cavity, screaming at him for being an idiot. Suddenly this seemed like a horrible idea.

"You want to hang out with her after work?" she repeated. He was unsure about her tone. It could have been annoyance, anger, or resentment at him for asking her such thing. It could have been none of those emotions at all.

"I figured since you are hanging out with Tatsuki and none of the guys are available. I wanted to know if you are alright with it before I said anything."

"Why would I be bothered by it?" she asked in her normally cheery tone. Under it he could detect something else in there.

"If you don't want me to I can tell her no," he tried.

"Don't be silly. Co-workers do things outside of work all the time! Just have fun and stop worrying!" she said.

"Are you sure," he tried again.

"I trust you," she replied. That was the truth. Sure she felt a little bothered when he asked her, but it was normal. They were co-workers, work friends. He should be able to spend time with Masaoka outside of work without having to worry about her feeling threatened. "Thank you for considering me."

"Like I could do anything else," he stated in his usually nonchalant attitude. "I'll see you at home later."

"See you later," she said. He noticed she did not say home. That must have meant Tatsuki was beside her.

"Hey before you go tell Tatsuki that I won't be long. The last thing I need is her giving me grief about this." He rolled his eyes at the thought of the raven haired woman stalking him down tomorrow at school, cussing him out for "cheating" on Inoue. As if he would cheat on her. "Bye," he finished.

"Bye," she returned.

He hung up the phone and returned outside. Masaoka was finishing helping a customer. "Looks like I can go," he said once the transaction was complete.

"Cool, I know this great place not too far from here."

He nodded then went back to work. There was another thirty minutes before they got off. She smiled at him. She was grateful he even agreed to go out with her. Who knew maybe it would lead to something more. He was still single. She made sure of that before she decided to go after him. She may have been a lot of things, flirt, a bit aggressive, a tease, but she did not steal other people's boyfriends. Ichigo was still fair game. If he and Orihime were together she would back off, but until then she saw nothing wrong with flirting with him. A friendly rivalry in love was not uncommon. If anything her flirting would either score her Ichigo or force Orihime to make her move on him. It wasn't like this was going to hurt anyone.

* * *

"I don't get it," Ichigo declared. He was sitting on the roof of the high school with Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and Ishida. The snow had stopped and the white powder was starting to leave Karakura Town. The weather still required them to wear jackets while outside.

"How can you not get it?" Keigo exclaimed. "I mean this is a big holiday, especially for you this year!"

Ichigo continued to look lost. He turned to Chad and with his eyes urged him to help him. The silent giant said nothing.

"Look, Ichigo next week is Valentine's Day. You have two sisters you should know what this means!" Keigo continued.

Ichigo did not know what Valentine's Day had to do with him that was so important. All it was a day that the girls passed out chocolates to the boys. They had been doing that since elementary school? Was it even special anymore?

"Kurosaki, you never cease to amaze me with your obliviousness," Uryu said condescendingly. He was scribbling something down on paper. "At this point I do not even think oblivious covers it. You are more of an idiot."

This set off the orange haired man. His face went red with fury. "Shut the hell up, four eyes! If you are so damn smart than why not tell me?" he challenged.

Uryu rolled his eyes. Kurosaki was so clueless that it was sad. Asano was right. Kurosaki had two sisters he should realize the significance of it considering he was in a semi-relationship with their very own healer. He felt very sorry for Inoue-san. "Figure it out for yourself."

He hated Ishida. He really did. That damn superior demeanor he always had. He always talked down to Ichigo every chance he got. One of these days he was going to teach him a lesson. "Will you all just quit giving me these stupid looks and tell me what is so damn important about Valentine's Day?"

"It's the day that girls show their affection by giving boys chocolate," Mizuiro answered.

"Yeah I know that, but why is it so damn important for me?" barked Ichigo.

Keigo shook his head at his friend's stupidity. "Because Inoue is going to be passing out chocolate next week, giving you some dumbass!" he exclaimed.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. Again he did not see the problem. Inoue always gave out chocolate. Every boy in their class got giri choco from her, so she would not make any of her many admirers cry over being rejected. "Yeah, so Inoue will give me chocolate like always."

"You do realize that she's not going to give you giri choco this year, right?" Ishida asked. The ex-substitute eyes widened slightly. "She is going to give you honmei choco."

Now he understood why his friends were on him. Inoue giving him honmei choco was in fact a big deal. Girls only gave out honmei choco to the boys they were in love with. Ichigo had never received any so it slipped his mind. To him Valentine's Day would just be another day except he would receive a bit of chocolate from girls to show their appreciation of him or because they were obliged to since he was their classmate. Honmei choco from Inoue would be an entirely different story. It would mean she would declare her interest in him, reveal her affections. They had not done that officially. The closest they got was saying they cherished each other. It would be a huge milestone in their relationship. Not mention there was then the holiday next month.

"Damn it, White Day," he muttered to himself.

"Yep, White Day," Mizuiro repeated.

White Day was the reverse Valentine's Day except it was the boys who gave gifts to the girls. Ichigo usually did it out of obligation he never put any real thought to it. He bought some cookies or chocolate to repay the girls who had given him chocolate the month before. However this year would be different. He had Inoue to consider. He had to get her a gift, a real one to show his affection. If he received honmei choco from her a declaration of her love he would have to get her something that expressed the same feeling.

"Calm down, Ichigo," Keigo said. He could see his friend panicking. "This is why we brought this up. You have a whole month to find her a gift. We know since you are working and with all the school work that you are pressed for time."

Shit, he didn't even consider work and school. He was really screwed now. How was he going to get Inoue a gift that expressed how he felt about her with what little free time he had?

"Ichigo, calm down," Keigo said. "We are going to help you out."

The ex-substitute snorted. "How are you going to help?" he asked not even trying to hide the doubt in his voice.

Insulted by Ichigo's less than satisfactory response Keigo frowned. "We can help! Right guys?" The other three boys did not respond and continued to do what they were doing. "You guys suck!" exclaimed a hurt Keigo.

The infamous Kurosaki scowl materialized. He knew they weren't going to be any help. Ishida was too busy with afterschool activities, school work, and hunting hollows. Mizuiro had enough problems trying to get his own White Day gifts. Keigo was well Keigo. Chad was busy working himself.

"Why not ask, Arisawa?" Sado asked. This drew everyone's attention. "If you need help getting a gift just ask Arisawa for help. After all they are best friends," he reasoned.

Ichigo's scowl only intensified. "There is no way in hell I am going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me ask her for help on this! She would never let me live it down!" He stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Thanks for the suggestion, Chad. But asking Tatsuki for help on this matter is like pulling teeth, unbelievably excruciatingly painful."

Uryu having enough of this decided to step in to help, there was no way he would let Kurosaki hurt Inoue-san by getting her something stupid. "This is simple enough. Stop trying to make it difficult. Remember how you decided to pick her Christmas gift when we went to the mall?"

Ichigo thought back to that day. He and Ishida had spent hours searching in the mall and found nothing. The stuffed animals had all been picked over. That's when he saw that jewelry box. It was nothing special, it was inexpensive. It was the right size for her hairpins. It hit him right there. He knew how much she cherished those hairpins, the last gift from her brother. He knew she had no place to put them when she slept. Fearful she would lose them there he bought the jewelry box for her to use. He didn't think about the price at the time. What grabbed his attention was that it was something that Inoue needed. That was it. Ishida was telling him not to worry about making the gift grand or expensive. He was trying to tell Ichigo to choose a gift with his heart. That would be enough for Inoue, it would show her just how much she meant to him. The scowl faded away. He smiled sincerely at the quincy. "Thanks, Ishida. I know what to get her now."

Curious as to what the ex-substitute had thought up the Uryu was about to question him when Inoue and Arisawa came up. He shut his mouth. He did not want to ruin Inoue-san's gift for her. The group got together and ate their lunch.

* * *

Today was the day she would show her affections to her beloved. Orihime had stayed over at Tatsuki's house last night so that they could give her the makeover. After hours of debating on what look to choose from the two girls had discovered one they both agreed on. With some help from Tatsuki and her mother Orihime had gotten her hair just right. The chocolate was the easiest part of their plan. Tatsuki had been correct when she said Yuzu would jump at the chance to help her. When Ichigo was at work she helped Orihime make the chocolate. Karin was their look out incase Ichigo came home early. Things went smoothly. Before she knew it the chocolate was done. It was easy enough for her to hide. She put them up at her apartment. Why she never thought to do this with any of her other surprises for him she did not know. Everything was set. Her chocolates were in hand, her hair looked perfect, and there was nothing on her, not even a speck.

"Come on, Orihime. We don't want to be late for school," Tatsuki called from the other side of the bathroom door.

"I'm coming," the healer replied. She was not even walking to school with Kurosaki-kun today. She wanted the first time he saw her today to be in the classroom when she was delivering chocolate to their class. She could hardly wait to see his reaction. She only hoped he liked her new hair as much as she liked his new hair style. Orihime came out of the room to find Tatsuki standing outside grinning.

"You look stunning. Ichigo is going to fall in love with you all over again."

Her words summoned the sun inducing smile Orihime was famous for out of her. "Thank you," the healer said. "I just really hope he likes it."

"Trust me, he'll love it," Tatsuki assured her. The two best friends said farewell to Tatsuki's parents and left for school.

* * *

He was a bit disappointed. He had hoped that when he made it to school that Inoue would be there. Apparently that was too much to hope for. When Ichigo walked through the door he did not spot the familiar orange strands he had always seen. Breakfast felt strange without her. Inoue's absence had an effect on all of them. Even his father seemed a little less cheery this morning. Considering that he had to work most of evening yesterday and since she was staying at Tatsuki's place last night, Ichigo had not seen her since yesterday after school. Though it had been less than a day he found himself missing her.

There was no point in dwelling on it any further. She would be here soon enough. According to Ishida, Inoue and Tatsuki's reiatsu were moving to this direction. Yes he asked his rival to check on her minutes ago when they ran into each other. He was overprotective. But not being able to sense her reiatsu worried him a bit still. He just wanted her to be safe. At least he didn't go charging over to Tatsuki's to check on her. _'I've got to stay calm. I am going to go nuts if I keep freaking out whenever she is out of my sight every so often,' _he thought. Without warning collective gasps sang throughout the room, bringing him out of his thought.

Ichigo turned to see what had sparked this kind of attention, but his view was blocked by the backs of several different boys. The girls however had emotions of envy and yet strange admiration. The only other time he could remember this happening is when Matsumoto came to the school. That had to be it. Some new beauty must be transferring to class today. Every guy was taken with her already. Damn these guys were sad. One pretty face and they forgot how to breathe. Judging by all the guys drooling and blank stares this new girl would rival Inoue for the title of goddess of Karakura High. Not that he cared about such stuff.

"Ichigo, did you see?" an enamored and red faced Keigo asked. He walked up to Ichigo's desk with the same blank stare as the other guys.

"How can I see anything with everyone standing up?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.

"You have to see this! She is just so fucking hot!" he exclaimed. Before Ichigo could object Keigo grabbed his arm and hoisted his body out of his desk.

"Hey! Damn it Keigo!" Keigo was not listening. He urged him to turn around and look at the new beauty.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Why should he care about the new class beauty? It was just another pretty girl who everyone would be making a fool out of themselves for. Ichigo knew better though. He wasn't going to be charmed by some….. He shut up the moment his eyes fell on her. Now he understood why the group had joined together to gasp, why they fought each other to get a glimpse of her. She was absolutely stunning, breath taking, he wasn't sure how to even describe it. Perhaps his personal bias was affecting his judgment, but damn if she was not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. No she was beauty in human form. He couldn't imagine a human or even soul for that matter that could surpass her beauty. Goddesses would envy her, the title she now had seemed almost hollow now. Was there something else that could surpass a goddess? Yes there was, the proper name would be Inoue, his Inoue.

She walked through the door with Tatsuki. The boys all continued to stare longingly at their goddess. He saw her cheeks burn red. It was such minor changes, but he could not believe how much of a difference it made. The first thing he noticed was that her hairpins were out of her hair. Despite their odd absences her bangs were not falling over her face. She brushed them aside and gotten them to frame her face, blessing all those around with the privilege of seeing her gorgeous face. There a shine to it that was not there before. The red-orange strands seemed to have grown in length though he knew it impossible for it to have grown over night. It was obvious he did not notice its growth before. The strand seemed to weave in out as oppose to being straight as it was before. Like he said they were small changes, but somehow it transformed her into an entirely new goddess. He always knew she was beautiful and even told her so. Now however he had to reevaluate how he determined beauty in general.

"See something you like, Kurosaki?" Uryu could not resist teasing the former vizard. Like Ichigo he deduced that his peers' behavior was due to a new classmate. Once he spotted Inoue-san in her new appearance he understood everything. It was true that she had become even more stunning than she was before. However unlike his peers he was able to maintain his composure. He and Sado-kun seemed to be the only men in the room not going out of their way to get a glimpse of the new Hime. Even Kurosaki had joined the masses which he of course had to mock.

Ichigo heard Ishida's smartass remark; he just did not listen to it. He was too engrossed with his Inoue. How could one person be so blessed? Looks, intelligence, and kindness, was there anything left in the mold when Inoue was created? He tugged at his collar. He needed to get some air; it was just so damn hot in there. His breathing became heavy as though he had just gotten done fighting ten Aizens. Why was breathing such a challenge when not even a minute ago he was breathing perfectly fine? His head felt like it was on fire. A simple brush of his forehead revealed that he had been sweating. A nauseous feeling that had overcome his stomach was threatening to make him throw up. All these changes were occurring without warning. Should he go to the nurse?

"Kurosaki-kun." The unmistakable gentle and angelic voice graced his ears. She was standing right in front of him wearing the forlorn expression, the same one she wore when he was battling Grimmjow for the final time. When did she get in front of him? Did he actually just space out? "Kurosaki-kun," she called again. "Are you well?" she asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, I am fine," he managed to get out. He was lucky to say that much. His chocolate spheres were running wild scanning her appearance while his brain committed every change to memory.

"Are you sure? You are sweating so much. And you are so rigid."

Damn he hoped that wasn't true. If the universe or any deity ever loved him even just an ounce his body would not betray him in that way. "I am just a little…..flushed." He tugged at his collar again, desperately trying to relieve himself of this unnatural heat which she created with her appearance.

Flushed he said? What on Earth made him…..Wait was he checking her out? She scrunched her eyes to discern this hidden mystery. She moved her body slightly to the left. His brown eyes followed her. She repeated her actions instead this time she went slightly right. Again his eyes followed her movement. _'Oh my god! Kurosaki-kun is checking me out!' _she thought excitedly. It took everything she had to keep from screeching in front of their entire class. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. How could she miss this look before? It was so recognizable. It was the same longing expression she wore when she watched him. No there was more than just adoration in his chocolate orbs. There was another feeling which would at times possess her especially now that his orange haired had grown in length. She saw lust within those orbs. There was some strange satisfaction to have the man you love desire you. Orihime knew she could not contain hugest smile she had ever given any longer.

"Do you like my hair?" There was hint of smugness flowing from her tone. The healer still could not believe her Kurosaki-kun was looking at her with such….fascination.

"You look…I mean you are just…wow," he blurted out. Her smile grew even wider. Ichigo couldn't help, but blush, making his already red face even redder. "Inoue, you are….I can't even describe it. You are beautiful."

She never got tired of hearing him say that. His eyes continued to linger on her. It was different from the other attention she gotten from her admirers. With them she would shrink away at the leers. Kurosaki-kun was different. She wanted him to look at her as though he had never seen her before. She welcomed his leering. Was it wrong for her to want to be desirable to him? A small voice in her head told her she was crazy. It said to enjoy the fact that he had only ever looked at her like this. Kuchiki-san, Yoruichi-san, Matsumoto-san, or even Masaoka-chan was not ever rewarded with such gazes. He was not a man known for ogling a woman. He was always so respectful. For him to have lost total control in her presence must have meant he was very taken with her appearance.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," she said modestly. The healer presented him with the smile she reserved just for him.

Oh god no, not now. He hoped to anyone or being who was listening not to have her smile, not with his smile. He was wreck already. If he saw that smile he was certain he would explode. The universe did not listen because there it was on her face. The nauseating feeling in his stomach grew worse. This woman was just too much for him. Right now he wished he had Zangetsu with him. He could have drawn on the zanpakuto spirit's strength to help him keep down these troublesome feelings and some of the dark desires that were starting to form. "Where are your hairpins?"

She pointed to her left breast. The redness that contaminated his face only worsened. God knew he shouldn't even look at her chest considering how his body was falling apart. Although he knew he shouldn't his eyes followed her hand. A light blue shimmered in the area he was looking in, taking his attention away from the breast (thankfully).

"You are wearing your hairpin on your shirt."

Orihime nodded happily. "I am still wearing it so I am not breaking my promise to Sora." She smiled again.

He returned it just glad he could avert his eyes from that area. Ichigo did not want to press his luck. It was just safer to keep his eyes on her face. Looking at any other part of her body would just renew the perverted thoughts that were forming only seconds ago.

"It's Valentine's Day," she said lovingly. He just nodded. "The reason I actually came to your desk is because I wanted to give you these." The goddess pulled out a pink box shaped heart.

The room was filled with collective gasps. Inoue Orihime had started passing out her chocolates and the first to receive one was Kurosaki Ichigo of all people! Chizuru would have tackled him and torn out his eyes if Tatsuki had not been holding her back. As soon as she saw Hime she jumped at her, but she was intercepted by Tatsuki. If the amazon would let her go she would stop this unholy event.

Orihime's cheeks went red. "I made these for you. Don't worry Yuzu-chan helped me so its plain chocolate," she assured him.

He was expecting her to give him chocolate, but not homemade. She even had Yuzu help her to guarantee she did not put anything that only her taste buds found appealing. There was no doubt in his mind that these were honmei choco. This warmth entered his heart. It was different from the lust induced heat he felt earlier. This warmth was not uncomfortable; it was nourishing. He accepted the box, accidently brushing her hand. Both carrot tops jumped slightly. "Thank you," he uttered. "This means a lot to me."

"I am glad," the healer stated. She wanted to say more, but Ochi-sensei walked in.

"I know its Valentine's Day. In the spirit of the holiday I will allow the girls to pass their chocolates. Do it quickly. Don't take long you have lunch to discuss your relationships."

The rest of the girls started their delivery. Orihime wanted to stay and talk to Kurosaki-kun, but she still needed to give Ishida-kun, Sado-kun and the others their chocolates. She reluctantly left him. Ichigo was both relieved and saddened. He was relieved that Inoue being gone meant his damn body would start to stabilize itself. The sadness was due to him wanting to show her his appreciation. _'Oh well there is lunch.'_

He thought the lunch period would never get here. Being in a classroom with a bunch of guys who shot glares at you every few seconds was not what he called an enjoyable experience. Even though it was still frigid outside Ichigo planned to eat on the roof of the school and avoid all the drama. He turned to the direction of his group's normal lunch spot when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He found Inoue was the culprit. She was smiling at him.

"I wanted to talk to you," she said.

"Same here," he replied.

"Before we go to the roof let's find some place to talk then, alone," she suggested.

Ichigo agreed. The pair went the opposite direction of his original destination. They had to search the halls until they finally found an empty classroom. "What did you to talk about?" He offered Inoue the chance to speak first. His father raised him to be a gentleman if nothing else.

Orihime took a deep breath; she collected her thoughts. She had hours to think about this during class yet somehow she still was unprepared. She ran a hand through her hair. Kurosaki-kun's eyes followed her hand. Another smile formed. "You probably know this and it's not proper to say this, but I made you honmei choco."

"I kind of figured." Never the less he still smiled when he heard her say it.

"I am glad. You know how I feel then?" she asked anxiously.

She received her answer when he leaned into her and planted his lips on hers. Her eyes enlarged themselves until they became two times their normal size. Just like the kiss on New Year's Day it was short and sweet. She blinked when it was over, her cheeks burned. "I think I have an idea." He smirked causing her blush to deepen. She was cute when she embarrassed. He leaned in for another kiss. This time she was ready for him and returned it. The kiss was short and innocent. An interesting fact he discovered was that she wore strawberry lip gloss. He could taste it. A smirk materialized on that gorgeous face of hers. She planted her own kiss on his lips, thus started their quick yet multiple kisses session. Orihime was glad she listened to Tatsuki and made him the chocolate. This was the best Valentine's Day ever.

"We better get back to lunch," he said after their last kiss ended. "The others are going to be wondering where we went."

Orihime stole one more kiss. "You are right." She sighed. "Kurosaki-kun," she called.

"Yeah," he answered.

"You look hot." He gave her a questioning gaze. She went beat red again. "I mean your long hair makes you look hot," she said in a low tone. She went past him so quickly that he wondered if she knew shunpo herself. They were an unnatural pair, not really a couple, but too close to be anything else. Perhaps they were still too fearful to jump into the water or that they wanted to things to progress on their own. Whatever their relationship was it had taken a huge step forward today. He had a feeling next month it would take another one.

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**I had a lot of content in this one. I hope you guys could follow it and it didn't fell all over the place. Funny when I read mickiressa's latest review I laughed because I had planned on changing Orihime's hair to match her current look to drive Ichigo crazy. Great minds really do think alike :D Speaking of which Orihime got her desire effect and then some. It was extremely fluffy. There was bit of excitement with Uryu fighting a hollow (if you can count shooting one down in 50 seconds a fight). This chapter has some things that are going to be in future plots. Obviously White Day will come up in the near future. There is also Uryu's suspicion which may or may not be paranoia and Shiori's plot. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please Review. **


	23. The Unsettling Discovery

**The chapter is a little late. I had to catch up on another story. I don't have much to say. I have two weeks of school left. At this moment I am not sure I will be able to get a chapter out this week. But on the unlikely chance I do manage to write a chapter I will upload it as per usual. I am just giving you a heads up. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way. **

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She was ecstatic. He could tell by the way she acted. Her voice was even more upbeat than usual. There was a little extra pep in her step. Those infectious joyous smile of hers never once left her face, at least not all the times he laid his eyes on her. When she caught him looking at her this morning she would shift her smile from her overjoyed, I love life smile to the one she used only for him. He wasn't quite sure he could have sworn he saw a bit alluring almost inviting gleam in her beautiful hazel eyes. Of course that could have been his raging hormones playing tricks on him. He was standing in one the hallways in the school. Lunch was nearing its end. Everyone was scurrying off to class. Ichigo was lagging. He had hoped to steal Inoue away before they went back to class, but Tatsuki had already taken her away. Keigo, Chad, Ishida and Mizuiro had left after he insisted they leave. He said he had something to do. Really he just needed to clear his head before he returned to class. His thoughts were on the red-orange haired woman whom possessed the powers of a god. If he had any doubts that Inoue did not enjoy their Valentine's Day date they were quickly dispelled when she gave him that look alluring gleam as she left with Tatsuki.

Ichigo was not only happy about this, but also a bit surprised. He had to work on that day and when he got off, he had to finish homework. Naturally that was the night they had gotten a great deal of work. He couldn't finish it before dinner, so he and Orihime had to eat with his father and sisters. Normally he had no qualms with this. However it was Valentine's Day. Inoue had declared her love for him by making him honmei choco. By some miracle she had chosen him out of the many, many possible suitors she had to choose from. He wanted to show her his appreciation by spending the evening with her; going out on a date. It was true he did kiss her, quite a few times and she enjoyed all of them (to his great joy). He still wanted to do something special for her before White Day. That day was a month away and it felt strange to wait that long in order to reassure her he felt the same way. Yesterday after lunch before they returned to their classroom he pulled her to the side and pointblank asked her out on a date later. There was no pretense of this being an outing between friends. He made sure to use the word date in there. Her face lit up so brightly that it could have probably powered an entire city. She went on her tiptoes and kissed him square on the lips. She didn't say another word, but he was fairly sure that was yes.

There no denying that they were together. Not after that fleeting unquestionable loving gaze she shot as they left the roof. He did want to hold off on making it official until White Day. For him it seemed proper to wait until he gave her gift to symbolize his affections for her before they were officially together. However as he thought about it there was no way he could deny their relationship had evolved to that point. He even asked her out on date. The truth be told it was hardly their first date, Christmas Eve, the New Year's Party, the celebration dinner, those were all dates. He couldn't call their relationship platonic at this point. There was nothing platonic in the way he kissed her or vice versa. There was the semi-relationship status that they had been playing around with for a few weeks. Could they remain that for a whole month? Would she take the mere suggestion as his way of rejecting her? No he didn't want to risk that. If the choice was between his own pride and his desire to be with Inoue than the former would have to take a back seat. He would let her define things. If she referred to him as her boyfriend he would be her boyfriend. If she said they were dating than they were dating. If she wanted to wait until White Day before she wanted to make things official, he would do it. In the end all that mattered was they were happy. He would be happy so long as she was happy. That's why he felt so bad about working so long last night. If he had any foresight whatsoever he would have used it to take the night that night off a week ago.

Lesson learned he made sure to get the 14th of March off. He already requested it, got it granted, and made sure he wouldn't be called in by taking extra shifts on the weekend to secure it. In the words of his father: "Missing Valentine's Day is acceptable, but be sure to have White Day off. That's when she expects you to do something special. Believe me I learned that hard way with your mom. That look she gave me still haunts me to this day."

That story was eerily similar to his situation. When he would do something that upset Inoue, really upset her she would give him a certain look, sometimes it was an angry glare and other times it was a one of disappointment. He hated to be on the end of that gaze. Inoue was so kind, easy going, and always smiled even when she felt like crying. When he saw that look as he called it he would feel either an incredible amount of shame or chill spine induced fear. He understood his father's fear well enough, that was why he decided to listen to him and took White Day off.

When dinner was done he had to finish up his homework. By the time Ichigo was done there was no way anything was still open. He felt like such a jackass. Again he questioned why he didn't request that day off. What was worse was that Inoue didn't care. Not that he wanted her to be upset with him, god no. It was just that she was so understanding about the whole matter that he couldn't help, but feel guilty. He spent most of the day with Masaoka and she didn't say a word about it. Again he was happy she understood she was his co-worker and trusted him. It was just that she deserved that date. He wanted to give her that date. All he gave her was a quiet evening. A small smile formed as he remembered the events of the previous night,

_Flashback_

_They were sitting on his couch. Surprisingly his father and sisters had made themselves scarce. He began to wonder if Inoue told them of their date when he was doing his homework. He immediately pushed that thought out of his head. Like him Inoue valued privacy. She would not divulge anything without asking him if he minded. There was also the little fact that his family (minus Karin) would have tried to play match maker. Neither of the two carrot tops desired that. _

_With few options left to them Ichigo was resorted to a movie at home. Instead of action or horror based movie he swallowed his pride and chose some romantic comedy. Thirty minutes into it and had another fifty minutes to go before it ended. He was barely following the story. The main character was unaware that a close female friend of his was in love with him, despite it being so completely obvious. The guy had to be a moron to miss all of those signs. She eventually gave up and moved on to some other guy, and got engaged to him. She invites the main character to the wedding, which he gets upset about. Now he is making a fool of himself by trying to expose that the other guy is bad news. He was obviously jealous, but didn't realize it. What was worse is that the main character didn't even know he had feelings for the female lead! How clueless could a person be?_

_This was why he hated to watch these kinds of movies. There was no way someone in real life would be oblivious to that he missed a woman with astounding beauty was head over heels for him. The ex-substitute had to fight back a groan. At the very least Inoue seemed to enjoy it. He bit back his tongue as not to spoil it for her. One thing he couldn't help, but notice was that every time the two leads had a scene together she would look up at him briefly, wearing a smile, holding back a laugh. He wondered what she found so amusing. When he asked her she said the male lead reminded her of someone she knew. He had no inkling of whom she meant. Judging by the smiles she gave him he suspected he should have known. _

_The movie's less the entertaining plot aside he still found himself enjoying the evening. She was happy. That was enough for him. She rested her head on his shoulder as he had become accustomed to. He in turned held her hand. It wasn't the evening he had been hoping or the one she deserved. However it was one that had its own charm to it, one that they both found enjoyment in._

"_You hate this movie, don't you?" she said suddenly. _

_Surprised by her accusation the orange haired boy froze. How did she know? He didn't say one bad word about the movie. "What makes you say that?" he asked._

_The pure hearted heal let out her angelic laugh. This surprised him even more. "I know you dislike these types of movies. To be honest I was wondering why you chose it." She took her head off of his shoulder to stare at him. He caught the unbridled mirth in her brown orbs even from the sides of his eyes. Ichigo met this stare head on as he always did when he faced an opponent. Now that he was looking at her directly he saw her lips had formed their usual wide grin. Her brown eyes as always shimmered with an innocence that had miraculously survived the trails she had faced months ago. He loved this look in her eyes. The reason he loved it was because it told him that his Inoue had finally returned, body and soul. It took him longer than he expected, but he had achieved his long sought after goal of rescuing her from that hell. No longer did those nightmares hold her soul captive. Ulquiorra had been wrong. His words did not destroy that innocence, it still illumined her soul. _

"_You chose this movie for me." The healer looked as though she were a cat that ate a canary. "You didn't have to do this you know. I would have liked to seen a horror or an action movie." _

"_I know, but…." He stopped._

"_But…." She urged him to continue. _

"_When I asked you out on a date tonight I expected to take you to dinner or walk through the park. Instead I was stuck at work for half the evening then spent the other half doing homework. Now I am trying to jam in this thrown together movie date in the last hour or so. I thought you would enjoy a romance movie more than the usual stuff we watch. It is Valentine's Day after all."_

_He felt her warm finger tips caress his right cheek. Her smile shrank from its mirthful grin into a more solemn heart-warming modest smile. "Kurosaki-kun, I don't care that we didn't get to go out for dinner or to the park. I am just glad we get to spend this time together."_

_Dissatisfaction remained on his face. He let out a frustrated breath. "But you made me chocolate. You went to so much trouble to show me how you feel. I wanted to show you how I feel," he admitted._

_Another small laugh escaped her lips as her hand continued to caress his cheek. "But you already showed me how you feel about me." Her cheeks were tainted with a pink tint. "That kiss was enough to tell me. And it's not just that kiss. Everything you have done for me proves your affections for me. Like the way you just take hold of my hand for no reason. How you squeeze it gently or how you run your hand in my hair to brush it out of my face."_

"_I don't think that will be much of a problem with your new hairdo," he quipped. _

_Orihime ignored him and continued. "There is the way you look for any excuse to touch me," she said with giggles. His cheeks flared up in their own shade of red. This only made her burst into another fit of giggles. "But my favorite is when you hold me in your arms and we lay in your bed; when you told me you didn't want to be away from me that night." She loved this man. It was strange to think more than a year ago they were merely classmates. She was Tatsuki's friend to him. Now just a year later he yearned to be in her presence. "Don't think this night is what was meant to tell me what I already know. Besides White Day is the day you are supposed to show me how you feel," she joked. This earned her a rare smile from him, although that smile was not so rare. At least it was not rare when she was around him. "Tonight is perfect because I get to spend it with Kurosaki-kun."_

_He was left speechless. There were just no words that could express what he was feeling right now. Orihime was just happy to spend this time with him. She was…..perfect. That was the only thing that could explain how someone could be so understanding, humble, gorgeous, pure, and innocent. Overwhelmed by this feeling of adoration, the flames of passion ignited with his belly Ichigo did the one thing he could that would express his love. He kissed her. This was not short as all of their previous ones. This one was longer though still possessed the same tenderness as before. He did not want to part from her lips. He had developed a taste for them. Quick pecks were just not enough to satisfy him any longer. He felt both of her hands on his cheeks, caressing them as she gave herself into the kiss. The devotion and amorousness came flowing from her lips and into his lips. Their kiss was gentle, yet he could feel that gentleness was giving way to passion. The spark of desire flickered within his being. He knew he had to put an end to this kiss lest lose control of himself. With much effort he pulled himself off of her lips. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes. _

_Ichigo could have sworn he saw something, an emotion he had not seen in her eyes before. It was not the affection or loving. Emotions he normally saw, no this one was more primal. Dare he call it lust? No this was Inoue. He must have been imagining things. "You um don't mind me doing that, do you?"_

_Orihime shook her head. "I actually like it when you kiss me. It makes me feel really warm and my heart starts racing. It's strange, but I like feeling this way. Is that weird?"_

"_I don't think it is. I feel flushed, but strangely enough I don't want that feeling to end."_

_She brushed her red-orange locks. Suddenly she felt nervousness take hold of her, preventing her from meeting his gaze. There was something she had been meaning to ask him since the end of lunch, but could not bring herself to. It was simply too embarrassing. However now she could not stop thinking about it. She had to know. She needed to know. Taking one more breath Orihime braced herself. "Kurosaki-kun, I've been meaning to ask you something."_

"_Ok go ahead and ask."_

"_Well um….just now when we….kissed." She was nearly there. All she had to do was landed it in there. But it was so hard. He was not helping things by staring right at her. "Do you like it?" She was his chocolate spheres dim with confusion. She clarified, "Do you like it when we kiss?"_

_His gaze became questioning and perhaps guarded. "Why? You didn't like it?" He hoped he didn't let any of the dread he was feeling into his voice. Insecurity stuck its ugly head out. Was he a bad kisser? She just said she liked it. Had she just lied to him? It wasn't like he had practiced it or anything. Of course he lacked experience. New questions formed. If he was a bad kisser did that mean Orihime had experienced a good kiss? That meant she had kissed someone else, someone before him. Resentment started to form, not at the healer, but at the good kisser. _

"_Eh," Orihime squeaked. She threw her hands out, waved them frantically while she shook her head with the same urgency as she shook her hands. "NO, no, no, no! I liked it! I really, really liked it!" she continued to shout. _

_He blinked his eyes a few times. If she telling the truth and liked his kiss then why did she ask him if he liked it? Girls were so confusing. They needed their own set of instructions so men could understand what went on in their heads. "Inoue, if you like it then why ask? I am lost here."_

_She began to twiddle her fingers. Once again the goddess averted her gaze from him. He could tell she was feeling bashful. "Um…..I asked because I really wanted to know if I um….if you liked….you know if liked it when I kissed you just now and at the school? You said it made you flushed, but never said if you liked it."_

_Ichigo wasn't sure what he felt more of, relief that he was not a bad kisser or amusement from Orihime sharing the same worry he had seconds ago. He lifted her face up by her chin. If he was going to get his message across to her she would need to see his eyes. The hazel eyes seemed to withdraw as their owner did to his surprise. It was just another new thing he learned about her. "I like kissing you. Why else did you think I kept kissing you in that classroom?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders. _

"_I like kissing you so much that I kept my lips on yours longer than before just now." He cleared his throat and fought the urge to turn away from her. He really was not good with expressing himself. Ichigo had learned to open himself more to her, more than any of his other friends. None the less it was still a difficult task for him. "It's hard for me to you know….express myself with words. You know I am the type of guy who pours all of his feelings into my actions. I'm trying to get better at using my words. I know I've said this before, but I am really trying. You make me want to try. When I can't find the words to express what I am feeling I try to do something to show it. Kissing you is my way of trying to convey what I am feeling." His diaphragm went in then out as Ichigo exhaled the nervousness that had infected him. "I guess that's why I felt like I needed this date to show that I um…..cherish you as….something more than a friend." Was it any wonder he didn't use his words. I cherish you as more than a friend. That was just pathetic. Orihime had delivered her sentiments in words and succeeded in expressing the warmth and security that she felt with him. He felt the just how much she cared for him, the strength of her affections. He had failed to muster even half of the same power as she. Once again he fell short of giving her what she truly deserved. _

_He prepared to apologize when Orihime pressed her lips on his. Unprepared for this action Ichigo fell on his back. Orihime fell with him. The kiss somehow remained unbroken even though Orihime was now laughing. Despite her laughter she managed to keep her lips in place. It was rather impressive considering how hard of time he was having keeping it up on his end. The humiliation he felt from allowing himself to fall while she kissed him was preventing him from fully enjoying himself. She must have sensed this because she ended it. The enjoyment was not lost on her, for the healer was smiling so broadly that it reminded him of a child's enthusiasm. She made no attempt to move herself. Not that he minded. She was much lighter than he imagined. He didn't voice this though. In the back of his mind he remembered Nel's words about it being rude to mention a woman's weight. That was one lesson he would remember always due to its painful delivery. _

_A shift in her weight pushed her chest against his. As soon as he came into contact with those his body heat had risen to temperatures that just could not be possible for a human. His face must have exposed this because Inoue smile faded. Her decency had caught up to her. "S-sorry," she muttered._

"_It's no problem," he replied. Ichigo was tempted to wrap his arms around her and hold her in an embrace. Fear stopped him from doing so. The fear that his hands would wander to places they should not go. Damn his hormones. They were going to be the end of him. Yes she was shockingly attractive with a flawless body. But he could and would control himself. There was no way he would lose out to mere lust! Something told him if the hollow was still with him that he would have heard him snickering at his declaration._

"_Kurosaki-kun." Her voice had snapped him out of his thoughts. "I cherish you as more than just a friend too." A new smile formed on her lips. _

_A cocky half grin materialized itself. It was the same grin he wore when he had the upper hand on his opponents. Braved it and stole another kiss which turned into several more kisses. Because of their renewed kissing session they missed fifteen minutes of the movie. He had become drunk on her Orihime at least kept enough of reason to put an end to it. They returned to a less compromising position lest his father walk in on them. He did not want a repeat of Inoue's first morning at the clinic. They finished up the movie. Ichigo didn't pay attention to it. The orange haired healer laying her head on his shoulder had stolen that away. _

_End of Flashback_

So the date was not as bad as he thought it was. He had fun and if Inoue's disposition was anything to go by she had enjoyed herself as well. Ichigo still planned on making their White Day date a little more traditional. As much as he would like to make-out with Inoue on his couch again he didn't want her to think this newly formed relationship was purely physical. He enjoyed talking to her. Their conversations were the highlight of most of their hanging outs and dates. Inoue was perhaps the one person he felt he could divulge what was going on within him. She knew so much about him that he hadn't even told Keigo or Mizuiro. With Rukia there was an understanding between them. They knew what was going on with one another. They would either wait for the other person to tell them something or help each other then throw an insult in there to save face. There wasn't a need for that with Orihime. She told him things that he was certain she did not even tell Tatsuki. People thought that Ichigo and Inoue were as different as night and day (with him being night of course), but they were dead wrong.

The obvious shared trait was their unusual orange colored hair. They were both private people. Neither felt secure telling people how they felt. He had to grow up for his sisters and his father when his mother was killed. His father did not need to worry about that cry baby he once was, not after losing the love of his life. If he concealed his sadness he thought it would help them all. Somewhere down the line he had concealed most of his emotions with the sadness with a few exceptions (anger being the most obvious). Inoue did the same for her brother so he wouldn't worry about her when children picked on her. Later when he died she hid her tears so others would not pity her. Once they actually talked and stopped being so on guard with each other they were able to see how alike they were. They were not as alone as they imagined. That little boy who cried out for his mother met that girl who cried out for her brother. They bonded and made the pain more bearable.

He did not wish to isolate himself again. As long as he had Inoue in his life he would never have to.

"Kurosaki," a quiet yet somehow strong toned voice called.

Ichigo turned around to see Ishida shooting him worried gaze. To anyone else it would seem as though the Quincy were glaring at him with annoyance. Only people who knew Ishida well could tell the subtle differences between his expressions. "What?" he spat out.

The raven haired man raised an eyebrow at him. "You are odd," Uryu stated.

That was the wrong thing to say. Ichigo growled and glared at him with killing intent. "How can you call me odd? You are in no position to talk!"

Uryu frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ichigo snorted before rolling his eyes at him. "You are a guy who has frilly tastes in clothing, not to mention you actually wear a cape in public! You are way odder than me!"

Uryu waved his right arm away from his body in anger. "What? I will have you know what I wear is traditional Quincy attire! I wear it to show that I take pride in being a Quincy! It is not different from how you wore your shihakusho when you were a shinigami! That looked way odder than anything I wore!"

"How the hell can you think that get up you wear is better than my shihakusho? You have no taste at all if you think that!"

"At least I wore my uniform with pride! I saw how you used to hide from sight when you first became a shinigami out of fear someone would think you odd! That right there is evidence that Quincy uniform is superior!"

"You are totally out of your mind!" screamed Ichigo.

"Ugh, you are impossible! I can't believe I was concerned about you!" Uryu shouted.

Ichigo widened his brown eyes in disbelief. "You were concerned?"

Realizing what he said the glasses cladded man turned his head at Kurosaki, ignoring him. Stupid Kurosaki making him reveal that he was actually concerned by that idiot just standing around, staring off into space. "I don't know what you are talking about." It was lame and weak, but if Uryu did not acknowledge his own words he could safely ignore them.

Ichigo's brow frowned. "You just said you didn't even know why you were concerned about me?" he argued. Ishida was so fucking stubborn. He should just admit it already.

He could tell that Kurosaki was not going to let this go. Uryu had to think of something fast to divert his attention. "Inoue-san seems to be in a good mood. I mean more than usual." His blue eyes braved a glance at his annoying and loud mouth rival. Kurosaki's expression had shifted. That same spaced out look he had before. This must have been his Inoue-san expression. God it made him look stupid. "I take it your date went well." Kurosaki's face shifted into its usual stupefied somber which made him look even more stupid than the last one.

"How did you know?" Ichigo questioned.

"I assumed you had one considering it was Valentine's Day and Inoue-san presented you with honmei choco earlier that day."

Ishida as usual spoke in a calm manner, using cold hard logic to create his argument. There were times when it was an annoyance and times when it was an asset. Guess which one it was this time? _'Damn he's annoying how he always seems to know everything,' _Ichigo thought. Now it was his turn to turn his cheek against Ishida. "You are entirely too invested in my love life." His ears picked up Ishida's haughty scoff.

"Please don't flatter yourself. I am concerned about Inoue-san's wellbeing after everything she's been through. I only asked for her sake."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly. That insecure and dangerous green shaded emotion emerged. "In that case you are entirely too invested in Inoue's love life," he said a bit of edge. This did not go unnoticed by Ishida.

"What is with that look?" Uryu asked. There was something oddly chilling about it. It brought back memories of when he and Kurosaki were bitter enemies. Odd now that he had allied himself with the former vizard that this look struck him the wrong way when a year ago he didn't even bat an eye at it.

"It's nothing," Ichigo muttered. He wanted to drop it, but something in him just would not. "Ishida, you always seem so concerned about Inoue." The Quincy raised an eyebrow. It asked him what he was getting at. "Do you have feelings for Inoue?" he blurted out.

Jealousy? That is what Kurosaki was glaring at him for. "I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend," he stated with annoyance. He folded his arms. "I care about Inoue-san. She is so kind and innocent. Ever since I met her in the handcrafts club she has been nothing, but kind to me. Everyone else was quick to alienate me because I was ranked number one in the class. They thought I was some stuck up genius who thought himself superior to them. It had been that way since I started school. I didn't bother to get to know people. I pushed them away. I rather have been alone. When I met Inoue-san at the handcrafts club she was kind to me. She talked to me and asked me for help in sewing. I helped teach her some things. She thanked me. After that day she would say hi to me whenever she saw me, even when she was with her friends. That is how Inoue-san is. She can befriend anyone, regardless of what others think of her. I admire that. During our invasion of the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki-san I got to know her better. I do care about her, but it's not romantic. I want her to be happy. For some reason you make her happy, Kurosaki. I am not going to get in the way of that."

"Ishida," uttered the former vizard.

Uryu turned his back on him. "You better not hurt her or else. Personally I think she can do a lot better than an idiot like you."

Ichigo grinned. He knew the raven haired and blue eyed man well enough to know that was his way of wishing him luck. "Tff, as if I would," he said in mock offense. "I hate to see her in pain. I hate when I cause her pain," he whispered. "Yo!"

"What?"

"Thanks for punching me."

Uryu blinked. He had no idea what the hell Kurosaki was talking about. "Can you clarify that?"

"I mean when you punched me on the school roof months ago. You forced me to open my eyes and see how much torment Inoue was in. I needed that."

"Hmm, don't mention it. I would delight at another chance to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours."

"Four eyed bastard," Ichigo teased.

"Dense loud mouth," Uryu said with a smirk. "Hurry up or you will be late to class."

"That reminds me. Why are you still out in the halls? I thought you left with Chad and the others."

"I had to attend to some business," he replied.

"Hollows?" asked the ex-substitute. His demeanor became serious.

Uryu shook his head no. "I had to organize a meeting for the student council for later. Before lunch started I made copies of schedule. I decided to pick them up now so I wouldn't have to worry about them during lunch."

"How the hell do you do it all? You are in the handcrafts club, the president of the student council, and hunting hollows along with your school work. I found it hard just trying to balance my duties as a substitute shinigami and my schoolwork. Now that I have a job I am not even sure how I could have added that to the mix if I still had my powers."

"It is easier than you think. I am just well organized."

A new question formed in his mind. Before he could stop himself he blurted out, "How have things been going with the hollows?"

Uryu stiffened at the mention of hollows. Kurosaki's question reminded him of all the odd behavior of the hollows as of late. They still appeared more frequently and between certain times of each other. He and Kurumadnai had been exterminating them as quickly as they came. Well he did. Kurumadnai was always lagging forcing Uryu to wait for him even after he bonded the hollows. The afro shinigami continued to refuse anything odd was happening. It was so frustrating to have someone as idiotic and dense as that man as a co-worker. What would it take before he wised up? Fortunately Urahara-san had taken this odd behavior seriously. When Uryu told him about what he observed he started thinking of possibilities for this new behavior (though he did not share any of his theories with him). The shop owner reassured him that he would keep an eye on the situation and that he would let Uryu know if he had gotten any new information.

These were small fries. He could easily defeat any common hollow. They had no reason whatsoever. They were running on instinct. That was another thing he found odd. Hollows that retained their reason were rare, but they did come around every now and again. Now it was just these mindless hollows. It was always the same pattern. They would fall from the sky and start to go towards any living souls. Like always they seemed to ignore him despite the fact that his reiatsu level would make him a prime target for their appetites. That feeling that told him these attacks were not random had gotten stronger over the following weeks. The Quincy had made an unsettling discovery the night before.

After he and Kurumadnai had defeated a hollow Uryu turned to leave. Their prey had been on the roof of one of the buildings. On a whim Uryu decided to jump, using the spirit particles around him to increasing his jumping power. He went sorrowing to the air he got a good view of all of Karakura Town. He saw the path the hollow was going and then it hit him. A trouble realization came to him. He gathered more spirit particles to keep himself air born for a moment longer. His sights went to the area of the last hollow he had defeated. He followed the path he found it on. He turned to the left to the location the third hollow he defeated only hours ago. His blue eyes went to the spots the second and first hollow were. They had all appeared in different areas in Karakura Town. Their locations were so far apart it was no wondered he missed it before. It made perfect sense as to why they never went after him now. These hollows did not wish to eat souls to fill the void left by their hearts. They were on a mission. If he had traced back the other hollows the past three weeks he would have probably seen the same pattern. The paths that the five hollows all convened to one area. They all lead to the Kurosaki Clinic.

These hollows were going after Kurosaki. They had to be. Kurosaki's father concealed his reiatsu. Even when he visited Kurosaki when he was at his coma he could not feel any reiatsu from Kurosaki's father at all despite the fact he had seen him in shinigami attire when brought Ichigo back to his house. Kurosaki's sisters had more reiatsu than most people, but in comparison to Sado-kun, Inoue-san, and himself it was nil. They would and should have been the hollows targets if their aim was people with high levels of reiatsu. That left Kurosaki. There was no chance that these mindless hollows would be interested in a man with not even a shred of reiatsu, unless they were directed to go for him. They may not have even known he was their target. Whoever was controlling these hollows was interested in Kurosaki. It had to be someone who knew of him either by name or through chance encounter. Uryu was putting his money on the former. That could only mean one thing. The controller of these hollows had to have been an arrancar. This arrancar like the one Inoue-san had defeated had probably looking to target Kurosaki for his greatest feat as a shinigami, his victory over Aizen. He rushed to the Urahara Shop and told the former captain of the 12th division his discovery. Urahara-san muttered interesting. He told Uryu to keep an eye on Ichigo and to tell Sado-kun and Inoue-san as soon as possible.

Uryu had not gotten to tell either of his comrades about the situation. Every time he saw them Kurosaki was in their presence. Arisawa-san had taken Inoue-san to class before he could say anything. He couldn't say anything to Sado-kun, not with Asano and Kojima-kun around. He did not wish to worry them. Besides he was certain that one of them would tell Kurosaki. That was out of the question. If Kurosaki knew hollows and possibly an arrancar were targeting him he would do something stupid. Without his powers he was easy game. Naturally he would only feel unsecure with his friends protecting him. He hated being helpless because it was something he had never been before. It would only serve as reminder of how far he had fallen from who once was. There was no need for that. Uryu could take care of this before it came to that. With Sado-kun and Inoue-san's help they could defeat this new enemy. All he had to do was keep this from Kurosaki.

"It's been fairly easy. They are just hollows." He chuckled almost condescendingly. "Are you arrogant enough to believe I need you to take down ordinary hollows? Kurosaki, don't get full of yourself."

"I was just asking. There is no need to get all defensive about it."

Good. He didn't suspect a thing. If Uryu had his way it would remain that way. The two of them returned to class, making it to their seats with only seconds before the bell rang.

* * *

"This is the place?" Karin asked almost in indignantly.

"Yes this is the place," Orihime answered.

She and Karin were standing just outside of the Urahara Shop. It was the late afternoon. School had ended for both of them. Ichigo had walked her home or to his home like always before he went to work. Unbeknown to him Karin was waiting for her arrival. Today was when Orihime was finally going to introduce her to the shop owner who would Karin with her problem of spirits. It had been weeks since Orihime had offered to take the younger girl to see Urahara-san. She had hoped to take her to him right away, but life had gotten in the way. Her growing relationship with Kurosaki-kun had taken much of her time. Karin-chan herself was busy with her own life. The new term had brought a lot of work for both the Kurosaki twins. It was to be expected considering they would enter middle school after this term ended. They had to get ready for their graduation soon, after all the term was only three months and it was now a month and a half over. Teachers wanted to prepare their students thoroughly for the next level of education.

In short both of them were so busy with the events of their own lives that they forgot. Orihime had asked Karin about it once, but she said things with the spirits had quieted it down. They had stopped coming to her for some reason. She was glad things had gotten under control for Karin. However it was too good to last. A few days ago Karin came to her with a whole parade of spirits following her. The dark haired girl had her hands over her ears while all of the spirits were all screaming at her for help. She could see all the stress building up inside of the younger girl. It was so much to handle, too much to handle for one person. Orihime put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled at her to let Karin know everything was going to be alright. Just as she promised weeks ago Orihime helped her talk to the spirits and ease their worries. The process had taken a good deal of time, but they got it done. Soon they left the Kurosaki Clinic and everything was well. That's when both girls decided it was time to see the shop owner.

Now a few days later here they were. "Orihime-chan, are you sure this is the place?" Karin asked again. "It just looks like a cheap candy store to me."

She had to chuckle at Karin's claim. The healer had to admit she did have a point. "Yes, I am sure. The shop is small so as not to attract attention." Doubt still plagued Karin's face. "I promise that Urahara-san will do everything he can to help you. He really is a nice man," she insisted.

The scowling Kurosaki was unsure of this Urahara. Orihime had told her the stories about how he had trained her brother how to fight as a shinigami. He did help them fight that hollows and that evil shinigami that kidnapped Orihime. But there was still so much that neither Orihime nor even Ichigo knew about this man. Urahara sounded sketchy to her. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to look up to know who that handed belonged to. The scowl faded, it had no choice because the smile that had broken out was too strong for it.

"Remember I'll be right beside you. You don't have to worry about anything. You will love Tessai-san! He is so kind and he shares the same tastes in food as I do! Eh, but don't worry. You won't have to eat anything he cooks," she hastily added the last part. "Jinta-kun and Ururu-chan are about your age at least they look like it. You three may get along well. If Yoruichi-san there you can meet her too!"

The older girl seemed so ecstatic as though she were the one meeting these people for the first time and not Karin. The knot that formed in her stomach without her even being aware of it had loosened. She didn't know what it was, but when she was around Orihime she felt she could relax. She could put Karin at ease no matter how upset the dark haired girl was. This ability marveled her. It was as if Orihime could read minds. She always seemed to know what Karin was thinking. She always knew what to say. Karin wondered if her mother was still alive if she would be able to do the same thing.

Orihime turned to Karin. "Are you ready to go in?"

"Yeah I'm ready, Hime-nee." Her eyes bulged out of their sockets once she realized what she had said. "You hope you didn't mind me calling you that."

The healer's smile did not leave. Instead it grew. "I don't mind at all, Karin-chan." She was touched that Karin would think of her as a sister. Perhaps one day they would be sisters one day. She pushed that thought away. It was way too soon to think like that. She and Kurosaki-kun had only been a couple for a day and half now. She had to see where things went before she could start thinking about joining the Kurosaki family. The thought did keep her smile up. Before he left for work after he dropped her off at the clinic he kissed her goodbye. It certainly made her feel like a wife. So maybe she wouldn't totally abandon that idea.

Karin witnessed the healer's pleasant smile grow ever so slightly. It was no mystery to her that the orange haired girl was thinking of her brother. She was in on Tatsuki's plan. She knew that Yuzu would help Orihime make chocolate, while Tatsuki was going to give her this new look she displayed now to wow her brother. Of course when she came home to clinic yesterday after school Yuzu threw a barrage of questions at her. She rolled her eyes at her sister's childish behavior. That didn't stop her from listening. Orihime didn't say much she did reveal that Ichigo acceptable the chocolates and he liked her new hair style. The rest was left up to the twins to imaginations. Both sisters had decided that Ichigo and Orihime had become an item. Yuzu was delighted by this news that her own body could barely contain her. Karin on the other hand was far more reasonable. She only curved her lip into half grin.

The duo ventured into the shop. A giant sized and muscular man the same height as Chad greeted them. "Orihime-san, it is good to see you again! I see you have changed your hair. It suits you."

A small blush appeared on her cheeks. It was unexpected that Tessai would give her a compliment on her new appearance. "It is good to see you too, Tessai-san. This is Karin-chan. She is Kurosaki-kun's younger sister." Karin greeted the giant with a nod.

"Oh so this is Kurosaki-san's younger sister. It is also a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand for her to shake. With some hesitance the raven haired Kurosaki took it. Tessai shook her hand with a good deal force. Karin would have fallen had it not been for Tessai's strong grip. He did lift her off her feet for a small widow of time. Once he released her hand Karin backed away to get out of his range. Having observed all of this Orihime could only force a smile on her face. She hoped Karin would forgive her. She had forgotten about Tessai's enthusiasm. "What can I do for you two?" asked the shopkeeper.

"We wanted to see Urahara-san. Is he busy?"

"No, he is free at the moment. Just go on back there," he told the girls.

"Thank you, Tessai-san." She gave a small bow to show her gratitude. Orihime proceeded past the former Kido Corps captain. Karin followed after her. The shop was what she expected it to be. It looked like any other shop. She still didn't know what was so special about it. This Urahara would have to shed some light on it. Orihime stopped at a doorway which must have been Urahara's office.

"Urahara-san, may we come in?" Orihime asked.

"Inoue-san!" cried an overly cheery voice. "Of course you can come in! Come in, come in!" the voice repeated.

Did this voice really belong to this supposedly great Urahara? Now more than ever Karin had her doubts about this man. She told herself that Orihime had faith in him. Despite her naïve nature she knew Orihime was not a fool. She was very intelligent. If Urahara was ineffective she would know. But the man's appearance did not inspire confidence either. Now she was face to face with the man she could not understand how he could be great. He looked like a hobo. His hat was worn out and beat up. He wore this really tacky dark green coat. He was just sitting on the floor at his table, waving his fan away. God that wide U shape smile was too much. Orihime and Karin took a seat across from him, sitting on their knees.

"Inoue-san, you have become even lovelier! I am very fortunate that you decided to visit my shop. Your very presence has brightened the entire atmosphere around it!"

He laid it on thick for Karin's liking. Orihime on the other hand lit up like a light bulb. She didn't understand how the older girl could fall for such a line.

Urahara continued, "Do you mind not repeating that to Yoruichi-san. She would think I am implying that her presence does not brighten the atmosphere. I would be in some hot water."

"Ai, I won't mention anything to Yoruichi-san," the goddess promised.

The shop owner let out a breath relief. It was then that he noticed Karin. The cheesy smile returned. "Oh, I see you brought Kurosaki-san's sister!"

Both girls were caught off guard by his surprising insight. "How did you know I am Ichigo's sister?"

"I've seen you before watching some of Kurosaki-san's battles with hollows. In fact I was expecting you to come here eventually. However I just assumed it would be your brother who brought you here, not Inoue-san."

Karin started, "You expected…."

"Karin-chan to come," Orihime finished.

The light blond nodded. "I assume that now that your brother's reiatsu has gone away that you have found your own increasing, am I right?"

Ok now Karin was impressed. This man had already deduced the reason she was here. "Yes, but how did…."

"It's not uncommon for reiatsu to stop progressing in the presence of a greater reiatsu. During the previous year Kurosaki-san's power kept rapidly growing, attaining astounding levels. While that awakened the dormant spiritual energy in those around him, for you it had an opposite effect. His reiatsu actually overpowered your own to such an extent that it stopped growing." He saw confusion on both girls faces. He was going to have to think of another way to explain things. "Think of it as two trees nearby each other. One tree is taller while the second tree is shorter and lives in the first one's shadow. Naturally the first taller tree would grow more since it is able to absorb the rays of the sun. The second one's growth is naturally stunned because it is getting left over nutrients. When the first one tree falls the second one is free of its shadow. Being in the sun directly allows it to finally grow. That is the same situation with you two."

"But why would Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu make Karin-chan's stop growing? You said yourself that it caused other people's spiritual power to awaken, such as me, Sado-kun, Tatsuki-chan, Asano-kun, and Kojima-kun."

"That is true, but your situation and Kurosaki-san's (Yes Urahara calls Karin by her surname in the manga as well as uses San like with Ichigo. It's going to get confusing guys) are different. Inoue-san, you originally had no reiatsu. Like with most humans yours was dormant within you. Kurosaki-san's…." He pointed to Karin. "...reiatsu was active since she was born. Like her brother she could always see spirits. When Kurosaki-san (This time he means Ichigo, yeah confusing bear with me) became a shinigami his reiatsu became much stronger. Because he could not control it, it was always constantly leaking. While that awakened the spiritual energy within people like you, Inoue-san and Sado-san it overwhelmed his sister's already awakened spiritual power. It had the opposite effect and repelled it. I am not entirely sure why, but I believe their similarity between the two actually repelled each other. However since you and Sado-san along with countless others have dissimilar reiatsu it was actually attracted to his."

"That makes sense," Orihime admitted. Karin mentally agreed with the shinigami as well.

"Have more souls been gathering around you lately?" he questioned Karin.

Again she was caught off guard by this man. That's when noticed that Urahara had stopped smiling and the cheer in his tone was gone. It was low and serious.

Orihime asked, "Is the reason Karin-chan is being surrounded by more souls because her reiatsu is similar to a shinigami's?"

A smile materialized on Kisuke's face. Unlike earlier this one was not abnormally large or cheesy. It was small, far more sincere. "Your line of thinking is correct, Inoue-san. Like with her brother, Kurosaki-san's reiatsu is similar to that of shinigami. However since she lacks the shinigami powers they are still not entirely the same. These similarities are enough to draw lost souls to her though. Shinigami rescue lost souls. They purify hollows with their zanpakuto, cleansing them of their sins as hollows and allowing them to cross over to the next life. In addition for souls that remain in this world, but have not turn into hollows yet shinigami performs a Konso to send them off. It is because of this that pluses or souls are naturally attracted to shinigami. It is unfortunate, but the shinigami assigned here is a bit slow. That's why so many pluses have been going to you."

"But they stopped coming for a while," Karin revealed. "Why was that?"

"Kurumadani-san the shinigami representative of Karakura Town had caught up on his work. Souls were crossing over at a quicker rate so they stopped coming to you. However things have become more out of hand due to a little increase in hollows appearing."

The scowl fell on Karin's face. She let out an exhausted sigh. Her problem with spirits was due to some shinigami's inability to keep up with his work load.

"Is there anything you can do for Karin-chan?" Orihime asked the genius scientist. Instantly she saw the change in him. His overly cheery persona reemerged.

"Well fortunately I have products right here in this store that can solve all of that!" Orihime and Karin fought the urge to fall on the ground. Sweat did form in the back of their heads. "I have this useful can of Plus Be Gone!" It seemed that he produced a can out of thin air. Neither girl knew how he did it, but in the palm of his right hand was spray bottle. "Next I have Soul Repelling Charms!" Like before charm tags appeared in his hand. "Just stick these babies outside of your house and souls will be repelled! Only the strongest souls will be able to go through! For those souls that do manage to get through I have The Soul Barrier Charm!" A new charm appeared as the old ones went away. How was he doing this? "Put this charm outside your door and no plus will be able to go into your room! This will finally provide you with the long deserved privacy you craved! I also have products that will keep hollows at bay! All of these products can be yours today!"

It took all of Orihime's strength to keep the smile on her face. It was very strained, she knew. _'Urahara-san is actually making a sale pitch,' _she thought.

'_Is this guy for real? He is sounds like a cheesy salesmen,' _Karin thought. She was put off by Urahara's behavior. "Will these actually help?"

"I give you my guarantee that they will work! If they don't return the products and I will get you a product that will! That is the type of service the Urahara Shop provides!"

A sigh escaped Karin's lips. She rubbed the temples of her head. "Ha," she sighed. "How much is all of this?"

"It is all free!"

"What? All of this is free," she said skeptically. "What's the catch?"

"No catch at all," Kisuke said.

"Then why is all of this free?" she continued to challenge. There had to be some kind of loop hole she was missing.

The overly cheery persona disappeared. "I owe your brother a lot. He saved us all. This right here, giving you all of these products for you is the literally the least I can do for him. I only wish I could do more."

"Urahara-san," Orihime uttered. She was touched by his words.

"Kurosaki-san, if these don't help you come back and we find something that will. If there is anything you need help with do not hesitate to come to me."

"Um, sure," Karin said bashfully. Urahara was not what she expected exactly, but there was something about him that made her think she could rely on him. Orihime's trust in him seemed to be justified.

"Let me just bag all of this up for you." He gathered everything up, bagged it, and handed Karin the bag. She thanked him. They gave their goodbyes to the light blond. "Inoue-san, before you go I wanted to ask you something. Kurosaki-san, it's something private. I hope you don't mind."

"I understand." She left the room leaving the two alone. "Orihime-chan, I'll be waiting in the front of the store," she said from the other side of the curtain.

The healer acknowledged her with a nod. Urahara-san remained silent until he was sure Karin-chan was out of earshot. "Have you had the chance to speak with, Ishida-san?"

"I talked to him today at lunch and a little before Kurosaki-kun and I walked home together."

"But have you gotten the chance to speak with him alone?"

"No," she replied unsure where he was going.

"I supposed it can't be helped. I will have to tell you myself."

She did not like his tone. Something was wrong. "Urahara-san, please tell me what is going on? Is Ishida-kun in trouble?" She knew he was hunting hollows now. She could sense his reiatsu around hollows that appeared. He had started doing it since Kurosaki-kun lost his powers. Since he never mentioned it to her she did not think it was her place to ask him about it.

"No, Ishida-san is fine. I am sure you know he has been battling hollows." He stopped to see Orihime give him a nod. He continued, "For the last three weeks hollows have been appearing in different points in the town. Five hollows have been appearing in one day and they are always only hours apart from each other. Both Ishida-san and I suspect that someone is controlling these hollows."

She was taken aback by his revelation. Someone was controlling hollows and sending them to Karakura. Who could it be? Was it another arrancar? But if that was the case then their target would be…. "Kurosaki-kun!" she cried.

"Unfortunately that is their target. Last night Ishida-san found evidence that although all the hollows appeared in different location that the paths they were going led to the Kurosaki Clinic." He heard her gasp loudly. Fear had overtaken her. The brown orbs were consumed with it. Even her reiatsu shifted. "Hollows are easy to handle. Ishida-san has been able to quickly dispatch them. However the problem will be the controller of these hollows, especially if the controller is an arrancar. Now I know all of the Espada except for one has had their deaths confirmed. The blue haired one, Grimmjow's body was never found. But it is unlikely he would be sending hollows to attack. From what I've been told he would come after Kurosaki-san himself if he was looking to settle things. Assuming he is alive that is. If the controller is an arrancar we can safely assume it won't be anyone as strong as any of them. But we shouldn't let our guard down. When the controller or controllers finally come to the Human World themselves you can bet they will head for Kurosaki-san themselves."

"No, we have to warn him!" she screamed. Orihime was about to run out of the room when Kisuke stopped her.

"Wait, Inoue-san!" he commanded. His tone was more demanding than he intended it to be, but it got results. The goddess stopped. "Don't be too hasty. Now I have already told Isshin-san (thank god he's not Kurosaki-san too) about it. He is watching the clinic. If anyone comes to the house he will take care of it. With you staying there for the time you provide a line of defense for both Kurosaki-san and his sisters as well. The danger is from him being alone. Ishida-san will have most likely told Sado-san. They will be sure to shadow him when they can. I know you spend a lot of time with him as well. I am only telling you this so you will be alert. The charms I gave Kurosaki-san just now will also provide some defense. One of them should be able to hold back an arrancar for a certain period of time."

She put her hand over her heart. The fear was evaporating. Thankfully her beloved was safe. "Kurosaki-kun is at his job right now. Should I go there?"

"Ishida-san is watching him when he is at work. There is something I need you to do for me."

"What is that?"

"I need you to keep this a secret from Kurosaki-san."

"What?" she asked almost offended. Keep a secret from Kurosaki-kun? She couldn't do that. They promised each other to stop doing that. They had no secrets from each other. "I can't do that. I promised him I would keep him in. Urahara-san if I keep this from him I will be breaking that promise."

"I understand, but if you tell him he will do something….unnecessary. I think you know that better than anybody though."

"I won't lie to him. Things between us are different now. Yesterday I gave honmei choco and he accepted. We are together now, we are happy. What if he finds out I kept this from him? Do you know how hurt he will be?"

"I do not want to put you at in an unfavorable position. If you feel like you need to tell him this then I can't stop you. However please think it over."

She narrowed her eyes darkly. An unfavorable frown graced her lips. "I'll think about it. I won't make any promises," she warned. Orihime turned her back on the former captain. He could sense some hostility meant for him in her reiatsu. He hadn't wanted to upset her. He wished he didn't have to keep Ichigo out. But he knew Ichigo. He knew that if the others were watching him that his delicate pride and self-worth would take a serious wound. That would lead him to do something stupid, especially if it meant he could keep Orihime out of it.

"With any luck we can take of this fast," he whispered to himself. Somehow he knew that was not going to happen.

* * *

**To manga readers who are current with the manga out there you remember how Karin was buying products from Kisuke. For this universe this how she meets him, through Orihime. I think I added a good balance of romance and mystery in there. What do guys think? I wanted to elaborate on Uryu's theory in this chapter. Let me say right now the controller is not Grimmjow. I only mentioned him because Kubo refuses to answer rather he is alive or not. I couldn't really say all of the Espada are dead. I am sure you guys noticed, but in case you forgot I planted the seeds of this plot in chapter 13 when the guys and Orihime fought hollows. Remember pay attention you never know what one chapter of event will be developed further. ;D**

**I have to work in Sado/Chad in this more. Every time I try he only gets a few lines. It's hard to write for Sado in this story. I can't really see him giving Ichigo any romantic advice. It's a shame especially since he has such a big part in the manga now. I think this new plot will allow me to incorporate him more into the story with a more significant role without making him out of character. Here's hoping.**

**Oh yeah they are couple now. The last few lines at the last chapter confused things. Ichigo and Orihime are an official couple now and kind of a cutesy one at that. Just came out that way. I guess it is probably because of all the kissing. I wrote a few scenes were they had the urge to kiss each other, but didn't because they were friends. It's like hey we can do this now. You know how it is. The twins are happy about it. I'll just say it now Yuzu is going to be calling Orihime, Nee-chan. Karin will occasionally toss a Hime-nee like she calls Ichigo, Ichi-nii. Fans of the sisterly bond you have this. **

**Next chapter will probably focus on White Day. Orihime's decision on whether or not to tell Ichigo what is going on will be revealed. I wrote more than usually in this section. I like to keep you guys informed. This week may not have a chapter. We will see. Please review. **


	24. Those Who Shed Darkness off their Hearts

**My finals are over. To celebrate I have a new chapter for you guys. This was supposed to be White Day chapter, but I moved that back to get this one out. Finals kept me from writing I have been keeping up with the manga. To all manga readers who are current, I love what Kubo is doing with Orihime. I don't want to spoil it, but damn I smiled when I read last week's chapter. All you manga reader know what I am talking about. That makes what I am planning not seem so out of character now. **

**In this chapter the romance is secondary. There is a cute scene with our favorite carrot tops though. This chapter introduces the people controlling the hollows in the last few chapters. It focuses on them. There is even a fight in this chapter. This is my first action sequence. I've toyed with them in little scrimmages between characters, but not a lot of movement. Forgive me if it is not descriptive or bad. You know what they say you can't good at something unless you practice. I do plan on making a sequel to this following the events of the current arc of the manga, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. I want to get some practice in writing fights since I am sure this arc has a few fights already with the promises of more to come. If you have some suggestions to help me improve let me know. Don't worry this story won't turn into Fake Karakura Town arc with one fight happening after another one ends with no break. The story will focus on Ichigo and Orihime's relationship. Next chapter will be the White Day chapter, which will have IchiHime fluff. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did Ichigo and Orihime would be together now. **

* * *

It was so dead. Everything about this world was related to death. The sky was void of any color. Darkness surrounded all of them, shrouding all of them in darkness. The only source of light was from a dull moon and even it looked to be on death's door. The trees were naked. Free from any leaves, vines, or fruit. The branches were exposed for what they were, wrinkled broken bark. The branches raised themselves up to the sky; almost as if they were trying to escape their earths bonds and reach out to grasp the heavenly body of the dead moon. It made perfect sense as to why they would want to. Their roots were firmly in the ground, buried under the white sands of the endless desert of this dead world. There was no water or even a sun for them to feed on, so the trees withered and died. Their deaths were slow, agonizing, and cruel. To him it was a crime they even be allowed to stand. This world was no place for trees. No, trees were the embodiment of life itself. They would grow by sucking the water that fell from the sky with their roots while they feed off the warm life inducing rays of the sun. They would create the oxygen needed for the world. They did not serve that function here. Spirit particles are what feed this world and sustained this life, if you could even call it that.

His kind rarely complained about their world. Most of them seemed to prefer this lifeless existence as oppose to the luscious, emotion driven, and colorful world they once resided in, the Human World. He was not one of them. He absolutely despised living in this world. All it did was remind him of how far they had fallen. Their existence was sad. Their hearts were gone. They were consumed by loneliness, jealousy, hate, and sorrow which left a hole. This hole was not just figurative, it was quite literal. Once that hole was opened up their bodies reformed into a new monstrous shape, their faces were sealed away from the world, never to be seen again. They were trapped behind a mask. That was when they knew their souls were lost. That is when hollows were born. Most gave themselves to the insatiable hungry that drove them to devour souls. This is another area where he differed from his brethren. He needed to consume souls in order to survive, but he had retained his mind. He retained his sense of self. He retained his soul.

He had a strong sense of who he was. He refused to lose himself to this primal and unneeded hunger. That is why when his appetite changed from human's souls and pluses to his fellow hollows that he did not become a mindless beast who could only eat. He ate only to satisfy his hunger, but was not a slave to it. That is why when he was able to take control of the Menos Grande body when he and a mass group of hollows joined together. They had already given their minds to their hunger. They had no souls. He would never be that way. He would always retain his soul! He aimed to become as close to human as he could. He devoured the other mindless Gillians in order to keep his mind from being overwhelmed by the hunger of the hundreds of hollows that had formed his new body. He did not allow his body to eaten at all. He fought all of his life and even in death that had not changed. It was a meaningless existence, but the alternative was far more unfavorable. How could he lose his soul? It was maddening. He never allowed his hunger to rule him yet he needed to feed in order to keep that hunger at bay. Was that an oxymoron?

His struggle was not meaningless though. Eventually he underwent another evolution. He had escaped the life of a Gillian and became an Adjuchas. The form was smaller and more animal like at least. Although the form he desired was a human one. In order to realize that dream he would have to evolve again into the final stage of hollow evolution, Vasto Lorde. He chuckled at that thought. His goal was to become a Vasto Lorde, but it was a hopeless goal. No matter how man hollows, Gillians, and Adjuchas he devoured he did not evolve. He did not understand why the final evolution eluded him. He had done everything right. He succeeded in keeping his sense of self and soul intact, he avoided having any part of his body eaten, and he continued to feed off his brethren, becoming the cannibal he no doubtingly would have cringed at in his days as a human. Why was it that he did not evolve? He wanted it more than any of his brethren. He deserved it more. They wanted more power, but he just wanted to become a human again. His quest became an obsession. It was eating away at his sanity. He became dangerously close to giving into his primal urges and just devoured everyone around him. When he was at his lowest, when he was only moments away of becoming what he dared not become, that man showed up.

He dressed in black robes and carried a sword on his hip. He knew from that attire that this man was a shinigami. He had encountered a few during brief visits to the Human World. He consumed some of them in order to keep his hunger in check. He felt bad about it, but he refused to die again. This man was different from the few shinigami he had devoured. They looked at him with hatred or disgust. He felt it in their reiatsu, the distain for his very existence. But this man did not have that hatred. On the contrary he looked at him with interest. The shinigami's lips were curled into a wide prideful yet reassuring smirk. His eyes were warm yet there was something lurking beneath them, the eyes of a wolf. He could see that even with those glasses over the shinigami's eyes. There was something else different about this man from the previous shinigami he met. This shinigami's reiatsu was like ocean washing over him, crushing him under its sheer weight. What was truly horrifying was that he could feel this man was suppressing his spiritual power. He could become even stronger than what he felt at that moment!

The shinigami said he had taken a liking to him and that he had been observing him for a while. The shinigami knew of his goal to escape his shackles of his hollow nature. He knew that he wanted to become a Vasto Lorde and take a human form. Before he could even ask how the shinigami knew that he told him that it was unlikely he would achieve his goal. The shinigami had said he had not met a single Vasto Lorde during his visits to Hueco Mundo, which were apparently frequent. The shinigami continued to say that the evolution from Adjuchas to Vasto Lorde was more difficult than the evolution from Gillian to Adjuchas. He wanted to tell the shinigami off, but his fear of this unnatural amount of reiatsu the shinigami possessed as well as his own experience of trying to evolve kept his mouth shut. He knew the shinigami's words were true. He wished they were not, but they were. The chances of him evolving again were unlikely at this point. It seemed his fate was to be so close to obtaining the human form he desired so badly, but never being able to cross the last juncture. The shinigami sensed his dread and told him of an alternative.

The shinigami said if he instead focused his efforts to ripping off his mask he would find the path to a new evolution. The shinigami told him of his experiments with others like him. He told him of another evolution that most hollows knew nothing of, the possibility of ripping down the boundaries that separated hollows from shinigami and becoming a hybrid of the two. The shinigami told him of the arrancar. The probability of him taking a human form was still only 50%. He explained all of the complications and possible consequences in trying this evolution. Amazed by this man's knowledge he finally asked the shinigami's name. The smirk he wore grew a bit wider. The shinigami said his name was Aizen Sosuke. According to Aizen hollows that had broken their masks had varying results. He had determined that hollows higher on the evolution plane had a higher success rate of taking a human form. Adjuchas like he was had the heights probability of taking a human form with the only exception being Vasto Lorde whom would take a human form 100% of the time. Aizen reiterated his options, the first being he continue on the path to becoming a Vasto Lorde, the second being he give up continue to devour hollows in order to keep his mind intact, or the third. Go with him in order to rip his mask off to evolve into an arrancar.

From his point of view there wasn't much of a choice at all. His goal to evolve into a Vasto Lorde was not bearing any fruit. There was no way he would descend into a mindless state that his brethren had become. That left only this evolution into this arrancar form. Aizen did say he had a higher probability of taking a human form, although there was still an equal chance of it failing. This was truly a gamble, but he had no other options. He followed the shinigami. They arrived at his lab. Once there they wasted no time. Aizen began the operation and helped him rip off his mask. Needless to say the experiment was successful. His animalistic body was broken down immediately and reformed into humanoid shape. For the first time in ages his face was exposed to the world. Of course it was not exactly as he remembered it, but the changes were minor. His physical changes paled in comparison to how much his spiritual power had changed. His reiatsu was in an entirely different world then it was before. He was truly reborn, in body and in soul. The voices of the other hollows within him were gone. The hunger seemed to have disappeared. For the first time in nearly a century he felt human. He had this man, Aizen to thank. He owed him too much, so he dedicated his life to the shinigami.

He became one of his servants and banded together with others like him, arrancar. They all differed in personality, philosophy, and other things, but they came together for one common purpose, to serve Aizen. He kept them all together. Aizen was unlike anyone he had ever met in either his life as a human, or as a hollow. He wasn't man, no. He was much more than that. He was a force or an ideal. He drew others to him like a flame drew in a moth. He gave them a purpose, he allowed them to become more than mindless animals that were ruled by their stomachs. That was why he followed him. That is why he was devoted to him. That is why he is now lost without him. Their savior had been defeated, defeated by a human with the powers of a shinigami and a hollow. Now everything that Aizen had built was crashing down around them. His brethren fought among themselves trying to replace him as if they could. While they squabbled like children their common enemy the Soul Society had invaded their world. Las Noches was now occupied by the shinigami. The arrancar had been forced out of it.

That was why he was out here in this lifeless desert, watching the dull crescent moon. His life was once again consumed by darkness. He hated this world, Hueco Mundo. He could not imagine Hell being any worse than this place. It was so cold and desolate. He wanted, no he needed to be in the light again. The false sun in Las Noches would be enough to satisfy him.

"Will I ever escape this hell and return to the lively world, the world with the sun?" he asked himself aloud. Silence was his response. Not like he expected to receive an answer. He raised his right hand into the sky, until it was over the crescent moon. His royal purple spheres shimmered with hope. Hope that he would return to the light once more. His fingers closed themselves as if he was trying to capture the moon in his grasp. He stared up into the dark void that was the sky to this dead world.

"I see you are still staring into the sky with that pathetic expression," a new voice said.

He kept his sights on the moon instead of turning to see his visitor. He knew who it was. She always came at the most inopportune moments. The reason he had gone out here was so he could contemplate their situation.

"Must you always go out on your own?" asked the new voice. He did not answer her. He was always like this, a pain in the ass. "You can't just walk off on your own and do whatever you like. We no longer have that luxury. Not with the Soul Society's forces being stationed here now." Again he was silent. This was pitiful. It amazed her that this man was an arrancar. He could be so melodramatic at times. She understood his desire to leave Hueco Mundo. She was not fond of this world either. However, sulking would not improve their situation. They needed to take action and get themselves out of the dark themselves, not waste it hoping for Aizen to return and do it for them. "Do you plan to stare into the sky like that forever?"

He grunted to her relief. She was satisfied to get any response. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Hmm, you are addressing me in such a manner? You were usually the respectful one among us. Have I struck a nerve?"

He shook his head in disagreement. "I come here to be alone, to clear my mind. Even when we still had Los Nachos I would occasionally come here to look at this bleak sky that inspires hopelessness and despair."

"What is so special about this place?" she asked in genuine interest.

He chuckled to her surprise. She had not heard that sound from him in months. "This is the place where I met, Aizen-sama for the first time."

Her golden eyes narrowed knowingly. She understood why he was bothered by her intrusion here. This was the place is where he had first become acquainted to their former master. It was a private and secure place that he had made his solitude. He was one of Aizen's most devoted followers. For him Aizen was his light. The light that had freed him from the darkness he had been running from.

"I give you my apologies, Senpai. Please tell what it is you want of me."

That was the demeanor he was known for. He was always so respectful to both his superiors and his subordinates. "I require your services for a job."

His eyes widened slightly with surprise. She wanted him to do a job. That was unusual. When she needed a job done she would call, Gild.

Sensing his surprise she decided to explain her reasoning. "Gild is on another job I have sent him on," she answered the question he no doubtingly had. "Your talents suit this job better than his anyway. You are aware of the jobs I have asked Gild to do?"

"You told Gild to open Garganta to the Human World then you have him send a hollow through."

She nodded her head. She folded her arms. "We have been using hollows to scout the human city, Karakura Town."

"For what purpose?" he questioned her. "Without Aizen-sama we cannot continue with the plan."

"No we are not planning on continuing Aizen-sama's plan," she replied.

"Then what are you trying to achieve, Senpai?"

"To confirm something," she answered.

"What?"

"It is as I said. I wish to confirm something. However, I cannot do this with simple hollows, at least not with hollows alone. This is where I need you. I want you to go to the Human World. That is something you can do, right? You want out of this place anyway. Go out and see the sun for a bit. The job will require you to be gone for a few hours."

"Senpai, just what are you planning?"

"What am I planning you ask? The answer is quite simple. I plan to escape this darkness along with you and the others."

He blinked. His lips fell into an upside down frown. "Planning to escape the darkness," he repeated. Just for second he saw it. He saw the same power, the hope that Aizen radiated with around her. He felt something he had not felt in months, since Aizen was stolen from them. He felt warmth. "I'll do whatever you ask of me, Senpai."

Her ears picked up the underlining hope in his tone. She could not help but curl her lips into a small smile. That was the attitude they needed to finally return to the light. Their time in the darkness would come to an end. She would make sure of that. Aizen may have fallen, but that did not mean they had to fall with him. They would rise again and they would take what they deserved. Because the truth was she was tired of living in this dead world. She refused to live there any longer. She refused to live in the shadow that had befallen them when the shinigami came, and the debris that was left from Aizen's defeat. Let those fool arrancar fight for Hueco Mundo in a vain attempt to take Aizen's place. She had other plans than to fight for a dead world. They all started with Karakura Town.

* * *

"Don't go, Onee-chan!" whine Yuzu. She ran up to the woman she had affectionately dubbed sister. She wrapped her arms around her in attempt to keep her in place. Yuzu's arms were around Orihime's waist. The healer was unsure what to do, so she looked to the girl's siblings and father for help. Karin looked embarrassed by her twin's behavior, while Isshin had tears running down his eyes. He obviously sympathized with his daughter's plight. Her beloved was wearing a blank expression. She was unable to read what he was feeling.

"Please, Onee-chan, don't go yet," Yuzu cried. During breakfast Orihime announced that she would be returning to her apartment today. The news came out of nowhere or at least it did to Yuzu. The orange haired woman made no mention of leaving the clinic until now. It was all so sudden. Why did she have to leave today? Couldn't she wait a few more days? Yuzu did not want Orihime to go. She had been living with them for months now. She was part of their family now. Yuzu could not imagine not seeing Orihime every morning, eating breakfast with them at the table. She could not imagine not coming home to see her face greet her. Since Orihime had been staying with them her grade in Math had improved. The gentle woman was a very good tutor. Most importantly Orihime brightened their family and pulled them closer together. Ichigo's mood had improved considerably in the last few months. Karin even warmed up to her, so now the twins would spend time with Orihime if they were not spending time with their own friends. The three of them had a lot of good talks and played a lot of fun games. Even her father who was always joyous seemed to be even happier than usual. The entire Kurosaki family benefited from Orihime's stay at the clinic. Now she wanted to leave.

"Onee-chan, do you really have to leave today?" Yuzu knew she was being childish, but she didn't know what else to do. "At least stay one more night," she pleaded. She looked up to the taller girl. Water started to form into her brown eyes. She did not want to lose her big sister. "Please stay one more night, Onee-chan."

Orihime felt a tug on her heart string. Looking into Yuzu's chocolate shaded orbs fill with water made her chest swarm with guilt. That guilt only became worse every time she heard the younger girl call her Onee-chan. Ever since she had started dating Ichigo; Yuzu had taken it upon herself to call Orihime, Onee-chan. She said that Orihime was already a part of the family, but now that she was dating Ichigo that she was her big sister. Orihime thought when Karin called her Hime-nee that her heart could not melt again. But damn if it did not reform just to melt again when Yuzu called her sister. It was not her intention to cause Yuzu sadness. It wasn't even on her list of things to never do because they were so horrible that it went without saying, not to do them. Orihime never had a little sister. Tatsuki and Kuchiki-san were sisters to her, but she was always the younger in those relationships. However, with Karin and Yuzu she was the elder one, the one they looked up to. Both Kurosaki twins came to her for advice. They found it easier to talk to her than either their father or their brother. It felt nice to be needed and to pass on her knowledge to help the twins.

Her growing relationship with Yuzu and Karin was one of the reasons why she put this day off as far as she did. Yuzu's innocence and hopeful nature was akin to her own outlook. Both were nurturing to their loved ones. Kurosaki-kun joked that Yuzu was the second Inoue. She understood what Yuzu was going through. She was surrounded by boys and a tomboy sister. The light brown haired girl needed someone to talk girly girl with. Orihime was the right woman for that job. It was during one of their girl talks that she discovered that Yuzu had developed a crush on a fellow classmate, but she was afraid to tell him. The universe's sense of humor continued to astound the healer. Yuzu had been so insisted that she tell Ichigo about her feelings for him, but could not follow her own advice, which Orihime pointed out. She could still see Yuzu stick her lip out to pout when she pointed out the contradiction Yuzu was committing.

Of course Karin and Orihime bonded with their spiritual power and love of active games. Urahara-san's products proved successful and drove the pluses away from Karin. This did not mean that the raven haired girl lost her ability to see spirits. She would see them when she went outside. Karin would talk to Orihime about strangeness of it all. Ghosts, shinigami, and hollows all seemed like something that came out of fiction, yet their lives revolved around them in one way or another. Karin was surprised to learn that Orihime had some experience in football. The red-orange head was not exceptional at it like Karin was, but she and Tatsuki played it an enough times for her to play with Karin and talk to her about it. More than anything though Orihime thought that Karin just wanted someone to talk to. Someone she did not have to act so mature around in order to make people not worry about her. When Karin was with her she seemed to be more at ease. She wasn't afraid to be vulnerable around Orihime. Her bond with the second scowling Kurosaki was just as strong if not stronger than the one she had with the maternal Kurosaki.

It felt good to be part of a family again. The Kurosaki family had been so wonderful that she allowed herself to believe she was a part of them. Despite her belief and reasoning that she would return to her apartment when her nightmares ended, Orihime allowed herself to think that these days of living with the Kurosaki family would last forever. That was naïve of her to think such thoughts. The nightmares were gone now. She could not stay here any longer. For one thing she could not keep her residency at the Kurosaki Clinic a secret from Tatsuki forever. It was only by good fortune that she had kept this from Tatsuki for as long as she did. The compassionate healer did not wish to push her luck any more. She did miss her own apartment. As much as she loved living at the clinic there was a part of her that missed her own place. There were wonderful memories of her time with her brother in that place. She was not entirely ready to let go of that place yet and she had something to prove to herself. She needed to know that she had conquered her nightmares. In order to do that she had to sleep at her own place alone, without her security blanket, namely Ichigo. It wasn't just talk when she said she felt safe in his arms. Having Kurosaki-kun hold her until she went to sleep made it easier for peaceful dreams to return. She felt like a baby snuggled in her warm and cozy blanket when she slept in his arms. Just like with a baby she was ignorant of the outside world and any of the dangers it had while she snuggled in her blanket. Nothing could harm her in his arms or that was how she felt at least.

As much as she loved being in his arms and immersing herself into that warm and cozy feeling she had to shed this blanket away from her. Just as a child learns to shed their blanket and brave their fears so did she. Orihime did not want Ichigo to be her crutch. She wasn't being stubborn like before. Now she knew that she could lean on him and not be a burden to him. This was completely different from her foolish refusal to talk to him months ago. She wanted to be able to stand on her own two feet. That did sound contradictory, but it was different from last time. If Orihime's nightmares renewed themselves she would tell him and return to clinic for that night. But that would only occur if her nightmares were as powerful as they originally were. If she could return to her slumber she would not call him. It was more of she wanted to know she could do this on her own. That still sounded contradictory, but it made so much sense in her head when she first thought it up.

Kurosaki-kun understood what she wanted. She explained this to him earlier in the morning when he woke up from his sleep. She had been nervous about telling him that she felt it was time for her to return home. She thought he would fight her on this and flat out refuse to let her go. He was so protective of her. When he wasn't around her he would ask Ishida-kun or Sado-kun to sense her reiatsu or watch her. Of course he assumed she was ignorant of this. How many times could Ishida-kun or Sado-kun just happen to find her then walk her home when Tatsuki or he could not walk with her? She had been preparing an argument for every possible reason he had for her staying there. Ironically it was all for not. He gave her a nod and said ok. There was no protest or any argument as she had been expecting. He told her that he knew this day would come and that he would not stop her. He knew what it was like to want to stand on your own. He knew the satisfaction that one felt when they had succeeded in their sought out goal. Her savior gave his support. He helped her move her things back to her place before his shift at work in the afternoon. Now everything was in place, Kurosaki-kun had moved her belongings to her apartment, she had thanked Kurosaki-san for his hospitality, gave her goodbyes to Kon (he seemed reluctant to go near her, almost as if he was afraid something would happen if he touched her), and now she was trying to say goodbye to the twins. Yuzu was not making this easy for her.

"Yuzu-chan, this isn't goodbye. I will still see you," she tried reason. Yuzu did not let go of her. This was going to be harder than she thought. She ran her hand through the brown locks of the younger girl. Yuzu returned her eyes to Orihime's own brown orbs. "Just because I am leaving does not mean anything will change between us."

Yuzu continued to frown. Sure Orihime said that, but things would change. She would start to spend more time with Tatsuki again or with her brother. Pretty soon Orihime would forget all about Yuzu and Karin. "But things will change and I don't want them to," she cried.

Karin was growing tired of Yuzu's whining. For god's sake she acted as if Orihime was leaving their lives and never coming back. They would see her later that day. Talk about ridiculous. "Yuzu quit embarrassing yourself and let, Orihime-chan go," she said in demanding manner. She put her hands on her hips taking a defiant stance. "We are going to see Orihime-chan again! There is no point in crying over her not staying here anymore."

A sniffle came from Yuzu. "You are heartless, Karin! Of course you don't care that Orihime-chan is leaving," she accused.

She furrowed her eyebrows, giving off a mighty scowl that would rival her own brother's most intense scowls. How dare Yuzu call her heartless! It wasn't as if Karin wanted Orihime to leave. But the reason she was staying with them at the clinic was because of this recurring nightmare she had been having. Now that they were gone of course she would return to her own place. Their father had told them that when Orihime stayed there for a second night. Of course he omitted the part where Orihime was kidnapped by an evil shinigami and tortured by his sadistic minions. Of course Karin didn't learn of this until Orihime shared it with her weeks ago. Yuzu was such a child. Was she naïve enough to believe Orihime would stay with them forever? She needed to live in reality. Just because Karin was being realistic did not mean she wanted Orihime to leave. Like Yuzu she had grown use to the healer stay there. She liked talking with Orihime. Ichigo never really talked about the whole spirit thing. Yuzu and her father were completely ignorant to the whole thing. It was hard to describe how she felt about the spirits that revolved around her to Yuzu. She wanted to be there for Karin, but she really had no idea what it was like to see things that other people could not see. Most people would think that Karin was unstable for saying she could see ghosts. Orihime understood what it was like and unlike her brother she was willing to talk about it. As cliché and lame as this was, talking about it really did help.

It wasn't just talking that Orihime did. No, it was more than that. Orihime had this air around her. Whenever Karin was troubled by something she had the astounding ability to put her at ease. When she looked into the orange haired woman's eyes she knew that everything would be alright. Those eyes promised her that they would and against her realistic or pessimistic (according to Yuzu anyway) outlook on life she allowed herself to believe those eyes. It went against her nature, but Karin enjoyed that reassuring feeling. Orihime was filling a void in her heart that she had forgotten was there. The raven haired girl did not feel so odd with the goddess around. Now that she was leaving Karin was concerned that feeling would vanish with her. But she did not tell Orihime this. She did not want to make the woman whom she had come to see as an elder sister feel any guilt about leaving, to return to her old life. Why couldn't Yuzu see that?

"Call me heartless all you like, but that does not change the fact that you are being selfish, Yuzu."

This time it was Yuzu who wore a scowl. She was clearly offended by Karin's accusation. Even though her anger surfaced to her face she still kept her hold on Orihime. "I am not being selfish! I just don't want to see Orihime leave!"

"Idiot, what do you think that is, if it is not being selfish?" Karin shouted.

"Heartless!"

"Selfish!"

"Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan," Orihime called worriedly. Her lips curled into an upside down U shaped frown. Sadness and anxiety consumed her hazel eyes. They went from Yuzu to Karin. She did not wish for her departure to become a source of discontent. "Please do not argue over me."

"Listen to Orihime," Isshin stepped in. He walked passed Karin and stopped in front of Orihime and Yuzu. All eyes were now on the physician. The only eyes he was paying attention to belonged to his youngest child. The child who took on so much around the house, taking care of all of them that he tended to forget just how young she really was. To his great shame it was only during times like these that he was forced to remember. "Yuzu, Karin is right. Asking Orihime to stay any longer is selfish. Do you remember what I told you when she came to stay here?" He asked, but he did not wait for her response. "Orihime was in a bad place. She needed our support in order to help her out of it. We became a shoulder for her to lean on so that she could support herself." Yuzu's beautiful chocolate eyes that reminded him so much of Masaki were looking directly at him. He couldn't help, but smile. It wasn't one of his overbearing and goofy smiles. It was a small and genuine one, the smile that Ichigo had inherited.

"We were there for Orihime when she needed us to be. Because we accepted her into our family she was able to recover. Now she can stand on her own again and no longer needs to lean on us. This is a happy day. We should not be sad. The reason Orihime can stand again is because we did a good job supporting her until this point. I know it hurts to let her go, but if we don't she may never know if she can stand anymore. Please be brave for Orihime, Honey. Please let her go, so that she may stand again."

It was moments like these that Ichigo was left speechless. His father was such a goof and never took anything serious that he forgot how dependable his father was. His old man was something else. He allowed Orihime to stay with them, but even let Ichigo sleep in the same room as her. He knew that she needed Ichigo. He trusted them. Ever since Orihime's first night at the clinic he never inquired on their privacy nor did he attempt to spy on them. Ichigo appreciated that.

Isshin caressed Yuzu's cheek, just as he did when she was a baby. She was so much bigger now and stronger. She was Masaki's daughter. Just like her mother she was unafraid to show her emotions, she wore them proudly. Isshin was never that courageous. He always hid his emotions through that false mask of happiness. Unfortunately he had passed down that trait to Ichigo and Karin. Orihime did seem to be getting both of them to be little more courageous. For that the shinigami was grateful to the young woman. "Yuzu, just because Orihime is not staying with us anymore does not mean your relationship will change. Right, Orihime?"

"Right," agreed the goddess. "I could come to dinner tonight if you will have me."

Isshin smiled broadly at her. "That goes without saying."

Yuzu wiped the liquid forming in her eyes. She sniffled. "Really, Onee-chan?"

Orihime lips curved into her light smile. "Really, Yuzu-chan," she repeated. Her fingers ran through the light brown hair once more. "I can still help you do your Math homework as well. I want you to keep coming to me if you need my help, Yuzu-chan. That goes for you too, Karin-chan. I may be going back to my apartment, but that does not mean I wish us to separate. I love being there for both of you, Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan."

"Orihime-chan," Karin uttered. She stared at the oddly colored haired woman with surprise. That surprise quickly gave way to modest gratification. That look appeared in the hazel eyes, the look that told Karin everything would be alright. Just as the other times the pessimist girl found herself trusting those eyes.

At last Yuzu let go of Orihime. She realized that her father's words were true. She could not be selfish and ask Orihime to stay. She may have wished her to stay, but she did not want to keep her honorary sister from growing. "Please visit us every now and again, Onee-chan."

Isshin nodded in agreement with Yuzu. "I want to see my newest daughter over here as much as possible." Crimson coated Orihime's cheeks and she withdrew a little to Isshin's amusement. He turned slightly to see Ichigo's cheeks were also shaded red. They were so alike. He wasn't pushing them to get married or anything. He even called Rukia his daughter once when she stayed with them. Orihime had stayed with them for so long that he had grown attached to her. She was smart, pure-hearted, honest, and strong. Those were the same qualities that drew him to Masaki. There were times when he saw Orihime's smile that he saw Masaki. He never told her or his children that. He did not wish to bring up the comparison for fear of putting pressure on Orihime to live up to Masaki's name or for his own children to start to do the same to her. But with those qualities it was no wonder the shinigami had grown attached to Orihime. As far as he was concerned she was his daughter, regardless of whatever happened between her and Ichigo. He would knock his son upside his head if he ever broke her heart. Damn, he hoped Ichigo didn't mess this up. He had declared to Ishida that he would make sure Orihime carried the Kurosaki name. He would hate to eat his words in front of the smug Quincy because of his idiotic son.

"If this guy…." He pointed his thumb at Ichigo. "….gives you any trouble, come to daddy and he will straighten him up."

"Mmmm," Ichigo seethed. He crossed his arms as he put on his annoyed scowl on. "I am right here you know." His father ignored him and continued to talk to Inoue. _'My old man is a real piece of work. We've only been dating for two weeks and he is already putting all these thoughts of me being difficult in her head. I get enough of that from Tatsuki as it is,' _he thought.

"Ai, I will, Kurosaki-san," she said barely containing the laugh threatening to come out. It was a good thing she did least it worsen her Kurosaki-kun's mood. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Kurosaki-kun is always so thoughtful."

Doubt plagued the dark haired man. "You are so sweet to turn a blind eye to my son's many, many faults."

"Old man," Ichigo growled. He was very close to losing his temper. It was taking every fiber of his being to keep his arms crossed and not use them to completely pulverize his father into oblivion.

Orihime laughed nervously. It was time for her to leave before Kurosaki-san pushed his son too far and they got into another one of their famous brawls. "Kurosaki-kun, are you still planning to walk me home?"

His seething ceased. His scowl dissipated into his usual straight laced almost mean like demeanor. "Yes. Are you ready to go?" She replied with a nod. "Alright, I'll be back in a little while guys."

A wide smirk materialized on Isshin's face. "Can I keep you to that?" he asked. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his father questioningly. Isshin leaned over to whisper into Ichigo's ear. "I would have thought since you will be going to your girlfriend's house unsupervised that you would be gone for a while. Two teenagers alone in an apartment, their hormones flaring up, temptation comes into their minds. I'm sure…." He didn't get to finish due to a fist ramming right into his face, knocking him off his feet. "Ooooowwwwwwwww!" screamed Isshin dramatically. His hands went to his face. He nursed it by rubbing it frantically. The girls watched on with exhaust at the sight that was unfortunately familiar.

"Aren't you just a little ashamed to be talking about that when it involves the woman you said had become a daughter to you?" Ichigo screamed. Before his father could respond Ichigo turned his back to him. He summoned Orihime and the pair walked out of the door. The healer gave another farewell to Yuzu and Karin, promising to see them at dinner later that night. She waved at Isshin as well, but he could not return it due to his injured face.

* * *

"Gees, I can't believe my old man has such a dirty mind. I am sorry he embarrassed you." He put his hands inside his pants pocket as they walked to Orihime's apartment. Neither of them bothered wearing a jacket. February had gone and March was upon them. Karakura was no longer buried in white powder. It was now covered in wet patched of melting snow. The sun had finally come out and the frigid winds were now hot. Spring had come early to them. The weather was just warm enough were wearing a jacket was no longer necessary.

"I wasn't embarrassed," Orihime protested. She didn't hear what Ichigo's father said, so she could not be embarrassed. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she had heard Kurosaki-san her cheeks would be burning as they speak. "Kurosaki-san is only playing."

Ichigo shook his head disapprovingly. "You are far too easy on him."

Orihime laughed to herself at his statement. Perhaps he was correct in his assessment. "I didn't expect Yuzu-chan to take my leaving so hard. I should have prepared her for this instead of just springing it on her."

"Don't worry about it. Yuzu will get over it, besides my dad told both Yuzu and Karin that your living with us was only temporary. There is nothing you did that was wrong."

"But still…."

Ichigo continued to shake his head. "You are too hard on yourself, Inoue. My sisters are stronger than that, especially Yuzu. She is sad right now, but she will come around," he assured her. He put his hand on her shoulder, drawing Orihime's attention. "This is important for you. You want to prove you can handle this on your own now to yourself. I understand that. When I go into battle I want to defeat my opponents with my own hands. I want to prove to myself that I can defeat them with my own two hands. That was the reason I wanted Ulquiorra to cut off one of my arms and legs, so we could fight as equals. I didn't want the hollows to hand me a victor I didn't deserve. I know it was stupid and selfish, because at that moment I didn't even take you and Ishida into consideration if I lost. My pride just wouldn't allow me to accept the hollow's victory. But in the end I had no choice," he said bitterly.

Her concern for him rose. She could see that he was going back to that dark place. He was remembering how he lost control of his body to the hollow within him and how he transformed to defeat Ulquiorra. It was still a sore spot with him. In order to get him out of that dark place she did the only thing she could think of, she took hold of his hand and closed her fingers tightly around the hand. She gave his hand a tight loving squeeze. He turned his head to look at her. She must have been wearing solemn expression because that dark glare that had formed in his bright hopeful brown eyes had left. As soon as the dark glare disappeared her smile materialized on her face. His lips also curved into his small and sincere smile. That's how she knew he had escaped the clutches of the past.

"I would never want to deny you the chance to obtain your own victory, Inoue. I am protective of you, but I also know I cannot protect you from everything." _'If I could I would,' _he thought. "This is your fight and I have no place in it. If I tried to stop you it would be like I was saying I had no faith in you. However, if you feel like it's too much or your nightmares wake you up constantly do not be afraid or hesitate to call me. I'll come over there as fast as I can. I won't think any less of you for it."

"Kurosaki-kun, I will."

"Promise," he said.

"I promise," she replied. She kept her hand in his. He made no objections. They continued on their way hand in hand. "Are you going to miss me?" she ventured.

"If I say yes is that going to make you feel guilty and stop you from trying this?"

"No, I am doing this regardless of your answer," she said. Her voice was sure and strong. It was untainted by doubt. He decided he loved to hear her so sure of herself.

"It is going to be weird not having you in my room. It will definitely be weird to sleep in my own bed again without you in it. I like waking up and seeing you. Yes, I will miss you."

"I'm glad, because I will miss waking up and seeing you," Orihime said.

He felt his heart skip a beat when he heard her say she would miss him to. Why did they talk like sentimental saps? It wasn't like they were not going to see each other again. She was coming over to his place for dinner tonight. Afterwards they had a study date. Nothing was going to change between them just because she was not going to be staying with him anymore. For some unknown reason he still felt sad anyway. He told himself it was nothing, but he still felt sad at seeing her leave.

The healer raised her head, setting her sights on the sky. The murky gray skies had given way to the beautiful bright and hopeful blue sky. The golden life inducing rays of the sun came beaming down on the earth. "I am glad the sun has returned," she stated. Ichigo followed her eyes and looked into the sky. "I do not hate the winter. I love to see Karakura be decorated with snow. It does not compare to this sight. The sun is so wonderful and hopeful. Spring is when life returns and the sun knows this so it comes out."

"I never thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, it does seem that way," Ichigo agreed.

"I am really happy that spring came early this year," she said.

"Even though March just started a few days ago, you would never know it was only winter a week ago."

It was the first week of March. The school year was fast approaching its end. There was another day that was coming even faster, White Day. Two weeks, in just two weeks the 14th would be here. Kurosaki-kun had not given her a single clue as to what he was planning or what type of gift he was getting her. Not that she cared about the gift, but she was hoping he would give her some idea at what they were doing. The only thing she knew was that he had taken that day off. Unlike Valentine's Day they would be spending the day and evening together. Orihime couldn't help, but wonder if he would acknowledge the day at school. They had down played their relationship at school. After the reactions they had gotten when she gave him her chocolate first they were not so eager to repeat it. Kurosaki-kun had been getting death glares from every guy in their class. They seemed to hassle him. He wasn't bothered by it exactly, just really annoyed by it. They also questioned her on her relationship with Kurosaki-kun. Some begged her to reconsider him (which she thought was rude). It was a bother to both of them so they played it off as regular giri choco.

'_I wonder what I should expect,' _wondered the healer. Oh well. A part of her liked that he was keeping it secret. She felt like a child eagerly awaiting a birthday gift. She had no idea what her gift was, but the fun was thinking of all the different possibilities. If she learned anything from Kurosaki-kun's Christmas Eve date was that he was good at surpassing her imagination and expectations. She had no doubt whatever he had planned for White Day she would enjoy.

"Hey, how is your job search going?" Ichigo questioned.

"It has hit a bit of a snag actually. I am having a hard time finding a place that is willing to hire me since I have no experience."

"That sucks," he said plainly. "I wouldn't worry too much. You will find something. I am sure a smart girl like you won't stay unemployed for much longer."

"You have so much faith in me. Now I know the next place I go to will hire me!"

He chuckled to himself. Inoue was so fiery. Her hazel eyes glimmered with that same fiery spirit. Her lip stuck out defiantly. This expression different from the other times she was determined. There was no cutesy or adorable aftertaste to it. This expression was frozen in confidence and determination. It was hard, but not mean. If he had seen this look on her any other time he would have been taken aback by its intensity. The ex-substitute smirked. The serious determined expression worked on her. It made her look sexy. He hoped he would see that expression more in the future.

They talked some more about her job search then his job. Of course there was one question about Masaki that he knew she was interested in, but tried to play it off as casual. Their walk to her apartment had been peaceful and uneventful. Ichigo wouldn't have traded it for anything.

* * *

Uryu watched as Kurumadani slayed another hollow with his zanpakuto. The hollow was purified of its sins and its soul went to the Soul Society. That was the fifth hollow that night. It followed the same pattern as the other ones for the following weeks. The hollow was mindless and it was on a path to the Kurosaki Clinic. Uryu had stopped the hollows and pinned them down. Kurumadani finished them off.

The afro shinigami wiped his brow which had sweat on it. "That was the last one. What a relief. I am looking forward to a nice rest. We've been at this all night or should I say morning."

It was 3 o'clock in the morning. Uryu did not get much sleep that night. The hollows attacks had all been at night. They started at 12 am and continued at erratic times in the long hours of the morning. The Quincy would probably pay for this in the morning. Getting little sleep and having to get up early in order to ready himself from school would take a toll on him. _'It is a good thing I have gotten use to sleeping only a few hours,' _he thought. The glasses cladded man was wearing his clean white Quincy uniform tonight.

"Ishida, did you hear me?" the afro shinigami called. The Quincy shifted his head to the left to look at the loud mouth annoying man. "I said you can leave."

Uryu nodded. He jumped onto a nearby roof. He started a quick jog from roof top to roof top to journey home. Kurumadani was left alone. He pouted at the raven haired man's departure. "He could have at least said goodbye. What a rude guy. It's not like I want to be his friend or anything, but I was expecting some manners from him. He yelled at me for not learning his name." He used shunpo to speed away. The shinigami failed to notice a pair of purple eyes was watching him from above. Once the afro man left the hidden figure started to move in the opposite direction that Uryu had used only moments ago. He wore a deep black cloak that covered his entire figure, with a hood over his head protecting his identity from any on looker.

It felt good to be back in the Human World. How long had been since he walked in his old world? Had it been a half century? He certainly knew he had not been there since he became an arrancar that was for sure. Aizen wanted to keep them hidden from the Soul Society. Having arrancar walk in the Human World would have been bad for that. He had forgotten how the wind felt in his hair or how beautiful the moon looked. It was so bright and lively, not like their moon in Hueco Mundo. The black night sky was not void either. There were clouds and stars in them. He took a deep whiff of the cool air. He would commit this scent to memory. He never wanted to forget what it smelt like ever again.

He hopped from roof to roof. This town was so big. He could scarcely believe it was town and not a city. It was hard to believe that this place is where Aizen had placed all of his time and energy in. Now this was the place that his Senpai had placed her plans and hopes in. He jumped into the sky. As he soared through the sky he looked below. All of the buildings and homes captured his eye. He wondered which one of these building housed their target. "I suppose it is time I leave and give my report." The figure descended on roof of tall building downtown. He turned around to take in the sight of the town one last time. "Still I would like to take another stroll through this place one more time before I return. Senpai did say I could enjoy myself for a bit." He prepared to jump into the night sky when a radiant blue arrow made of energy was flying towards him, traveling at astounding speeds. Caught off guard the arrancar widened his eyes surprise. The arrow was inches away from him. Lady luck had given him her good graces because his reflexes were sharp enough that he had already started moving when he caught sight of the arrow. With the swiftness of fox the arrancar turned his body sideways and missed the arrow. Not stopping to wait for another attack he sidestepped to his left then jumped backwards. His eyes darted from left to right trying to find his attacker. Having no luck he decided to take to the air. He ascended into the air only to find another arrow was racing his way. This time his defense was ready. He easily avoided the arrow. He stopped his ascension and floated in mid-air.

From his vantage point he was able to spot a white clothed man standing on one of the roof tops below him. He could barely make out the man, but it looked like he was holding a cross mixed with spider like webbing on it. It was made of the same light blue energy as the arrow. _'That is the man I was observing, the one who stopped all of the hollows. That is the Quincy,' _he thought.

The white clothed man spoke, "Those two shots were a warning. Tell me who you are or else." He pulled the string back of his strange cross like object. A blue arrow materialized. The white clothed man aimed the arrow at him. "I will not miss again," the Quincy declared.

"Is that so?" the arrancar questioned. His lips curled into a mischievous smirk. The man disappeared with a loud thump. He started flying at high speeds. He zipped from the left to the right, going from building to building in an attempt to throw the Quincy off of his trail. At the speeds he was going he left only ghost like images of himself as he moved from roof top to roof top. In minutes he had already crossed the other side of the town. He was miles away from where the Quincy spotted him. There was no chance he was able to follow him. He stopped his running. "Too bad I won't give you the opportunity to hit me again," he bragged.

"Is that so?" a voice questioned.

The arrancar's eyes broadened a second time from surprise. He shot around to see the white clothed man standing directly behind him. Now that the distance between them was small; he could make out his face. He wore glasses and his eyebrows were furrowed. His blue eyes were ice cold. There was no remorse or anger in them. He would have welcomed any emotion in those cold blue eyes. He hated to admit it, but that icy stare startled him. His lips frowned. His dark-raven hair covered his cheeks and went passed his neck. The Quincy had his bow and arrow aimed right at him. His fingers release the string, unleashing the arrow at him.

He had underestimated the Quincy. He should have kept his guard up. _'Damn it!' _He pulled his cloak back and drew his zanpakuto. With lightning speed that surprised even him he swung the blade with all his might. His steel blade caught the blue energy arrow. When it was inches away from his chest; he brushed it aside knocking it away from his person. He put distance between them, back stepping to the edge of the building. He held his zanpakuto in front of him, holding onto it with only his right hand. "I see you are fast. I did not think you could keep up with my speed." His attacker did not say anything. Instead he pulled the string of his bow back, preparing to fire another arrow. He was impressed by the human's cut throat attitude. Clearly he was dealing with a true warrior. "Tell me how did you keep up with my Sonido? Do you Quincy have the ability to use Shunpo?"

"Hmm, you know of the Quincy, but do not know our techniques, as if the Quincy would use a shinigami technique." The arrow formed. "We Quincy use a technique that is superior to the shinigami's Shunpo and to your Sonido." The Quincy phased out of existence. His opponent's purple eyes tried to follow him. Uryu phased back into existence behind the black cloaked arrancar once again. "We Quincy use Hirenkyaku." He unleashed another arrow at his opponent. The arrancar side stepped to the right just narrowly missing it. Uryu moved his bow with him. In quick succession he unleashed arrow after arrow, firing off five more shots. The arrancar continued to dance around, dodging the arrows.

"You are fast," the arrancar quipped. He took to the air again to take higher ground.

"Do you think you can escape me by the air?" Uryu challenged. He drew spirit particles into his feet then used them bounce to the skies. He shot through the air like a rocket. The distance between the arrancar was closing. He prepared to take another shot when the arrancar changed directions and pushed himself towards him. The Quincy could not stop his eyes from widening in surprise and fright. The black cloaked arrancar swiped his sword. There was no time to fire an arrow. What could he do? There was no way he could stop the blade with his bow. He couldn't change the direction of his Hirenkyaku fast enough to dodge. He searched his mind for any possible solutions to this soon to be life ending strike. When hope seemed lost his mind had discovered one option that would save him. _'The Seele Schneider!' _he exclaimed.

Uryu's hand went his belt. He pulled a round silver tube free from it. He activated the weapon, causing the blue energy blade to extend. Fortune was with him because he had gotten the Seele Schneider out just in time to stop the blade from reaching his chest. The two blades clashed. Their wielders shoot each other looks. Uryu glared daggers at the arrancar; he merely looked at Uryu with fascination. He took notice to the arrancar's royal purple eyes. Despite seeing amusement in them he did not feel it from him. He couldn't feel anything from him at all and that worried him. They broke apart and glided away in the opposite direction of each other, however neither one turned their back on the other one. While Uryu descended below to the roof tops the arrancar remained airborne.

The blue eyed man continued to glare at his newest enemy. Questions started to form. Who was this man? Why was he here? Why did he not feel any reiatsu from him, despite clashing with him? Was it his cloak? That cloak stood out for an arrancar. They usually wore white like he did, while black was a secondary color for them. That had to be it. He was wearing a special reiatsu concealing cloak. Could this be the man controlling the hollows? "How long have you been watching me?"

The arrancar was silent. This would make things a bit more difficult. "Wearing that cloak to conceal your reiatsu while you watch the hollows invade this town, I have to admit it is clever. I have no idea just how long you have been watching me. I assumed I would sense your reiatsu. That was my carelessness. I should have used my other senses as well."

"You deduced that it was the cloak hiding my reiatsu. You are the one who is clever. You knew I was watching you the entire night? I thought I was keeping myself out of sight so well too."

"No, I did not know you were watching me until a few minutes ago. Your skills at concealment were remarkable."

"How did you know I was here then?"

"Dumb luck," Uryu answered.

"What?"

"I hid myself and waited for Kurumadani to leave so that I could search for clues to whoever was controlling these hollows. As soon as he left you came out of your hiding place and made your own exit. From there it was a simple matter of following you."

A smile broke on the arrancar's cloaked face. "It seems I was careless after all," he mused.

"I was kind enough to answer your questions now it is time to return the favor. Why are sending hollows to the Human World? What is your objective?"

"I am sorry, but I am not at liberty to divulge that information to you."

Uryu's interest rose. _'He is not at liberty to say. Does that mean he is working for someone else?'_

A tear in the sky ripped open behind the arrancar. The glasses cladded man raised an eyebrow. He had seen this enough times to know what it was. His opponent was planning on escaping. "Garganta," he muttered. Uryu saw the arrancar started to make his way to the tear in the fabric of space. "Where are you going, Arrancar?"

"It's time for me to take my leave, Quincy."

'_Damn it! No you don't!' _Uryu thought. Instantly dropped his Seele Schneider and pulled the string of his bow back. He gathered all spirit particles he could and channeled them into the arrow he was forming along with his innate reiatsu. Unknown to the arrancar the arrow was becoming brighter as its creator continued to charge it. He did not have much time before the arrancar walked through the portal and disappeared. He stopped his chagrining. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes as if it improved his sight. He released the bow string. Instead of one arrow forming a massive wave of arrows formed. Their fury was fully unleashed on to the arrancar. The sky blanketed by hundreds of glowing blue arrows, illuminating the sky.

The black cloaked figure took notice to the ever growing blue light. He slowly turned around. Unable to contain his shook the arrancar gasped. There wasn't even enough time for him to blink when the volley of arrows collided with him. A large blue dome like explosion formed covering the arrancar in its mighty clutches.

Uryu ever calculating still searched for every possible point the arrancar would come out of. Without the ability to sense his reiatsu losing sight of his enemy was dangerous. He moved his bow around, preparing to delivery another attack. The Quincy continued his sweep around his area. No matter how many times he scanned the air the arrancar would not appear. Could it be possible that he did not escape the explosion? Perhaps he took the attack and was waiting for it to die down before he struck back? He returned his sights to the point his arrows met at. The blue dome started dissipating. It would be gone in a few more seconds. He had to be ready for anything. His trigger finger started to twitch. He prepared to pullback his bow string when this flashing silver light materialized in the center of the dying explosion. He narrowed his eyes to try and make out the figure. The light grew and grew into he realized it was speeding towards him. It wasn't a light at all. It was his opponent's sword. That bastard had thrown his sword at him.

'_What is he trying to accomplish with such a desperate act? It will never reach me.' _Uryu dashed towards his left. The zanpakuto was sheathed itself into the roof. He mentally berated his opponent. However, when he returned his gaze to the sky he was the arrancar in front of him. _'Damn. He used Sonido!' _If that weren't bad enough his opponent's left hand went inside his cloak and came out with another sword in its possession. _'Shit, he has two zanpakuto!' _

The arrancar raised his arm into the air. He was close enough now that he could see the once emotionless icy blue eyes fill with horror. He pulled his arm down, hoping to cut the Quincy down vertically. Victory was within reach. Once his cold steel reached warm flesh it would all be over. His blade never met flesh. It met with black and magenta metal shield. His purple spheres bulged as did the Quincy's blue ones. Both of them were not expecting dark skinned, muscle toned giant, with shaggy brown hair to intervene.

"Sado-kun," the Quincy called.

"Another one," the arrancar said. At the appearance of this new enemy he retreated and retrieved his first blade. _'I can't fight them both. I might draw attention of the Soul Society. It's time to leave now.'_

The two comrades kept their eyes on their enemy, but conversed with one another. "Sado-kun, why are you here?" Uryu asked.

"I sensed you exerting more reiatsu than normal. I knew a normal hollow couldn't be causing you this much trouble. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't feel who you were fighting. I came here to see what was going on. I would have been here sooner, but you kept racing all over town."

"You came just in time. Thank you," he said sincerely.

Sado gave his trade mark thumbs up sign. This was his way of accepting the thanks. "Is this the guy after Ichigo?"

"I think he is one of them, but he hasn't given me any answers."

The hollow powered human balled his right hand into a fist. If this guy could give Ishida some trouble then he would have to brace himself for a tough battle. Ishida did the same and aimed his bow at their foe. As the duo prepared to battle the arrancar re-opened the Garganta. Without missing a beat they attacked. Uryu fired off another barrage of arrows. Chad threw his fist back and threw a punch unleashing a massive wave of reiatsu. The goddess of victory was not smiling on them. Their attacks did not reach the arrancar as he stepped into the tear. Once he went through the rift closed up. The attacks went flying off until they were out of sight.

"He got away," Uryu stated.

"It's just as Inoue said. Arrancar are coming to Karakura to try and kill Ichigo in order to prove themselves," Sado said.

'_If his goal was to attack Kurosaki why didn't he do so? I was busy with hollows all night and didn't sense his reiatsu at all due to that cloak. He could have gone to the Kurosaki Clinic and killed Kurosaki without us being any wiser. Instead he just watched me. What are this arrancar's intentions? Who is he working for? Is this bigger than we thought?' _"Sado-kun, we have to tell Urahara-san and Inoue-san. I think we may have misjudged the enemy's intentions completely."

**The target is Ichigo or so they all believed. But is does their scope extended beyond that? Who is this new enemy? **

* * *

**I tried to end it like an actual Bleach chapter. You know how it leaves these cryptic and sometimes totally false clues for the next chapter or future plot points. Orihime moves out of the clinic. The Kurosaki family tries to deal with her departure. Was the Masaki and Orihime comparison too much? I know we don't see much of Ichigo's mom, but all the times we see her she seems so exceptional kind and bright. It reminds me of Orihime. That might be pairing bias that makes me think that. I'll probably try to avoid the comparisons in the future. Orihime will still spend time at the clinic. She's family at this point. Oh yeah, that little determined expression Orihime had was my little nod to expression Orihime wore in chapter 449. **

**Senpai is not the woman arrancar's name. It's an honorific that people use to refer to their seniors in school or jobs. I haven't thought of names for the golden eyed woman and the purple eyed guy who just fought Uryu. I didn't describe their appearances on purpose to add to the mystery. The fight wasn't long, but it was of meet and greet. I try and make battles longer and more descriptive in the future. Next chapter will be White Day holiday, so this won't be followed immediately. Hope the chapter was worth the long wait. Please Review. **


	25. White Day

**Sorry for the delay, but this was a really long chapter. Please forgive the mistakes I made. I am sure there is more than usually. I am too tired to read through this again at the moment. I will upload this and go back to fix it. I'll upload the redone version. I wanted to give you guys something to read.**

**Fair warning I made some characters out of character. I wanted to give Chad a bigger role and had him talking with Ichigo about his relationship early on in this chapter. I am afraid I may have made him slightly OC. I am sorry, if he is. I want to have him be more than a background character. As Ichigo and Orihime become closer I may be making them OC a little more. But keep in mind I want to develop their characters as well. Ichigo sounds like he is too open remember that is result of his growing bond with Orihime. If Orihime sounds a little bolder it is due to their growing relationship. I am trying to keep their core characters intact. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

* * *

He was irritated. Ichigo seethed, gritting his teeth. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants, not wanting to expose his ire. There was also the fact that if they were not restrained he would use them to commit murder. He clenched his hands from within his pocket. He refused to let this get the better of him. There was no need to be angry at all. This was natural. Every now and again there would be some guy bold enough to accept this challenge. This guy did not care that the countless others before him whom had tried and failed to do what he was trying to do now. If anything that seemed to spur him on. He thought he would be the one to defy the odds and beat out the failed predecessors. That smug expression he wore just pissed the ex-substitute off even more. His first instinct told him to ram his fist so far down that bastard's throat that he would never ever have to see him smirk again. A sinister if somewhat twisted smirk materialized on his lips, but only for a second. He liked that thought. However, he ultimately had to disregard it. Beating this guy up would make him feel better (the joy he would get from this would make the cheer for joy at defeating Byakuya seem tame in comparison), but she would not approve of it.

If he were to delivery his wrath on the smug bastard she would be disappointed in him and reprimand him on his anger just as she did when he assaulted Kon. No matter how badly he wanted to he could not lay one finger on the man. Damn his luck. If Inoue was not around he could do something. But of course if she was not here he would have no problem with the smirking smug bastard. He was partially at fault for why this was happening. Where the hell was Tatsuki? She should be stopping this right now anyway! Did she decide today of all days to be absent? Keigo was getting on his nerves with that stupid little amused smirk he was wearing. He could take his frustrations out on him. After all Inoue would not think of twice as to why Ichigo was beating the living crap out of Keigo. It was a daily occurrence anyway. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that guy moved closer to her. They were standing in the hallways of Karakura High. School had ended.

Ichigo waited for Inoue to walk her home before he went to work, but when Keigo pulled him into a conversation. She had to wait for him to get done with Keigo, that's when this guy came up to her. He casually started a conversation with the goddess of Karakura High. Ichigo took notice of the confident smirk and the way he narrowed his eyes as a predator did when it neared its prey. He heard the undeniable and uninhibited flirtations from this guy. This guy was flirting with Inoue, his Inoue. What pissed him off was that she told the guy that she was waiting on him. The guy turned to look at him. He smirked and winked at Ichigo. God he wanted to run over there and kick his ass so hard that his foot would go so far up it that his ass would take the place of his head. The guy said something the orange haired boy could not hear, but he could guess. He probably said something about Ichigo taking a while talking to Keigo and that they had time to talk. She looked reluctant, but he no doubt persuaded her to stay and talk to him. He didn't seem the type to give up without a fight. His persistence was rewarded. She stayed and start to converse with him. She didn't see the harm in talking to him. She was too kind to brush someone off and he was busy with his idiot friend Keigo. He really hated Keigo now by the way. Despite this the idiot was still talking, delaying him from rescuing Inoue from the smug bastard.

"That guy is pretty smooth."

Ichigo recognized voice as belonging to a petite young man whom normally had his face buried in a cellphone. Sure enough he turned around to see Mizuiro. However, he was accompanied by Chad. They walked up to him and Keigo. Mizuiro had his cellphone out as usual, while Chad was as composed as ever. The silent giant took one look at Ichigo then tilted his head slightly to the right. Ichigo immediately knew that his friend was turning his gaze on their resident healer. The dark skinned man's expression did not change. He returned his gaze to Ichigo. He raised his exposed eyebrow slightly. Ichigo recognized this as Chad's way of questioning him if he was alright. He should have known the answer by how strong Ichigo's scowl was.

"He hits on every girl in our year," Mizuiro stated as he typed in his phone. The other three boys turned their attention to him. Ichigo divided his attention on the smug guy and Inoue. "He is known for being a flirt. I know for fact he has gone out with half the girls in our year alone. That is not counting the freshmen and the seniors."

"That guy looks familiar," Keigo said. Ichigo glared at him. Now he stopped talking. Just his luck now he was stuck in new conversation with his other so called friends. "Who is this guy, Mizuiro?"

Mizuiro did not answer right away. He preoccupied with finishing messaging whatever girl he had been conversing with. "That guy is Yanagawa Ryunosuke. He is a year above us. He is on the baseball team, the kendo team, the student council, and is ranked eighth in his class."

Keigo's face lit up. "That's why he looks so familiar!" he exclaimed with too much enthusiasm. "My sister worked with the kendo team. I watched him in a few matches. The guy is good."

Mizuiro nodded his head. "He helped our team beat a few rival schools last year and this year. You add that with his good looks it is no wonder why he has had his choice of girls."

Ichigo snorted. Good looking, he would hardly call thus Yanagawa good looking. Sure he had a strong jawline with a goatee on his chin that gave him this rugged of feeling. His eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald green that held a sparkle in them. He had dark shade of brown hair that was slicked back. With only two thin strands which hang in the front of his face. His cheeks were widened in to undeserved sense of prideful half smirk. His arms were swollen slightly with muscles, evidence of his athletic prowess. He was tall, about a foot taller than Ichigo. His attire was their school uniform, light gray pants, a short sleeved white buttoned shirt. Yanagawa kept his shirt un-tucked, probably to get that bad boy look. It was like Ichigo thought he wasn't good looking. Ok so maybe he had decent looking. "You talk so highly of him, you might as well date him yourself," he spat.

"It more of I appreciate his skills," Mizuiro quipped.

Ichigo snorted again. "It figures, a player admiring another player at work. Mizuiro, you can be quite the devil when you want to be."

Mizuiro was toying with his cellphone once more. The player was once again leading some poor girl along. Ichigo wanted to hit Mizuiro at that moment. He never approved of Mizuiro's juggling girls around, but he never got upset over it. Seeing another player hit on Inoue, telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, faking an interesting, lying to her made him realize just how despicable it was. Inoue was so trusting. She was eating up every word that smug bastard was saying. The least he could do was look her in the eye while talking to her. Give her chest a rest jackass. Damn he hated Keigo. "How many lines do you spill, Mizuiro?" Ichigo asked while shooting another glare at Yanagawa.

The cellphone obsessed man took his eyes off his phone and scowled at the former vizard. "I do not feed girls lines. I flirt, but do not lie. I am perfectly upfront about not being exclusive. Just because you are angry at Yanagawa hitting on Inoue is no reason to take it out on me."

"As if I am angry at something like that," Ichigo lied. His eyes dashed towards Inoue and Yanagawa for the tenth time since they started talking. "I have no reason to be angry or upset," he said. None of his friends looked convinced by his façade. He turned his face away from them to play it off. "I am not angry," he repeated.

Mizuiro rolled his eyes. "Sure you aren't, Ichigo." The sarcasm was dripping of his words.

Keigo shook his head at their ill-tempered friend. "You have been shooting him glares this entire time he has been talking to Inoue. Admit it, you are jealous."

The nonchalant mask broke. He scrunched his brow, his brown eyes filled with rage, teeth gritted. The vein on his forehead formed. "Oh please! Why the hell would I be jealous of a guy like that?" Ichigo blurted out.

Before Keigo or Mizuiro could respond Sado beat them. "He is older, has good looks, he is on a lot of teams, and popular with girls." The trio was stunned momentarily. None of them were expecting Sado to be the one to list off Yanagawa's good qualities and reasons for why Ichigo would be jealous. It seemed so out of character. But their giant friend had been known for surprising them once in a while. If Chad thought their blank stares were odd he did not say anything nor did he let it show. His face was collected as always. Sometimes that dull expression got annoying, at least to Ichigo.

The surprise left Ichigo's face. Annoyance however took its place. The annoyance was directed at the hollow powered human naturally. "Not you too, Chad," he muttered. "You really think I am jealous of that…..smug bastard?"

"You are bothered by him talking to Inoue," Sado replied coolly.

"Only because he is feeding her lines," Ichigo shoot back. He stared Chad straight in the eyes. Unlike Keigo or Mizuiro though Chad did not back down. He met Ichigo's stare with the same passive gaze he always wore. "Inoue gets enough of that. All these guys come up to her annoying her all day with their pickup lines. She needs a rest from all of that you know."

"You are bothered by Yanagawa though," Sado continued. He saw his now powerless friend narrow his eyes warningly. This was a look he knew well. It was usually the look Ichigo gave to his enemies when they crossed the line or to people who annoyed him (Keigo). "With the other guys who flirt with Inoue you don't care. This is different. I can tell its bothering you." Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but words did not come out. Instead he closed it. Ichigo was very easy to read. He didn't understand why his friend was so upset by this. It was obvious to Sado that Inoue's affections for the short tempered orange colored haired man were strong. Didn't he notice that her eyes didn't light up while talking with Yanagawa as they did when she looked at him? Her body language revealed that she was uninterested in Yanagawa. She was being polite and stood frozen in place like a statue. Like a statue her body did not convey an emotion whatsoever. When Ichigo was around her he noticed that her shoulders raised a little and she couldn't help, but smile. Her eyes just shimmered with golden radiance that her Shun Shun Rikka was known for. Her body would jitter a little with excitement when Ichigo paid her even the slightest bit of attention. Yanagawa may have succeeded in drawing this reaction from other women, but Inoue was obviously not one of them.

Sado continued, "Inoue isn't like those other girls. She won't be taken in by him." He hoped his words sank into that remarkably thick skull of Ichigo's. Inoue was very smart. This was not anything new. She had been flirted and hit on by numerous admirers. She would not fall for Yanagawa.

"I know she won't," Ichigo said. He knew Inoue well. He could tell that she was being friendly. He wasn't that guy, the guy that was jealous every time his girlfriend was with another guy. There were times when the green monster whispered in his ear when Ishida and Inoue were alone, but that passed a long time ago. He trusted her. Ichigo knew had nothing to worry about with Inoue. She would never fall for this type of guy. His problem was with that smug bastard, Yanagawa. He despised how that player leered at his Inoue. He was undressing her with his eyes. Once again he was staring at her chest. She had a face! She was a person. That's what pissed him off. All Inoue was to this guy was eye candy. He was a typical asshole who wanted to get into her pants then ditch her afterwards. He didn't care that she was so pure of heart that she wouldn't harm a fly. He didn't care how energetic she got when she would let her wild imagination get away from her. He could care less about her reassuring and loving smile or how it levitated all your worries if only for an instant. He didn't see how amazing Inoue Orihime truly was. That smug bastard was no better than Aizen in the sense that like Aizen he only saw Inoue as an object to further his goals. In Yanagawa's case an object to satisfy his desires.

"I don't like him hitting on her," he finally admitted.

"Well maybe he wouldn't hit on her if he knew she was taken," Keigo said.

Ichigo groaned at his overzealous friend's comment. He was nothing if not predictable. He was also incredibly loud.

Mizuiro found himself agreeing with Keigo. He didn't understand why Ichigo and Inoue were trying to keep their romance a secret at school. It didn't mix. Ichigo's protective nature plus Inoue's many admirers would only cause the ex-substitute more annoyance in the future. There were a lot of Yanagawas at this school alone. "Asano-san has a point." He paused to watch Keigo's face fall.

"Stop calling me that!" he whined, waving his arms around.

He took pleasure in annoying Keigo. "Most the guys at this school are still afraid of you. If they knew you and Inoue were involved they would stop flirting with her out of fear of dealing with you."

"You are saying I should use my rep to scare guys away from Inoue?" Ichigo asked his shorter friend.

"Yes," Mizuiro replied.

Ichigo shook his head. "I doubt it. Remember Valentine's Day when Inoue gave me chocolate?" Mizuiro nodded. "Guys kept giving me dark glares all day."

"And that bothered you?" Mizuiro questioned doubtfully. In all the time he had known Ichigo he knew the man didn't give a damn about what other people did or thought of him. With his reputation as a thug due to all the fights he had gotten in he had received glares from many different people. There was no way Mizuiro was buying that glares from guys who would wet themselves if Ichigo matched them kept his relationship with Inoue a secret. The thought alone was laughable.

"Hardly, it was more annoying than anything else. But a bunch of guys were hassling Inoue. They bombarding her with questions about if we were together and trying to tell her I was no good. I could tell it was making her feel uncomfortable. Tatsuki chased them away and I know I can scare those guys away, but they would just hound her when we weren't around. She was really exhausted by the whole ordeal, but she tried to play it off as though she wasn't for my sake. I suggested we keep things a secret at school, to make things easier for her."

Grasping at this new understanding Mizuiro nodded his head again. "Keeping it a secret is all for Inoue's benefit."

Keigo sighed in exhaustion. He ran his right hand through his hair. "You are one backwards guy, Ichigo. You don't want Yanagawa to hit on Inoue, but refuse to go public with your relationship so guys won't bother her. Make up your mind already."

Ichigo closed his eyes then turned his back to his friends. "I've already made up my mind." Without another word he walked away from them and went straight for Orihime and Ryunosuke.

"That guy is so complicated," Keigo stated. He put his hands on his waist. "You never know what he is going to do."

Sado silently disagreed. Ichigo was not complicated. He always found it easy to predict what he would do or how he was feeling. Perhaps it was because Sado knew Ichigo longer than Keigo or that being comrades in arms gave him a deeper understanding of Ichigo's psyche, but he knew what Ichigo was planning to do. The ex-substitute would do what he always did, protect his loved ones. He would endure people like Yanagawa coming on to Inoue so that she would not have deal with all the gossiping and barrages of questions from both boys and girls alike. Ichigo was the just that type of man, a protector regardless of what he was, shinigami, hollow, or human. It was just as Ichigo told Keigo. He had already made up his mind.

He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do. Yanagawa did not seem to be nearing the end of his conversation. The guy was a freaking chatterbox. What the hell could he be talking about all of this time anyway? He would soon be within earshot, so he would discover what was so "captivating" in seconds.

"You are in the crafts club, Orihime-chan," Ryunosuke said. His tone was light and soothing. It was almost as if he were giving a lullaby. Ichigo could detect the pompousness and overconfidence hidden beneath his words. That boiling feeling in the pit of his stomach started to rise. He really did not like this guy talking to Inoue.

Orihime was standing in front of the smug bastard. A polite smile was plastered on her face. He looked into her eyes he could see the forced interest in them. She was struggling to hide her boredom so as not to be rude. She resorted to swinging her school bag side ways to keep herself active. A smirk formed on the ex-substitute's lips. He knew there was no worry of Hime being interested in this guy.

"Yes, I've been a part of the club since I started school here," Orihime answered.

"You should be really good at sewing by now," Ryunosuke said.

"I still have some problems with it, but Ishida-kun says I have improved. I am good enough to fix tears into my clothes at least," she answered. He leered at her again. It made her feel uncomfortable to have those green eyes scan her body. She had thought she had been used to this by now, but the way Ryunosuke looked at her felt different. The boys of her class she felt a longing or lust in them it never felt as strong as what she felt from Ryunosuke. The way his eyes moved it felt as though actual hands were pawing at her, touching every inch of her body that they landed on. It made her skin crawl and she never felt so violated. She had to cross her arms over her chest finally as his hungry gaze lingered there for the sixth time since he started talking to her. It was like she was piece of meat to him. Orihime was not sure she would ever get used to this gaze and she did not want to.

"Orihime-chan, you are gorgeous," he stated. His half grin turned into a full one. Emerald spheres rose to the woman's own adorable doe like brown eyes. He took note in how she tensed up. Here was a sight he was used to seeing. Most girls usually did when complimented them.

"Um, thank you, Ryunosuke-kun," she muttered. Orihime tried to keep her eyes onto his without revealing how uncomfortable she felt. Her smile was becoming strained. It was taking more effort to keep her usually carefree and joyous smile up. She tightened hold her arms had on her chest for good measure. He made her feel so exposed.

"Your eyes are breath taking." He reached out to touch the brilliant shade of orange that was her hair. He lightly brushed it to which Orihime made no objections. "Your hair is smooth and it glows. I can see why they call you the goddess of Karakura High."

With her smile still plastered on Orihime gave him a quick nod to thank him. She didn't want him to touch her hair. She let Kurosaki-kun touch it, but that was different. He originally asked her permission before he touched it. There was no need for him to ask after that. They had reached a point where the question no longer needed to be asked, but that was due to their bond's growth over the months they spent together. Ryunosuke had just met her and was bold enough to stroke her hair without her permission. He was a little bold for her tastes.

"Orihime-chan, you get this a lot, but would you like to go out on date with me tonight?" He flashed her his most charming smile as he leaned in closer to her to get a better look into those doe-like eyes.

Ichigo stood there. He had planned to go over there to rescue her, but stopped when Yanagawa popped his question. They had never talked about this before. They had no plans for if someone asked one of them out. She would say no right? Of course she would she did not like Yanagawa. He made her nervous and defensive. That was why he was rushing over to rescue her, but for some reason he was frozen. What if she said yes? No that was impossible. He just listed off reasons for why she would not want to out with him. Why was he feeling this anxiety in his stomach? Why was his heart beating heavily as he awaited her reply? Why did love make a person so irrational? His head knew she wasn't going to say yes and his heart did too, but there was still some irrational fear in him that still paralyzed him now. He hated feeling this way.

'_Come on, just move. This is Inoue. She will say no, so there is no need to be afraid. Damn it, why am I still unable to move?'_ he questioned himself.

"Ryunosuke-kun," she called. Ichigo's internal dialogue ended. He did not move from where he was at. He stood there and listened to Orihime. "Thank you for the offer….." His heart was beating against his chest with force of a tidal wave. His pours started to leak out a nervous sweat. This was just a normal event, a simple reply that the girl who held his heart was about to give. Yet, this felt like the break in the storm of one of his greatest battles. In a way this felt even more intense than his battle with Aizen. "….but …." But was good, but was great. Ichigo was hanging on the princess breath. "…I am going to have to say no," she finished. The tidal wave of anxiety and fear quickly fell. His heart's rapid pace returned to normal. The tension in his body released itself as relief consumed him. He was right. Why he ever allowed his baseless fears hold him back was beyond him.

Yanagawa on the other hand was feeling the opposite of how Ichigo was feeling. Confusion sprouted from his face. "But, why?" he blurted out.

"You are nice, but the truth is I am already seeing someone else. I have strong feelings for him. We are going out on date tomorrow for White Day. I am sorry again, but that is how I feel," she said.

The oddly colored haired boy let out a small yet no less happy smile. He knew how she felt about him. She told him that when they were alone. Her words of devotion to him did not surprise him. This sense of…..he wasn't sure happiness seemed weak compared to this feeling. He didn't want to say it was satisfaction either. It was this swirl of different emotions inside of his heart that made not smiling impossible. The irrational fear that was holding him back was gone. He took steps towards them again. Orihime caught sight of him. Her whole demeanor changed. Her lips widened into a large true smile. The tension that was holding her own body had vanished instantly. The hazel eyes he grown to love seemed to brighten immensely.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she called happily.

The now un-smug Yanagawa turned around. His smugness must have been contagious because Ichigo shot him a smirk as he walked up to them. He wiped it away when he turned his attention to red haired princess. "Hey, Inoue. Sorry I took so long. Keigo won't shut up though. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I have everything." She hurried over to Ichigo as quickly as she could without looking like she was in a hurry. Once she was in Ichigo's reach Orihime turned to a stunned Ryunosuke. The brunet looked to be riddled with numerous question marks. "It was nice talking to you, Ryunosuke-kun. Bye." He gave her a slow wave, just going through the motions. He was still unaware of what was going on. Orihime returned the wave then walked away with Ichigo by her side. Ryunosuke just watched the pair walk away.

"W-What just happened?" he asked himself.

* * *

"Was that Yanagawa guy pressuring you into something?" Ichigo asked. He and Orihime walked out of the school gate. They had been silent since he rescued her from her bold admirer. He had been working up the courage to ask her. He didn't want to be intrusive, but at the same time he wanted to know if he needed to set that smug bastard straight so he would not harass her. Nobody messed with his Hime. Not if he could help it.

Orihime scrunched her face as she analyzed the question to try and discern its meaning. After some time her brain failed to give her any solution to the question. She thought it better to just ask him. "What do you mean by pressure?"

Ichigo answered, "Well when I came up to you two you seemed really tense. He didn't try to touch you or anything, did he?" He felt blood rise up with anger. He should have watched them better instead of talking to Chad and the others. He cursed himself for allowing this to happen.

"No, he didn't touch me exactly."

"What does that mean?" he yelled. He didn't mean to yell at her, but he couldn't control himself. He didn't touch her exactly. What did exactly mean? Did he try to grope something? Did he brush his body against hers? He should have gone with his first instinct and beat that perverted smug player. Touching Inoue was absolutely unforgivable! He would make Yanagawa suffer! He would not have any more admirers after Ichigo got through with him.

Feeling his anger awakening Orihime knew she had to calm him before he rushed back to school and kill Ryunosuke-kun for something he did not do. "He did not touch me physically."

She was still talking in riddles. "What do you mean by physically?" he demanded.

"I mean Ryunosuke-kun did not touch me with his hands, but he….the way he looked at me. He leered at me and I felt like his eyes were touching me." She held herself as she remembered those hungry green eyes staring at her. "I felt as if I was naked and he was taking it all in and committing it to memory. I felt violated."

So he wasn't the only one who disliked the way Yanagawa was looking at Inoue. She also had a problem with it. Her displeasure was however stronger than his. That bastard made her feel violated. He just stood there and let this happen. He was supposed to protect her from this kind of stuff. What an idiot he was. He should have been paying more attention to how she was acting. If he had done that he would have known to go over there and rescue her sooner. He was going to make this right. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that bastard never looks at you again." Ichigo was about to head back for the school and unleash his full terrible wrath on emerald eyed brunet.

"Wait, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime was able to grab hold of him before he escaped her reach. When he turned to her he wore expression full of spite and rage. The healer was taken aback by this expression. She had only seen him wear when he fought someone he totally despised. She had only seen it once against her beloved's battle against her captor, Ulquiorra.

"Let go of me, Inoue." He was trying to restrain the fury that was burning his entire body.

"No," she said firmly. Her grip on his arm got stronger. Orihime refused to let go and pick a fight at school. He would get into serious trouble. He already had enough problems with his unexcused absences at the start of the last term. He did not need any more troubles.

"Please let me go," he tried again.

"No," Orihime stated with the same conviction as before.

"Why won't you let me go?"

"I don't want you to fight, Ryunosuke-kun."

"Why not?" Ichigo screamed. "He made you feel violated! He shouldn't get away with that! I won't let him get away with that!" He broke her hold over him and renewed his journey.

Orihime stood in place. She frowned at her Kurosaki-kun's lack of foresight. She retrieved her hairpins on her shirt then took two of the pins into her hand. "Soten Kisshun, I reject," she uttered. Orihime threw the two pins. They were started to glow with a golden light. They darted to where Ichigo was. The former vizard captured into a golden dome, stopping him right in his tracks.

Ichigo found his movements were restricted by something or some force. He was unable to see what was holding him in place, but he didn't need to see it. He already knew what was keeping him frozen in place. "Inoue let me out of here."

"I refuse to let you out so you can fight Ryunosuke-kun." The healer continued to frown at him.

"Inoue," he growled.

"No," she repeated.

He was fuming right now. With his limited options Ichigo was in no position to order Orihime let alone break her Soten Kisshun. He found it a challenge to escape in Hueco Mundo when he had his powers. Without them it was just a fantasy for him to escape. "You can't keep me in here forever you know. Eventually you will have to let me out, so I can go to work."

"If I have to keep you in there for a day I will," she threatened.

"Why are you trying to protect this guy? He made you feel like he violated you! He didn't even look at you as a person, but as meat! He isn't worth all of this!" he screamed.

"I am not doing this for his sake! I am doing it for yours!" Orihime shouted back.

His chocolate orbs widened in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"If you go rushing back to the school and pick a fight with him people will see it. Someone will go to a teacher and you'll get in trouble Starting a fight on school ground with another student is a serious offense. You already have minor offenses with your unexcused absences and other fights reported. You could get expelled, especially if you start a fight for no reason."

"No reason," he repeated with unbelievably. "He made you feel violated! That is reason enough!"

"But the teachers won't see that as a reason!" Orihime shouted. "Kurosaki-kun, I appreciate what you are trying to do. I really do, but if you get expelled because of me I would never forgive myself. It could ruin your future. Please calm down and do not do anything rash."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly. He clenched his fist trying to keep his rage in check. It was failing miserably. "I can't just let him get away with making you feel like that," he choked out. That half grin and conceited stare materialized before Ichigo, taunting him. "No, I refuse to allow him to treat you like that. I care about you too much to allow that."

"Please let it go, Kurosaki-kun. For my sake do not fight him. I am begging you not to. I am not worth you getting expelled from school and ruining your future. I don't need you to go berserk and hurt everyone that makes me feel hurt or uncomfortable. I need you to be there to comfort me." Her lips curled into U shape smile. "I need you to be there for me like you were when I told you about my nightmares. Being a protector doesn't just mean protecting someone from physical harm or using physical force. It is also opening your heart to the person you want to protect. Once you do that you can help them by lending them your strength, listening to them, and give them the confidence they need so they can stand on their own again. That's what I learned from watching you, Kurosaki-kun. I've experienced that type of protection from you. You are not allowing Ryunosuke-kun get away with anything just as long as you are here with me right now to protect me." She saw his shoulders sling down. The rage that had built itself up within him was lessening. Gradually she could feel her normal Kurosaki-kun return to her.

"You can let me out now. I won't go after Yanagawa. I promise you."

That was all she needed. Orihime knew he would not harm Ryunosuke now. He promised her that he wouldn't and he always kept his promises to her. She dropped her golden dome from around him. Ichigo just stood there not moving an inch. Worry started to set in. Why wasn't he moving? Perhaps he was upset with her for treating him like a child by trapping him in her Soten Kisshun. "Kurosaki-kun," she said nervously.

"You are worth it," Ichigo stated.

"Excuse me?" she questioned. The confusion in her tone was evident.

Ichigo elaborated, "Just now you said that you weren't worth me getting expelled from school and ruining my future. You are worth it. I don't know what my future will be, but I don't think it will be ruined if you are in it."

Instantaneously her face flared up turning into a deep crimson. She smiled bashfully. Just when she thought there was nothing he could say that would surprise her he went and proved her wrong. He said such touching things. _'I am worth getting expelled over. Oh god Kurosaki-kun is making too much of me. But I am happy that he thinks that way. I am so fickle,' _she thought.

"I have to hurry if I want to walk you to your place and get to the store," Ichigo said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Actually I was planning on going to the clinic today. Yuzu-chan has an exam in math and I promised to help her study."

"Really? You and Tatsuki don't have any plans today?"

"No, Tatsuki-chan had an emergence karate practice called at the last minute."

'_That explains why Tatsuki wasn't there to chase Yanagawa away,' _Ichigo thought.

Orihime continued, "Besides I promised Yuzu-chan I would help her a few days ago. I made sure not to make any plans with Tatsuki-chan. I want to be there for her."

His lips curved into a smile for the first time since they had left the school. He appreciated how close Orihime had become to both of his sisters. The three girls had formed their own strong bond. He was indebted to her. With his part time job and school work Ichigo found it more difficult to spend time with Yuzu and Karin. He used to help Yuzu study for Math classes. He felt guilty about letting her down. After all he was her older brother. He was born first so that he could look after and protect them. Lately he had been failing that duty. When he got off tonight he would spend time with the girls. Inoue wouldn't mind considering tomorrow would be their special White Day date. "Hey, you won't mind if we don't do anything tonight, would you? I want to spend time with my sisters."

"Of course not. It's not like we do everything together at night," she almost laughed. It was true. They didn't spend every night together. Sometimes he would spend time with his friends or she would spend time with her friends. It wasn't a big deal. Why he felt he needed to ask her if she minded if he did not do anything with her that night in favor of spending it with his sisters was beyond her. Unless he was…. "Kurosaki-kun, are you afraid of me?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Why would I be afraid of you?" As if he was afraid of her. He cherished her and loved being around her. How could he fear her in anyway? What he feared was disappointing her. She deserved to not only have her expectations met, but exceeded. She lived such a hard life with her abusive parents, the loss of her brother, the events that transpired nearly half a year ago. She didn't complain about it. He admired that about her. She had so much strength. It was one of the things that drew him to her.

"Why did you ask me if I had a problem with you spending time with Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan?"

"It's….I just…..don't want to disappoint you."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him to draw his attention, those big brown eyes that she adored fell on her. "You are not going to disappoint me by spending time with your family. You will disappoint me if you attack Ryunosuke-kun."

"I get it, I get it. I won't pick a fight with that guy. There is no need to keep lecturing me." He tried to sound annoyed he found it hard. Orihime was not making it easy by smiling at him. She knew his weaknesses by now. If she wanted coax him into something she would just use her personal smile for him.

"Ai, I'll stop lecturing you," she agreed. "But stop worrying about disappointing me so much. You rarely do."

"Wait, rarely?"

"Well there are those times you keep things from me," she pointed out.

"Like when?" he challenged.

"When you told me you didn't miss Kuchiki-san or your powers," she shot back.

Ok she had him there. Unable to argue Ichigo remained silent and allowed Orihime to bask in her victory. More times than not she won any disagreement they had between them, she knew it and he knew it. He was just grateful to her for not ever mentioning this fact aloud. She allowed him to keep his pride. That was another thing he loved about her. _'Thankfully Inoue is not like Ishida or Rukia. They would never let me live it down if I backed down from an argument from them. Not that I would ever do that.'_

"Kurosaki-kun."

"Hmm," he replied.

"You slowed down your pace. Remember you still have to get to your job," Orihime reminded.

He acknowledged her with a nod. His pace quickened. He needed to be on time. There wasn't going to be any excuse for Nakamura to use to take away his off day tomorrow. He had everything planned and he was determined not to disappoint Inoue.

* * *

"You are working way too hard," Shiori stated. She stood behind the counter awaiting ant customers. Her co-worker/drinking partner (non-alcoholic of course) scramble around, pulling boxes, stocking shelves at speeds she had never seen him move at before. That wasn't to say he was a lazy worker. Ichigo always pulled his weight and did what he was asked. Today though he was running over full capacity and going at 150 percent. It was odd considering things were slow at the moment.

"How can I be working too hard?" Ichigo questioned. He finished putting the last CD up. Now that was done he would start to stock the DVDs.

"Ichi-kun, you have been running around back and forth stocking merchandise, cleaning windows, and even sweeping the floor since I got here. Things have died down for the moment. Relax a little so you don't expend your energy when things pick up again." He did not heed her words and started stacking the DVDs up on the shelves. "Ha," Shiori sighed. She started to rub her temples. "Be that way, but don't blame me when you are tired and have to help customers," she warned.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't blame you. Don't worry yourself about me. I'll do things my own way." His back was to Masaoka, so he could not see her sigh or shake her head. "Anyway it's better than just sitting around and waiting for people to come in. Time goes by way slower sitting down and doing nothing."

"That's true," she agreed with him. The blonde rested her hands on her cheeks while she continued to watch the orange haired man continue to put DVDs away. "Nakamura-san is strict, but he is fair. He gave you tomorrow off, so he'll honor that. He'll take into account the extra shifts you took and how hard working you are. Your day off is secured. I am working tomorrow with Nakamura-san."

Hearing Masaoka confirming that his day off was indeed a sure thing made the ex-substitute let out breath of relief. He could be at ease without worry. His date with Inoue was definitely going to happen. Even armed with this knowledge did not make him lessen his pace. He still wanted to make time go by faster. His shift was nearly over. He only had twenty minutes left.

Shiori smiled. Ichigo was anything, but lazy. Most people who found out their efforts to earn a day off or a pay raise was going to happen would have stopped working so hard. Ichigo was obviously not one of those people. "Do you want some help?"

"You are supposed to be watching the counter and it's not like this is difficult work. I am just putting things away on a shelf."

"I can say the same to you. I can watch the counter from over there and return to it if a customer comes in. I am not going out of my way. I am bored just sitting here. Unlike you I still have two hours before I get off."

"Do whatever you want," Ichigo stated. It wasn't like he opposed the idea of her help. She was right; it wasn't rocket science for her to get back to the register if someone came in. Masaoka came over and started to pass him DVD cases for him to put up.

"Do you have any wild and crazy plans for when you get off fifteen minutes from now?" she asked.

"Nothing wild or crazy, just hanging out with my sisters," he replied.

"That's actually kind of sweet. A big brother who is willing to actually spend time with his little sisters is hard to find. I take your sisters do not drive you up the wall than."

"Sometimes they do. I love them, but they can be a pain in the ass at times. Karin is such a smart ass and she is always there to bust my chops. Yuzu lectures me like she is my mom sometimes. I get on their nerves too, so it balances out. Yuzu jumps at the chance to hang out with me and she wants my praise as well. Somehow despite all the things I put her through, she still looks up to me. Karin is similar to me. It is usually her and me against my dad and his goofy behavior."

Shiori laughed lightly, causing him to look at her. "It sounds like you have some cute little sisters. They are lucky to have you."

"What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Shiori replied, "I have one older sister. We haven't talked to each other in a long time though. We had a bit of a falling out."

He raised his eyebrow. His interest was piqued. "What happened between you and your sister?"

"We just got into a huge fight. She was always getting into trouble and made my parents crazy. She had a real drinking problem. Finally my parents had enough and they kicked her out. She wanted to borrow some money from me, but I thought she would waste it on drinks so I told her. I offered to give her some stuff she could use. She was pissed at me, told me I was no better than mom or dad and said she never wanted to see me again. I haven't seen her since. That was just a little over a year ago."

"Wow, I am sorry to hear that." He finished putting one case down then put his hand on her shoulder hesitantly. He was unsure if he should be doing this. He didn't want to be presumptuous. However, it felt cold to just leave her there without offering some kind of support.

She put her hand on his shoulder to show her appreciation. "Thanks," she simply said. Not wanting to be pitted Shiori grabbed another DVD and passed it over to him. Thankfully he understood and accepted it. They re-started their system of passing DVDs and putting them up. Neither one of them spoke for the next five minutes. The atmosphere had become tense and neither teen was willing to cut through it. In that time they not only finished restocking the DVDs, but also straightened out some of the boxes that had gone into disarray when the last wave of customers left.

"Ten more minutes until my shift ends," Ichigo said to no one in particular. He stared at the clock wishing for it to go faster.

"One hour and fifty minutes before my shift ends," Shiori joked. She had returned to the counter to watch the register. "Kind of sucks we get off at different times tonight. I was hoping we could get some drinks afterwards. We haven't done that in a while."

Ichigo in attempt to befriend Shiori he would go out to get with her after work to get something to drink or eat. It was ritual that occurred when they both got off at the same time. However, since he had been picking up extra shifts lately their schedules had been out of sync, which made their outing end. It was a shame. Ichigo did like to talk to Masaoka. They usually got into conversations about different kind of bands and songs they liked or work related stuff or movies. He was glad to know she did not watch the Don Kanonji show. He wasn't the only one in this town who did not watch it after all! Inoue gave her blessing so he no longer felt guilty about after work hangouts. She never pried into what went on with his hangouts with Masaoka. He would tell her some events that he found amusing or if he wanted to share them with Inoue. The healer made it clear that he did not have to report to her. She stated point blank that she trusted him. Ichigo liked that Inoue wasn't some insecure girl that needed him to tell her what he did when she wasn't around. The humor was that he found himself telling her what he did anyway.

"You are right. Next week our schedules will probably match up better. We'll make a plan or something," he suggested.

"You are probably right," she gave her agreement. She pulled a stool out and placed it behind the counter. She had grown tired of standing. She had been on her feet for two hours now. She plopped right down. As soon as all the weight left her feet a calm and relaxing breath escaped her lips. _'This feels so much better,' _Shiori thought. "Keigo and Mizuiro haven't visited you in a while. What's up with them?"

Ichigo blinked while shooting her an odd look. "I didn't know you were keeping track of my friends' visits. Why are you interested?"

"Well I was wondering why Keigo hasn't come here to flirt with me in a while." A teeth revealing grin broke out on her face. Ichigo scowled. Whenever Keigo and Mizuiro came over to visit him Keigo would always go straight for her to hit on her. She didn't mind. She thought it was kind of cute how he was so persistent. He seemed to have no shame or fear of embarrassing himself and used every pickup line he could imagine on her. That embarrassment immunity did not extend to Ichigo. He would come over, punch him in the head, and demand he stop. Keigo's pride would be injured then he would leave with his tail between his legs; poor thing.

Ichigo closed his eyelids to imagine Keigo's wide grinning face right now. "It's just enough that he hasn't been here to humiliate himself trying to talk to you." He was still hated Keigo for Inoue having to deal with Yanagawa. "Enjoy this reprieve while you can. I can almost guarantee that he will return here and hit on you as long as I am working here." This little bit of news had the opposite effect that Ichigo was expecting. She started to laugh. He just shook his head. Once Keigo got on her nerves she would cease to find his visit to be amusing at all. He retrieved another stool and put it in front of the counter. He sat down in front of the sky blue eyed woman.

Her eyes darted to the clock at the corner. "You have five more minutes left until you go home to your sisters." He merely nodded. "Ichi-kun, for someone as handsome as you, you certainly frown a lot."

Red rose to his cheeks as the normally cool teen became bashful. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you should smile more. God knows that you look so intense all the time. You would think the fate of the world rested on your shoulders rather than you being a high school student."

'_Five months ago three worlds rested on my shoulders,' _he thought humorously. "I smile plenty," he argued.

"In the time I've known you I have barely seen you smile."

"Don't assume that just because you don't see me smile here that I don't smile any other time."

She rolled her eyes. He was stubborn. "I am so sure you smile, Ichi-kun." She leaned over to rest her head on the counter.

"You really think that's a good idea? If Nakamura-jii comes in and sees you he may think you are a slacker and fire you," he warned.

Shiori forced her head up, wearing her own frown. "You are such a buzz kill," she complained.

"I am not a buzz kill!"

"Yes, you are," Shiori argued.

Ichigo slammed his fists on the counter. "No, I am not!" he argued back.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I am not."

Not wanting this argument to go on Shiori concede it to Ichigo. "Alright, you are not a buzz kill and you are free to go."

"Huh?" Confusion returned to one of its most popular housing spots, Ichigo's face.

"Your shift is officially over. You can go home now." She pointed to the clock. His eyes followed her index finger. Sure enough it was 8 o'clock.

"I guess it is time to make my leave. Such a shame you were such good company," he said sarcastically. This earned him a smack on his left shoulder.

"Shut up, Ichi-kun," she whined. She scrunched her eyes to shot him a mock glare.

He nursed his left shoulder. "Man you hit pretty hard. With a temper like that you'll scare guys away," he joked.

"You are irritating. It figures all the good looking boys are." Despite her words she was grinning. Ichigo gave her a half smirk. She looked him in the eye. His chocolate eyes mesmerized her and caused this jolt in her body. On impulse Shiori leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

Horror ran through his veins causing his body to go rigid. What the hell was going? Ichigo pulled away and jumped out of his seat. He put as much distance between them as he could faster than when he tried to distant himself from Aizen in the Fake Karakura Town months ago. "What the hell?" he cried.

Embarrassment flowed into her, her face turned completely red. "I'm sorry! I got this feeling and went for it!" she cried out.

"I have a girlfriend!" Ichigo blurted out. Subconsciously his legs started to pull his body away from the blonde. "Inoue and I are involved!" he screamed. His voice started breaking.

Shiori hid her face in her hands. God this was humiliating. Not only did she lose her head and follow an impulse to kiss her co-worker, but she kissed a guy with a girlfriend. She had no idea he and Orihime were an item. The last time she asked him if he was single he said yes, but that weeks ago. "Ichigo, I am so sorry. I just lost my head. I didn't know you and Orihime were together!"

"Well we are and you just kissed me! Damn it!" he cursed. The ex-substitute was having a breakdown of sorts. He ran his hands through his orange locks then stuffed them in his pockets. He was trying to keep busy. This was the worst possible thing that could happen to him the day before White Day.

"I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry," she kept repeating. Hopefully he believed her. "I'll apologize to Orihime and explain how the whole thing was my fault. I won't let you get in trouble for my mistake."

"Because that will make this all better," he spat. His hands went over his face. "Damn it! I knew it, I knew I would mess this up and hurt her. That's all I do is hurt her." The memory of Inoue crying after he defeated Byakuya in the Soul Society materialized right before him. It went dissolved as the image of her horror filled eyes at seeing his hollowfication for the first time. That memory faded away. He saw Inoue screaming at him for making light of her nightmares when he first comforted her about them. Finally he saw her run away from him. "I am so pitiful. I promised to protect her when I do anything, but. She's going to hate me for this." His head sunk, his eyelids closed tightly. As naïve as this was he thought if he closed his eyes that he could wish this all away. That he could go back in time and urge his past-self to leave sooner before Masaoka kissed him. Try as he might that would not happen. Even when he was a shinigami he did not have that type of power. He felt someone rubbing his shoulder. Ichigo found the courage to open his eyes and raised his head. It was Masaoka rubbing his shoulder. She had gotten up and walked over here when he sunk his head. Quickly he pulled away from her. He didn't need any more trouble.

"Ichigo, I know you are probably furious at me."

Damn straight he was. Because of her he was going to lose Inoue.

"I don't know how strong you and Orihime are, but this is not going to sink you if you tell her the truth. Tell her the truth and do not try and hide this. No matter how bad you think this is it will only be worse if you lie to her and she finds out. I swear I will tell her it was all my doing. You didn't do anything wrong. You pulled away as soon as I kissed you. I'll even go with you to tell her when my shift ends."

"Why are you being so helpful?" he asked suspiciously. "Aren't you upset at me for pulling away?"

"What you think I am some kind of bitch who is going to try and ruin your relationship with your girlfriend? As if. I admit I have a crush on you. But if I knew you and Orihime were together I wouldn't have acted just now. I am a big girl I can handle rejection. I really don't want to be the reason your relationship fails. Like I said if you want to wait for me to get off we can tell her together," she offered again.

He sensed the sincerity in her words and felt how remorseful she was. Anger at her actions still flowed through him, but a part of him forgave Masaoka and appreciated her help. Ultimately he decided to turn down her offer. He wasn't sure if her being there with him when he told Inoue would help things. No, they should probably be alone. "Masaoka, thanks for the offer, but I am going to have to say no. No offense to you I want to tell Inoue as soon as possible. I can't wait two hours."

"I understand. I am sorry again." He gave her nod. Without another word he ran out of the store. She wished him luck. "I really messed up this time. Great job, Shiori," she said with sarcasm.

* * *

He was standing just outside of her door. He wanted to knock on it, but once again fear was holding him back. This fear was familiar. It was the same fear he had when Ukitake-san told him that Inoue had been abducted. This was the fear that he would lose Inoue. Circumstances were drastically different. When he found out Inoue had been taken captive by the enemy for a bleak and dark moment that he would never see her again that she might be….dead, forever out of his reach, forever lost. In the present he dreaded that same outcome, while not the exact same outcome. Inoue would not die and he would still see her again, but he could very well be banished from her heart. In a sense that was even worse than what he thought six months ago. At least than he did not think Inoue would hate and forsake him. The thought of Inoue, his Inoue despising him was just….heart breaking didn't even seem to cover it. What if her beautiful hazel eyes that looked at him with such love glared at him with spite and detest? He ashamed of this for a moment he considered just leaving without telling her. No, he already hurt her worse than he ever thought he could. The least he could do was tell her about it. He would accept her spite and hate, because that was all he could do to atone for his sins. He knocked on the door. The carrot top tried to brace himself for the worst, losing Inoue. When he thought of that he immediately stopped. It was too painful. Soon that painful thought would become a reality.

The door opened much to his surprise. Of course this would be the one time it did not take forever to open for him. She stuck her face out. As soon as she caught sight of him a smile broke out on her face, her eyes lit up. "Hi, Kurosaki-kun!" she greeted cheery way.

He wondered if that would be the last time she greeted him with that cheery tone. "Inoue," he uttered helplessly.

Her smile instantly fell into a frown. The brown eyes that radiated with unbridled happiness and purity were dull with worry and fear. "Kurosaki-kun, what's wrong?"

What was wrong? Everything was wrong. He hurt and disappointed her. He failed her again. He tried so hard not to fail her. How could he defeat so many foes with supernatural powers again and again, but fail to make this woman whom he put above himself happy? This should have been easy. "Inoue, I messed up. I messed up so bad. Please listen to everything I have to say though. I don't deserve it, but please let me tell you everything before you shut that door," he pleaded with every last bit of his soul. He wished he had Zangetsu wisdom and strength to guide him through this.

She wondered what he done that he thought would earn her shutting the door in his face. Did he get into a fight with his sisters? Could he have accidently hurt one of them? Whatever was plaguing his heart and caused this despair Orihime knew he would need her now more than ever. "I promise to listen to everything you have to say."

He wasn't sure he could take solace in that. All that meant was she would listen to him, not forgive him. She would never forgive him after what happened. "Inoue, Masaoka she kissed me."

Everything was silent. She saw his lips moving, but could not hear sound coming out of them. The last thing she heard him say was that Masaoka Shiori kissed him. She had to have misheard him though. That wouldn't have happened. No, something like that, her beloved Kurosaki-kun would never kiss Masaoka. He would never hurt her like that. "I think I misheard you. Can you please repeat yourself?"

Her voice sounded so hollow. He never heard it sound like that. Not even when she lied to him about her nightmares. At least then he heard anger and terror in her voice. Her tone now was void of any emotion. Than frightened him more than he realized. "Masaoka kissed me," he repeated dully.

She didn't feel anything. She wasn't angry, she wasn't sad, she wasn't anything. There just this empty feeling where her heart used to be. Her heart was stolen without a trace. She didn't want to see him right now, maybe not ever again. But she promised to hear him out. Instead she looked to the ground. "I see."

Her tone was still hollow. It reminded him of Ulquiorra. The universe was beyond cruel. The cuatro Espada tried so hard to make Orihime discard her heart and become void like him. Despite all of his efforts he did not succeed. She believed in him and their friends and held on to her heart. She did not allow Ulquiorra to succeed. Now he had done the void arrancar's work for him. He was the lowest scum imaginable. "I pushed her away as fast as I could and I told her that you and I were together. I know I should have told her weeks ago. I never thought to. I am so stupid. But the only thing I could think of in that moment was how I failed you, how I hurt you. I was sick to my stomach. I never wanted to hurt you. I knew I had to tell you as soon as possible. I ran over here."

He ran over there. She pulled her head away from the ground to look at him. He was glistening with sweat. Her apartment was not extremely far from Nakamura Electronics, but it was a good distance. If he ran from over there to here he would work up a good sweat just as he had now. Orihime moved her eyes to his and that when she saw it. His eyes radiated with this powerful fear, the brown orbs had been consumed by terror. No, there was another emotion in there hidden underneath it all. She had to concentrate to find it.

"Look at me standing here trying to make excuses. I am so pathetic. I hurt you and I am trying to avoid that with some loop hole." Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "It's stupid. I am such a hypocrite. Earlier today I said I didn't want to disappoint you and I turn around and do just that."

His tone was so hollow. That's when she saw it the emotion hidden in the fear, pain. This was not pain he felt for himself, this was the pain he felt for hurting her. The emptiness was suddenly gone. Emotions erupted as her heart returned. Anger at Masaoka, pain for what had occurred, happiness that he came to her, sadness that he felt so horrible, jealousy towards Masaoka, and love for him. He came to her to tell her a truth that would inflict tremendous pain to her. He wanted to sooth her of that pain not for himself, but for her. In his mind they were already over. All of this was for her benefit not his. It made no sense and maybe it wasn't supposed to make since, but she loved him more than she had ever loved him before. She never saw just how important, how much he valued her as clearly as she did in this instant.

"Inoue, you deserve so much better than me. I won't ask you to forgive me. That would be selfish of me. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I did. I won't make any more excuses. I'll leave now." He prepared to leave when Orihime grabbed his arm for the second time that day. Before he could question her the goddess planted her lips on his. His eyes widened, amazed at what was happening. He never dared to think he would feel these lips on his again. He lost track of time, so he was unsure when her lips parted from his. It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, it could have even been hours for all he knew. He was so engrossed in the kiss to know for sure. Although Ichigo doubted the kiss lasted hours. "I don't understand," he admitted when the kiss ended. "Aren't you upset?"

"Yes, I am upset," Orihime answered.

"Why did you kiss me then?"

"I kissed you because I am happy." She saw his eyes swallowed by confusion. The healer wrapped her arms around his body and pulled herself so that she was close to him. No doubt this brought more confusion to him.

"I thought you were upset?"

"I am. I am both upset and happy. I am upset that Masaoka kissed you." He took notice that she dropped the Chan. This was most likely her expressing her anger. "But I am also happy that you came here and told me about it. You had faith in our bond."

"No I didn't. When I came here I thought things between us were over that you would reject me after I told you. Don't say I had faith in our bond. I didn't think it was strong enough to handle this."

Orihime interrupted, "I don't believe that. If you really thought that then you wouldn't have told me. Somewhere in your heart you must have thought of our bond was strong enough. You didn't try to protect me from this and keep it a secret."

Ichigo shook his head. "I never want to hurt you. If lied to you and kept this from you I would be hurting you every time I look at you because I would be lying to you. I wouldn't be protecting you if I did that. I would be protecting myself. That's why I couldn't lie to you. Not about this. I don't want to be that type of guy and you don't deserved to be with the type of guy. I mean I always say that you are special to me and how much I care about you. This was my way of telling you. Even if you hated me after I told you I didn't want you to think everything I said was a lie."

"Do you remember when you told me that you felt like our bond could endure anything?" She waited for him to respond. He gave her a quick nod. "When you told me that I smiled because you had so much faith in our bond, but a part of me felt bad."

"Why?" he asked.

"I wasn't like you, Kurosaki-kun. We grew closer and closer since the war ended. I was happy because of that, but I couldn't help thinking that we were only growing closer because Kuchiki-san wasn't here. That made me afraid to get closer to you. I had doubts about our bond. I heard you say our bond could endure anything and I wanted to be more like you. I wanted to have that same conviction you had. I stopped holding myself back from you and put more trust in us. I am so happy that I did. Now I know we can endure more than I originally thought. I know we can endure this."

"Inoue," he uttered.

"You did not disappoint me. It did hurt to hear that Masaoka kissed you and I feel anger and some jealousy towards her, but I saw the pain in your eyes and the sorrow in them. You would never hurt me intentionally. You would never allow yourself to do that. Kurosaki-kun, you are tormenting yourself because you think you've hurt me. But look at us. I mean really look at us. Do you remember when you the Espada, Yammy injured me? You avoided me out of shame and couldn't even bring yourself to apologize to me. You blamed yourself for my injuries. But you didn't avoid me tonight. The first thing you did was run over here and tell me what happened and to apologize to me. Doesn't that show you how far we've come? This is how I know how strong our bond is. I have the same faith you have. Kurosaki-kun, I think our bond can endure anything."

"You can still trust me?" The disbelief in his tone was unmistakable. The chocolate eyes were still consumed by fear, pain, and confusion.

She leaned forward, pressing her body to his. There was no reason for it other than she just wanted to be near him. She felt his arms wrap themselves around her back. "I trust you because you are a trustworthy and honest man. This incident hasn't disproven that. Please stop blaming yourself, Kurosaki-kun. We are strong enough to get through this. I cherish you even more now."

This was unreal, a dream. She didn't despise him on the contrary; her affections for him had grown. He held her in his arms he felt it, the same spark they had only it was different. The spark was more than that now. It was like a flow or a current between them. He could feel this powerful force flow from Inoue and into him. It felt though the sun's ray were flowing into his being, chasing away the fears and doubt that had been plaguing him. He was unsure what this feeling was. He felt something similar when he sensed Inoue's reiatsu, but that was impossible. He couldn't sense reiatsu anymore. What was this then? No, he shouldn't care what this was. It brought him much needed comfort he desperately needed. It put him at ease and allowed him to stop attacking himself. Could this be Inoue's heart? Was this the power of her heart, the power of forgiveness? It was more than that. It was pure, so pure that he thought it not be of this world. This pure feeling was it what their bond had become? He was like a tree absorbing the rays of the sun like warmth. Like a tree he needed this for sustenance. It was wonderful, just like everything Inoue produced was.

"I cherish you so much, Inoue." There was no need to say anymore. Everything that was needed to be said was said. Their bond did not break. It evolved somehow. Ichigo wasn't sure how it did. He was just glad he was wrong and that Masaoka had been right. Inoue still wanted to be with him. The woman had driven away the storm clouds brewing. His inner world had its sun returned even brighter than it had been in a long time. He wondered what Zangetsu would say if he was there now. What would he think of the woman whom had become his beloved? She was the bringer of the sun that chased away the storms he hated so much. He would have a high opinion of her. And if not well he would have beat him down until he liked Inoue.

* * *

The day had arrived. The holiday that she had been patiently awaiting was finally here. That's right today is White Day. To say that Orihime was excited was putting it mildly. She was hyperactive, bouncing off the walls, childlike ecstatic. She could not wait to see what Ichigo had in store for them. He still did not tell her anything. That was not entirely true. Last night after their talk he told her that he had something special he wanted to give her today. That made falling asleep a challenge. This morning he had an errand to run, so she wasn't going to see this special item until later.

Tatsuki teased her for being impatient. Something Orihime did not find humorous in any way. She couldn't help it though. Her relationship with Ichigo was going great. After last night she felt so close to him. It was a long journey that had bumps and pitfalls along the way, but they had gotten this far. Kuchiki-san would be proud of her and how she made her bond with Kurosaki-kun the way she wanted it to be. She hardly paid any attention to the sweets she received as gifts from the boys she had given giri choco a month ago. It wasn't that she did not appreciate the gifts (she did give her thanks naturally), but her mind was preoccupied with Kurosaki-kun. She loved sweets too! That should have shown Tatsuki just how important this was. He still wasn't in class yet. If he didn't hurry he would be late. Fortunately Ishida-kun was not there either, meaning he was probably watching Kurosaki-kun just in case any hollow or arrancar appeared. The objective of their new enemy was still unknown all of them still felt that the ex-substitute was far from being safe. She, Sado-kun, and Ishida-kun all made a pact to watch over him. When she wasn't around him it would be up to Sado-kun or Ishida-kun to shadow him.

The knowledge of Ishida-kun watching over her beloved did not keep her from worrying entirely. Like her orange haired savior she felt uneasy when he wasn't around her. Orihime's thoughts continued to stray with Ichigo when her comrade and silent giant of Karakura High approached her desk. He wore his disinterested almost gloomy expression as always. She took notice to the bag of chocolates he was carrying in his large hand. The healer casted her concerns aside and curved her lips into bright smile. "Good morning, Sado-kun."

"Inoue," he greeted back. He raised his hand to show her his bag of chocolate. "I got this to thank you for the chocolate you gave me on Valentine's Day last month," he explained. He placed the bag on her desk.

"Thank you very much, Sado-kun," she said brightly. She continued to beam him with her smile. The shaggy haired giant nodded his head to acknowledge her thanks. Sado-kun was quiet unlike the people he hang around (herself included, she knew she was a chatter box), yet he had his own to communicate with them. Orihime had learned this when she trained under Yoruichi-san with him in order to go to the Soul Society to rescue, Kuchiki-san. Until than they rarely spent any time together or even talked. During their time with Yoruichi-san she had started many one sided conversations. Striking a friendship with him seemed to be a hopeless endeavor, but eventually she broke through his secluded demeanor. Sado-kun didn't become an open book to her, but he did start contribute more to the conversations. She learned a little about him, like how he was born in Japan then moved to Mexico. They forged their own bond which led them to becoming friends. The duo was fairly close. He watched out for her, but did it from behind the scenes. He was much more subtle about than either Kurosaki-kun or Ishida-kun.

"You and Ichigo will be spending most of the day with each other right?" he questioned.

"Well I am still unsure what Kurosaki-kun has planned exactly, but I know we are going to do something tonight and he is off today. I think it is a safe assumption to say I will be spending most of the day with him. Um, why do you ask, Sado-kun?"

"I wanted to make sure you were with Ichigo before I got to work."

"Oh, I see. Don't worry I'll be around Kurosaki-kun. I hope you aren't getting in trouble at your job because of any of this."

Sado shook his head at her. "It is no problem. My hours are pretty flexible. You and Ishida do your fair share as well. I will always have Ichigo's back, now more than ever."

'_Sado-kun is probably more determined than any of us to protect Kurosaki-kun. Aside from Tatsuki-chan he has been Kurosaki-kun's friend the longest. They have been in so many fights together and have always watched the other one's back. That's why when the battle with Aizen ended he felt guilty. He probably feels as responsible for Kurosaki-kun loss of his powers as I did once, maybe even more so. He trained with Abarai-san in order to help him. In the end he missed the battle with Aizen. It makes perfect sense as to why he would feel guilty now.'_

"I've been thinking about starting my training again."

Orihime couldn't help but gasp at his revelation. She had no idea that he had even considered re-starting his training again. After half a year he made no mention of it. She thought he had forsaken his powers. He didn't hunt hollows like Ishida-kun and he rarely visited Urahara-san. Their new adversaries had him concerned enough to seek more power.

"I've been complacent lately. I've kept up with my training, but nothing intense. My power is still the same as when I fought in the war. I might be a little stronger, but it is nothing significant." He raised his right arm slightly. His gaze fell upon it as if he saw something that she was unable to see. "When Ichigo lost his powers I felt I owed it to him to stop using mine. It was my way of supporting him."

'_I thought so,' _Orihime told herself mentally.

"I wasn't like Ishida. He has been training since that day. For six months he has kept up with his training and has gotten stronger. I thought it was because he was a Quincy that it was his pride to continue to grow stronger and protect Karakura Town now that Ichigo couldn't. But now I know I was mistaken. I understand Ishida's true intentions."

"Ishida-kun's true intentions," Orihime repeated dumbly.

"Inoue, do you think that it is impossible for Ichigo to ever become a shinigami again?" He pulled his arm down, returning it to his side.

She didn't know how to answer. The question was so sudden. Kurosaki-kun becoming a shinigami again, was that possible? Orihime had often thought about Ichigo and how he lost his powers, especially when it happened and she blamed herself for it. However, her thoughts never went to the possibility of them returning. The way Urahara-san spoke there seemed to be nothing they could do to stop the loss of the orange haired boy's shinigami powers. Even her powers to reject an event and undo it completely was said to be no use for stopping the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. Nothing could have stopped Ichigo's powers from disappearing once he used the Final Getsuga Tensho. But that was it. Nothing could have stopped his powers from disappearing. Urahara-san never said anything about Kurosaki-kun's powers not returning. How could she have not taken into consideration of the possibility of his powers returning? Sado-kun must have been thinking that. Could Ishida-kun be thinking the same thing as well?

"I have never thought about his powers returning. I never thought to even think if his powers were gone forever," she said truthfully. "But Urahara-san never said anything about Kurosaki-kun's powers not being able to return after he lost them. Kuchiki-san lost her powers and they recovered, so maybe there is a chance that the same will be true for Kurosaki-kun."

"Don't feel bad. I haven't been thinking about it too deeply myself. I have only just recently thought about it. I'm not sure why. Even now I cannot sense anything from Ichigo. There isn't a sign of his reiatsu returning, so I am not even sure why I thought of this. I just thought about these new enemies, that guy Ishida and I fought. For some reason I thought if Ichigo knew about this he would try to fight and help us. He would try to find some way to get his powers back so he could fight. That's when I started thinking about his powers returning."

The red-orange haired princess nodded her head along, following his line of thinking.

"Perhaps this is just wishful thinking on my part, but I can't stop thinking these thoughts. I felt naïve for thinking such thoughts, but I realized that Ishida was also thinking it."

"Are you saying Ishida-kun's true intentions for training are connected to Kurosaki-kun regaining his powers?"

"Yes, I think…I know what that guy is thinking. I saw it in his eyes on that night we fought that arrancar. He thinks there maybe a day when Ichigo becomes a shinigami again. He is training in order to get strong so that when the next battle occurs that he can stand by Ichigo's side to face it. He doesn't want to be left behind like with Aizen and the Espada."

"That's why you want to start training again! You want to get stronger so if Kurosaki-kun's powers return that you can fight by his side as well!" Orihime exclaimed.

The silent giant confirmed her theory with another nod. "In Hueco Mundo I reached a new level, my power evolved. I have a better understanding of it now. I know I can still get a lot stronger. Inoue, I am sure you feel the same, right? In winter when we fought all those hollows that invaded the town I saw it in your eyes, your desire to fight. Don't you also think you can get stronger?"

"I….I do. I hated feeling so useless during the war. I went to Hueco Mundo so I could protect everyone and did the opposite. I do not want to be someone who needs to be rescued. I want to actually help by fighting alongside all of you. I want to get stronger. I don't want to fall behind, Kurosaki-kun if his powers return."

"I don't want to fall behind either. When Abarai was here I trained with him. I know you trained with Kuchiki in the Soul Society. If we train together I think we can obtain greater power than we could if tried to train alone. Will you help me to get stronger?"

"Of course I will. But don't you want to train with someone stronger like Ishida-kun or Urahara-san? I don't want to hold you back."

"Ishida isn't the type of person to train with others. I don't want to impose on Urahara-san any more than I have. Besides, I think you and I would benefit more from training with each other. I know you will not hold me back, because you really want to get stronger. That desire will make both of us stronger, because I share it as well. I swear to you and to myself that I will grow stronger. I am tired of being so far behind Ichigo that I can't even help him. I'll keep running forward….."

"….Until the day that Kurosaki-kun's powers return. No, we'll keep running even when that day comes, so we don't ever fall behind again. Sado-kun, I want to be able to protect Kurosaki-kun with my own two hands as well. I don't want to be powerless to help him." Sado and her classroom were gone, replaced by the dead, void skies of Hueco Mundo. There was Ulquiorra standing on the tallest tower, holding her beloved by the neck his tail. A large clean circular hole was in the center of his chest. His chocolate eyes were completely empty of any life. A chill ran up her spin, causing her to shiver. Orihime pushed that horrible memory away. "I won't ever be powerless to help again, not ever."

"It is settled then. We will help each other get stronger…."

"….so when the time comes that Kurosaki-kun gets his powers back that we will be able to stand beside him." The pact between them was made. They would grow stronger and stronger. Neither of them wanted to be on the sidelines any more. They wouldn't allow Kurosaki-kun to carry the load on his own, so he wouldn't have to make a great sacrifice in the next battle. These new enemies would be their stepping stones to a new level of strength.

"Yo, Orihime," called Tatsuki. She walked up to the orange haired healer's desk. "Hey, Sado," she greeted.

He returned her greeting with a head nod. Arisawa was wearing their uniform minus the beige sweater. Another he noticed was that her short dark hair was slightly longer. He wondered when she started to let it grow out. As long as he had known her she had always had short hair.

"Tatsuki-chan, did you need something?" Orihime asked.

The second strongest girl in Japan merely shook her head no. "Since you have been giddy all morning I thought I should tell you your boyfriend is here."

"Eh! Kurosaki-kun is here?" Her tone was louder than she intended it to be. Luckily nobody in the class seemed to care. Her brown eyes darted to the doorway, but there were no signs of him. "I don't see him."

"I saw him in the hallway. He should be here any second now," Tatsuki explained. A large teeth revealing teasing grin materialized on her face. "And I forgot to mention he is carrying an extra bag."

"Uh," squeaked the healer in a high pitched tone. Both Sado-kun and Tatsuki stared at her. Her raven haired best friend was still grinning from cheek to cheek. Sado-kun's calm and collected expression did not change at all. They were not the only ones to stare. This time luck had forsaken Orihime. She was subject the stares of the boys and girls sitting around her. She had no time to be embarrassed though. He brought her gift to class. She was certain he would wait until lunch to give it to her. That could still be his intent. He would still need to carry it if he wanted to give it to her. She was glad he brought it to school. She would have died if she had to wait until school ended to see it. She wasn't greedy, really she wasn't. He said it was something special and given her last gift from him, her precious jewelry box. It was so thoughtful and it had his heart in it. It was evidence of their bond. This new gift would be the symbol of their evolved bond. She really, really wanted to see it.

Orihime stole another glance at the door. As luck would have it he was walking through the doorway just now. He was wearing his bored expression and frowning. He strolled across the class to his desk. The chocolate eyes she loved searched for her. When they found her he shifted his head so slightly to smile at her. With the innocence of grad school girl who had seen her crush she blushed. Four weeks of dating him and he still made her this giddy.

"Yo, Tatsuki, Chad, Inoue," he greeted as he went to his desk. Chad gave his classic nod greeting, while Tatsuki waved and said her hello. The bashful Inoue waved her hello. She was all red. Did he really make her this bashful with a smile? She must have been very happy to see him. Well she was about to get a whole lot happier once he gave her his gift. He put his school bag on his desk then made his way to her desk with another plastic bag in hand.

"Oh, look at this Sado. Ichigo has a bag in his hand. Could that be a gift for someone?" Tatsuki mocked.

"Screw you," Ichigo remarked. His response only made his oldest friend smirk even more. Damn she got annoying. "So you two going to stay here and watch me give Inoue her White Day gift?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Tatsuki.

Ichigo groaned at her. Despite this the raven haired girl would not budge. "Seriously, Tatsuki this is private."

"Just give it to her. You know Orihime is just going to tell me later anyway." Ichigo scowled at her, but she didn't care. She was right though. Orihime would tell her later on.

"Tatsuki-chan," whined the healer. She shot her pained look. It asked her why she was torturing her and to go so Ichigo would give her his gift.

She sighed in annoyance. She wanted to see the gift herself. This would have been perfect material for Tatsuki to hold over Ichigo's head. However her big sister mode kicked in. She would leave for her best friend alone. "Fine, fine, I am leaving. Let's go Sado. The love birds need their alone time." She couldn't resist one last jab.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at her as she and Chad departed. Once they were gone he put the plastic bag on her desk. "I want to warn you this bag doesn't have your gift. I got you this chocolate as a fake gift so people would think this gift is a friendly obligation from the chocolate you gave me on Valentine's Day." She nodded to show that she understood. "Your real gift is right here." He out something out of his pocket, Orihime could not see it which was probably his intention. "Remember that errand I had to run this morning?" She gave him another nod. "Well it was picking your gift up. I got lucky. This guy was telling me he might not get it done in time. Thankfully he did."

He picked it up from someone and had it worked on. Did he buy her jewelry? Or was she just being presumptuous? Jewelry was expensive even with his paychecks. She didn't want him to spend most of his hard earned money on her. She made him chocolate for crying out loud, it was nothing expensive. "Kurosaki-kun…." She stopped mid-sentence. Orihime found herself staring at a sparkling sliver crescent shaped necklace. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, her mouth opened up allowing a gasp to escape. To silence herself she put her hands over her mouth, but she was unable to wipe the surprise from her eyes. "Kurosaki-kun," she said in such a hushed tone that it was barely above a whisper.

Seeing her utter and total surprise brought satisfaction to the ex-substitute. His gift seemed to induce the feelings he was hoping it would. "You like it?" His words were laced in pride. She liked it.

"Y-Yes, but you didn't have to buy this for me."

"I didn't buy it."

"What?" she uttered in confusion.

"You told me that Tatsuki had this bracelet that used to belong to her mom. You said it wasn't really dazzling or expensive, but you envied it anyway. It reminded you that you wouldn't have anything like from your mom and that made you sad because she was never there for you." He could tell from her face that she was at a lost as to where he was going with this. "You never say it, but I know you feel bad about not having a mom. I know your mother treated you badly from what remember and what your brother said and my mom was there for me and my sisters when she was with us, but I like to think I know what it is like not to have a mom. I know our situations aren't exactly the same, but I understand that pain a little. I can't do anything about your past. I wanted to give you something that would hopefully make that pain a little more bearable."

"What are you trying to tell me?" she finally blurted out.

"This necklace it belonged to my mom."

Another gasp escaped her. _'Oh my god, this is…..It belonged to Kurosaki-kun's mother. He gave me such a thing.'_

"I asked my dad if I could give this to you and he pretty much crushed me by giving me a bear hug and said yes. It was in bad shape from when that hollow attacked my house. I took it to a jeweler to get repaired weeks ago. He told me it would take him weeks to fix. Well here it is," he said the last part lamely.

"I can't accept this. It's belonged to your mother. Something like this should go to Karin-chan or Yuzu-chan, not me. I am honored, but I can't deny them something this precious." She pushed the necklace back to him. "Something like that is priceless."

Ichigo was not ready to give. He kept the necklace out. "I had a feeling you would say that, so I also talked this over with Karin and Yuzu. They are both ok with it."

"But…."

"Look this isn't the only possession my mother left behind. There are plenty of things left for Karin and Yuzu to inherit. This is far from being one of her most expensive jewelry. It was something my dad got her when they started going out. It was like 2,800 yen, nothing really expensive. I know you well enough to know you would never accept something really expensive. Give me some credit. I covered my bases you should have no problems accepting it now."

"How can you give me something like this?"

"What do you mean?" Perhaps his theory of her being delighted by this necklace was incorrect. He thought she would appreciate the gesture.

"How can you give me your mother's necklace? She means so much to you. Every time you talk about her you get this distant look in your eyes. This smile appears on your face. I've never seen you look as carefree as when you are like that. Your mother is your sun. She lights up your world. How can you give me something that helps you remember her to me?"

"Zangetsu told me something when I was fighting him to learn the Final Getsuga Tensho."

She blinked her brilliant brown eyes. Confusion had once again taken grip of her. "Huh?"

"He told me he found you intriguing because you had the power to make my inner world storm on end and make its sun shine so brightly that he thought it would last forever. I didn't realize it at the time, but Zangetsu was right. When you looked at me with that fear when you saw my mask for the first time I felt a great sadness overcome me. It hurt."

God she was an idiot. He went there to save her and she acted like he was the enemy, a monster. She hurt him.

"When you called out my name and told me you didn't want me to die or get hurt I felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness. You have this effect on me. That's why I am giving you this necklace, Inoue. I am not trying to be sappy or give you some cheesy line." He rubbed the back of his head. "You really make me happy. I wanted to make the gap in your heart a little smaller by giving you a piece of mine. She isn't your mother and you've never met her, but she would like you. Dad even says if she were alive she would have given me this to give to you anyway. I guess it's weird to give this to you and hoping it gives you some comfort. But even if your own mother didn't want you or care enough for you to clean herself up that there is one mother who would have loved you and spoiled you rotten. I wouldn't give this to you if you were not special to me."

He saw her eyes shimmer. Water must have formed, but tears did not fall. The goddess stared him down, their brown spheres looking back at one another. She wasn't smiling or frowning. Her expression was surreal yet there was something within those eyes that seemed to have come to an understanding about something. What this was he had no idea. Her hand reached out for the necklace. Her slender fingers wrapped around the sliver band. She did not pull it towards her, rather she waited for him to release before she took it. She was waiting for his permission to take it. He took one last look at the necklace before he released it to its new owner. The woman with the power to light his world received the item of the first woman with that ability. This felt right. He observed Orihime put the necklace around her neck. She held the crescent moon in her hand and looked at it.

"Thank you for giving me a piece of your heart," she said quietly.

"You are my girlfriend. If I can't give you a piece of it who else can I give it too?" he joked.

"I am your girlfriend," Orihime stated. That was the first time he referred to her as such.

"Of course you are," Ichigo said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Orihime stood up from her seat. Before he realized what had happened his Hime pounced by kissing him square on his lips in front of their class.

"O-Orihime-chan is kissing Kurosaki!" one boy cried. The collective gasps and wows of class filled the classroom. Even Tatsuki found herself caught off guard by the carrot tops display of affection. Chizuru fainted from the shock of her beloved Hime kissing Ichigo. When the kiss ended Ichigo and Orihime left the room leaving a stunned class wondering when hell froze over.

"I-Inoue," Ichigo muttered as they came out to the hall. "Why did you do that? I thought we agreed it was best to keep this a secret at school?"

"I know we did, but I couldn't help myself. When I heard you call me your girlfriend I got so happy that I just had to kiss you. I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't sweat it. What's done is done. I'm just sorry people will start harassing you again because of me."

Orihime wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace. "I can handle all of the harassing. It won't make a difference what they say, you are my boyfriend and I am happy."

"I am your boyfriend," Ichigo joked.

"Of course you are," Orihime joked back. He leaned in to her, planning to kiss her again. She readied herself.

"I hate to interrupt this very public display of affection, but we have class you two."

The two carrot tops broke apart. Ochi-sensei was standing behind them with her arms folded. She shot her pupils a disapproving look.

"Ochi-sensei!" cried Orihime.

"Are you two going join class or are you too busy making out in the hall?"

Both teens' face turned red. "We'll join class," Orihime muttered.

She sighed. "Look I am not against teen romance and I know its White Day, but can you save it until Lunch? That's all I ask."

"Right, save it for lunch," Orihime repeated. Ichigo nodded in agreement with her. Ochi-sensei thanked them. The three of them went into the classroom. Ochi-sensei's presence kept the boys and girls from bothering Ichigo and Orihime. The day had just started. How is it that both the healer and the ex-substitute felt as though it was wonderful day? Perhaps they were just hopeless romantics or they were hormone teenagers whom had got swept away in their passions. If you asked either the healer or the ex-substitute they would have said it was the day they shared their hearts.

* * *

**That was a lot of content for one chapter. Why did I throw the Masaoka kiss in there? I wanted to have something to show how far Ichigo and Orihime have come since the start of this story. I admit I probably blew over this whole kiss deal, but I would like to think since Ichigo told Orihime soon after it happened and showed genuinely sorry that she would see that she had nothing to worry about in terms of trusting him. I thought drama factor was unneeded. I thought it was a little more original to show a quick resolution to show how stable their relationship is, as oppose to a big fight where they need to reconcile afterwards. Ichigo told Orihime Shiori kissed him and didn't try to hide it and stopped the kiss as soon as it happened citing he had a girlfriend. I admit it was a plot device that may or may not been resolved quickly. I'll let you guys decide. I tried not to make Shiori a typical bitch character who is trying to break them up. She found out they were together she was embarrassed, said she was sorry and even encouraged Ichigo to tell Orihime what happened. **

**Chad and Orihime pact is a nod to chapter 449 of the manga. Like I said before I like to throw nods to the current arc into this one. It's not enough to spoil the plot for people who want to wait for the anime to get there. This story is setting things up to the latest arc in the manga, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc, with some changes though (like IchiHime relationship). I hope you guys like the chapter. Please review. **


	26. White Day 2

**Sorry for the late chapter guys. This one was hard to start though. Writers block is such a bitch. I am behind in my other stories. I'll start by answer thesearemyconfessions' question about Ishida/Arisawa pairing. It wasn't really my intention to pair them together. I admit I did set up that possibility. I haven't decided if I will do anything or not with them. To you guys the truth I've always had a soft spot with Ishida/Nemu. I doubt I'll do anything with that pairing in this story. I may or may not do Uryu and Tatsuki. Sorry that I do not have a clear answer for you readers who were hoping for one. **

**I do have some good news. This chapter is still set during White Day. The date will be seen. It won't be fully seen in this chapter though. White Day may run a few chapters. I put humor into it with some awkward flirting and bashful banter. I think I managed to keep all of them in character though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo owns everything I am just borrowing his characters.**

* * *

Lunch was nice. It was chance to get out of the classroom and take a much needed break from the grueling and tedious lectures. There was also the fact that you got to spend time with your friends. It was relaxing to just do nothing, but talk and eat. Lunch was one of the few times he got to just stop and relax in his fast paced life. He would have thought the loss of his shinigami powers would have slowed things down. Even though he did not hunt hollows anymore the school work he had to do combined with his part time job certainly kept things going fast. Lunch was quickly becoming favorite part of the day. Of course his growing love for Lunch period could be due to the fact that he was kissing his girlfriend on the roof of the school. On second thought he decided that his latest kissing session with Inoue was definitely the reason he was becoming a fan of Lunch period.

Normally they didn't do this. They had more self-control at school. There were one or two moments were their self-control lessened and one of them planted their lips on the other one, like their second kiss on Valentine's Day. That turned into a third, fourth, fifth, and he lost count on how many times they had actually kissed in that empty classroom. In their defense those were little kisses and not a tongue shoved down your throat out of control kiss. Ichigo would defend Orihime's honor that a series of short kisses were not nearly as bad tongue wrestling at school. Isolated incidents aside both Ichigo and Orihime could control themselves, especially at school. Today was just a little different. It was White Day. The day that the men would express their appreciation to the women who had given them chocolate a month ago on Valentine's Day. They did this by giving them little gifts such as sweets or chocolate. Ichigo's gift to Orihime was a necklace to that belonged to his mother.

The ex-substitute had hoped to ease his beloved's sorrow of not having a mother, by giving him a piece of his own heart. He wanted her to know that she wasn't alone and that his mother would have absolutely loved her. Fortunately his gift was well received by the orange haired healer. She showed him her appreciation with a quick kiss in class, revealing their status to their classmates. They most likely told the entire student body of Karakura High by now. Neither of them cared very much at all now. As their self-control weakened again on the outside of their classroom Ochi-sensei arrived and brought them back to their senses. She had told them to save it for Lunch. That's what they did. When lunch arrived to two rushed out of the classroom to avoid the barrage of questions that they were most likely to get from their class. Ichigo led them to his safe haven, the roof. Thankfully their training for pasts battles with the Soul Society and the Arrancar had put them in great shape (greater than their classmate). They not only out ran them, but also got to the roof without anyone seeing where they went. All of this and their lunches were still intact.

After catching a quick breather Inoue thanked him for her new necklace once again. Of course her face was flushed and she became bashful. She twiddled her fingers together, fixed her gaze on the ground, and made little circles on the ground with her foot. He had to smile at the sight. She looked so adorable. Yes, he had bouts of what he called nauseating burst of cutesiness. A condition he had caught around the time he realized his affections for the healer. Being the sickening sap he was Ichigo brushed the red-orange locks and lifted her face up to meet her gaze. He didn't even remember what he said exactly. He may not have said anything at all. His gaze spoke to her. He had gotten lost in her hazel eyes. The affections she carried for him radiated so strongly that he could not turn away from her. Her astounding beauty mesmerized the ex-substitute. The red-orange strands he had his hands in earlier shined thanks to the illumination from the sun. Those plush and luscious pink lips were curled into her serene small U shape smile of hers. Surprisingly her bashful nature had vanished completely. Instead a new look arose from her flawless and milky skinned face. It was a loving expression yet gratitude was in there, as if she was thanking him for loving her. That sounded absurd to him. He should be the one thankful to her for her presenting him with her heart. She deserved so much more than him.

Instinct took control of his body. Ichigo found his arms wrapped around his waist. Her arms were around his neck. Before he realized it their lips met each other. He loved the strawberry taste of her lips. It was appropriate with the strawberry and meadow scent she gave off. He had always found strawberries to taste good. They weren't his favorite fruit nor were they his least favorite. He just thought they were good. However, once his connection to Inoue evolved into something deeper he became fond of strawberries. He couldn't eat one the same way again. When that connection became romantic he found himself craving strawberries. The scent of strawberries became intoxicating. Whenever he took a whiff of strawberry scent he would find himself dazed in semi-conscious state. The scent had become associated with the goddess. The taste it was beyond delicious, it was addictive. When one would touch his tongue he savored the taste. No longer did he just swallow it. He played around with it in his mouth, absorbing the entire flavor. The taste had become associated with Inoue. He might as well stop beating around the bush and admit the entire fruit had become associated with his Hime. She was responsible for his new found love of strawberries. It became a treasured snack of his now to Yuzu's confusion. She questioned his new attachment to strawberries, but he would never answer her. He would never tell his family why strawberries had become so beloved by him. Karin and his father would never let him live it down.

His nostrils inhaled the serene meadow and passionate strawberry scent once more. Being this close to her he couldn't help, but pick up the scent off her hair. The scent was running rampant, driving him wild and feeding his hunger rather than quelling it. His conscious was lulled into its half active state. His thoughts were becoming less coherent and more unrefined and crude. To put it simply his brain told him to continue tasting her lips, to taste all of her. The innocent little kiss that he intended had become anything, but innocent. It was becoming feverish and desperate even, almost as if his intoxicated brain told him she would disappear any moment. His desire to keep her there with him fed his desperation, forcing him to kiss her harder, to drive all of his affections and desires into her. He needed let her know without a shadow of doubt that she was the one he wanted to be with. The flow he had felt the previous night had formed once again. The golden warmth flowed right into his body, his soul brining him her affections and desires. She was just as desperate as he was, longing to be near him, to stay by his side. He was happy to oblige her. He never wanted her to leave his side.

His hands started to travel upwards, going from her slender waist to her back before his fingers dived into the silky, vibrant red-orange hair. It tickled his fingertips and made them recoil in at the softness her hair possessed. He wasn't the only one exploring. Inoue's fingers had brushed his light orange hair, unsurprisingly. She had said on few occasions that she liked his long mane (going as far as to say it made him look hot). Her exploring led her downward as oppose to the upward path he had taken. Her ghost like touch went to his cheeks, tickling them as her hands made their way to his broadened shoulders, to his arms. She felt the muscles that had come to be from his training and battles as shinigami. Her grip tightened on his arms. A little squeal escaped her. He felt a bashful smile through their kiss. He was delighted that she found his physique desirable.

"Well if this isn't a lovely sight to see."

They both froze in horror. Oh god no. Why did the universe have to play such cruel tricks on them? Neither of them wanted to open their eyes and look over to the smug voice they heard. If his face wasn't red before from the kiss he knew it was certainly burning up a storm now. Now that the kiss ended the haze was clearing from his brain. Rational thought returned and with it embarrassment took hold of him. He berated himself for losing all self-control and at school none the less.

"Ah, no need to stop on our account," the smug voice said again.

Damn it. He really wished this was dream. Perhaps if he willed it he could awaken from this once pleasant dream. The ex-substitute tried with all of his might and determination, but it was to no avail. Nothing had changed. He still felt Inoue's silky hair on his fingertips and still smelled the enchanting strawberry scent. He stopped inhaling at once. He did not need to lose his rational thought once more. He would lose it and kiss her again. This was not the time for him to be kissing her. Damn. He really didn't want to open his eyes. He was such a coward. Both Zangetsu and his inner hollow would be ashamed at his actions. At least Zangetsu would ashamed, while the hollow would most likely ridicule and mock him. In other words he would join in with the voice that had caught him and Inoue. He wasn't going to be coward. Hell no. He had battled so many opponents and met them head on. He would be damned if he was going to shy away from this.

Ichigo opened his eyes. Reluctantly he turned away from the goddess (who still had her eyelids closed) to look to his right. He saw wide grinning Tatsuki with her hands on her hips staring back at him. To make things worse right beside her was Ishida, his two favorite people in the entire world. They were so understanding and considerate that he wanted to roll his eyes at the thought. Instead he shot them his deadliest of glares. Neither raven haired looked the least bit intimidated.

"Quit glaring, Ichigo," Tatsuki commanded. She rolled her eyes. Who did he think he was trying to scare? Please, she knew him when he was crybaby who always called for mommy. As if he could ever intimate her like he did those spineless boys in their class. "You aren't scaring anybody, so stop it."

He hated when she was right. But he should have known better. Tatsuki never gave in to his glares and Ishida always scoffed at them. This one of the reasons he hated that they were the ones to find him kissing Inoue. That glare would have been enough to cease any teasing from anyone else. "What are two doing up here anyway?" he asked.

The second strongest girl in Japan rolled her eyes again, this time at her oldest friend's lack of common sense. It was scary at how often Ichigo lost it from time to time. One day she was sure it would cost him. "Idiot, did you forget that we eat lunch up here too?" She walked away from the doorway, along with Ishida. Ichigo noticed that the Quincy was silent. He wondered why he hadn't started taking his own shots.

"Umm," Orihime groaned quietly.

That drew Ichigo's attention away from the raven haired pair. He didn't need to look at her to know she was mortified at two of their closest friends catching them sharing their affection. When he glanced at her face he saw that like his own her face was as red as tomato. Then it hit him. The reason Ishida was not mocking them was because of Inoue. It was true that the raven haired Quincy had no reservations about mocking him, but he would never do anything to make Inoue feel uncomfortable. He let out a sigh of relief. He was sure that when Inoue wasn't around that Ishida would take a few shots at him, but for now he wouldn't say anything for Inoue's sake.

Tatsuki continued, "I can't believe you two. I mean first today you kiss in class in front of everyone and now we catch you making out on the roof. You can't keep your hands off of each other. Are your hormones on overdrive?"

"Tatsuki-chan!" exclaimed Orihime embarrassingly. This was humiliating enough! Tatsuki didn't need to make it worse. "It wasn't like that!" she tried to explain.

Tatsuki shook her head. She sat down, resting herself on her knees and took out her lunchbox. "Eh, not like that? Orihime, come on. I saw you attacking Ichigo's lips like there was no tomorrow. How could it not be what I it looks like?" Her tone was challenging yet with a hint of mirth to it.

Despite her Kurosaki-kun being there with her she still felt like crawling under a rock to escape those taunting brown eyes belonging to her best friend and pseudo sister. She closed her eyelids just to get away from that stare. Her stomach sunk in response to her growing humiliation. That's when she felt a gentle touch on her hands. The sinking feeling stopped. A smile started to form. She didn't need to open her eyes to know the owner of these hands on hers. The burning in her cheeks lessened along with the embarrassment that had taken hold of her. The hands lightly squeezed hers, lending her his support. With his strength fueling her own she was able to open her eyes and see his brilliant chocolate shaded orbs staring back at her. They were so clear and calm. They told her that he was there, that they would face this together. That thought made her chest warm.

"It wasn't exactly what it seemed like," Ichigo defended.

"Oi, so what was it then?" Tatsuki challenged.

"First of all we didn't come here to make out. We were just trying to get away from everyone in class before they bombard Inoue with questions. When we lost them we went to the roof."

"That's right!" Orihime agreed. She nodded her head vigorously. It was quite humorous actually. "We had no intentions of making out at all."

"And yet you did," quipped the short raven haired girl. "When are you going to get to the part when you were sucking each other's faces?"

Orihime pouted her bottom lip and furrowed her brow at her. Tatsuki was being so intrusive. Didn't she see how uncomfortable this was for both Kurosaki-kun and herself? "I just thanked Kurosaki-kun for his gift." She started twiddling her fingers once more. The crimson contaminated her cheeks again. "One thing sort of led to another and um….."

"We started kissing….." Ichigo finished. He averted his gaze from both Tatsuki and Ishida. They just had to stare at him. "Are the questions done yet?"

Tatsuki started humming as she put her hand on her chin. "Well actually…."

He groaned. "Damn, what else do you need to know?" he screamed at her.

"What did you get Orihime?" Her infamous grin materialized on her face. Ichigo's scowl made its own appearance. "You are too easy, Ichigo."

Ichigo's scowl grew even darker. The vein on his forehead started to form. In order to relieve some of his boiling rage he clenched his right hand into a fist. He wasn't sure who could annoy him more, Tatsuki or Keigo. They both went out of their way just to annoy him. And she was still grinning at him! That just pissed him off even more.

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime called worriedly. She didn't want to her boyfriend and best friend to get into a fight. She grabbed his arm and started to rub it comfortingly, to levitate some of his anger. She was somewhat successful. His body lost some of the tension that had built up. It wasn't a complete victory, but she would take it. With her worries of a fight breaking out gone she turned her attention to the suspiciously quiet Quincy. He had taken a seat and started eating without so much as saying a word. This was disconcerting. Ishida-kun was never known for talking much, but he was never silent when the opportunity to ridicule her beloved arose. She took a hard look at him. His eyes were red and had bags under them. He seemed to be less alert. There must have been more hollow attacks last night or early in the morning to be exact. The late nights and little sleep seemed to finally be catching up with the Quincy. "Ishida-kun," she called out cheeringly.

He looked up from his lunch. Instantly his demeanor changed. No longer was it lax. His shoulder rose slightly to show attentiveness, his eyes brightened slightly (for him anyway), and tried (but failed) to disguise the bags under his eyes. To top everything off he curled his lips into a small smile. "Yes, Inoue-san," he said politely.

He was a good actor. However just like with Kurosaki-kun she could tell when he was putting on an act. The smile was false. It was obvious that he was forcing himself. His reiatsu felt bleaker than usual. It wasn't weaker or anything, but it felt tired like its owner. "How are you doing? You have been so quiet."

Ichigo and Tatsuki stopped glaring at each other to take notice of their glasses cladded friend. Like Orihime they too found his silence to be a little unsettling.

"I am fine," he replied.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. He was lying. It was all over Ishida's face. Did he always have bags under his eyes? His hollow hunting must have been taken a lot out of him. But it wasn't just hollow hunting. Ishida also had school work, student council meetings, and crafts club. Ishida was trying to balance a lot and erratic hours of hunting down hollows were not making things any easier for him. If he still had his shinigami powers he could lighten the load for Ishida. Why did he have to be such a burden now? The only reason Ishida was even hunting hollows was because he was now powerless and couldn't do so himself. All of his responsibilities were thrusts upon Ishida. There was also the fact that the Soul Society would have a problem with a Quincy killing hollows.

"What's with that face, Kurosaki?" He saw how Kurosaki's face fell and how guilt consumed his brown eyes. He looked so pathetic. What was worse was that Kurosaki was shooting him a look of pity. Kurosaki actually pitied him! As if he needed to be pitied, especially by his rival. Sure he was starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation, but it was nothing to worry about. He just needed a few extra minutes of sleep and he would be fine.

Ichigo quickly wiped off his sour expression. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Who is talking about what?" Keigo asked. He, Mizuiro, and Chad had emerged from the door. They took their usual spots on the roof. Ichigo and Orihime followed their example and sat down themselves. "So, what were you guys talking about before we came in?" Keigo continued to question.

"Nothing that concerns you," Ichigo said.

"Umm, why do you always have to keep me out of the loop?" whined Keigo. Ichigo did not respond which only made the energetic teen pout. _'I am always getting treated like a background character,' _he sobbed mentally. "Fine, don't tell me. It probably wasn't even all that interesting." He opened his lunchbox then started eating. He was determined not to look at Ichigo at all.

Ichigo let out relaxed breath. Keigo wasn't yammering on about something for a change. Now he could have a peaceful lunch without having to worry about any headache.

"Hey….." Damn, he knew it was too good to be true. "…..do we have to worry about you two…." He pointed to Ichigo and Inoue "…..making out in front us now do we?"

It was official. Ichigo hated Keigo. This wasn't a playful I hate you. He really despised his friend's guts. "S-Shut up, Keigo!" he exclaimed. He saw Inoue hide her face in her hands. They needed new friends. Their current ones were entirely too interested in their love lives.

"I was just asking a question."

"You are an idiot do you know that?" Ichigo continued to scream.

Keigo pouted his bottom lip. "You are touchy now, but kissing in front of the entire class is no problem."

"Eh!" Orihime squealed. Her face was going to be permanently red. She knew that was going to be a fact. There were only so many times your face could turn crimson before you could expect it to return to its natural color. _'Why did I kiss Kurosaki-kun in class? I am never going to live this down.' _

Mizuiro observed all of this while he was eating the lunch one of his girlfriends made for him. He smiled and shook his head. Keigo was going to get himself killed. Ichigo was fuming and if Inoue's mortification was anything to measure carrot top's anger by than Asano-san was going to die very, very soon.

"You know what you just talk to hear yourself talk! That explains everything! There is no way you could actually think about what you say or you would realize just how inappropriate it is to say out loud!" Ichigo continued to scream.

"I am sorry for bringing it up! I was just asking so I would know if you wanted privacy! We never know what the hell is going to set you off!"

"And you didn't think this would set me off!" Ichigo tone became louder. "Between Tatsuki's constant questioning and your lack of tact I am losing my mind!"

Keigo shot the second strongest girl in Japan a questioning gaze. "You already asked already?"

"Uuummmmmm!" squeaked Orihime. If she ever needed Tatsuki to be in tune with her it was this moment, at this instant it was now. The healer reached down deep inside of her to pull the allusive courage that escaped her. She took a deep breath then took her hands off her face. Orihime looked Tatsuki in the eye. She attempted to push her thoughts into her pseudo sister's head, urging her not to reveal what she had caught them doing to the group. The universe owed this to her. She was getting a little tired of being its whipping girl.

Tatsuki saw the pleading and fear laced hazel eyes. Orihime was absolutely begging her not to tell Asano, Kojima, and Sado what she saw. Deciding she had enough fun for today and that it would cruel to continue to torture Orihime she decided to let her off the hook. "Yeah, I already asked them that Asano. That's why Ichigo is so pissed right now." Tatsuki lied. She looked over to her pseudo sister. Orihime looked incredibly relieved. She was almost like an entirely new woman. Orihime whispered her thanks to Tatsuki. She wasn't entirely evil. After all she wouldn't be much of a best friend if she ignored Orihime when she was obviously bothered. Thankfully Ishida did not going against her claims. But then again he had his problems to deal with. He didn't seem as lively as usually was. Well as lively as Ishida could get. Were his hours of exterminating hollows as he put it getting to him?

"There you go, Keigo. We already answered Tatsuki. We aren't going to be making out in front of you guys. We don't need the grief," Ichigo spat out. His irritation was evident.

"Hmm, I'm just making sure," Keigo muttered. He took a sip of his drink.

The conversation about Kurosaki-kun and her kissing had finally ended to Orihime's joy. An eerier silence had set in now. Asano-kun had not said a word since. Kojima-kun finished his lunch before any of them. He most likely ate when Kurosaki-kun was yelling at Asano-kun. The petite man had his cellphone out. She was unsure which of his girlfriends he was talking to and did not want to ask him. Naturally Ishida-kun and Sado-kun did not speak, but that was normal for them. She did notice that Ishida-kun rest his eyes for a bit. That didn't last long though. His eyes shot open and he immediately left before anyone could ask him what was going on. She knew it was a hollow. She could sense it now. Sado-kun and she exchanged looks, while her beloved Kurosaki-kun tried to feign un-interest. His eyes would dart to the sky every few seconds as if he was trying to find something. Tatsuki seemed to be upset by, but she was unsure why. She suspected it had to do with Ishida-kun's departure, but wasn't certain. The healer couldn't help, but wonder if she should have followed him. She could handle a hollow easily. Fear held her back. It was not fear for herself but fear of wounding Ishida-kun's pride. He did not ask for help, to offer it may have offended him. Another similarity that he shared with Kurosaki-kun, they were both very proud individuals. If one was not careful they would potential injury that strong sense of pride.

Now that fear seemed unjustified. Ishida-kun was obviously exhausted. His pride could have taken a hit by her accompanying him. Just when she was about to leave though the hollow's reiatsu signature disappeared, sounding Ishida-kun's victory. She was too slow to act. Once again she sat around and allowed someone she loved to fight alone.

"Don't worry about, Ishida," Ichigo stated. She turned her head to look at her savior. "If he needs help he'll ask for it. That guy just doesn't want to worry you. If you had gone with him you would have hurt his pride. It sounds stupid, but to Ishida his pride as a Quincy means everything to him."

"But he's tired. I could have gone with him and helped him."

"Trust me, Inoue you would have made him feel inadequate. I'm not saying you have to let him fight alone all the time. You just need to know the right time to help him. That's why we are all comrades. We understand each other's hearts. We know when to help each other."

Surprised by Kurosaki-kun's sagely words Orihime stared in awe. Her awe soon gave way to a knowing yet affection expression. He wasn't as oblivious as all of them thought he was, not all of the time. He also had a knack for erasing any sorrow or guilt she experienced. What more could a girl ask for?

Ichigo took notice of her loving stare from the corner of his eyes. After he swallowed the food he had been chewing he turned his attention to her again. "What?"

Orihime smiled and shook her head nonchalantly. "It's nothing. I was just thinking how you always manage to make me feel better." That managed to draw a smile out of the ex-substitute. If their friends weren't around she would have stolen a kiss from him. Being unable to do that though, she leaned against his shoulder. She thought their friends would not object to that. Neither did he, because he made no motion to move her. In fact she could have sworn she saw him smile. But it quickly went away when she tried to steal another glance.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun, where are we going exactly?" Orihime asked. She and Ichigo were walking in the streets of their fair town. School had ended. Just as they did with lunch the carrot tops did their best to avoid any classmate outside of their core group of friends and went straight for the gate. She had been following him, but he did not tell her where they were going. After two blocks Orihime couldn't help, but wonder what the big mystery was. The direction they were headed in did not lead to either of their homes. It was the opposite direction of the park where they had their first date at during Christmas Eve.

"Hmm, didn't I tell where we are going?" he asked.

"Umm, no," she replied.

"I guess I forgot," he muttered. He turned around to face her. He could see her big doe like brown eyes widen with curiosity. She was practically trembling with what he could only guess was excitement. He knew that he had not told her any details about what he had in store for their date, but he never would have guessed she was this eager to learn his plans. For a brief instant he was reminded of Yuzu and how ecstatic she would get when she wanted to know something. "We are heading to this little ice cream parlor a little ways from here." He watched as her mouth fell open and stars formed into her eyes as she went full anime ecstasy. She adored sweets. That was no secret. Today she had racked in all the cookies, chocolates, and anything else with sugar in it from the boys who had wished to return her kindness a month ago and of course the ones hoping to win her heart. Ichigo wanted to beat that. No matter what boys got her at school he knew there was no way they could get her ice cream for fear of it melting during the day. There was also the little fact that most ice cream shops were not open in the early morning, which is when they had to be in school. After school was an entirely different ball game. Perhaps he was being petty. He wanted to outshine Inoue's admirers even though he was dating her. Or he was a little more jealous of all the men interested in her than he originally thought. He would like to think that there was good will in his intentions somewhere.

"I take it by that expression you are happy," he jested. Although his tone was stern as it always was. Most would have missed his teasing, but Orihime knew him well enough to hear it.

"Oh yes!" she cheered. "I love ice cream! I can't believe you are taking me to get ice cream! Kurosaki-kun has never done that for me before! What should I get? I know I'll get a triple scope, mixed with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Oh and I'll get some sprinkles, cookie dough, jellybeans, oh and nuts, lots and lots of nuts! I know I am forgetting something else. But what is it?" Orihime put her hands on her head trying to remember what ingredient she was forgetting.

She was completely oblivious to her boyfriend's stunned face. Sweat fell from the back of his head. His eyes had widened to cartoon like levels. "C-Crap. I hope I have enough money for all of that. I can't believe she is getting that much and mixing all of those combinations together. Her sense of taste is completely different from normal people," he muttered to himself.

The goddess jumped throwing her right arm up in exclamation. Ichigo continued to watch her antics. "Now I remember! I am also going to get a banana with a cherry on top!"

"B-banana with a cherry on top….." he repeated in amazement. _'She is so slim and that figure of hers is perfect. How is that possible with her appetite? Most girls would kill to be able to eat like her and not have to worry about their figure. Oh well. I would rather have a girlfriend that isn't afraid to eat over one of those crazy dieting ones,' _he thought. His father once commented that he was glad to see Inoue had a healthy appetite. He cited that most girls their age were too obsessed with their weight. Ichigo had to agree with him. Inoue was stunningly beautiful, but she wasn't in to her looks. She wasn't afraid to eat or spend so much time fixing herself up every waking wasn't shallow. That's why he was able to hold conversations with her that didn't involve him becoming bored as it did when he had to talk to one of the shallow girls at their school. His Hime was one of a kind. He appreciated her lack of fear for eating, but he could not allow her to eat all of that ice cream. "Hey, Inoue," he called. The red-orange haired woman calmed down long enough to give him her full attention. "I have something planned for dinner. Don't fill up ice cream, ok."

"You have something planned for dinner?" she half asked and half repeated. He nodded his head. Her thoughts began to wonder what her boyfriend had planned for dinner. She was so happy to go to an ice cream parlor like couples often did. Now he had something planned for dinner, something special. She saluted the ex-substitute. "Alright, I will make sure not to eat a lot!" she said enthusiastically.

"You know you don't have to salute me." Orihime laughed and smiled at him. God he loved that smile. He was so thankfully to be able to spend this day with her.

"Kurosaki-kun," she summoned him.

"Hmm, yeah?" he replied.

"I am really happy to be able to spend this day with you. I am glad that I get to walk with you, to go to an ice cream parlor with you. I am honored to be your girlfriend."

"That's my line. I am the one who should be saying he is honored to be your boyfriend."

"Huh?" she responded.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her. He shot her a glare that asked her if she was oblivious. "Don't huh me. Inoue, you are downright gorgeous. You have so many guys at school who are in love with you. You can have anyone you wanted, but you chose me. I am honored that out of all those guys you choose to be with me. I don't even deserve you, but you chose me anyway. I feel lucky," he admitted. His cheeks were tainted with pink. He was open with Inoue, but there were still times when he felt embarrassed for sharing such intimate feelings with her.

"Don't say that."

"Huh?" This time it was Ichigo who uttered the H word.

"Don't say you don't deserve me. It's true that I have so many boys interested in me, but you are the only one who bothered to get to know me." He looked at her with unknown emotion. "You are the only one aside from Ishida-kun and Sado-kun who bothered to try and understand me. I am more than just a pretty face to you. I like when you confide in me. I like that you urge me to tell you what I am feeling. You just give me a shoulder to cry on or an ear for me to talk to. None of those boys like Ryunosuke-kun do that. They just see me as this pretty girl who is a bit of an air head. But Kurosaki-kun has never seen me as that. You are different from all of them, Kurosaki-kun. I am lucky to have you."

Her doe like eyes began to shimmer like a star in the night skies. Just like with a star Ichigo found himself entranced. He was entranced by the brilliant bright shade brown orbs that were her eyes. He was falling even deeper for this woman. Fortune had not always been kind to them, but in some sick way all of those trials and hardships had lead them here. But he hated having to think that people like, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra or Aizen played a role in getting them together. They were certainly trials that had to be overcome. As unpleasant as that thought was their roles did take him to Inoue. Maybe the nightmare that was the war had something good come from it. He shot her a half grin to show his gratification. He noticed the silver sparkle of her new necklace. He had to admit it looked good on her. "I bet your brother used to take you to get ice cream all the time."

Orihime answered him with a nod. "Onii-chan would always take me to an ice cream parlor in our neighborhood during the summer when he got off of work. I always waited for him by the door on those really hot days. If he wasn't too tired he would give this huge smile and ask me if I was in the mood for ice cream like him. I jumped up and down when he said that."

"I didn't know you had an ice cream parlor by your apartment. I would have taken you to that one if I knew. It's closer than this one."

"I don't mind the walk," she insisted. "This place we are going to, does your family go to it?"

"Yeah, we used to go to it all the time. When I was kid my mom would sometimes take me to it after karate practice if I didn't cry for a session. She thought bribing me would keep me from bawling my eyes out when I lost a match. Nice plan, too bad it didn't work. In the end she would get me some just to stop me. Looking back on it now I feel bad for my mom. I can't have been easy to deal with." He shook his head in shame. He was such an annoying little brat back in those days. "My dad will take my sisters and me whenever he's not busy. It is one of the few things outside of meals that we all do together. We haven't done that in over a year now. I guess all of the stuff that went on since I met Rukia has made us all busier than usual." His face fell a bit. He hadn't thought about Rukia in some time. He could hardly believe it had been half a year since he saw her last. He could just make out her proud smirk and taunting violet eyes looking back at him. That old wound in his heart opened up, spilling sorrow. _'Rukia,' _he thought.

She witnessed the happiness in his eyes dim into a great sadness. Kuchiki-san's absence still weighed greatly on his soul. Unlike her he did not see Kuchiki-san a few months ago. She wasn't the only one with a strong bond with the raven haired shinigami. His bond was as strong if not stronger than her own with Kuchiki-san. She wasn't surprised that mentioning her name would produce this effect on him. Orihime would be more worried if it didn't. She was no longer threatened by his attachment to Kuchiki-san. She now knew that just because Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san shared their own unique bond that did not take away from her own bond with him. However, she did feel awful for inadvertently stirring up sadness. She had to take his mind off of it. "Did I tell you that I might have found a job?" She hoped this worked.

Ichigo's eyes lit up. It was not happiness, but surprise. "No, you didn't tell me about that. When did this happen? What is the job?"

"It's one of my absolutely favorite places." She paused to create a dramatic effect. This failed. Ichigo gave her exhausted/annoyed look. "I filled out an application at the bakery uptown!" she exclaimed.

"You want to work at a bakery?"

"I love baking, muffins, cupcakes, and especially cakes! In fact I want to own a cake shop one day! This could be a stepping stone!" she said excitedly. She clapped her hands together. "If I get the job maybe I can bring home some pastries! Can you imagine me getting to bring home cake?" She saw herself bringing a cart full of cakes of different designs and flavors to her door. It would be a dream comes true. She couldn't stop the drool that had managed to escape her mouth.

Ichigo was once again surprised by the healer's love of sweets. He would be a hero for getting her ice cream. He just hoped that if she got the job she wouldn't get to bring a lot of cake home. Her teeth would take a huge beating. He had a sneaking suspicion that she did not like to go to the dentist. "I hope you get the job, but promise me you won't go overboard on bringing food home if you get it. That stuff can hurt your teeth in large amounts," he warned her.

She stopped her giddy jumping. Her eyes grew wide as two donuts. "That's right. I don't want to get cavities. I am going to have be careful. I don't want to get fat either. I have already picked up a little weight."

He snorted at her claim. "Since when do you care about getting fat? You exercise regularly and you are in great shape."

"You really think I am in great shape?" She stopped. Orihime spun around slowly to present herself to him.

Ichigo gave her his full attention. He looked her over. His gaze started at the bottom, taking in her long legs then went upward to plump thighs. His gaze fell on her slim waist, her thin torso, and finally landed on her blushing full face. Their uniforms left nothing to the imagination. It was obvious why so many people ogled her. He prided himself on being able to keep his hormones under control. But hell even he had his eyes glued to Inoue's hour glass figure.

"So…." She started. "What do you think of my figure?" Her face was still burning. She really hoped he did not notice her increase in weight. Even she worried about her appearance ever now and again. She never obsessed over it though, but a girl wanted to feel pretty once in a while. Orihime definitely wanted Ichigo to think she was pretty. An increase in weight may affect his opinion of her being beautiful.

Ichigo's gaze was still fixed to her figure. He gave her another look over. The orange haired boy eye lids half closed, giving him an uncharacteristic mischievous stare. Before he could stop himself he said, "Your figure is great." His tone was lower than usual, while his gaze stayed fixed on her.

It didn't take long for Orihime to realize that Ichigo's gaze was far from innocent. That gleam in his eye was animalistic. Unlike with Ryunosuke she did not feel violated by his stare. If anything she was flattered. A large bashful smile had formed on her face. But she couldn't help it. He was one of the few boys in their class not ogle her. Ironically she wanted his attention and now that she had it she couldn't help, but feel overwhelmed. "Kurosaki-kun," she said embarrassingly with a hint of satisfaction.

Upon realizing what he said Ichigo broke his gaze and turned his cheek to her in embarrassment. _'Smooth, really smooth, Kurosaki. She probably thinks I'm a pervert now.' _

"I am glad you like….." She couldn't believe she was going to say this. It wasn't like her, but she wanted to try to flirt a little more. The healer narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to make some alluring gaze. She probably failed at it. This just wasn't her. Her lips curved into a half smile. "I am glad you like what you see," she tried to say seductively. _'What was I thinking? He probably thinks I am so weird now. Eh, I shouldn't have tried to be all flirty like in those manga I read.'_

He couldn't believe what he heard. Inoue Orihime was trying to be seductive. Her attempt was a little fumbled and forced, but it wasn't lost on him. In fact he found her to be….sexy.

"Please just disregard what I just said!" Orihime waved her arms frantically. "I was just trying something new, but it was weird, so please just forget you heard about."

Obviously she felt humiliated. He didn't want her to think she did anything wrong trying something out. He did like that she tried something out for him. "I didn't think it was weird."

"Huh?"

He took a breath. Ichigo fidgeted as he struggled to keep his eyes on hers. "I thought you were….sexy," he said the last part low.

Orihime's eyes bulged out of her head. "Eh! You think I was sexy?"

"Y-yeah," he replied nervously. The pair was silent as the familiar color of red washed over their faces.

"Kurosaki-kun, I…..please don't think of me as loose girl, but I…..I am glad you thought I was sexy."

"I don't think you are an um…loose girl. I appreciate you trying to be flirty and um s-sexy." Masaoka was right. He was a prude.

"Good," she stated.

"Good," he repeated.

Without another word they started walking to the ice cream parlor again. Secretly they were both happy the other one did not find their behavior repulsive. They were going to have to become more open with their physical attraction to each other. This was going to be an interesting step for them. This was a milestone at the very least.

* * *

The desert was as desolate and cruel as ever. The sky was void and colorless as always. The dead moon did little to illuminate the land. He missed Las Noches. That was a palace, one fit for a king and his knights. Now they were reduced to this. It was ridiculous. What could they do though? One of their brethren was moronic enough to stage an assault on the Human World. Now the Soul Society had sent their forces to quall the arrancar and hollows down. They lost everything. If that fool wasn't already dead he would have killed him personally.

"Idiot," he muttered.

"Gild," a voice called.

"What is it?" the voice identified as Gild asked. He did not bother to turn around. He knew who the voice belonged to.

"Senpai sent me here to retrieve you."

"Oh, so she wants me back, so soon. I still haven't managed to convince Gantenbainne yet."

"Senpai thought as much, so she sent me here to tell you to leave him. You have already found the others. Now we have all gathered. She is ready to move on with the next stage."

"Is that so? Damn she is getting impatient," Gild stated.

His comrade shook his head in disagreement. "She just wants us to assess the humans, before we plan anything else."

"Didn't you get a feel for them already? You fought both the Quincy and that guy who defeated Gantenbainne."

"I only fought the Quincy extensively. The other one interfered, but I left before I could get a good chance to battle him."

"I guess orders are orders. If I refused she would just kick my ass all around Hueco Mundo. Let's go back. Out of the six of us I wonder which one of us she will choose to go to Karakura Town. I am so bored I hope I get to go."

"As always you are too eager, Gild."

"Piss off, Joaquin. Not all of us are content with sitting around and doing nothing. I need some action. A good fight is something I welcome."

Joaquin shook his head disapprovingly. He and Gild left to meet up with their comrades and prepare for their next strike against the small town of Karakura.

**The Seven Gather! What does this mean for Karakura Town?**

* * *

**I named violet eyes, Joaquin. I googled Spanish names and looked them over until I found this. It seemed to just fit. The seven are the arrancar that are interested in Karakura Town. They are preparing to fight Uryu, Sado, and Orihime. They want to see what they are up against. **

**Was Tatsuki too mean? I just wanted her to be playful. I wanted Ichigo and Orihime to get caught kissing by their friends because I wanted them to get embarrassed and teased. Keigo would cave in a second when Ichigo glared at him. Uryu and Chad aren't going to care enough to make fun of them. I wasn't sure Mizuiro would be able to keep it up for as long as Tatsuki did. Enter Tatsuki. I didn't want to make her OCC and have her pick on Orihime. She wouldn't do anything that crossed the line from playful to hurtful. I hope she didn't come across as mean. That's why she didn't tell the gang what she and Uryu saw. She saw how mortified Orihime had become so she thought it best to drop it. **

**I was being truthfully. Ichigo and Orihime usually have more self-control at school. They just got caught up in the moment. In fact for all the kisses I've written in the last few chapters they aren't total animals when people aren't around. They still talk and enjoy each other's company without tongue wrestling (which this chap revealed they don't do). But they are still teenagers. I think we have all felt our hormones get the better of us once in a while. I hope you guys liked it. Please review. **


	27. White Day 3

**Here it is just a little late. The weekly chapters have been getting harder for me to do. I'll try to get the chapters out as soon as I can. They may not be weekly as they have been in the past. You guys know how it is. I am trying to frame future chapters of this story in my head before I write so I have direction to go in. **

**I wanted to let you guys know I messed up the timeline. While I was planning for future chapters I realized that I jumped Ichigo and his friends up a grade. You see all this time I was under the impression that they were in their junior year of high school. But that is not the case. I was only by adding 17 months in between the last arc FKT and the current one in the manga that I realized that I messed it up. If they were indeed juniors like I thought than 17 months later they would have graduated high school, but they are seniors in the arc in the manga. I re-read some manga chapters and it confirmed my screw up. From this chapter onwards Ichigo and his friends will be treated as freshmen (despite all the previous chapters) and that they will be moving on to their junior year rather than their senior year after the school year ends. I am really sorry about the screw up. This was poor planning on my part. I just noticed this recently. I wanted to tell you guys so that when you read future chapters and this one you wouldn't get confused.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am merely burrowing the characters to tell my own spin on the story.**

* * *

It was quiet. She wasn't surprised. This world was lifeless and still. Its black skies were just so void. The white deserts consumed everything within the land. She despised the desert. The sand was mess. It got everywhere, her shirt, sandals, her hair, and even found its way into her mouth on occasion. It was an annoyance to say the least. Her hatred of desert went back to her days as a hollow. It was a problem for her even in those days. It would get all over her feet, slowing her down and gave her prey a slight advantage. Of course it was never enough to cause her to lose a prey. This was her after all. She would not allow something as minuscule and as frustrating as sand to stop her from successfully taking down her prey. But still the fact that the sand hindered her even just slightly was enough to earn her distain. What was the point of giving her prey any unnecessary openings for them to exploit? Some of her comrades did not feel the same way. Gild and Calputto loved to toy with their prey and gave them any advantages they could in order to make things more entertaining for themselves. Those two battle junkies were so pitiful. One of these days their recklessness would get them killed.

She let out an exhausted sigh. The thought of Gild and Calputto was enough to give her a headache. They were always difficult. Gild was bold, battle loving, and when he was out on the battlefield he was nearly impossible to talk to. Calputto was more cunning, but he was also conniving. He always seemed to have his own agenda even when Aizen was still with them. His participation in her plans was a bit of surprise to her. She was certain with Aizen's fall and the loss of Las Noches that he would pursue his own goals alone. When Gild found him he told her that he agreed to help them without any protests. He thought it was strange Calputto did not say much more to her than that. The fact that Calputto so readily joined their ranks made her think that he had an ulterior motive. He thought he was using them to achieve whatever his desires were, using her. His intentions were a mystery to her, but she could not dismiss his strength. He was a valuable asset to all of them, so she would keep him around. However, if he was foolish enough to betray her it would be the last thing he ever did.

"Silva-sama," called a soft and respectful tone.

Speak of the devil. She turned her head slightly to see a man behind her. He wore the standard white uniform of the arrancar. His white jacket was closed and fastened together. His white hakama pants were neat and crisp as his jacket. His hip was decorated with sword. It was tucked away in his black sash. He was just below average height of a fully grown man. His face was clean shaven, free from any facial hair. However his forehead was covered by thick white hardened material, the remaining part of his hollow mask. He possessed a long snowy blond hair. It was tied neatly into a pony tail that went to his back. His turquoise eyes were innocent. This was only highlighted by the modest smile was plastered on his lips.

"What is it, Calputto?" she questioned. Her back remained to him.

"Gild and Joaquin-san have returned," he spoke in the same tone as before.

"I see. Everyone is awaiting me then?"

"Yes, Silva-sama," he replied.

Her lips curved into a frown. His polite tone was unfitting. His tone and his behavior were not like Joaquin's at all. Joaquin's words were always respectful just as the arrancar behind her, but the tone was sincere. She could feel the admiration and purity in his being, it was unquestionable. She felt none of that with Calputto. His tone was marred with false kindness. That smile he wore and his stare reminded her of hissing serpent just before it attacked. "You can drop the Silva-sama stuff."

"I do not understand," he replied.

"It is easy enough to comprehend. You have never called me that before, so do not start to do it now."

"Joaquin-san calls you Senpai. Isn't this the same as that?"

She shook her head. "Joaquin has always referred to me as his Senpai despite my protests. I do not wish for such praise, especially from one who has never given it to me before." She turned to face him. Her overflowing jet black strands of hair fluttered with her. Even in the darkness of their dead world it somehow managed to stand out and shine. He was able to take in her appearance. She wore the standard white hakama pants with a black sash around her waist. Her jacket was opened revealing her well-toned stomach and slim figure. The rest of her form was hidden by the darkness surrounding them. Even with the upper part of her body being hidden he could tell she had her arms crossed. "I do not require you to be false. I only require your services, Calputto."

"I understand, Silva." He widened his smile two inches more, creating an even more mischievous feeling. "You are quite different from, Aizen."

"Don't compare me to Aizen-sama. I am not trying to replace him," she stated a little too quickly.

His smirk widened even further. "Oh, so your goal is different from the other arrancar? Does this have anything to do with sending hollows to the Human World?"

She narrowed her smoky golden eyes suspiciously. He knew about Gild's hollows invading the Human World despite only being reunited with her for a day. She had not told any of them aside from Gild and Joaquin. He was watching them or her more precisely. It was no wonder Gild was able to collect him so easily.

"Does your goal have anything to do with that human shinigami, the one who defeated Aizen?" he questioned eagerly.

That was the second time he referred to Aizen without Sama. Strangely enough this put her at ease. Calputto was no longer putting on an act. This was the true him, the one who spoke his mind, the one who carefully, worded his questions in order to get the person he was questioning to reveal more information than they intended to. He had gotten bold. He was trying to get her to reveal her own secrets. "That man does have something to do with my plan." The twinkle in his eye faded. That put a smile on her face. Luckily the shadows were hiding it from him. Obviously he was not expecting her to reveal that bit of information to him. Now almost predictably he would disregard the substitute shinigami as something minor based on her response.

"What about that woman that Aizen was interested in? I believe she had the power to undo events and restore them to the way they were before."

"That woman and the other two humans that came here with the human shinigami will be discussed shortly."

"Your business is in that human town, Karakura?" he asked. The twinkle returned to his gaze. He was like a shark that had sniffed blood in the water. Now he was following the trail, hoping it would lead him to a great fest.

He was trying so hard to decipher her words. It was amusing to see him try to lure her into a trap. Did he not realize that everything she was divulging to him was of no concern to her? Or did he realize it and was merely continuing the ruse until he had gotten her into a false sense of security so that he could start to get some answers from her? Calputto was truly devious. Aizen always valued that about him. "Why not come out and ask me what I have planned?" He was caught off guard because his mouth fell open in response. However, he quickly closed it in attempt to regain his composure. "That is what you really desire to know. Am I wrong?"

"No, you are correct in your assessment." he replied. What was she playing at? Was this some kind of test to prove his loyalty or some such non-sense?

"Come with me," Silva directed. She walked passed him. Calputto was quick to follow her. "I'll tell you along with the others what I intend for us to do. Gild knows and I have told Joaquin a bit of it. After you have heard it you can judge for yourself whether or not it fits into your own plans."

"What makes you think I have any plans?"

She chuckled at his question. He must have thought her a fool to believe she was unable to tell he had his own agenda. "One thing that I despise is to be underestimated. Those who do underestimate usually regret it in the future. Remember what I've said," she warned him. "There is no need to be secretive around me. I do not care what you want to do or if you are only here to further your own plans unless they interfere with my own. Do as you like until I call upon you."

Calputto lips curled into his smug smirk. Silva would be more entertaining to work for than Aizen. That much he was sure. He agreed to go with Gild in order to learn what she was planning. Silva was no fool. Unlike those idiots who desperately tried to fight the shinigami and take back Las Noches she seemed to be doing something more interesting. He felt if he teamed up with her and the others that perhaps they could help him with his own project. That was why he interrogated her. He needed to know that her plans did not converge with his own. If they did he would have to think of some way to make his own dreams into a reality. Depending on what Silva wanted he could perhaps turn some of the others in their group against her. It never hurt to have allies or pawns. He learned that from Aizen after all.

"Calputto," Silva called, bringing the arrancar out of his head. "Why I have no problem with you or what you do on your own time, if you give me one reason to think you will betray me, I will kill you." She felt his reiatsu spike. If she were to turn around she would probably see his face as composed as ever, but his reiatsu was out of his control. She could sense his fear as though it were palpable. At least she knew he did not think lowly of her power. The difference between them was too great. In a straight out fight he would be defeated by her soundly. Hell she wouldn't even break a sweat. After all while he was content with his position in Aizen's army she continued to gain more and more strength. Even now after Aizen's fall she continued to amass more power. She was not to be taken lightly. "Do you understand my words?" Her tone was lowly and deadly. Her words were laced with her intent to kill. She flexed her reiatsu just a bit. She unleashed its dark and heavy waves upon him crushing his very being with her coldness and impassiveness. He knew that she would obliterate his entire existence should he cross her and it would give no much as a second thought to it.

"U-Understood, S-Silva-sama," he stuttered. He cursed himself at how easily he was intimidated by the dark haired woman. Her reiatsu was even more terrible than it was before. She had become even stronger now. It was true that she was no Aizen. She didn't even come close to half of his power. But it was far from being unimpressive. In comparison with his own it was ocean while he was a pond. Just as a pond would be swept up by the massiveness of the ocean he too would be swept away by Silva's reiatsu. Damn it! He was trembling. He could not cross her without some sort of plan.

"Hmm, I thought I told you to drop the Sama," she said. Her tone was serious, but there was some arrogance and mirth that rang with her words.

"Yes. I am sorry," he blurted out worriedly. It was taking him too long to regain his composure, far too long. He always knew she was stronger than him. There was no reason for him to act as though this was new to him. He would rein in his fear. The worst thing he could have done was reveal his fear in front of Silva. Now that she knew of his fear, she knew that he did not obtain any new power during these long months apart from each other. It also gave her an edge if she needed it in the future.

The two arrancar stopped walking. She noticed two figures to her right standing next to each other. They were conversing about something. Her ears picked up a few words such as escaping and killing shinigami. The pair had a run in with some of their invaders. She could only hope that they were able to hide their trail and did not lead any shinigami here. Her fears were probably unwarranted. She did not sense any reiatsu belonging to any shinigami. She always scanned the area every hour on the hour in order to see if there were any unwanted guests. No matter how good shinigami were at controlling their reiatsu and suppressing it, she could sense it. That was one of her many talents. Once their eyes fell on her they stopped talking. Large grins materialized on their faces.

"Long time no see, Silva," one of them stated. She acknowledged him with a quick nod.

The second arrancar strode pasted his friend and went straight to her. He grabbed her hand to which she raised an eyebrow. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her hand. "I am glad to be in your presence once again, Silva." He kept a hold of her hand much to her annoyance. He always was a flirt, especially with her. "Just as beautiful as I remember," he continued in soothing and relaxed voice.

"Turn it off please," the first arrancar complained. He sounded just as nauseated as Silva was herself. "Don't you get enough with those whores you sleep with?"

"They are a means of entertainment and enjoyment. Silva is a treasure to be cherished. They can't compare to her."

She let out another exhausted breath. She really hoped that their time apart would have stopped his flirtatious nature. She should have known better. Fifty years and he still desired her. She originally thought it was lust, but he actually seemed to have taken a personal interest in her. Dare she say he was in love with her? "Knock it off," she commanded. Silva pulled her hand away from him. "Now is not the time for your antics."

The second arrancar started to whine. "My affections are nothing more than antics to you?" he pouted. He continued to whine.

"Oh please," cried a new voice. Silva and the other two arrancar turned around to see a lone figure leaning against a stone. His arms were folded, but he wore an aggravated at the sight of the arrancar who was whining. "I can't believe you are still the same pain in the ass as before. I must have been out of mind to come here and seeing you again."

There was another person who did not change during their time apart. He was still the same short tempered and easily irritated, although she could understand why he was irritated in this instance. She shared his feelings.

"Tff, Silva you finally dragged your ass out here. Even with Aizen gone you still seem to think being his pet entitles you to treat us however you like. You make me sick."

"How dare you speak to Silva that way?" cried the second arrancar. He clenched his right hand into a fist.

The third arrancar rolled his eyes and snorted. "I'll talk to her anyway I please. Aizen is gone. There is no need for that false modest shit he made us do."

"You never did have any respect for anyone or anything, Antonio-Mariano," the first arrancar stated. He still wore a grin.

"Did you expect me to?" Antonio asked, having been taken aback.

The first arrancar shook his head absent mindedly. He found amusement in Antonio's attitude. His companion on the other hand gritted his teeth in anger.

"I don't care whether or not he has changed, but he will show Silva respect."

Antonio snickered to himself. "Like I give a fuck what you say. Do you think you can make me?" he challenged. He left the stone and made a reach for his zanpakuto, while his would be opponent did the same. Before they could draw their swords the golden eyed woman put herself in between them. She grabbed both of their forearms. She applied enough pressure to bring both men to their knees. It took everything within both of them to not cry out in agony. They both contained their pain she could see it within their eyes.

"Enough, this is not the time for this," she said sternly. Just as she did with Calputto her tone was cold and deadly, so they would know she meant business. "I have no fear of breaking both your arms should you continue to act." Neither of them spoke. They struggled to escape her grip, but it was too strong for them. This went on for only a few more seconds before they both submitted to her will. "It seems you understand me. Am I correct?" Antonio begrudgingly nodded his head. Silva released them both. They remained on their knees. Instead they tended to their sour wrists. Shame prevented them from looking at her. It was just as well. She had no desire to even look at either of them. They were being pathetic. Honestly fighting like children. It was beneath all of them.

"You two should have known better than to test her," the first arrancar said. He couldn't help, but laugh at the two fallen arrancar. It was now apparent that Silva had not lost her edge at all. Antonio would need to hold back his tongue if he wanted to stay off her bad side. That was not a pleasant place to be in at all.

She took her eyes off the pair and put them on the other two that had been standing in the corner silently. One of them was of startling heights that easily surpassed any of the arrancar present. He easily towered over her. He possessed an equally impressive large frame; his arms were bulging with muscles. His shoulders were board and strong. He had the body mass of two men, with a six pack to boot. They were exposed with his white jacket opened. His skin tanned with a dark brown. One thing that stood out was his face. It was rugged and beat up from scars from former battles. One scar was particular noticeable was the horizontal one that came across the bridge of his nose and went across the cheeks of his face. The remains of his bone like hollow mask were the jaw that covered his chin and some of his neck. Another odd thing at least to her was that he had curly dark brown hair that only went to the back of his neck. The bangs completely masked his forehead. His eyes were murky gray color.

Beside him was a shorter man, of course he was still taller than her. His most prominent was his sparkling violet eyes. He was handsome. His face was free of any scars or wrinkles despite his many battles, a testimony to his skill. His skin tone was a darker pale it was still not as dark as the man beside him. Another contrast to between the two was that he had bright straight laced red hair. It matched his uniform which was also neatly dressed. What little remained of his hollow mask was single small white blemish on his chin. On his left hip inside his sash were two swords resting.

"Senpai, I have brought you Gild as you requested," the red haired man stated.

"Thank you for your services, Joaquin." She bowed to him to show her appreciation.

The large man identified as Gild let out a might yawn, which drew Joaquin and Silva's attentions to him. His large hand started to rub the top of his head. "I found Gantenbainne, but that pain in the ass refused. I was going to try and drag his ass back here when Joaquin said you wanted me back here."

"That is fine. If Gantenbainne does not wish to join us then that is his choice. Dragging him back here would have served no purpose. We seven are enough."

"So we are done gathering more arrancar then?" he asked. She answered him with a nod. His lips widened into a big goofy teeth revealing smile. "Good. I hope I am done doing all these shitty work. I am hoping to see some action soon."

"Hmm, you'll get your chance."

Calputto interest was piqued. His eyes widened slightly at the golden eyed woman's claim. "Are you going to tell us what your plan is Silva?" he asked eagerly.

"That's right," she stated. "The key to our future lies within the Human World, to be more specific it lies within Karakura Town."

"That place again?" Antonio uttered. He was now on his feet again. "You claim not to want to revive Aizen's plan yet you say our future lies there. What gives?"

"I am afraid I too do not understand your intent, my love," the second arrancar spoke.

Silva continued, "It is true that Aizen-sama was planning on destroying that town in order to create the King's Key, but that place also has more meaning. Aizen-sama was uninterested in its other aspect. However, for our purposes this other aspect will be important."

"Senpai, what is this other aspect?"

Her lips curled into a half smirk. "It is the place that holds one of Spirit Keystones." She did not need to look up to know they were all staring at her as though she were speaking an entirely different language.

"What the hell is a Spirit Keystone?" Antonio voiced the group's question aloud.

* * *

"This is great!" Orihime exclaimed.

Ichigo turned his head to look at her. He blinked a few times surprised by her reaction. Though he was unsure why he was surprised. After all this was Inoue. She was known for getting excited over things such as ice cream. He had taken her to an ice cream parlor for their first part of their White Day date. The ice cream parlor was one that his family would go to. When he was younger it was one of his favorite places to go to with his mom. Now he was here with Inoue and she couldn't have been happier. He watched as she took large licks of her double scoop vanilla and chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and nuts. He told her to eat lightly too. This was her idea of light. A double scooper was Inoue's idea of eating light. He prayed she was not going to stuff herself before they even went out to dinner.

Oh well there was nothing he could about it now. She was a big girl. She knew her body better than he did. If she was sure she could eat that amount of ice cream and not have it affect her appetite than he would trust her. Besides when he heard that delighted squeal the ex-substitute could not help, but smile. After all it was his goal to make sure she had a great time. Her delighted outburst was a clear indicator that she was indeed enjoying their date so far.

"Here you go, sir." The teenage man behind the counter handed Ichigo is ice cream cone. He accepted it then paid the man. The man opened the register and placed the money in it. "Thank you, sir. I hope you enjoy your ice cream," he said with a smile.

"I will. Have a nice day." Ichigo waved at him before meeting with Orihime who was standing to the side waiting for him. She was half way through her first scoop already. There was some chocolate on the sides of her mouth. She was just like a kid sometimes. But damn if he couldn't help, but find it begrudgingly adorable. "Inoue, you have some…." He pointed at the spot where the ice cream stained her face. "….chocolate on your face."

"Eh!" she squealed in humiliation. Her eyes bulged slightly, while red emerged in her cheeks. She had gotten ice cream on her face and Kurosaki-kun saw! Tatsuki always made fun of her when this occurred to her when they ate the beloved dairy product. The raven haired woman was merciless with her teasing. Orihime always sunk into her seat. It made her feel like such a child. She always swallowed sweets when they were nearly whole. With ice cream she could not eat it right away as she did with other treats, but that did not stop her from frantically licking it until she consumed most of it within minutes. However, this had consequences, like her lips and everything around them covered in the cream. Today was no different. Why didn't she have any self-restraint? At least she should have been able to control herself in front of Kurosaki-kun. Instead she acted like a total pig and went at her cone. That was probably what he thought her as, a pig. She seriously needed to learn to control herself when she was staring food down. "S-sorry," she muttered.

Confusion fell on his face. "Why are you apologizing?"

She shrugged her shoulders nervously still red faced. "I totally pigged out and you didn't even get your ice cream yet," she said sheepishly. As per usual when she did something embarrassing in front of her beloved she avoided his gaze. "And I got it all over my face. I probably look disgusting right now."

Ichigo snorted loudly, invoking her gaze. "I am use to it with my old man and Keigo anyway. Everyone gets ice cream on their face, so it is not like it is unheard of." The crimson faded from her cheeks. The hazel eyes he had grown attached to had brightened. His eyes lowered to her messy lips. An idea formed. It was a little mischievous. He had seen it in a movie once. She would probably appreciate it. "Let's clean you up," he suggested.

She closed her eyelids and let out a small laugh. "I guess I should clean myself up. I don't want ice cream all over my face." She said that, but she wouldn't have minded if meant she got to lick it all off. Her taste buds were already dancing at the prospect of consuming more of the delicious chocolate goodness.

"Here let me get it off of you," Ichigo offered.

Honored by his request the healer smiled at him. Once again she found herself thinking that Tatsuki's assessment that Kurosaki-kun was inconsiderate to be wrong. He always seemed to think of her needs before his own. This may have sounded selfish, but Orihime did enjoy being the focus of his attention at times, a position she shared with his sisters, father, and mother. "You don't have to do this you know."

"I know, but I want to," he said.

Her boyfriend was the most amazing boyfriend in the entire world. He literally crossed over dimensions to rescue her and gave her one of his deceased mother's prized possessions in order to make her feel better about her parents' absence in her life. And to top it off he was willing to wipe food off her mouth. Unable to speak Orihime just nodded her head. She was expecting him to go back to the counter and grab a napkin from there. Instead he leaned into her and planted his lips on hers. The word surprised did not adequately express her feelings. Her mind was completely blown and her own inner world was probably nothing, but a pile of rubble and flames. All of the miniature Orihime duplicates were probably running around screaming in terror at the devastation caused by Kurosaki-kun's latest unexpected move. This was their latest kiss in the line of many, many other kisses (she was ecstatic to say that), yet here she was still caught off guard by it. She told herself that it was the fact that she had chocolate ice cream smeared on her mouth that made this kiss unlikely and thus why she was surprised. Who would want to kiss someone with food smeared on their mouth? Her brain shut itself off and she gave herself into the kiss fully. Just when Orihime kissed him back it ended. The orange haired man pulled himself away from her. She let out a frustrated groan once he deprived her of the lips she loved so much. "Umm," she groaned.

"I got it," he stated.

Perplexed at his words and still a little off put by the short kiss Orihime furrowed her brow and curled her lips into a frown. "What do you mean by that, Kurosaki-kun?"

Before he could stop himself a prideful smirk that was usual reserved for his opponents materialized on his lips. "The ice cream on your lips, I got it off."

Her hand went to her lips and found that the wet residue was indeed gone. That was what he was up to. He stole a kiss and used it to lick the chocolate right off of her mouth. That was sneaky, romantic, and totally not like him. That was not to say he was unromantic. The crescent moon necklace she was wearing now disproved that notion right there. It was just that was something she expected from a movie or a manga character, not her boyfriend. This was a little too playful for him. But then again her attempt to be seductive earlier was out of character for her. He must have been trying something new for her just as she had for him. The frown gave way to a small modest smile that was reserved just for him. The urge to kiss him grew. She knew if she did kiss him here that she wouldn't be able to stop, at least not anytime soon. Considering that they both held ice cream cones in their hands, it would be unwise to leave them unattended to would result in a melted and sticky mess all over their hands. She held herself back. Her smile would be enough. She knew how much he loved when she smiled just for him.

There it was his smile. This was the smile that always had the ability to warm his insides. Every time he saw that smile he would descend into this unusually bright almost chipper mood. It was not like he was unhappy despite the scowling he did. He just didn't smile so much, at least not since his mother's passing. "We should sit down somewhere and finish our ice cream," he suggested. She silently agreed. They found an empty table to use and took their seats there.

"This is really good," Orihime stated. She had already eaten her first scoop and was moving on to her next one. "It's even better than the parlor that I go to."

"Oh really? I was thinking of going to your parlor the next time we did this since it was closer, but if you like this place better..."

"No, I don't mind going there. I mean we can go to both. I don't mean both in the same day, but go to one place one day then another place the next time. You know we could go back in forth," she explained.

"Sounds good to me. I would like to see the place you go to anyway." He started licking his vanilla ice cream.

Her smile widened. "We could take Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan with us. You said that your family hasn't gotten ice cream together in some time. They would enjoy coming with us," she said enthusiastically.

That thought did not eve occur to his mind. Now that Inoue mentioned it his sisters would enjoy going out to get ice cream together. It had been a while. He knew that the girls would jump at the chances to not only spend time with Inoue, but with him as well. It was rare even when Inoue was staying at the clinic for all four of them to spend time together alone. Ichigo had so much work to catch up on that he lived in his room. "That sounds like a good idea. One of these weekends you and I will take them out."

"That works for me," she said in her naturally bright and cheery tone.

"You know Yuzu thinks the world of you," he stated. Orihime broadened her dazzling brown doe like orbs to him that asked him to explain what he was saying. "She is always on me about treating you right. She keeps reminding me how kind you are and how lucky I am to have you in my life. Karin is like that too except she is more subtle about it. I noticed she smiles more now. I think it is easier for Karin to talk to you than me. I know Yuzu would rather talk to you than me about girl stuff. They really look up to you like a big sister."

Right before his eyes he saw her face melt into an affectionate and gratified expression. She was touched by what he had said. "I've never had a sister." She shook her head at her careless words. "That's not true. I have Tatsuki-chan and Kuchiki-san," she corrected herself. "They always watched over me, care for me, and give me advice. I always think that this what an older sister would do for me. I think of those two as my big sisters. I am very fortunate and thankfully to them." She could picture Tatsuki's teasing grin in her mind. That image faded and Rukia's shimmering violet orbs and her shy yet caring smile. Both raven haired women had played an important role in Orihime's life. They had also helped to get her to where she was today, sitting across from Kurosaki-kun. "But I have always been like their younger sister. I see the way that Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan look at me. It is the same way I look at Tatsuki-chan or Kuchiki-san at times. They talk to me about problems they have. I try to do my best to give them advice. They value what I have to say. I like being there for them. I like that they have come to see me as a big sister."

"I am glad to," Ichigo revealed. Orihime sent him another questioning gaze. "It is no secret that I am not good at talking, but they are getting to that age. I love them, but there is no way I am going to understand some of the stuff they are going through. God and boys, I am going to hate when they start liking guys." He closed his eyelids in irritation. His fingers went to his temples. He started rubbing them. Neither Yuzu nor Karin had any crushes on boys yet the thought of them becoming interested in those deceitful and perverted boys was enough to make his blood boil and created a massive headache.

Little did Ichigo realize was that his sisters had already gotten interested in boys. Yuzu had asked Orihime for help with a boy she had a crush on weeks ago. The red-orange haired princess did not have the heart to tell him. He was just not ready to handle the girls' interest in the opposite sex, not yet anyway. Karin had not spoken to her about any boys that had captured her interest, so she was one less concern for him.

Ichigo continued, "They need someone like you to talk to. I mean an older girl who knows what they are going through. You'll understand this stuff better than I will." He took another lick of his half gone treat.

"I am just glad to be some help. I know what it is like for a girl to grow up without their mother. My Onii-chan was great, but he did not have firsthand experience with girl stuff." She hoped he understood what girl stuff meant. The topic of puberty over ice cream was not an appealing idea. They were eating after all.

Ichigo understanding what Orihime was telling him nodded along.

"I don't want either Yuzu-chan or Karin-chan to have to feel alone. You and Kurosaki-san are there for them, but sometimes…."

"It is easier to talk to another girl than a guy," Ichigo finished.

"Exactly," Orihime said.

She was maternal. It was an obvious statement, but at this moment he saw just how nurturing she was. It did not come off as a surprise. He always knew she was very nurturing to not only him, but their friends. Her relationship with Karin and Yuzu also highlighted that fact to him. _'Thinking about her nurturing is one of her best qualities,' _he thought.

"Can you believe the term is nearly over already?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know. Just two more weeks and the school year ends. We are officially juniors in high school after that. It's hard to believe actually. Of course there are finals again. They are always such a joy." He rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you are so worried about finals. You passed all of them last term," she reminded.

"Yeah, at the skin of my teeth though. I'm not even in the top 20 anymore in our class."

She grabbed his free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But there is a big difference between last time and this time. Last time you had to cram to make up for all of the work you had to make up. This term you have kept up with all of your work, you have studied hard, and you won't have to cram. You will do fine on the final exams."

He squeezed her hand right back. "One thing that was same as last term is that I have your help." She smiled bashfully at him, shaking her head. "No it is true. It is because you have helped me keep up which was hard to do with a job too. Hell I am not sure what I'll do once you get a job," he said honestly.

The goddess smile went from bashful to blissful. "We'll just have to help each other keep up then!" She spoke in her determined tone that was laced with overly cheerful tone.

He chuckled to himself a bit before answering, "I guess we will. Thanks, Inoue." She responded by giving him another hand squeeze. He curled his lips into a U-shape smile which she returned.

"You have some ice cream on your lip," she told him. He reached for a napkin, but she stopped him. "I want to get it off of you this time," she said playfully.

'_Yep, I am definitely a bad influence on her,' _Ichigo thought. In this instance he didn't mind.

* * *

"You are telling me that even though she was staying with you that Matsumoto not only drank, but watched T.V. into the early hours of morning during a school week?"

"Yes," she answered. Orihime opened the door to her apartment. She went in first with Ichigo coming in behind her. They had decided to come to her apartment and kill time until they went to get dinner. Ichigo told her that they should leave her place no later than 6: 30. He didn't tell her much else, but she suspected that he had made dinner reservations at a restaurant.

The infamous Kurosaki scowl made its appearance since their date started. He turned to face the healer. "How the hell could she do that even though you had school in the morning?"

"Rangiku-san was very lively." Lively was an understatement. Rangiku was loud, messy, demanding, and a bit rude. The older woman did treat her nicely. Everything she wanted to experience in the Human World she dragged Orihime along with her. They had many adventures before she left for the Soul Society to train with Kuchiki-san. Some of them were embarrassing for her and others were very fun. The blonde was like electricity. She was wild, untamed, and always full of energy. She could provide one with a good time, but also like electricity it could get too wild and electrify the person with her. Orihime never knew when she would get electrocuted. It was a game of chance with her. The goddess walked over to her couch to sit down. Again her boyfriend followed closely behind her.

"Lively?" Ichigo said in disbelief. His scowl was still present. "The girl is damn straight inconsiderate. She might not have cared about going to school when she and the others were undercover here, but you actually had to go to school. And you let her stay here too. Man I thought Rukia was annoying, but she didn't interrupt my studying or sleep schedule. You know if a hollow wasn't attacking anyway. But Matsumoto doesn't even sound like she thought about you at all," he seethed.

"That's not true. Rangiku-san always made sure I came home. She would also take it upon herself to walk with me to the store or school just in case more arrancar invaded. She really is a nice person. While she was here we had lots of fun. She even gave me some advice." Rangiku's first night with Orihime was an eventful one to be sure. Orihime served Rangiku dinner. The vice-captain consumed her meal, but demanded more. That was the first time Orihime had experienced anyone actually liking her cooking. The blonde shared her taste for food. She ate two more helpings (one belonging to her captain who refused Orihime's meal). Afterwards Rangiku took a bath. It was during that time that Orihime blurted out how she was both happy to see Kuchiki-san return and jealous at how she easily got through to Kurosaki-kun. Rangiku was the one who told Orihime that she was important to Kurosaki-kun and that he need her along with Kuchiki-san. She really needed to hear that. Rangiku may have been a little ditzy and self-centered, but she did have a good heart.

Ichigo shot the healer a doubtful glare. He loved that Inoue saw the good in everyone and her forgiving nature. However, it was that same nature that allowed her to overlook people's bad qualities and give them a lot of slack. He thought she was painting Matsumoto in a much better light then she was actually in. "You are a little too forgiving," he said with a sigh. He turned his gaze on Inoue's apartment. She had been back at her apartment for a few weeks now. Everything looked to be in order. It was almost as if she was not absent from the place for three months. This was not the first time since she had been back that they had been alone at her apartment together. He still felt a little nervous. All the times he was there six months ago they had just been friends. Now they were together. They were no strangers to physical affection. Hell they made out on the roof of their school. Suddenly all of those jokes his dad made about going over to Orihime's house did not seem so absurd.

'_No stop thinking about that. Dad is dead wrong. Nothing is going to happen. Inoue and I are responsible. We kiss a little. Ok so we kiss a lot, but we have self-control. So we are sitting really close together. Maybe she looks really hot sitting there. Her lips look so inviting. She smells fantastic. Damn it! Stop letting your fucking hormones control you! Get it together,' _he told himself.

"Kurosaki-kun, may I ask you something?" Orihime spoke, breaking the silence that had settled in.

"Um, yeah," he replied. He was hoping that his face did not betray his dangerously lustful thoughts.

"What is it that attracts you to me?"

He wondered what brought this up. Could this be related to the Masaoka incident last night? "There isn't just one thing that attracts me to you. It's a bunch of things. You are so kind. You open your heart to everyone regardless of who they are, human, hollow, shinigami, arrancar, it doesn't matter to you. You treat them with the same respect. You try to connect with them. You put everyone else's needs before your own. You are willing to give your life to help your friends. There is the way you get excited and start talking really fast. I love when you smile at me. It is small, but it holds so much affection. It is the smile you save just for me. You brighten the entire atmosphere of a room when you enter it. It is stuff like that and more."

She couldn't stop smiling. She knew that for a fact. Her face was burning up. She must have been 100 degrees or more. She certainly felt like having a meltdown. At the same time she felt shy. She felt like a grade school girl. She had to put her hands on her cheeks to try and calm herself down. That didn't work of course. That urge to kiss him that she had felt earlier in the ice cream parlor had returned and increased its strength ten times. "Kurosaki-kun," she muttered.

There was one he had forgotten to tell her. He loved the way she got all flustered and nervous when he complimented her. She was just too adorable. Yes he was overcome with another sickening sweetness. He felt her move body closer to him. This caused him to blush. Odd considering he had shared a bed with her and even held her in his arms all night. "What attracts you to me?" he threw the question back at her.

"You are very determined to achieve your goals. When you decided to rescue Kuchiki-san or me you wouldn't let anything stop you. Failure was not an option for you. That allowed you to push yourself until you rescued us. You have a big heart. Most people don't see it, but you care about everyone close to you, like your sisters, your father, Asano-kun, Kojima-kun, Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Tatsuki-chan, Kuchiki-san, me, and others. You want to protect all of us from everything. There is the way you frown, it looks so cute. But I really love when you smile. I mean a real smile. It is really special when you smile and makes me feel better. And when you smile at me I feel like I am about to explode. You are very brave not to mention loyal. You understand me. When I talk to you I feel like you understand what is inside my heart. You are able to calm me down or reassure me. I feel safe when I am with you." She paused to steal a glance at him. He caught her. His chocolate eyes fell on her. They stared at each other, allowing the special connection to flow through. The two carrot tops were losing themselves in each other. She wanted to say the words she had been dying to say for so long, but it was so soon. They had only been a couple for a month now. What if she said it and he didn't say it back? What if he felt they were going too fast? No, she could not say it yet. They needed more time before she could actually say I love you. How much more time they needed before she could say the words was a mystery to her. Wasn't there some kind of instruction manual or guide she could use? That would make things so much easier on her.

"I want to kiss you."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. He just said it out of nowhere. Did he want her to say something? When did he ask her? Usually he would lean in or ask her with a certain alluring gaze. He never verbalized his desire.

Ichigo continued, "But I am afraid if I do I won't be able to stop. It is becoming harder for me to control myself with you."

Orihime's eyes bulged slightly at this revelation. Her shock was short lived. A light smile graced her lips. She put her hands over her Kurosaki-kun's cheeks and held his gaze on hers. "Don't worry. I'll stop you," she promised. She pushed her lips onto his. A sharp jolt shot through her body. It kept their lips locked. She felt her mind going blank. That was when she ended the kiss. Although she reluctantly pulled away from his face, she knew it was for the best. She did promise that she would stop him before they lost control. "See I told you."

The ex-substitute did not say a word though. He grinned at her before leaning in for another kiss. This time he maintained control. The kiss was short. "You always have my back. That's another thing I love about you."

He used love, not like. That was a good sign wasn't it? He could have just said he liked that about her and not love. He didn't just throw love around like that. This was a big deal! There was no chance she was overreacting, was there?

"We have forty minutes to kill. Do you want to watch some T.V.?"

"Sure," she said absent mindedly. The healer was still trying to figure out if love over like meant anything. It wasn't I love you, but it had to be an indicator that his feelings for her were growing even deeper. Perhaps she would be saying those three words in the near future.

* * *

**We meet a lot of new arrancar in this chapter. They are the antagonists of this story. I gave some of them Spanish names, others just random names, and in Calputto's case a made up name. I played with the name catapult to get his name. Their official debut in Karakura should be in the near future. They will clash with our heroes. This brings me to something else. I've had some people ask me if Ichigo will get his powers back in this story. I want this story to serve as in between after Aizen's defeat and the next enemy in the manga. Ichigo is still powerless after the 17 months, so I can't have his powers return permanently. However, I could give him his powers back temporarily. I wanted to ask people what they felt about this. I originally intended to keep Ichigo powerless, but lately I have also been thinking about having Ichigo getting mixed up in some action. You can say I am undecided. I want to hear what you guys think about it. Please feel free to send me a pm or write your opinion in your review.**

**Sorry there are more mistakes than usual. I'll fix it later. White Day will continue into the next chapter. I think next chapter will be the last White Day one, but don't hold me to that. I hope you guys like it. Please review. **


	28. White Day 4

**Finally a new update! I haven't forgotten about this story. This one just took longer than I expected it to take. This is the final chapter for White Day. Like the other three this one is pretty fluffy maybe just a little cheesy. Ichigo may be getting a little mushy. It is hard trying to keep him in character and have him in a relationship. I try to keep him the same around his friends, but just a little more open and honest around Orihime. I think at his core he is still the same as the Ichigo in the manga and anime, but I would be lying if I said he wasn't different. But then again doesn't he have to? Can Ichigo be in a relationship without expressing himself at all and being aloof like he is around his friends? Personally I don't think so and I think to make a relationship work you have to open up to someone.**

**Oh yeah before I forget the new school year in Japan starts in April. I guess people got that from last chapter, but I wanted to clear up confusion as to why I had Ichigo and Orihime talking about how the new school year starts soon when it is only March right now for them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am merely borrowing the characters to tell my own story.**

* * *

"Are you sure I'm not underdressed?" Orihime asked for the third time in the last five minutes.

He sighed. "For the last time you look great, Inoue." How many times did he have to tell her that before she believed him? They weren't going to some super fancy restaurant where you were required to wear a coat and tie. He hated those places. They were just so fake. Dressing nicely for dinner wasn't something he was against. He wasn't an uncouth barbarian despite what Tatsuki or Rukia would insinuate. His problem lied with the fact that those "proper dressed" restaurants tried to portray a false image of how people really were. Having good manners was reasonable, but to look down on others for not dressing a certain way or speak a certain way was completely unnecessary. People flocked to those places because it meant they had class or prestige. They just wanted to boast to their friends that they could afford to go to such places and blend in there. In other words it was a contest to make others feel inferior to them and in turn make them feel superior to those around them. Ichigo would not participate in such an contest.

Orihime continued, "I just want to make sure. You went to all the trouble to take me out to dinner. I want to look perfect, so I don't embarrass you."

He must have heard her wrong. That was the only possible explanation for what he heard. His ears had to have heard wrong. She would know that she could not embarrass him, at least not with what she was wearing. Girls were too self-conscious about their appearance. That was the honest truth. Normally Inoue would not care much about what she was wearing, but there were moments such as this one where she would succumb to teenage self-consciousness. His opinion might have been a bit biased, but he thought she looked great. She was wearing this long white skirt that stopped just short of her lower legs. Her feet were dressed in these fancy pink sandals. He wasn't really sure how to describe it or give proper judgment. He wasn't big on sandals. They didn't seem like your everyday wear. They had this little design on the straps and the material seemed to be leather. They weren't high heels, although he did not doubt that she had pair that was high heels. The ones she was wearing now were probably her complying with his insistence to dress casual. The healer chose to wear a lavender pink long sleeve blouse, revealed her neckline in a U shape, with the shirt hanging on her shoulders. Despite that it did not reveal anything, not her shoulders or even cleavage. It was tasteful. He wasn't sure why she thought she needed to dress in something more formal. Here she was anxiety filled brown eyes that were begging him to give her his honest opinion.

She was too cute for own good. "Look at me," he ordered. The red-orange haired woman locked her eyes on to his. Now that he knew she giving him her attention he proceeded to ease her fears. "Inoue, you don't have to worry about embarrassing me or not by trying to look perfect. Remember what I said when I invited you to have dinner with my family for the first time?" She nodded her head. Her hazel eyes looked to be miles away. She was most likely remembering what he said to her on that day. Regardless he decided to repeat it anyway. "You look great in anything you wear, so stop sweating it."

Her lips curved into a U shape smile. The concerns and fears that had planted themselves on her face quickly evaporated. There was his carefree and happy Hime.

"This place isn't one of those jacket and tie joints. If it was I wouldn't be wearing this." He had gone to his house to change out of his uniform some time ago. He wore black buttoned dress shirt, with khaki pants. Unlike Inoue he did not see the point in wearing dress shoes. He wore his plain old shoes. "Stop overthinking things and just enjoy the evening. Alright?"

"Alright," she replied.

"Good," he stated. All she needed was a little encouragement and she was good to go. A silver glint caught his eye. Inoue saw it fit to continue to wear the necklace to dinner. He wasn't an expert in fashion, so he had no idea if the necklace went with her outfit or not. He was more of an, if it looks good to my eye than I wear it kind of guy. He knew from Yuzu that girls were different from him. His sister would obsess if her outfit matched and made sure nothing was out of place. He wondered if Inoue was the same way. He had never experienced Inoue's must be wearing the perfect outfit desire until tonight. It was only natural that she chose an outfit that coordinated with her new necklace, right? Or did she say damn coordination and wore it because she loved it? Either option sounded favorable to him. It meant that she cared enough for it to either plan her outfit around it so she could wear it or that she was willing to suppress her need to have everything be perfect in order to wear it.

She caught him staring at chest. Her first thought was he was checking her out. This made her blush instantly. Kurosaki-kun being so bluntly about it was completely unexpected. On impulse she dropped her head down to avoid his stare. That is when she became aware of the silver band running down her neck to her chest. Realization hit her even harder than Tatsuki's fist when it came into contact with her hard head. He was staring at the necklace. Her cheeks remained red, but this was from embarrassment at her own thoughtlessness by jumping to conclusions. She should have known better from her boyfriend. He was gentlemen after all.

"I wanted to wear it to dinner because tonight is special."

There was no need for her to clarify. He knew what **it** was referring to.

"Today has been really special for me." Her fingers curled onto the band. The events of last night with Ichigo confessing that Masaoka kissed him to early evening them coming to her apartment after finishing their ice cream replayed in her mind. "I….I really love that you went to all this trouble for me. Everything has been like a dream come true." She shook her head. "No, this is even better than a dream. You gave me a piece of your heart, a gift that belonged to your mother to ease my own sadness. You held my hand and took me to an ice cream parlor. When I got ice cream on my face you wiped it off with a kiss." She laughed a little, bringing some confusion to him. "You made me feel so special and when you called me your girlfriend I thought my heart would melt. You always tell me how much you cherish me and today I felt as if that is an understatement. Kurosaki-kun, I did not know how to express my gratitude to you for this day. Today was absolutely perfect. I guess that is why I feel the need to look absolutely perfect right now."

"Hearing you say that makes me feel glad. This day I wanted it to be everything you wanted, everything you deserve. I wanted you to know how strong I feel about you. Inoue, I know it has only been one month since we started dating, but the way our bond has developed this year it feels like we've been together longer. I am unsure if that is natural with couples or if it is something unique to us, but we have something. I mean we have something special. Even a guy like me can feel it. This day was meant to let you know that I am aware of that fact." A month of dating and he couldn't help, but wonder if she knew the extent of his feelings for her. Being so reserved and secretive about his emotions the ex-substitute had difficulties telling her exactly how he felt at times. He hoped that a kiss or grabbing her hand would be enough to tell her, but he still worried that they were not. White Day was the day that would allow him to do what he did best, namely take action. He may have failed to accurately express himself with words, but his actions always conveyed what he was feeling in his heart. It was why he poured his energy into creating this special date. He wanted it to be different from their normal ones. It had to be special just like she was.

"This day is technically our one month anniversary," she stated. She wasn't really sure why she said it. When he said that they had been going out for a month she couldn't help, but remember that they officially got together on Valentine's Day. It sounded like it was something out of a romance novel. "Today feels like a celebration of both. With everything that we did together today I feel like it was the perfect duo holiday!"

Ichigo crossed his arms and shook his head absent mindedly. He was trying to hold back a smile. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't even think about a one month anniversary. Everything I planned was for White Day. I hope that is alright."

"No, I mean yes it is alright. I didn't mean to sound selfish or ungrateful. There is no way I expected you to do something to celebrate both. I didn't even think a month was worth celebrating you know! I mean it is special that we have been together for so long, but I certainly didn't want to make a big deal out of it. It is a big deal, but it isn't….." Good old Orihime. She always tripped over her own words. If there was a prize for bringing about confusion and disarray she would be the all-time champ. She inhaled before she exhaled her nervousness. "What I mean to say is that I am glad we have been together for a month. I did not want you to go out of your way to celebrate that. I just brought it up because I thought everything we did today felt like a jam packed celebration for both White Day and our one month anniversary."

"You really think so?" he asked. She replied with a nod. "Here I thought I didn't put enough effort into this."

Orihime shook her head vigorously, disagreeing with him. "Oh no, you put a great deal of effort into this. I can tell with everything we have done today."

"I'll take your word for it." He looked over to her clock to see that it was now 6: 31. Their reservations were for 7. They could not afford to be late. Most restaurants were booked with reservations from boyfriends with the same goal as him, to sweep their girlfriends off their feet. If they were late even by a minute they could find their reservation was given to another couple. As far as Ichigo was concerned that was not a viable option. "We have to get going now," he told her.

"Just let me get my purse." She hurried off to her counter, grabbed her purse, waved it to him with her energetic smile, and raced to the door where he was now at. Being the gentlemen that he was Kurosaki-kun opened the door and ushered her through it. She thanked him. He followed her and closed the door behind him.

* * *

His day was finally over. Thank God that this long, overtaxing, nightmarish day finally came to an end. He almost fell asleep at the student council meeting just now. That was unacceptable. He was the president of their class. He had to be professional. The other members looked to him for guidance and leadership. He was also supposed to be a model for how they were to conduct themselves. Falling asleep in the middle of a meeting would send the wrong message. It wasn't like he was bored by the meeting or thought it beneath him. He had just spent so many nights exterminating hollows that it left little room for sleep. You would think he would be used to this by now, but damn if hollow attacks were not becoming more frequent. It wasn't as if he had a whole lot of options. Kurumadani was completely hopeless. That idiot was just too slow to respond to all of the hollow attacks. Urahara-san knew this too be true as well and had been calling him more frequently.

The Quincy was feeling overwhelmed. Between his school life and this job there was little time to rest. There wasn't really anyone he could talk to about this. Inoue-san would only worry like she did today. Sado-kun had his own work cut out for him to balance his own life with his job. Kurosaki would just blame himself. He despised that pathetic sorrowful look in those chocolate colored eyes. Today when Kurosaki actually shot him a pitied look he thought he would vomit. The orange haired man was entirely too full of himself. Kurosaki's depowered stated had meant more hours for him, but it was as if he had no faith their skills. He was a Quincy after all. Hollows were no problems at all. The true problem was that arrancar he fought weeks ago.

He had not seen that arrancar since that night. Uryu naturally had been doing sweeps around the city, trying to find any detail that was unusual or something that stood out. He made more trips to the Kurosaki clinic after his rounds with Kurumadani just to cheek if there was activity going on. Not that he did not trust Kurosaki's father. He felt how powerful the reiatsu that man emitted from his body was enough to bring him to his knees. Now he understood why Kurosaki had so much spiritual power. The fact was the enemy had something that could completely mask their reiatsu, making them virtually undetectable from anyone's sixth sense. They had to take precautions in order to fight off this new threat. They were still unaware of the enemy's numbers. The arrancar he battled with spoke as if he was following the orders of someone higher up than him. The worst case scenario they were dealing with an entire group of arrancar and that they controlled a mass number of hollows. This would account for why the number of hollows increased so drastically since his battle with that arrancar. The question was why were they sending more hollows to Karakura Town?

There was little reason for it. The hollows may have been numerous, but they were still child's play for him. If their goal was to exhaust them with constant hollow attacks it made sense, but even then it was not the ideal strategy. If they sent too many hollows the Soul Society would eventually send someone to check things out. Assuming Kurumadani sent any reports documenting the increased hollow activity to his superiors that is. That was assuming the Soul Society even read his reports. Now that Central 46 was running the Soul Society again he doubted their attention was on anything other than their own personal war on Hueco Mundo.

Was this all headway for an even bigger invasion still in the planning stages? He was too tired to think of the matter anymore. He would go home, get a nap in before he had to go on night patrol he was sure he would have to go on tonight. The cursed phone of his hadn't failed to ring once in the last few weeks. He had no illusions of it staying silent tonight. Hopefully tonight would be a quick patrol. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach that made him think that hope was missed placed.

"Ishida!"

At the sound of his name Uryu instantly stopped. He turned to the direction of the voice to find Tatsuki waving at him. She was not wearing her school uniform. Her attire consisted of dark gray sweat pants and light gray sweat coat. She was carrying a black and blue duffle bag. He raised his hand to wave back at her. Noticing that he had stood in place the raven haired girl jogged up to him. In matter of seconds they were standing right in front of each other. "Arisawa-san," he greeted her.

She flashed her trademark grin at him. "You just got out of school? Wait you had another student council meeting, right?"

"Yes, we were discussing all the funds that clubs and teams have, so we can prepare a new budget for the new school year." They started walking again.

"You guys are under a lot of pressure huh?"

He simply nodded his head in response. "The issue is that since there is only a few weeks left we have to get all of the clubs and teams expense reports as soon as possible. There so many clubs that it makes it difficult for us go through all of the reports we have gotten so far. Others of course have neglected to give us their reports yet. I suspect the reason is either they have not been keeping up with their expenses and are now trying to go through everything they purchased to create their report now. Or that some of the members have pocketed some of the money in their own pockets and are trying to forge a report to cover the money they took."

Tatsuki frowned at him before shaking her head in disgust. "God, your job sounds hard. No wonder you are all staying so late after school, to think that some of the club presidents and team captains actually took money from their own budgets." She shook her head again. "What happens to those guys? You don't let them get away with it do you?"

"No, at least we try not to. When we suspect that a member usually the president or team captain has been taking money out of their budget we bring it up to the principle and request they are removed from their position or the club/team altogether. That becomes a problem in itself."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"The principle is more than likely to cut our budget. It is up to us to distribute the money to all of the clubs and teams. That becomes harder to do with less money. It means one club or team getting less money than they had before. Of course we usually just give the club or team with the member who stole money before less funding, but it is a punishment to people who usually have nothing to do with the theft."

"In other words you guys get blamed," she reasoned.

"Yes," he replied.

That really angered her. But it never failed. All it took was one or two jackasses to screw it up for everyone. A few guys take money out of their own budget and their club suffers. Instead of that thief who stole the money doesn't get blamed for that club receiving less money. No, the student council was blamed. As president Ishida would take the full brunt of it.

"Why are you out so late?" Uryu finally asked. It wasn't really that late. The sun was still out for one thing. That was the benefit of spring. The days were longer as opposed to winter. 6: 40 p.m. was no longer plagued by the dark skies of night. Still he wasn't expecting to see the second strongest girl in Japan by the school at this time. Most clubs and teams had gone home. The student council was the only group left at the school.

"I just got off of work."

"At the dojo right?" the Quincy said uncertainly.

She smiled and gave him another nod. "The school is on my way home."

His questions about what was in the duffle bag had been answered simultaneous with his original question. Her uniform and karate gi were probably in there. She had to change at work, so it only made sense she would bring some casual clothes for when she got off in order to avoid wearing her uniform. The frailties his tired body hit him. His mouth opened up, allowing a mighty yawn escape. Arisawa-san took notice. He could feel her eyes on him before he could even open his eyes. Feeling incredibly self-conscious the raven haired man felt his cheeks heat up, they colored in crimson. In an attempt to disguise his embarrassment Uryu cleared his throat. He was determined not to look at her until he regained control of his body's temperature.

She wasn't a fool. He wouldn't look her in the eye. It was so obvious that he was feeling embarrassed by his yawn. It seemed like everyone she knew was easily embarrassed. Between Ichigo, Orihime, and Ishida she was not sure who blushed more. Sado seemed like the only member of the hollow hunters who did not to feel humiliation by such trivial things as teasing or yawning. _'You and Ichigo really are alike,' _she thought. He was tired from all of his nighttime adventures so it made sense. Instead of admitting it the Quincy would keep it to himself. Another quality he shared with her eldest friend. "You really should get some rest you know." His blue eyes fell on her again. "You are no good to anyone all tired. Plus you are making Orihime worry."

He wanted to argue, but after that display she had just witnessed he didn't have a leg to stand on. He remained silent.

When she did not hear any protest or insistence that he was alright she decided to push the issue further. "You almost fell asleep at lunch today. You even missed out on teasing Ichigo." She shrugged her shoulders. "How many opportunities like that are you going to get?"

"Kurosaki always creates situations that leave him open for ridicule."

That was true. If she had yen for every time Ichigo did something humiliating she would be stinking rich right now.

Uryu continued, "Besides I can let him off every once in a while."

She frowned. He was stubborn. "I take it that means you aren't going to rest?" She sighed in annoyance. "Guys are so stubborn. You can't show any weakness or God forbid any signs you are human at all. You always have to be invincible."

"I can't just forsake my duties to exterminate hollows. If I did hollows would have their fill of souls," he explained.

"Don't give me that crap."

He gave her questioning and slightly offended glare. "Excuse me?"

"You know you really are no better than Ichigo."

"I am nothing like Kurosaki!" he screamed. Why did everyone keep saying that? There was no resemblance to that arrogant, oversensitive, and annoying carrot top.

"You are running around town exterminating hollows all on your own, putting everything on your shoulders, trying to carry the weight on your own. I bet it didn't even cross your mind to ask for help." She saw his eyes widened in shock. "Sado and Orihime wouldn't mind helping you out so you could get more rest."

"Sado-kun and Inoue-san have their own concerns to worry about…."

"Don't fool yourself. This has nothing to do with that. The only reason you are keeping them at bay is your pride. You are unwilling to admit that you might need some help. You want to protect everyone with your own strength. Tell me how that isn't like Ichigo," she challenged.

He found himself speechless again. Arisawa-san made some valid points, even if he was unwilling to admit it. He still denied his behavior being remotely similar to Kurosaki. Kurosaki was overprotective and too controlling in his quest to protect them. He was just protective and looking out for Sado-kun and Inoue-san's best interest. His reasons were completely different from Kurosaki's. "It's different," he said dumbly. Despite what he said he did not explain his position any further. She took it as a sign of her victory.

"That flimsy excuse is the best defense you have than you aren't as smart as I originally thought." His face scrunched up into a frown. Insulting his intelligence seemed to hit a sore spot. "Look I am not trying to tell you what to do, but if you are tired than you need some rest. If you need to ask for help from your friends even if it is only for one night it would help you. Think of it this way. If you are tired you may make a mistake and let a hollow go free. Ichigo would never let you live that down."

He chuckled to himself at the last bit. She didn't even realize just how badly Kurosaki would react if he ever allowed a common hollow to get away from him. It would destroy his Quincy pride, along with more taunts from Kurosaki or cause him looks of pity. Uryu could already see that guilty mug of Kurosaki's staring back at him. He absolutely despised that look. If he could avoid seeing it directed at him he should take steps to prevent it. Arisawa-san might be on to something. "It won't work, at least not tonight. Sado-kun won't get off work for a few more hours. When he gets off he will have to get his own rest. Inoue-san has a date with Kurosaki. Judging from what we saw in class and on the roof they have the evening planned."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes before snorting. She had captured the Quincy's attention. "First of all I talked to Sado today. He is getting off at 8 today. That is an hour and twenty minutes away. If you ask him I am sure he would cover your patrol tonight. You are probably right about Orihime. She and Ichigo probably won't be free tonight," she mused.

He wasn't sure, but there was something about her tone that seemed to echo with amusement. Curios as to what she found so amusing he decide to throw some questions at her. "What do you mean by that?"

A mischievous yet knowing grin materialized on her face. "Oh come on, Ishida. You said it yourself. You saw how they were at lunch today. If they couldn't keep their hands off each other at school what are the chances they do when they are alone?"

His cheeks flared into a bright crimson color. They should not be having a conversation like this. Frankly he was a little disturbed by how easily Arisawa-san could talk about their friends' activities so freely. Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well it is none of our business," he said in a matter of fact tone.

Tatsuki saw the red on his face from the corner of her eyes. It took a great deal of control not to laugh. She forgot how modest the raven haired man was. The fact that she a woman brought the sex lives of two of their friends probably made him even more uncomfortable. She decided to have a little more fun with him. "You perv," she stated.

"W-What? Why am I a pervert?" he cried frantically.

She had to turn her head away from him in order to hide her grinning face. It would give her away. "Your face got all red the minute I mentioned Ichigo and Orihime. It is pretty obvious you were thinking something perverted."

"No I wasn't!"

She shook her head disapprovingly. However, it was all she could do to keep herself together.

"It is the truth! I was not thinking of anything perverted!" he blurted out.

"The more you deny it the more you reveal your true colors," Tatsuki insisted.

"That is not true at all! I don't think we should be um….talking about this sort of thing." His voice died down with every word he spoke. The redness returned to his face. "Talking about that thing, about Kurosaki and Inoue-san in that way, it is just….well….."

"Relax before you blow your head up."

"Huh?" Uryu muttered. She showed him her grinning on the verge of laughing face to him. His embarrassment dissipated.

"I was joking. I saw how uncomfortable you were and just wanted to poke fun at you a bit." She heard him growl in annoyance. That didn't stop her form laughing though. "What can I say? It was too tempting to pass up."

He remained silent. Clearly they had differing opinions on what was amusing and what was not. He saw nothing funny in her act.

Now he was giving her the silent treatment. Great now she felt bad for teasing him. "Hey, I am sorry. I might have taken it too far." He did not say anything. "Oh come on. You can't be that upset with me. It was a joke, a funny joke I might add."

"That is open for debate," he finally spoke.

"He is speaking to me again," she joked. "Does that mean I am forgiven?"

"Hmm, I wasn't upset to begin with."

'_Sure you weren't,' _Tatsuki thought. They came to a crossroad. On the right was the direction of Tatsuki's home. This is where they would separate. "I'm heading this way," she told him. He acknowledged her with a light nod. She took her leave, crossing the street. She stopped then turned around. He was surprised that she would turn around. His eyes bulged a little. "Get some rest, Ishida."

He let out a small yet surprised gasp. Before he could respond the raven haired woman turned her back to him and started walking off again. Something held him back. Uryu stood there and watched her walk away until she disappeared from sight. "Get some rest," he repeated. Another yawn fought its way out. "Looks like I'll be doing just that." The Quincy continued to walk down the path he was on.

* * *

Fantastic, that was the perfect word to describe this place. It was fantastic. The place had everything. The lobby was big enough to accommodate most of its customers. There were even seats for them to sit in while they waited to be waited to their table. Inside of the actual restaurant was something else. It was littered with several tables and booths, small tables for two people, to great ones that could hold six people, and the booths could hold up to six themselves. The lighting was dimmer than she expected, but it set the atmosphere. Kurosaki-kun said that this place was not strict on the dress code, but it still seemed so….grand. The service was prompt. The waiter who was ever so polite led them to a nice cozy table meant for two. He handed them menus and told them he would be back shortly to take their orders.

She was surprised by how prompt the waiter was considering how crowded the restaurant was. The healer was expecting it to be since today was a romantic holiday, but even still. It was filled with hordes of customers. No wonder Kurosaki-kun was so insisted that they get there early. They would have lost their reservation if they had been late. While they were waiting in the lobby she had witnessed one couple trying to negotiate their way in. Apparently they had been late and their spot given to some other couple. Unfortunately for the couple it did not work for them. They were turned away. Orihime was grateful she listened to the former vizard and stopped worrying her over her clothing. They got there ten minutes early. Being ten minutes early was a blessing. He was right about her clothes. One casual glance at their neighbors revealed that many of them were not wearing anything too dressy. Thankfully she did not stand out as she feared she might.

"Have you decided what you want?" Ichigo asked. He lowered his menu so he could look into her innocent doe like brown eyes. She had lowered her own menu.

"Not yet," Orihime replied. She had forgotten she was supposed to be looking through menu. She returned her eyes to the menu, scanned it over for something she would find edible. How did she allow her thoughts to wonder? It was inconsiderate. Kurosaki-kun wouldn't order anything until she found something. He shouldn't have to starve just because she had let herself be distracted. "What are you getting, Kurosaki-kun?" She could just order whatever he was getting in the interest of saving time.

"I am still undecided. The reason I asked you was so I could order what you were getting."

Her subconscious laughed at her. Her beloved had come up with the same idea she had. At least she knew she was not holding him up.

"There sure are a lot of choices," Ichigo commented on.

"Yeah," she replied. By a lot of choices he meant a lot of choices. The menu had almost everything. They even had a special spinach meal section, noodles and pasta section, fish, chicken, steaks, and more. Orihime's problem wasn't that there was nothing that did not want to eat, but there was a whole bunch of things she wanted to eat. How was a girl to decide? Should she get the salmon or a gourmet bowl of noodles or spinach calzone? There were just too many choices! She let out cry. "I have no idea what to get," she whined.

"That makes two of us." Who would have thought something as simple as choosing what you wanted to eat would be such a difficult task? Surely picking out a dish would be child's play to someone who used to slay hollows. Hunger was starting to set in. They needed to get something before had the painful task of waiting for their food while their stomachs ate themselves. He looked over the menu again when his eye caught something. Upon further study he found a good baked fish, noodle, and shrimp combo that looked delicious. "Looks like I found something."

"Really? What is it?" Orihime asked.

Ichigo answered, "It is a baked fished combo." He pointed it out on her menu. "See?"

"Oh that does look really good!" she exclaimed. Baked salmon with noodles did sound very appealing. She couldn't even remember the last time she had fish for dinner. It was probably when Yuzu cooked them a meal eight weeks ago. The goddess could hardly believe it had been such a long time. But she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to eat fish tonight. Orihime kept searching through the menu, hoping to find something else that spoke out to her. _'I still don't know what I want to eat. Kurosaki-kun knows what he wants now. I should probably just get something, so he doesn't have to wait on me.'_

"Take your time." The red-orange haired woman found herself staring at him. She was startled by his intuition. It seemed like he read her thoughts just now. "I am in no hurry, so just take your time." Remembering his manners and the words his father always told him.

_Start of the Flashback_

"_Remember Ichigo to always allow a woman to order first," Isshin stated. _

_Ichigo rolled his eyes. It seemed like it was time for his father to give him advice about women. Was it that time of the month again?_

_A fist went flying at his face. Luckily his body reacted fast enough to stop the fist. He glared at his father. "What the hell is that about?" he screamed._

"_You weren't paying attention, so I had to do something to get your attention."_

_His eyebrows furrowed. He shot his most terrifying glare he could at his father. 'Damn you old man,' he thought._

_Unaffected by his son's glare Isshin went on. "You really should listen to me. When you start dating you are going to need to know this stuff. To be frank you are rude."_

"_Like you are one to talk!" he screamed. "You are the one who just tried to punch me in the face, while I am doing my homework no less!"_

_Isshin sighed before expressing his disappointment with shaking his head. "Man you are easy to irritate. Any woman you end up with will have to extreme amount of patient."_

_Ichigo growled. The vein on his forehead formed. His chocolate eyes steamed with uncontrollable rage. "Y-you…"_

"_Anyway as I was saying. You should always allow a woman to order her food first. Do not order your food until she knows what she wants. If you do it shows that you are not only rude, but that you did not take her into consideration. That sends the message that you put your own wellbeing before hers. No girl wants to be with a selfish guy. You'll be chasing away the good ones," Isshin warned._

"_Yeah, yeah I got it. Let the girl order first or I blow it." He waved his father away. "Now can I please get back to homework?" In one, two, three, his father pounced on him, but the orange haired man pushed his chair aside. This left his father crashing into the wall at full speed. His body fell like a log onto Ichigo's desk, before falling to the ground. He got a good look at his father's face. There was a stream of red liquid running down his nose. His eyes were contaminated with a clear salty liquid. Ichigo sighed with pity. "I'll get the ice pack." He walked out of his room to retrieve the ice pack, leaving his father lying on the floor to endure the searing pain he was in._

"_Ichigo!" he screamed._

_End of Flashback_

His father's talks did not usually end well for him. But it was his father's own damn fault. Trying to jump at him when he was at his desk was stupid. Sometimes he really worried about his old man. At least he would be happy to know that Ichigo followed his instructions.

Inoue showed her appreciation by smiling at him. She continued to search for something to eat. He wondered what she would order. Would she ask for some strange combination of meals to satisfy her odd sense of taste? He hoped not. They would probably charge them extra. This restaurant was not exactly cheap. He was confident he had saved up enough money for at least four meals. On the other hand the ex-substitute was at a lost if that was enough to buy Inoue a meal that was a combination of several different ones. Boredom set in. Inoue was reading the menu that left him with no one to talk to. In an attempted to appease his boredom Ichigo started to tap his fingers on the table. He was careful not to tap loudly, so as not to distract his girlfriend or make a disturbance. He started counting to pass the time. He got to 67 when Inoue closed her menu.

"What are you going to get?" he asked her.

"Spinach Lasagna!" she cheered.

"They have that here?" He opened up his menu again. Orihime pointed it out to him. "Crap, how did I miss that?" he asked to no one in particular. "That looks good."

"It's not too late to change your mind," she suggested.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'll just stick with the fish." He closed his menu again. As luck would have it their waiter came up to their table.

"Hello, are you two ready or do you need more time?" he asked.

Ichigo motioned for Orihime to go first. "I will have your spinach lasagna."

He scribbled it down on his notebook. "What would you like to drink?"

"I'll take a root beer soda."

"Root beer soda," he repeated as he wrote it down. "What would you like, Sir?" he asked.

"I'll have your Salmon Pasta combo. I'll also have a root beer."

"I'll make those two root beers. I take it you two are out on White Day date?" he asked making small talk.

"We sure are," Orihime answered cheerfully. She passed her menu to the waiter.

He politely took the menu from her. He turned to Ichigo to retrieve his menu. "You two still look like you are in school, so I guessing you saved up for this?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered.

"You are lucky miss, your boyfriend saved up to take you out to eat at a restaurant. Take it from me we are not cheap," he joked.

Orihime smiled at Ichigo, looking at him fondly. "I know. He spent the whole day with me and planned it out." She watched as his cheeks turned red.

"Oh really?" the waiter said with a smile. "I am glad my girlfriend isn't here. She would be glaring daggers at me right now. I can just hear her telling me to be more like you. I couldn't get the day off. When I told her she did not take it well. She was fine with me missing Valentine's Day, but White Day was too much for her."

"That sucks," Ichigo said. His father was right. White Day was not the day to miss. _'Thank you, Dad,' _he thought.

"It should be ready in fifteen minutes, at the most twenty minutes. Can I get you any appetizers?"

"I'll take a salad," Orihime replied.

Ichigo said, "That sounds good. Make that two."

"If you want I can get you one big bowl, so you can share it. Add a little more romance to it," he suggested.

Ichigo asked Orihime if she wanted to with a look. She responded with a nod. "We'll take the big bowl."

The waiter scribbled down the last of their order. "The salad will be here in a few minutes." He sped off to the kitchen.

Orihime blinked at how fast the man was. He was there only a second ago and now he was out of sight. His speed was an asset for this day, with all the customers they had. "He seemed nice."

"Yeah, I guess he was," Ichigo agreed. He felt something tap his leg. He was alarmed at first, so much so that he almost jumped up in a defensive stance. What stopped him was a strong, but comforting grip on his hand. When he looked to see what had grabbed his hand he found a smaller hand over it. A small smile formed. His brown orbs traveled up to see the face that was beauty incarnate. Her plush lips were curved into the small smile meant only for him. Her brown eyes radiated with love. It was enough to ease him; preventing him from being startled. Ichigo was getting lost into her eyes when he felt his leg being tapped again. His brain put two and two together and identified the culprit to be his Hime. The new question was why she was kicking him. She didn't appear angry or upset. Maybe she didn't even realize she was doing it.

"Inoue," he called. "Why are you kicking my leg?"

The healer giggled, which only served to confuse him further. She could tell by baffled expression that he did not understand what she was doing or what was humorous about it. "I am playing footsies with you."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" Footsies that sounded so unreal. The whole concept of kicking someone to flirt seemed strange to him. It seemed sort of childish. The kind of thing people did when they were kids. Of course he never did such acts when he was a kid.

Orihime just smiled. "Sitting here just the two of us made me start thinking about footsies. I always wanted to try it, so I rubbed my foot against your leg," she explained. "It probably seems weird to you, but I couldn't help myself."

She was odd, but he liked odd. Normal was boring and Inoue Orihime was anything, but boring. She didn't blush when she explained herself. That meant she was not embarrassed telling him about the game. She was getting more comfortable around him. She was not so worried that he would think badly of her for doing something. He tapped her leg back as lightly as he could. Yes, it was dumb and he still found it childish. That megawatt smile that materialized on her face just now made it worth swallowing some pride and returning her affection. He didn't plan on making this habit though.

"Thank you for indulging me," Orihime said.

"Just don't expect me to do this every time we go to dinner," he warned.

"I won't. But even if it was just this one time I am glad that you indulged me," she repeated. She squeezed his hand. She loved when they held hands. It was reminder of how far they had come. It felt as if just yesterday she was a girl with a crush for a guy who barely knew her. Now she was sitting across from him having just played footsies with him, celebrating White Day with him.

The two carrot haired teens stared at one another fondly. The comforting silence had set in. The connection they had forged allowed them this pleasure of basking in each other's company. All the chatter from the other tables and the constant moving of the waiters and waitress was blocked out. An invisible dome had formed around the couple. It shielded them from any noise. They became isolated within their own world. Neither one of them was ready to leave their world. Fate had other plans. Their waiter walked up to their table with their salad and drinks in his hands.

"Here are your drinks." He sat down Orihime's drink first than Ichigo's. "And here is your salad." He placed the large bowl in the middle of their table. "Would you like anything else?"

Ichigo replied, "No we are good." He turned to Orihime for confirmation. She waved her hands, dismissing the waiter's offer.

"If you two need me just call for me, if you do not require me to bring you anything I will be back with your food the next time I see you," he promised.

They thanked him and he left them to be. Trapped within the grasps of hunger the couple picked up their eating utensils and dived in. The taste was sensational. Ichigo wondered what type of salad dressing the restaurant used. Whatever it was it was different from the type that Yuzu had them buy. He had to remember to ask the waiter what they used. He could persuade Yuzu to purchase it the next time she prepared a salad for them.

He swallowed another mouth full of green vegetation. His tasted buds savored the scrumptious flavor. Inoue appeared to have found the salad equally enjoyable. She had grabbed a shoved a good deal of it into her own mouth. Unlike with the ice cream earlier that day she did not wolf it down. The goddess politely ate her salad. The ice cream parlor had taught her not to let her appetite not to get the best of her, so as to avoid embarrassing situations. The fact that they were eating at restaurant held her back as well. She was the respectful one of the couple.

"This is too good. I can't stop myself from eating it," he revealed.

"Me too," Orihime confessed. "I want to stop, so that I have room for my meal. Maybe getting ice cream wasn't such a good idea after all."

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Oh well. There is nothing we can do now. Anything we can't finish we can just take home."

There was an idea that appealed to Orihime. Taking their left overs home would save her the trouble of cooking for at least one night. But she had dinner over at the Kurosaki household so often (partly to do with Yuzu's instance and partly for her own desire) that she did not cook nearly as much as she once did. The entire Kurosaki household seemed to share one goal, never let her anywhere near the kitchen. "One more bite and I am done until our meal comes," she promised herself. That was easier said than done. If it wasn't so good she could just leave it alone. Once her supposedly last bite went passed her lips she tried to her hardest to make it last. She swirled it around within her mouth, absorbing all of its flavor. When nothing was left she reluctantly swallowed it. There went the best of salad she had ever tasted gone. Her eyes started watering up as she eyed the green lettuce hungrily. _'Oh it looks so good…..' _the healer thought.

Ichigo witnessed her food breakdown. He could hear her mind whimpering. He mentally sighed. "If you want another bite, just take one."

"No, no I'll just wait for our meal. I want to um…save room for our…." Orihime stopped mid-sentence. Her hazel orbs glued themselves to the salad that Ichigo picked up and consumed. This continued for a five minutes until Ichigo had finally had his fill of their salad as well. To her credit Orihime did not take another bite herself. Ichigo was impressed by her determination to keep her word, although he could tell she wanted to give in. He was unsure what she was trying to achieve.

It was not long afterwards that the waiter returned with their meals. He relieved them of their bowl then placed their respective meals in front of them. Orihime's insistence had paid off. Her face melted into blissful, strained restrained joy at the sight of her spinach lasagna. Sweat formed on the back of his head, but he smiled none the less. He himself felt eager when his nose inhaled the dazzling aroma that his baked salmon produced. Their conversation was put on hold while they ate. Their worries about the ice cream and salad filling them up seemed unfounded. Both Ichigo and Orihime finished their meals and their drinks. Their stomachs full; they called for a cheek. Ichigo put his money on the table. Orihime offered to lend him some of her money, but he refused to accept it. His argument was that this was supposed to be his way to show his affection for her. Orihime being the polite and thoughtful woman she was tried to convince him, but it was to no avail. He did however allow her to chip in for their waiter's tip. She had rationalized that since both of them liked him and he served both of them that it was only fair she got to contribute to his tip. The ex-substitute gave in (something he found himself doing more and more with her). They combined their yen for the tip. After they had paid they left the restaurant. The sun had set. The black-blue sky of night was up.

Ichigo decided to walk her home. Orihime did not object to it. The pair was enjoyed a peaceful stroll to her apartment. She hung off his arm and laid her head on Ichigo's shoulder. Casual conversations started about school, their friends, his family, and her brother. He learned her theory of Ishida and Tatsuki having a romantic interest in each other. Ichigo couldn't stop himself from laughing. That earned him a glare of disapproval from her. He couldn't help it. Ishida and Tatsuki together, in what crazy world would that even be possible? They were as different as two people come. Their pace was leisurely. They did not reach her apartment until around 8: 30.

"Do you want to come in?" Orihime questioned.

He was unsure how to answer. On one hand it was only 8: 30ish. He could stay out longer without his family, namely Yuzu and Karin from worrying. The problem was Inoue. He could not tell if she was tired from their day long date. If she was tired he did not want to impose on her. She needed her rest. There was no real need for him to stay there. They had gotten their homework done earlier that day. The red-orange haired princess waited for his answer. He decided to play it cool and try to feel her out. "We had an eventful day. I am going to get some good sleep tonight."

"Are you tired?" she asked him, forgetting her first question.

"Nah, I am still good." Judging from her tone she did not sound either tired or hopeful at the prospect that he was tired. He took it as a sign that she still had energy. "I think I will come in."

Orihime's lips curved into a bright smile. She invited him in. Ichigo followed her. "Would you like something to drink, maybe tea?"

"Wow tea, aren't we being hospitable," he quipped.

"Don't tease me, Kurosaki-kun."

"Sorry," Ichigo apologized. He flopped down her couch, while she was in the kitchen.

"So do you want tea or water, or something else?"

"I am good," he answered.

The goddess left the kitchen. She made her way to the couch and sat beside him. As soon as Orihime sat down Ichigo laid down, resting his head on her lap. Engaging in an intimate position; neither of them showed any signs of being uncomfortable. This had become second nature to them. Orihime played with the light orange locks as he rested.

"Did really like today?" Ichigo asked her.

"Of course I did. I loved every single moment." Her free hand went to the silver moon necklace. "I got to spend the entire day with my boyfriend. How could I not have enjoyed it?"

Ichigo laughed inside of his head. She loved saying boyfriend. "I am glad my girlfriend enjoyed herself. I was afraid you might think some of it was cheesy," he admitted.

"Eh! No way, everything was so romantic and thoughtful! It wasn't cheesy at all."

"Can you do me a favor and keep Tatsuki from using anything we did today against me tomorrow at school."

"Hmm?"

"I know you are going to tell her about tonight. I just ask that you keep her from using it against me."

"I think I can do that," she giggled. He had his reputation to think of. She couldn't imagine how Asano-kun or Kojima-kun would react if they knew the full details of their date.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Orihime looked down on him smiling. Kurosaki-kun's face was not scrunched into a frown. The expression he was making was so peaceful and relaxed. This was the side that she loved to see. It was side he was he was comfortable to show her now. _'He looks so relaxed. I wonder what he is thinking.' _This urge to kiss him hit her. On impulse she leaned down and planted her lips on his, giving him a quick peck.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I felt the urge to kiss, so I did," she said plainly.

He shot her his trademark proud half grin. "You won't hear me complaining."

She smiled at his witty one liner as she continued to play with his hair. "How about we watch a movie? I still have Demon Fighter 2 and we never did get around watching it."

"Sounds good to me. I am always up for a good action/fighting/fantasy flick."

"Umm, I am going to have to get up in order to get the movie, so…."

"I need to get up," he finished her sentence.

"Only for a little while," she threw in quickly. "After I put it in you can rest your head on my lap all you want."

"Or maybe you lay on top of me and I hold you while we watch the movie," he suggested. He lifted his head off of her lap.

Her smile grew larger. "I like that idea," she said gleefully. She got up put the DVD in. When everything was set up the healer returned to the couch and gently fell on top of the man who had risked everything to save her. Orihime snuggled up to him, while Kurosaki-kun snaked his arms around her waist. She could hear his heart beating against his chest. It was soothing. They watched the entire movie in that position. Ichigo had to admit that he had missed feeling Inoue's body next to his. It brought him a surreal sense of peace, but a welcomed peace. When the movie ended he almost groaned. He was tempted to ask her if he could stay over, but realized that it was a bad idea. His family was expecting him home for one thing. The other thing was he did not want to send Inoue the wrong message. Asking to stay over at her place tonight after their evening could easily be misconstrued as something more physical. He didn't want to pressure her into doing something they weren't ready for, even if it was unintentional.

"Are you going to come over for breakfast tomorrow?" Ichigo asked her.

"Sure. I think Yuzu-chan will want to ask me how our date went anyway."

"I knew she was pumping for information! Ha, I am paranoid my ass."

"If it puts you at ease I withhold some certain details from her."

"I don't mind you telling her, but I just wish wasn't sneaking about it. She should just be upfront about it. I don't know where she gets this sneaky stuff from."

Orihime did not make a sound. She just stood there and stared at him, waiting for him to realize his own error. It took him a while before he finally realized the own hypocrisy of his words. He at least had enough awareness to look shameful. With all the secrets and sneaky behavior he partook in he really was in no position to lecture Yuzu-chan. She did hear him mutter about he kept things from her for her own good.

"Good night, Kurosaki. Again thank you for this evening. I cherish you."

"You are welcome, good night, and I cherish you too," he recited their own custom. It wasn't exactly I love, but it was meant to convey their affections to each other. He wasn't sure if he was ready to say love yet, mostly because he was not exactly sure how to describe how he felt. He got happy whenever he saw her and there were times when she wasn't around when his thoughts might go to her. He gave her his mother's necklace, because he wanted to give her a piece of himself. A piece of his soul that he had not shared with anyone else, not even Rukia. The feelings he was experiencing were growing, they were stronger than a crush of that he was certain. Where was the line that defined falling in love with someone and actually being in love with them? Was Ichigo still falling or was he already in love's grasp? After tonight he knew one thing for sure, he could see himself saying he loved Inoue in the future. Maybe that future wasn't so far off either.

Ichigo waved her goodbye one last time before he left for his home. She watched him until he was out of her range. The healer had no idea that the very question she was pondering early had come to his mind as well. She wore an infatuated smile none the less.

* * *

_Karakura Town: 12 43 am_

The night was silent. Most of the town's inhabitants had gone to their homes, resting in their beds after a long day. The sky was clear of any clouds, revealing the shimmering stars that decorated the skies. The air was cool; a relaxing refreshing breeze blew over the town. Everything was in order. Everything was peaceful. That was until the sky itself cracked before it ripped opened. A black portal formed. Within it stood three lone figures; one towered over the other two, he possessed an enormous structure. He stood on the far left. Beside him stood the shortest member of the trio, he had petite and slim figure. The last member was in the middle. His height was that of an average man.

"Remember we are only to engage the humans and nothing else. Do not engage anyone else unless it is necessary. If you are to run into Shihoin Yoruichi or Urahara Kisuke you are not to engage them. They are too powerful for any of us to take on alone. Retreat if they interfere."

"Tff, we get it already Joaquin. Quit yammering on about things we already know. I am getting bored just listening to you. I am itching for a good fight. I hope these humans are good at that."

Joaquin rolled his eyes. "Gild, try and control yourself. We don't need to involve the Soul Society just yet."

Gild groaned loudly. "I get it already! Just let me go so I can do my job will you? I can already sense a strong one nearby. I've got debs on that one. It doesn't seem to be the Quincy. I don't know why I can't fight him."

"If you have a problem with it talk to Senpai. She is the one who ordered me to keep the Quincy's attention."

"That leaves me with the other one," the third figure spoke, surprising both Joaquin and Gild. "We have our targets now, so do we go Joaquin or do you need to keep quizzing us?" he mocked.

Joaquin snorted. "Don't overdo it." With that the three arrancar descended into the town below. Their mission had begun.

* * *

**The plot thickens with the arrancar going to fight Team Karakura minus Ichigo. Next chapter will have a fight or fights in them. I got some positive feedback from the last one I did, so I am hoping it turns out good or decent. White Day spanned four chapters, really the longest running story in here that centered around one day (I think). I hope you guys liked this. I was really trying hard to not make this date similar to the Christmas Eve or the little of the other dates I have shown. I did warn you that Ichigo was pretty mushy in this chapter. I think it fits for the guy who mostly expresses himself through his actions rather than his words. **

**I heard the opinions about Ichigo regaining his powers temporarily and have taken it into consideration. I don't have a clear answer yet on what I will do. I can address some people's concerns of what Ichigo's powers returning will mean. First if I do give Ichigo his powers back it be well after the conflict starts, somewhere in the middle or end. It will not take away from Uryu, Orihime, and Chad. I want to explorer how they deal with this situation without Ichigo's help for the most part. I hope you guys liked the chapter, sorry for the delay. Please review. **


	29. The End of Normality: The Broken Silence

**Here I am with the next chapter. This one has no romance at all. It is pure fighting in this chapter. I am still trying to work on my fighting sequences. Describing a fight and watching one is different. Yes I know I just stated something obvious. I do like how this chapter turned out though. I am hoping you guys like it. I guess this is the moment of truth. In this chapter we learn more about the antagonists. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own the arrancar characters in this fic such as Gild.**

* * *

His eyes snapped opened in anguish, while his body jumped up. Something was very wrong. This wasn't a reaction to a nightmare. He knew that to be a fact. He felt something, ominous and heavy. What was this? He felt a sharp, severe pain running through his chest cavity. More specifically he felt as though his heart was being pierced itself. If he remained seated where he was in his bed he was going to die. That thought brought terror to his heart. His body started shaking uncontrollably. It was rare when he felt fear, but he could not help it. This pain in his chest couldn't be ignored. He felt this type of pain before when he felt the cold steel of an enemy's blade cutting through his flesh. That was why it felt so familiar. It was as if he was being impaled by a sword. The imaginary sword was cutting its way upward trying to reach his throat. His breathing became labored, as if he had run several miles non-stop. Damn it! Everything was closing in on him. He hastily hopped out of his bed. He scrambled to get a shirt and put some pants on. He didn't even stop to see what he put on. There was no time. This force he was feeling was growing stronger. That could only mean one thing, it was coming closer.

There was no time to call anyone else, not Inoue or Ishida. He had to get out of here as soon as possible. Whatever or whoever was on its way was not shy of killing. This pain in his chest was its killing intent. It was a message to him. He had heard it loud and clear. The producer of this reiatsu was blood thirsty and hungry for battle. There was no avoiding a battle. He had to get out of here and lure it way from innocent bystanders to prevent them from getting caught in the crossfire. He was out the door within seconds, slamming it shut, and running into the streets of Karakura. Thankfully it was night, so there would not be many if any people out this late or early depending on what time it were. He didn't bother to look at a clock.

He had a more important task of reining in his emotions and focusing. If he could regain his focus he could stop the pain he felt in his chest and throat. He had faced enemies with the intent to kill before. If he allowed fear to consume his heart his power would not do anything against the enemy. His grandfather had taught him to face his fears head on, to control them in order for his strength to blossom. He stopped in his tracks abruptly. He took a deep breath inhaling the oxygen in the crisp night air then exhaled the fear that had plagued him. Finally his mind was clear. The pain in his chest and throat was gone. The heavy force was still threatening to crush him, but now he was able to stand his ground against it. He was steady as a rock. No he was like a tree that had its roots firmly implanted within the ground. Just like a tree Sado would be challenge to uproot.

The silent giant began to run again. He needed to think of a place to lead this unseen enemy to. The place needed to be secluded. But where could he go? Any places he could think of were a good distance away from him. The nearest place he could think of was the park and it was fifteen minutes away. Could he reach it in time? As if to answer his question a figure crashed down in front of him, blocking his way. Sado was once again stopped in his tracks. He wasn't going anywhere. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

At least he was getting a good look at his previously unseen enemy. He was very tall and muscular. He had a foot over Sado. The enemy wore the standard arrancar uniform. He wore his jacket open, revealing his chest and abs for the world to see. His skin was tanned, dark brown like Sado's own, although the arrancar possessed brown hair; his was curly and long, compared to Sado's dark brown short and unruly hair. The remains of his mask were on his chin. His lips were curled into a delighted almost twisted half grin. His gray eyes only made it more noticeable. Besides the arrancar's intimidating appearance he also possessed a great amount of reiatsu. He was leagues ahead of the hollows that had plagued Karakura the pasts few weeks. He was very strong, perhaps one of the strongest arrancar he had sensed outside of the Espada.

"So you are the human I've been tracking?" the arrancar spoke.

Sado frowned. The arrancar was tracking him. Why was that? What business did he have with him? Wasn't their aim Ichigo? Or was it? Ishida did point out that the last arrancar that came to Karakura did not attempt to find Ichigo, despite having ample opportunity. However, the last one had no intentions of fighting. Ishida had confronted that arrancar which caused a fight to break out. This one specifically said he was looking for him.

The arrancar looked him over, studying him from foot to head. "Ha, well it looks like you have quite a bit of power for a human. But the question is do you got what it takes to go a round with me?" The twisted half grin transformed into a full blown teeth revealing smile. "Well what do you say, Human?"

It didn't seem like he had much choice. This arrancar was itching for a fight. If that was the case then Sado was going to give him a fight. He balled his hands into fists. His reiatsu started to flow from his body, revving it up in preparation of the coming battle. "If you want a fight I'll give it to you. Follow me." The silent giant jumped into the air. The arrancar looked on in interest before following him. Sado momentarily defied gravity by soring into the skies. Gravity finally had enough of the dark skinned man's defiance. It pushed him back towards the ground. While he could not push gravity back he could guide his body to the place he would land. Sado's feet met with roof of a nearby house. The arrancar landed across from him.

"I don't want to involve anyone else," Sado said. "Let's go someplace else."

The arrancar's overbearing smile returned. "You one of those sentimental types, are yah? I don't want you to hold back, so lead the way."

The hollow powered human nodded. In a flash the two men disappeared or so it would appear to the normal eye. Reality was that the pair had started dashing from roof top to roof top in search of a suitable battle ground. In about six or seven minutes' time the human and the arrancar traveled to the park that Sado had intended to bring them. Running at his top speed had cut the time by more than half. He jumped off the latest roof, landing on with his overly eager opponent closely behind him.

* * *

'_Perfect,' _Sado thought. His feet hit the grass field. _'The park is deserted this time of night. There shouldn't be anyone to get in our way.' _He took a few steps forward. His eyes did another sweep of the park to make sure there was no one else there. The large arrancar appeared across from him once again. This time however he was six or seven feet away.

The arrancar took a look around just like his human opponent. The Human World was so different from Hueco Mundo. Instead of endless sand this area he was in now was had luscious fields of green grass. There were trees as well like in Hueco Mundo, but unlike his world the trees here were alive. They sprouted with leaves and flowers. He had forgotten how beautiful the Human World was. Being an arrancar and before that a hollow he had to thrive in darkness. The darkness was not necessarily a bad place, but it was far from being beautiful. Not that he cared for such things. "We are going to fight here, huh?" He did not receive a verbal reply. The human merely gave him a head nod. This human was the silent type. He didn't really care if the human had a large vocabulary or was limited to two or three words. The only thing that mattered was that he was strong. Fighting weak people was dull. There was no enjoyment in killing someone without even trying. It had been too long since the last time he had a good challenge. While he sensed that this human had far greater amount of reiatsu compared to his race that did not guarantee he would be strong. _'Better not be wasting my time with this,' _he thought.

"Human, you got a name or what?" For some reason he was curious. It was a habit he had developed when he fought people. He usually liked to know the name of the person he was about to engage in battle with. If they were worth his time he attempted to remember their name. If they were garbage he didn't bother to try and remember.

"Sado Yasutora," Sado replied plainly.

"Sado Yasutora," repeated the arrancar. "Now that's a funny name. I guess I should at least tell you mine. I am Dagoberto Gild."

Unsurprisingly his foe had a Spanish name. He noticed that most of the hollows and arrancar names seemed to have Spanish roots. Perhaps it was fitting that his powers more hollow like when compared to shinigami powers Ichigo once had.

Gild continued, "Let me tell you something. I am not going to memorize your name unless I think you are worthy remembering. Got that? In other words I am saying if you are weak I won't even give you an afterthought. "

"I understand."

"Good, so tell me are you strong?"

"No," he replied.

Gild groaned. Great he got another weakling on his hands. This was going to be over within seconds. He really should have gotten the Quincy. He was going to have to have a word with Silva after this. Really this was beneath him. "Come on, human. I'll let you have the first hit then."

Sado narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

Gild scrunched his face up, insulted by the human's questioningly. "Of course I am sure you little shit! You said yourself you were weak. I don't have anything to worry about. This is going to be a dull fight, so I am trying to spice this up by giving you the first move. I'll even give you a free shot. Go ahead and take it. You won't get a better chance than this."

He did not need to be told a third time. Sado materialized the black and magenta armor on his right arm. Instead of forming the shield he chose to use the previous form. His arm was sleek, form fitting; on his shoulder had a black fin on top of it.

Gild whistled. "That's your power then. It sure is different from shinigami powers." There was something familiar about this power. He could have sworn he heard of it or something. It was in the back of his head, but he could not recall it.

The silent giant stuck his right arm out in front of his body. His enemy had left himself wide open for attack. He thought too little of Sado. He wouldn't complain. He wasn't as nice as Ichigo or Ishida. He didn't hesitate to strike down those who had made themselves his enemy. He started to take steps forward, pulling his arm back. He broke into a run, his speed increased drastically that he became a blur. He closed the distance between Gild. He witnessed the arrancar's gray eyes broaden in astonishment. He was caught completely unaware by Sado's speed, just as Sado had wished. He threw his arm at the shocked arrancar. Whether Gild was not fast enough to block or that he was still too stunned to try to mount a defense Sado didn't know. The only thing he knew in that moment was that his fist had connected to the stomach of the arrancar.

"Aaghh!" cried Gild. The air was knocked out of his lungs. He could no longer feel his feet on solid ground. He was aware that he was flying through the air backwards, but he just didn't understand how it happened. His enemy on the other hand was already launching his next strike.

The fin on his right shoulder opened up releasing a stream of white/blue reiatsu. He formed a fist again and prepared to throw another punch. He concentrated his reiatsu into his first. He felt the power flowing throughout his arm, the arm that represented his grandfather the man who had taught him to use his fist to fight for others. He knew his grandfather's spirit would help him now, help him to fight for his friends. Now was his chance. The enemy was off balance if this blow landed he could deal some real damage. Dark brown haired man thrusts his arm forward, releasing a massive amount of reiatsu into a wave of energy. "El Directo!"

Gild recovered. He righted his body up, putting his feet on ground again. Unfortunately for Gild when he did this the wave of energy was already upon him. The horror on his face was undeniable. His entire body was washed over by the energy, consuming him. Sado felt his attack hit. Satisfaction formed within his chest. His assault had been successful. He defeated the arrancar in two strikes. His celebration was cut short.

"You little bastard!"

This time it was Sado who widened his eyes in surprise. His celebration was premature. Gild had not been finished by his assault after all. It was arrogant of him to assume someone as strong as Gild could be defeated that easily, even if he had let his guard down. The debris that had formed after his attack connected had dissipated. Gild stood there, however there was a noticeable change. His face was covered in red liquid. Blood was sprinkled from his forehead to his nose and to his lips. In addition his white uniform was singed. His sleeve on his left forearm was torn a little. Despite this the man was not upset. No, he was the opposite. He wore a huge smile.

"You said you were weak, when that is far from the truth. Either that or we have two different definitions of what weak is," he mused. The human balled his hand into a fist as he went into a defensive stance. His gray eyes went to the black and magenta armored arm. Finally his memory had been stirred. Now he knew why it was so familiar. "A human with the ability to manifest armor around his arm," he stated. He let out a laugh. "Now I understand what's going on. You are that human who fought Gantenbainne, the one who defeated him. No wonder you were able to injury me. Looks like this will be entertaining after all. What was your name again?"

"Sado Yasutora."

"Well Sado Yasutora that was your last free shot. Got that? You are strong and that means I can actually try with you. Don't hate me." He smirked.

The real battle would begin now. He knew the arrancar would not allow him anymore openings as he did before. He couldn't afford to leave himself open either. Gild stared at him with blood thirsty glee, while he unleashed his spiritual power. The force attempted to bury him under its might, but Sado's own reiatsu fought back. The two spiritual powers struggled for dominance. It was during this struggle that he felt the presence of another great source of reiatsu, no he was mistaken it was two or more. He felt four more in total. Two of the sources were familiar. One was the calm and brutal force that belonged to Ishida. The other one was warm and joyful. That had to be Inoue's reiatsu. The other two felt dark as Gild's, but he didn't recognize either of those two.

'_Damn, they are going after Ishida and Inoue as well.' _His lips fell into a frown as his eyes furrowed. He wasn't just their only target. The enemy was going after all of them. Did that mean they were also going after Ichigo? He attuned his senses to search for a third unknown reiatsu signature. The range of his senses grew. He was able to read other reiatsu signatures, smaller ones probably belonging to people like Tatsuki who had the ability to see spirits, and big ones which he assumed belonged to people such as Urahara-san. However, there was not a fourth reiatsu that was similar to Gild's. There was only these three. Relief fell on him. They were not after Ichigo, unless a fourth one was wearing a cloak that suppressed their reiatsu.

"Looks like my comrades have found their targets."

"Hmm," grunted Sado.

"Oh that's right you have friends. Your friends are fighting my comrades right now. But don't concern yourself with them. The only thing that matters is our fight. If you start worrying about your friends you'll get distracted. You can't afford to…."

Sado interrupted, "How many of your comrades are there in total?"

"What?" The tanned arrancar was baffled as to why his human opponent would want to know something like that.

"How many people yourself included are there here right now in the Human World in total?"

He was serious. Gild could tell that by the eye that was not hidden by the dark brown hair. There was underlining fear hidden within him. But the fear was not for himself, but for someone else. Not wanting his opponent to be distracted when the fight started he decided to just go ahead and answer him. "Three including myself," Gild replied. He saw the fear evaporate from his being. Now that was interesting. Why was Sado relieved? "My, aren't you happy all of a sudden. I wonder why. Don't go thinking you are going to win this fight easily and go help your friends. Don't underestimate me. Now take a look at this." Gild pulled his right sleeve up. Muscles were as ripe as a melon. They were bulging out.

Unsure what the other giant was attempting to do with his latest actions the reserved armored armed man stared at the arm. Something stood out. There black bold numbers tattooed onto Gild's arm. He could make out the numbers, a one, a zero, and a six. His heart skipped a beat. A gasp had somehow snuck its way through his lips. _'Three digits, but that means…..'_

There it was the look of terror he had hoped to inspire. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Judging by hat expression you know what it means for an arrancar to have three digits. Gantenbainne told yah that arrancar with three digits are former members of the Espada that were demoted in favor of stronger arrancar."

"You are a member of the Privaron Espada?" He was unsure of why he asked such a question. The answer was quite obvious by those three digits on his arm.

"Yep, as a matter of fact I am." Gild's wide grin continued to grow. "Did Gantenbainne tell you what else the numbers meant?" When Sado didn't reply he decided to continue. "There is a reason we of the Privaron are given three digits. You see just like with the Espada there is a hierarchy. Our numbers correspond to the numbers we had when we were in the original Espada." He pointed at his tattoo. "This number right here is 106 right, but if you drop the one and the zero you get my original rank."

"So you are saying that you were originally…."

"….Espada sexta," Gild finished. "And Gantenbainne the one you beat was numbered 107. That means he was originally septima. You get it now? I am stronger than him. You are going to have to give it your all if you even want to hope to take me on." He pulled his sleeve down.

"I see," responded Sado simply. _'A former Espada, this explains why I sense so much reiatsu from him. The other two are just as big as his. They must be Privaron Espada as well. Ishida should be ok, but can Inoue handle something like this?' _An image of the gentle healer appeared before him. This was bad. "Tell me are you the strongest one here?"

"Tff, I would like to say yah, but there is a guy even stronger than me here. I wouldn't concern yourself with him though. Like I said your mind should only be on this fight."

Well there was some relief. At least he was fighting the second strongest among these three. With a little luck Ishida would deal with the strongest and Inoue would be fighting the weakest. But even if she was fighting the weakest one could she hope to defeat it on her on? These weren't common arrancar. These were the strongest ones after the Espada. No he couldn't doubt her. She was stronger than they gave her credit for. He would just have to put his faith in the healer. After all she did defeat that arrancar during the winter. She could pull off another victory hopefully. He couldn't worry about that now. Gild was correct in his assessment. Sado would need to keep his full focus on his fight right now.

"Are you finally ready?" The giant arrancar wiped the blood off of his face. The human gave him a nod. The dark skinned arrancar spread his legs out slightly along with his arms. "Then it is time to go!" He dashed towards his human prey. He was like a rocket shooting off into space. The armored armed man made his own dash towards him at the same startling speeds. "Planning on meeting me head to head are yah?" Gild pulled his right arm back. Sado did the same. He threw his punch with Sado doing the same. The two giants' fists collided with each other. On impact the force of their spiritual power repelled each other, creating a huge shockwave that rang through night air. The silence that had once settled within the town had been broken. Its residents were ignorant to this fact, ignorant to the fact that the silence of night had been broken by the eruption of a loud battle.

The two fighters jumped apart from each other. Their first dance had ended with neither one of them able to gain an advantage over the other. That did not deter them in anyway. Sado charged straight towards the white clothed man again. The arrancar stood his ground grinning from cheek to cheek, annoying the silent giant. Sado threw another punch at him, but this time Gild caught the fist in his hand, successfully stopping it. He counter attacked by punching Sado in the gut, causing the human to groan. Gild had no intentions of stopping there. He wrapped his free arm around the black armor covering his human enemy's arm. He spun around, picking Sado off his feet. He released him sending the other giant flying towards a tree at high speeds. Unable to stop himself Sado went through the tree. The bark broke, sending the once proud and majestic tree crashing down right on the poor human.

The 106th arrancar took this opportunity to admire his work. The human should know that he meant business now. Sado emerged from the remains of the fallen tree. There was no much as a scratch on him, which surprised Gild. Human bodies were so frail when compared to the bodies of shinigami and hollows. Sado charged at him a third time. This was just sad. Surely he could do better than this. "Come on I learned your name. Don't make me regret it!"

The fin opened up releasing white reiatsu from it. Sado charged power into a strike. The power flowed through his arm, searching for an escape. He was gladly going to provide the escape his power sought. Sado thrusts his arm forward in his usual movement. "El Directo!" He unleashed another massive wave of energy. Gild stood there. This time he was ready for the technique. The Privaron Espada sprang into the air, just nearly avoiding the attack.

"Nice try S….." he stopped mid-sentence. He looked down to taunt Sado, but he was nowhere to be found. "Where the hell could he be?" he asked himself. What Gild failed to realize was that Sado had jumped into the air along with him, or that the human used his attack to blind him from his movements. He also failed to realize that Sado was further into the air than he was. Of course he could not see him. His sights were too busy searching the ground.

'_He's lost track of me completely. Now is the time to strike!' _Readying his attack once more he charged the spiritual power into his right arm for a second time. However, this time he used the reiatsu being released in his shoulder to accelerate himself towards his enemy. "El…." Gild's eyes bulged with horrifying realization. "….Directo!" Unable to even turn around Gild felt a fist ram itself into his back, hard. Sado threw his entire might into the strike slamming his fist into Gild's back. The wave of energy escaped his fist pushing the giant sized arrancar away from its producer.

"Aaahhhh!" Gild screamed.

His body was swallowed up by the wave of energy. He was sent crashing down into the Earth below him. When the body collided to with the ground it shook from the force that hit it. Cracks formed, a small crater also formed. The resident of said crater was down on one knee. One would expect the arrancar to be angered. But those same people would be shocked to see him smirking. His body trembled not with anger, but with ecstasy. This was indeed turning out to be fun for him. He picked himself up at the same that Sado descended from the sky. The hollow powered human stood there and waited for him.

"You don't disappoint, Sado Yasutora, using your attack as cover while you jumped into the air before me to attack me from behind. I was completely unaware. That attack of yours stings quite a bit."

A frown found its way to the silent giant. Where was his enemy going with this?

"It's kind of like a Cero, while in terms of power. But it functions a lot like Bala."

"Bala?"

"Yeah that's right, Bala. Allow me to show you!" Gild thrusts his arm forward. A red energy projectile shot from his fist. It shot through the air, making its way to a caught off guard Sado. It hit him. The impact caused him fall back a few steps. Gild repeated his actions except this time he threw red bullet projectile with his left arm. It was also successful in hitting its target. Gild alternated with his arms, throwing Bala at the dark brown haired man. Each impact ripped through Sado's skin. He felt like he was being hit with bullets only they failed to pierce his skin. He tried to restrain his anguish screams, but a few reluctant groans made themselves known. He was unsure how much more his body could take. Quick to act Sado ran out of the line of fire. True to form Gild followed his path, continuing to throw his Bala barrage. With speed and agility that was surprising for his large stature Sado dodged the barrage of red reiatsu bullets.

He zigzagged to his left then to his right. Sado desperately pushed his body to move out of the line of fire. Thank god for the spring in his step. Without it he wouldn't be able to react fast enough avoid the attacks. He had managed to put some distance between the giant arrancar. Although he knew that he could not simply dodge Gild's barrage forever. Dodging would not defeat his foe. He had to land his own attacks if he wanted to get somewhere. He was just exhausting his body right now. The longer this continued the more likely his speed was to fail him. It was decided. He would stop defending and go on the offense. Sado jumped to his right. He turned around to face Gild. He mentally ordered his feet to move forward, despite his brain warning him of the danger.

Gild's trademark overbearing smirk made its regular appearance. The gray eyed man was impressed by the human's tenacity. Sado was running straight at him. It was most unfortunate that he was not fast enough to avoid his Bala. "No you don't!" he cried. Gild threw fierce punches with the speed and power akin to a machine gun. Bala blasts overran the area, blocking out the skies above them and even the grass beneath. He was confident that there was no way for the human to take all of those at once or even dodge them. Bala may have been weaker than Cero, but it was a hell of lot faster. With the speed he could throw Bala he could more than make up for its lack of destructive power by creating multiple blasts. "I call this Bala Storm! I created at least sixty-three of those Bala myself. By firing that many off I can create an attack even stronger than my Cero! Sorry, but I guess it is over, Sado Yasutora!"

Unwilling to give up and remembering his friends, the ones he was fighting for Sado concentrated his spiritual energy, causing his reiatsu to flare up. If this was going to work he would have to channel all of his reiatsu into one point then unleash it. His shoulder opened up. Unlike the previous times that night the reiatsu stream it produced was much greater. It burned with the intensity that no flames could match. It raged far into the air, almost as if it was attempting to reach the night sky itself. An unfamiliar heat was coming from his right arm. Even he could not fully ignore the implications this heat meant. But a part of him was not surprised by it. He had never attempted to focus so much of his reiatsu into his arm at once. This may have been something too much for his current arm to handle. There was nothing he could do now though. If he attempted to transform his arm now who knew what would happen to the spiritual power flowing in his arm now. Instead he took a page out of Ichigo's book. He would do something reckless and stupid that lacked any sense at all and hoped it worked out. It worked for his orange haired friend anyway. God help him if it did not work for him.

The Bala were inches away from him when threw his fist ignoring the pain in his arm. "EL DIRECTO!" he screamed. A huge explosive burst erupted from his fist. A wave at least four times the size of his fist erupted. The recoil it created nearly threw him backwards. He had to dig his heels in the ground and even than he was still slipping. In order to gain some control over the power he braced his armored arm with his armor freed one. He was able to steady it somewhat. El Directo over ran the Bala bullets, causing them to explode as it flew towards Gild.

The arrancar was caught by utter and total surprise. He couldn't have foreseen his enemy creating such a devastating and terrifying blast. He may have been able to cancel it out with his Cero, but he didn't have the time to charge one. Bala was useless against such a concentrated and powerful attack. The only thing he could do was to try and block it. He threw his arms in front of him, preparing for the worst. For the third time that night Gild was hit full on by El Directo. This time the explosion lit up the entire park. It turned night into day that was how bright the explosion was. It roared like a lion, most likely alerting the people of the battle.

The last thing he needed was for someone to call the police or the fire department. He wasn't a shinigami. He was not invisible to normal people. They could still see him. Unfortunately his techniques were also very much visible. He dropped his right arm. He still felt his arm burning. This was his arm's way of screaming its dissatisfaction. He didn't have time to debate with his arm over the necessity of what he did. Gild would emerge from the debris any moment now. As unreal as it seemed he knew the arrancar did not meet his end in his El Directo. No, he could still sense is reiatsu. It was weaker now. Even his foe could not completely walk away from such an attack unharmed. That damage would amount to nothing when Gild decided to release his zanpakuto though.

"Ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" unsettling and mad laughter sang into the night.

Sado felt something crawl up his spine. The hairs on his neck were now standing up. This unnatural laughter was unhinging. Truly Guild was not well. How could anyone take such enjoyment after receiving an attack of such magnitude?

The debris cleared. There was Guild still with his arms in front of him. His sleeves had been burned off. A big pinkish red and black gash was present on both arms. The left pants leg from his foot to his knee was burned off. He pulled his arms down. Sado noticed that the entire left side of his white jacket was gone. Red tears ran rampant on his face, decorating him. In the center of his chest was a large red spiked scar. It did not seem to be deep, but it was still ugly. What was most unsettling was the huge teeth revealing smile Gild wore. His smoky gray eyes were shimmering with sick elation.

"I am actually hurt. You actually hurt me. You actually hurt me to this extent! Look at me! I am all burned up and scared. Now this is a fight! Thank you for so much entertainment, Sado Yasutora! Round one goes to you I say."

He growled. _'This was round one for him. All of this is just a game to him. Even though he has been inflicted with so much damage,' _Sado thought. This was going to drag on if they kept revealing their power gradually. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

"I see you clenching your arm. Your technique caused you some damage as well. I hope you could still use it. I don't want to end this fight yet."

"Gild!" he called. The arrancar raised his eyebrows as if to reply. "Release your zanpakuto. There is no need to drag your heels."

Gild closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth. "You want me to release my zanpakuto already. No can do. I want this fight to last for as long as possible and if I release my zanpakuto this battle will be over. You are strong, but you won't stand a chance once I go into my resurreccion. You won't be able to harm me then. In fact I can defeat you as I am right now. Yah best be worrying about that arm of yours."

He wasn't going to waste his time beating his enemy up only for him to release his sword and undo all that damage. It was pointless to exert all this effort. If Gild wanted to keep this fight going Sado would force him release his sword in order to keep it interesting. No more holding back. It was time to pull out his full power.

With a loud thump Gild disappeared using Sonido to zip near the human. He attempted to punch Sado in the face. The human didn't so much as look him in the eye. He must have been too fast for him to follow. And the human actually wanted him to release his zanpakuto when he couldn't even follow his simple movements. Sado threw his armored arm in front of him before his fist could hit him. He had spoken too soon.

"Brazo Derecha de Gigante. (Right arm of the Giant)" The black armor transformed. A shield formed from his hand to his forearm. The fin on his shoulder disappeared. His shoulder's thickness increased giving him more protection. The most noticeable feature on the shield was the hollow like teeth design on it. Gild punched the shield, but it did not so as much as shake.

"What the hell?"

"My right arm is not meant for attacking," Sado stated. Gild stood there and listened. "It is meant for defending. Your fist won't be enough to break through it. This is my right arm's true form."

"You were holding back?"

Sado ignored him. "Despite that I can still use it for attacking." Suddenly he attacked Gild by punching him in the face. His fist rammed into the arrancar's cheek, turning it. Gild stumbled nearly losing his footing altogether. At the last moment he was able to catch himself. Sado pulled his left arm out. "Brazo Izquierda del Diablo. (Left arm of the Devil)" White armor materialized over his left arm and left shoulder. It was slim much like his old right arm was. A spike came out of his shoulder. Red stripe ran down the shoulder all the way to his hand. His fingers tips had a red diamond shape on them. "My left arm is meant for attacking." Sado threw a punch using his left arm. His fist connected to the arrancar's face. He blew the arrancar away. He was skipping across the ground like a stone skipped across water as it was thrown. Gild was thrown so far back that the hollow powered human was out of sight.

He shoved his arms down to push himself up. From there it was a simple matter for Gild to hover into the air. He stared into space still unsure of what happened. The human had increased his power to levels he was not expecting. It was maddening to think a human was holding back this much power.

"I am not the type of guy who holds back." Gild gasped. He turned around hastily to see Sado staring back at him. "I tried to hold back until I got a grasp of your abilities. I wanted to keep a trump card of sorts to combat your released form. However, I can't afford to have this battle prolonged. I have to help my friends. I am no longer holding anything back this time."

Sweat started falling from his pours. _'His speed increased drastically as well. This guy…..'_

"I don't care if you release your zanpakuto or not. This isn't a game for me. I don't give a damn if you try to take this attack head on or not." His fingertips on his left hand coursed with spiritual energy. It crackled similar to electricity. He closed his hand into a fist. He pulled his arm back. In panic Gild balled his right arm and pulled it back. Red spiritual energy engulfed his fist. In a last ditch effort to defend himself he attempted to fire a Bala close range. "La Muerte," Sado stated calmly. He threw his punch.

Gild threw his own punch. "Aaaahhh!" he screamed. Their fists met each other in battle once more. Unlike their first battle this one had a clear victor. Sado's tore into Gild's pushing his back. A loud snap could be heard. It was soon drowned out by an excruciating tormented scream. The pain Gild was in was indescribable. The only reason he was able to remain conscious was through sheer will power. He could feel the bone in his arm shattering. His arm was in danger of breaking off if he didn't pull away soon. He used Sonido to pull away from Sado. His arm was completely limp. The bone was broken into several pieces. He couldn't even twitch his finger without causing severe pain. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, this hurts so bad. It fucking hurts!" he muttered. Sado stood there wearing his nonchalant expression. He simply stared at the arrancar. "IT FUCKING HURTS!" screamed Gild. His cry was so loud that it echoed. "Alright Sado Yasutora, you just broke my arm! I am so pissed right now it is not even funny, but at the same time I am excited. Your victory over Gantenbainne wasn't a fluke. I am actually going to have release my zanpakuto. This fight between you and me just got a hell of lot more interesting." He reached for his sword on his back. He drew it. The blade was wide and thick. It did not possess a guard. However in comparison to Gild the blade short almost like a dagger. "Yah better get ready." He ran the sword down his chest. "Break and build, Mayor Poder (Bulk Power)!"

His body started to radiate with a crimson aura. It slowly grew as the reiatsu started escaping Gild's body. All of his features were hidden by the red reiatsu until only an outline of his body was left visible. Soon even that became hidden. The crimson aura grew until it exceeded Sado's height. The dark haired human waited for his opponent to finish his transformation. He was the picture of tranquility. He could sense his enemy's reiatsu was rising, but he focused on keeping his emotions in check so as not to hinder his own. The crimson reiatsu started to fade away.

Sado could make out an outline. The body seemed to double its mass. He saw two large arms that nearly reached the ground. They were overgrown with unnatural and strained muscles. The legs seemed to have no problem supporting such weight. They also grew, but were not as large as the arms. The energy fully faded Gild's appearance was exposed. He was taller than Sado. He was ten feet to Sado's six-five height. His chest was defined with pecks and packs. His skin if you could call it that appeared to be stony or rocky. It was more like armor than skin in Sado's opinion. The stone like skin was white the same color as hollow masks was. On his forearms was this burgundy rectangular box design. His shoulders which were hexagonal in shape had a burgundy striped circle over them. Gild's head was covered by a rectangular helmet. It went down all the way to his neck, providing him with protection and extended to his forehead. His dark brown hair was no longer visible. Everything except for his face was covered in the white rock-skin armor.

Sado narrowed his eyes slightly in worry. The transformation was much more radically than he anticipated.

"This is my resurreccion, Mayor Poder. I pulled this out so we could have a good fight. But I might end up killing you before I can have some fun. It sucks I find someone aside from my comrades who I can't beat without my resurreccion, but now I am going to plow right through you," he bragged.

Sado remained silent. While Gild started yapping his trap he was busy looking for any weakness or opening he could exploit. To his dismay he found nothing yet.

"Sado Yasutora, round two begins now."

**Full Powered fight Sado vs. Gild! Who will be the victor?**

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**There it is the start to major battles. How was it? I hope it wasn't too wordy a first round. I used the Privaron Espada as the antagonists. They were an existing group that the canon and anime did not touch on which is surprising. They were former Espada and pretty powerful. Plus these guys are strong enough to pose a threat to Uryu, Chad, and Orihime, but they aren't too much for them like the Espada. I made up the three digits corresponding to their original number. I assumed that's how they were numbered, but you know it is never explained how they are numbers, so I took things into my own hands. Silva is obviously arrancar 101 aka the former number one. I used Google Translator to come up with Gild's zanpakuto name/resurreccion. I do the same for the others. **

**I wanted to ask readers if they think I should change to rating. I think it is T rating, but I do use some coarse language such fuck or shit. I do that because some of the characters do curse in the manga. I don't know how defines minor coarse language and strong coarse language. I really don't want to break the rules and get this story taken down, so I could use the input. **

**Next chapter might have Orihime and her fight as well as Sado and Gild's fight. I am not sure yet. I hope you guys liked it. Please review. **


	30. The End of Normality: Moving Forward

**Here is the next chapter. This chapter like the last one focuses on fighting. This chapter features more of Sado's fight and Orihime's. I am happy that I received a lot of positive responses for fight last chapter. Thanks guys I hope you guys like this fight. As you guys are reading Orihime's fight I want you to remember two things. One is that Orihime said Tatsuki taught her karate and that she was as good as the first level of black belt. Check out Bleach chapter 119 for confirmation. She was able to incapacitate two shinigami on her own and steal their clothes. The second thing is Orihime went to the Soul Society to train with Rukia for the war with Aizen. I say this because I have Orihime taking an active role in this chapter. While people may think Orihime's actions in this chapter may seem to come out of nowhere I like to think it is not. **

**The Arrancar saga made Orihime out to appear helpless what with those two women beating her up, but she is not. Her pacifism is what holds her back. Kubo has laid the foundation for Orihime being able to fight, but just has not used them yet. He seems to be doing that now though. I am using the mentioned karate skills and training with Rukia for this story. Frankly I think Orihime can fight if she couldn't why would Kubo even put the black belt thing in and have her train with Rukia? To sum up everything I said. Orihime is not helpless. I am not going to make her just throw a shield up and have her cry for Ichigo. Now it is up to debate just how strong Orihime is, but I assume she is decent considering she doesn't die in the presence of people like the Espada or Aizen, which is something normal humans or spirits can't do easily. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am borrowing the characters.**

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**The enemy descended from the sky and invaded the town. Their targets are Ishida, Inoue, and Sado. A new battle erupts through Karakura! **

Just as he expected the enemy showed no signs of any of the injuries he had suffered. Sado focused his attention on the right arm in particular. Mere moments ago it was completely broken and his enemy could not so much as wiggle a finger without groaning in pain. However, as he stared at it now it was strong and steady. Gild showed no signs of having any difficulties moving it. In fact the arm looked even stronger than it was before. Of course since the arrancar had released his zanpakuto and transformed into a new form it was unsurprising. Gild's body had much more bulk now. His arms were nearly as massive as Sado's entire body. That realization made him feel uneasy. In comparison to Gantenbainne's release Gild's was radically different. The arrancar now towered over him and for someone like Sado who was himself referred as a giant to be shorter than someone by a good deal was virtually unheard of.

The physical appearance of his adversary was fearsome enough, but the suffocating pressure his reiatsu was creating was simply monstrous. If he didn't watch the transformation with his own eyes Sado would have sworn that the Gild in human form and the Gild in hollow form were two completely different people. It was mind blowing to imagine the difference between Gild and Gantenbainne when they were only a rank apart from each other. What made it more horrible was the strong blood lust he felt from unstable arrancar. He was in for a demanding battle or as Gild said "round two."

The massive arrancar crackled his knuckles. When he finished that he preceded to loosen his neck. Going into his resurreccion was such a pain in the ass. Every time he did his body would become so stiff. He always had to work out the kinks. Gild finished his per-battle ritual by stretching his arms out. His human opponent merely stood there awaiting his completion before he attacked. He couldn't help, but laugh. For all his talk about needing to finish this fight fast the human allowed him to stretch. There was a sense of honor to him. "Sorry to keep yah waiting. But you know how it is. Need to work out all the kinks in my body before I can cut loose and all." Sado said nothing. He just stared at him as though he was afraid that the arrancar would disappear if his eyes left him even for a second. The proud half smirk materialized on his lips. Apparently the human was a little nervous about his new form. "Yah ain't scared are you?"

Fear was something that eluded him at the moment. It wasn't just fear. His mind was clear of all emotions and focused on the task at hand. He couldn't afford to have fear hinder him and weaken his power. He had his friends worry about. He would defeat Gild and go on to help them. Ishida and Inoue were his precious comrades and just as he had done with Ichigo he vowed to have their backs. That was a vow he intended to follow through to the end. His reiatsu flared to show his determination. He closed his black armored hand into a fist. He squeezed so tightly that his fist actual shook from the force he applied on it. Gild continued to smirk at him in amusement.

The massive arrancar dug his fists into the grass. "LET'S GO WILD!" he exclaimed. He used his fists to push himself towards the human.

Surprised by his opponent's unorthodox tactic Sado's eyes bulged in astonishment. Gild was shooting towards him like a star falling across the sky when it fell. His brain was still trying to process a course of action, but it was his feet that answered the call. They moved him out of the way just in time to avoid the gigantic form. While Sado had gotten out of Gild's way the trees he had been in front of did not. The dark skinned arrancar broke through a series of trees before his momentum had finally gone and his rampage had been put to an end. The hollow powered human observed as Gild picked himself up without so much as a sign of suffering any pain from crashing into the trees. His rock like skin was more durable than before.

Having no time to waste Sado started running towards Gild. While his speed was not as great as when Gild launched himself at him only seconds ago he was still able to reach speeds beyond normal human capacity. He flashed out of sight for a few seconds before fully appearing right before Gild. He saw the gray eyes flash with alarm. This was good. Gild was not expecting him to move so quickly. Sado pulled his right arm back, he concentrated his reiatsu through his right arm, then pushed arm forward. The punch hit its mark. His fist collided into Gild's stomach. Immediately he knew something was wrong. He didn't feel his fist hit even though he saw it with his own eyes. The second thing he noticed was that Gild did not keel over after being hit. It was almost as if he didn't land a blow at all or….that Gild was unaffected. No that was impossible. His fist was unattached by any fear, so there was no reason for it to not have had any effect on Gild.

"Ha, I didn't even feel that."

Sado pulled away to look up at his giant sized enemy. The familiar large teeth revealing smile was plastered on his face as usual. "You got ta punch harder than that if you want me to hurt me," he claimed. Gild rammed his fist into Sado. Like before his body acted on its own before his brain could give it an order, this time he hide behind his shielded arm. It protected Sado from the attack, but the pressure it created was overwhelming. He would have sworn a hurricane had set in. His body was swept away in its power and before he even realized what was happening his back hit the hard and unforgiving ground. He forced himself up. He expected to see Gild grinning down on him, but when he got up Gild was nowhere in sight. The first thought that occurred to him was that Gild used Sonido to get behind him, so he turned around, but the arrancar was not there. Confusion set in. Where the hell was Gild? His gaze fell across the land, searching for his allusive enemy. He found no trace of him. It wasn't until his eyes fell to the original direction they were in that he found him. But it was wrong. Gild was standing several yards away. Did he use Sonido to put such distance between them? But that did not make much sense. Why had he not continued the attack instead? Unless…. Was it possible? What if Gild did not put the distance between them? What if the force of his attack had pushed him back to this distance?

He shook his head in disbelief. That wasn't true. It couldn't be true. As he tried to convince himself that he was wrong, that Gild had distanced himself from Sado, but somewhere in his heart he knew it was true. Sweat started to fall from his forehead. He was thrown away by sheer force of Gild's punch.

Gild materialized several feet across from Sado. He figured that Gild had used Sonido for real this time. Surprise, surprise he was wearing his trademark smile. It was odd for him to actually loath a smile.

"I guess I got carried away a little." Gild's voice was ringing from both mirth and pride. "I should have held back instead of using my full strength in that punch. But I got to admit I am impressed your shield held up. I thought it would completely fall apart, but it only got a few cracks in it."

He was about to open his mouth to question Gild on his claim when his eyes went to his right arm. There were hairline cracks all over his shield. Why didn't he notice this before? His shield had actually been breached by a simple punch. He would have expected this from a Cero or from another special technique, but a simple punch. Gild's strength had increased to far greater levels than he had anticipated. Gild's smile grew even more. He must have allowed some of his anxieties appear on his face.

"Yah starting to look a little worried, Sado Yasutora. I told yah I would plow right through," he said in tone that matched the triumphed and smug tone of a child who had proven his elder sibling wrong.

The dark brown haired man let out a low growl. This fight was far from being over. He wasn't about to give in yet. He charged at Gild, while the arrancar just stood there and continued to smile. Sado threw a left hook on Gild's chest. However, as with his first blow it had no apparent effect on him.

"Come on and get real will yah!" Gild attacked with another deadly punch. Quick to respond Sado dodge it to his relief. He rounded behind the paled skin arrancar. He threw a punch with his left arm again, hitting him right in his back. Nothing had happened. The demon of desperation landed beside him. It whispered into Sado's ear, telling him to continue his attack unless he wanted to experience death. A new demon made an appearance. This one was one he had been trying to keep away. But this demon would not be kept away any longer. Its name was fear. It also whispered into Sado's ear. It told him he was fighting a hopeless battle that he had no chance of defeating a clearly superior warrior, and that he couldn't help his friends because he was going to die. He pushed both demons aside yet their words had already infected his heart. Sado threw punches at Gild in fear. He slammed away at the white rock like skin. Each attempt he made failed. Gild finally countered by back handing his arm. Fortune was still on his side, because Sado was able to avoid another strike.

"_I have to control my fear. I won't stand a chance if I keep letting my fear run out of control,' _Sado thought. It was easier said than done though. When he attempted to clear his mind he was unable to fully push away the fear. Traces of it continued to linger and grew again. He wasn't making much headway at all and Gild wasn't letting up. He continued to attack him. Sado was nearly avoiding each blow. One hit from Gild and it was over for him. That knowledge only strengthened his fear, which restricted him even more, lessening his chances of survival. It was a vicious circle. If he didn't put an end to it soon he was going to fall.

'_Remember what Abarai said. Fear holds you back and distorts your reiatsu. Only by keeping focus can you summon all of your strength. Remember you have to help Inoue, Ishida, and Ichigo. I can't get left behind. I swore that I wouldn't fall behind this time. I can't depend on Ichigo anymore. I have to rely on my own strength this time. I have to win!' _The fear in his heart was forced down into the depths of his soul. Free from its crippling effect the dark brown haired giant focused his reiatsu into his white armored arm. He forced as much of his spiritual power through his arm as he could. This time he did not feel a burning sensation. This arm could handle all of the power flowing into it unlike his right one. Reiatsu crackled on his fingertips, running wild before he balled it into fist.

Gild turned around to stare at him. He saw Sado preparing his next strike. He sensed no more fear radiating from him. The human had got himself together. Good now he could have an entertaining fight. "Give it your best shot. Entertain me!" he cried.

He would entertain him alright. With a thrust of his arm Sado hit Gild. "La Muerte!" The blow once centered on his chest directly. Reiatsu channeled into his hand left it and spread into Gild's chest. He expected to break right through the skin and crush his released form as it had done with Gantenbainne, but it never happened. Instead the surface of Gild's defined chest remained cleaned and untouched. Sado had to gasp in horror.

Gild sneered. "This time I felt a tingle."

He felt a tingle? He just felt a tingle? That was the worst Gild felt from his attack. His strongest attack and it amounted to nothing more than a tingle. This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare come to life. It was just like when he attacked that Espada and all he succeeded in was making the Espada smile at him. This was different though or at least it should have been different. Gild was a Privaron Espada. He was weaker than the latest Espada he had seen in Hueco Mundo six months ago. How could La Muerte have no effect on him? It was enough to defeat Gantenbainne soundly and he was only a rank below Gild. Surely the difference between them could not be that great, could it? While he pondered that question Gild snatched his arm then pulled him off the ground, holding him up to Gild's eye level.

"My resurreccion is so generic," Gild spoke. The human furrowed his brow at his statement. "The other arrancar's resurreccion give them new abilities as well as strengthen older ones. Mine is different though. You see my resurreccion only increases my strength and the density of my Hierro. I don't gain any other abilities. However, when we were transformed from hollows I choose to abandon my other abilities in favor of increasing my physical strength and my endurance unlike the other arrancar." He could see the surprise in Sado's eyes. "Is it so hard to believe? I have always been a fighter. Even when I was a hollow all I did was fight, humans, other hollows, even shinigami. It is only through fighting that I feel alive. The thrill of clashing with someone with great strength, not knowing if you will die or not, having to use every ounce of your strength is what excites me!" He tightened his grip on the human's forearm causing him to wince. "That excitement is what allowed me consume human souls and crush shinigami who came after me. It is how I retained my mind when I became a Gillian! It is why I kept getting stronger and stronger until I met that man, Aizen!"

Sado felt a mental jolt at the mention of Aizen. The image of the man leaving the Soul Society with a conceited smile on his face as he calmly talked to his fellow captains.

"He was interested in my strength and my lust for battles. He offered to give me lots of entertainment if I came with him, so I did. He helped me become an arrancar. He didn't disappoint. I was so entertained when I became an Espada, fought so many opponents, subduing and subjugating other hollows! That was why I disregarded my other abilities when I became an arrancar. In order to increase my strength and my durability to drastic levels I disregarded all those other unnecessary things. All a fighter truly needs is his strength and durability. I have to say it was a good decision. After all I may not have a special technique, but my Hierro is one of the strongest of the arrancar. Most attacks can't even touch me. I can always just use my strength to crush my opponents. The only problem with my resurreccion is that it is too powerful. Most opponents who force me to use it can't even touch me afterwards; just like you can't now." He rammed his fist into Sado's stomach.

"Aaaagggh!" he coughed. Blood escaped him. The air had been driven out of his lungs, while his vision had become blurry. His entire body felt as though it had been run down by a truck. His bones actually stung. How the hell did your bones sting from being hit in your stomach? If it weren't for Gild holding on to his arm he was sure he would have been sent flying again.

"Please tell me you aren't dead yet. I held back as much as I could, so I wouldn't kill you yet. This is the first good fight I have had in a while and this won't be enough to entertain me." The human was still conscious to his pleasure. He was tough. "That's good. Keep yourself awake." He felt Sado struggle against his hand in an attempt to break free from his grasp. He laughed at the human's efforts. "If you want out of my grasp so badly you should have said something. Here you go!" Sado was hit with another punch in his center. Gild let go of his hand though. Without the arrancar's firm hold he was pushed halfway across the lawn.

Poor Sado skidded twice on his right shoulder before he finally stopped as hit the ground. If he didn't have armor on, he would probably have dislocated his shoulder. The dark brown haired man tried to get up, but his body immediately screamed at him to stop. It did not want to get up yet. His brain told him it was best to lie in the grass, but his pride and his heart argued with it to command the body to get up. Neither his pride nor his heart was willing to accept defeat. The internal debate wedged within him. Sado had the lovely task of coming up with a strategy to use against the Privaron Espada. Hierro, what he assumed was what the arrancar called their skin was so strong that Gild didn't even feel any of his attacks. Even La Muerte was only strong enough to cause him to feel a sting. The arrancar may not have had any other special abilities, but a near impenetrable defense more than made up for it. If he couldn't hurt Gild there really was not much he could do. There was also his god like strength to consider as well. Gild told him he was holding back and he still found himself unable to recover against the two blows he had been dealt. If he used his full strength he could only imagine what would happen. He didn't want to think about it. He had to discover some way to harm Gild and fast.

"Yah dead yet, Sado Yasutora?"

His eyes snapped opened. He turned his head to see Gild walking up to him. His pace was leisurely, almost as if this was just another stroll. He clenched his right hand tightly, venting out his frustrations. He needed more time.

"Yah better get back up soon or else I'll kill yah," he threatened.

Sado had no intentions on calling his bluff. He got back up on his feet. This earned him a smile from the massive arrancar.

"That's good. Keep it up and your strength will continue to shine then maybe you can put up a better fight." He planted his knuckles into the ground again.

"Shit not again!" cursed Sado.

Gild threw himself at Sado. Sado jumped out of the way of the shooting star that was threatening to crash into him. He watched as Gild went flying through the park. The direction he was flying in was free from the path of any trees. "This guy is too wild," he stated. "Does he intend to keep throwing himself at me when there is distance between us? That makes long range attacks harder to throw. I get it. He is trying to force me into fighting him short range. He'll have the advantage in short range combat due to his monstrous strength and durability. He truly is a brawler type. However, when he launches himself he can't change his direction or stop himself until his momentum stops. That gives me time to recover and mount a counter attack."

His discovery did little to ease his worries. Gild may not have been able to change the direction of his attack when he launched himself at people, but he still had no way of breaking through his skin. The only option he had was to continue punching away at Gild and hope for some kind of effect. There was a sad thought. His whole strategy consisted of throwing punches. To make matters worse Gild was running towards him. "Damn. Alright here it goes. Aaaaahhhh!" He charged.

"Oh, so yah going to just charge at me! Balls, you got so big balls, human!" he proclaimed. They met. Gild threw a right hook that was blocked by Sado's right arm, but not without cost to Sado. The cracks on his shield grew even larger. Sado ignored the shaking of his right arm and attacked with his left, throwing another La Muerte. True to form Gild was left with no mark. He attempted to crush Sado with his arms.

Sado ran sideways, successful dodging his enemy. The attack hit the earth. The force caused a quake that could be felt for miles. Unfortunately for Sado the quake caused him to stumble. Noticing this Gild back handed him with his massive left arm, knocking him on his side. Sado shot up again just in time to avoid another strike from the arrancar. Having learned his lesson the dark haired man jumped into the air, missing the quake to follow from Gild's slamming hands into the ground. He landed behind Gild. With the speed that rivaled a bullet Sado closed the distance between them and unleashed another La Muerte, this time hitting Gild's back. When it had no effect, he repeated his motion, ramming his strongest attack onto Gild's back again. Before the arrancar could counter he was already out of his attack range. He threw punch after punch, after punch. Sado hit his chest, stomach, shoulder, legs, thighs, and even neck, but nothing worked. He was just lucky that he was able to avoid all of Gild's strikes.

'_It is still not working. No matter how many times I use La Muerte I cannot pierce his Hierro. My right arm is starting to reach its limit. I can probably only use it to block two more attacks before the shield breaks. At this rate I am not sure it is even worth the reiatsu to use La Muerte,' _he thought.

Gild threw straight and devastating punch. Unable to dodge this time he was forced to hide behind his shield. The pressure caused his arm to shake. The left corner of the shield broke off. A metallic ring could be heard throughout the night sky. Sado grasped at his right arm. He felt a sharp pain run through it. Even the armor was failing to keep his arm safe. Gild flashed him a wide smile that he found so annoying. He wished he could wipe it off of Gild's face. Wait that was it. Gild's face was the only part of his body that was not covered in his white rock like skin. If he aimed his attacks there he could deal damage. He channeled his spiritual power through his left arm once more. He decided against charging and waited for Gild's next move. The tanned arrancar stomped his way to him. He renewed his assault on the human. Prepared for this move Sado danced to his left, escaping the blow. His feet pushed themselves against the ground effectively putting him right in front of Gild.

Without hesitation he threw his arm at him. He mentally smiled. His perseveres had paid off. As his fist was only moments from landing on the arrancar's face Gild intercepted it with his left arm. Sado's attack was blocked by his enemy. Sado couldn't stop himself from recoiling in alarm.

"Don't look too surprised," Gild almost laughed out. "Hah, you noticed that my face had less protection in comparison to the rest of my body. Nice try. You might have even succeeded in killing me if your attack was strong enough. It is just too bad I stopped it." He swiped his arm, knocking Sado off balance. The human stumbled backwards when punched him in the cheek, slamming him into the ground so hard that a miniature crater was created by the collision.

Sado's body was still. The only signs that he was still alive were his chest moving in and out, but even that was shallow. Streaks of red flowed freely from the left side of his face, it dripped into the grass staining the life coloring green with the deathly color. His brain had shutdown. He struggled with trying to remember where he was or why he was on the ground. It was something about a fight and getting hit, but when he tried harder to remember a pain in the left side of his head started throbbing uncontrollably. Soon he no longer felt the ground beneath him. Did he manage to get back up? That couldn't be it because his feet were airborne as well. Despite the throbbing pain in his head he managed to open his eyes. Things were a blur, but slowly things returned to focus. Smokey gray eyes were staring right at him. Lightning struck jump starting his brain. A quick recap of everything that had transpired that night flashed through his mind. He was in the middle of a battle with a Privaron Espada.

"Still alive I see, but I can tell you are at the end of your rope. One more hit and it is over." He pulled back his arm. Sado's body started to reboot. He became very aware that Gild's unnaturally large fist was about to strike him again. If he didn't do something he might not get up again. The white fist started to travel towards him. He did not have many options left to him, so he did the only thing he could think of. He threw his right arm in front of his chest. He only prayed that his shield would hold up. After what seemed like hours the white fist that personified death (more specifically his death) hit the black metallic arm. The impact tore through the shield; it completely shattered into several pieces. The rest of armor bore no better results. The cracks grew and grew until it started to fall apart, leaving black pieces littering the lawn. The impact had one positive result well if you could call it that. Sado was thrown out of Gild's clutches. He felt the familiar sensation of the air blowing through his skin. He took control of his body by drawing reiatsu into his feet, using it to create a small invisible platform that allowed him stop himself. His quick maneuvering had lessened the usual distance that Gild's punches threw him to. He allowed himself to savor this small victory. The small victory did not come without price. His right arm, Brazo Derecha de Gigante was destroyed. His right arm was bear save for the remains that still clung to his shoulder and what was below it. Considering how powerful the attack was Sado counted himself lucky that his arm was not broken.

Gild shook his head in a lecturing manner. "You don't know when to give up. Come on, kid this fight is over." He took steps forward to him. "It was entertaining, but you can't beat me. One of your arms has had its armor broken by me and that was the one meant for defense. I can't imagine it will take me long before I take out the other one. Nothing you can do can even harm me. Just accept defeat already."

"I can't do that," Sado stated.

He raised an eyebrow at the delusional human. "Oh, why is that?" he asked.

"I can't die here. I have to keep moving forward. I made a promise to someone that I would keep moving forward. I intend to keep it." He summoned the power hidden within him. Black liquid swallowed up his right arm. It grew and shaped itself into shield. It then solidified into a fully formed and clean black and magenta armored shield. "You can break my armor all you want, but I'll just keep repairing it."

The arrancar let out a howl of a laugh. "Is that so? Unwilling to give up until the very end, I see. So maybe yah got a few more rounds in you left. I wonder if your body is a strong as your will though." The human did not respond. He knew he hit a nerve. There was only so much a human body would take. A loud thud sang to signify that he had used his Sonido. He moved at high speeds, shooting his massive frame at Sado. Instead of running as Gild would expect him to do Sado stood his ground. He braced himself from Gild's attack.

'_You got some balls. I'll give you that much, Sado Yasutora,' _he thought almost happily.

Gild raced to Sado the two giants prepared to clash for what may be their final time. The odds were against him and his body was straining to keep itself together, but he was determined to keep his promise. He would watch Ichigo's back, he would not be dead weight, and he would keep moving forward with Inoue.

'_I'll keep moving and I'll never stop. I'll be able to stand by his side when he needs me to!'_

* * *

Dread filled the atmosphere. It had set into the town, drowning the unsuspecting residences. The dread was so heavy and thick that it threatened to suffocate her that was why she had awakened from her slumber. She had gotten out of her bed and went to her window. She had hoped that she could catch some kind of glimpse of what was behind this dark emotions swirling around Karakura. She did not see anything, but her sixth sense told her otherwise. Whoever was responsible for this dread may not have been where she was now, but he or she was in the town. Orihime closed her eyes to concentrate on the foreign reiatsu. It wasn't hard to sense. The presence disrupted the normal flow of energy that ran through the town, like a stone could disrupt the flow of a pond or river when it was thrown into it.

Her lips fell into an upside down U shape. It was not just dread she felt. Now she felt this blood thirsty force that was eager to put end to someone's life. Instantly she hoped the life it wished to end was not Kurosaki-kun's. The next thing she felt was a strange calm almost passive force. It really stuck out to her in comparison to the dread and blood thirsty forces she felt beside it. It did not seem to belong with those other two at all. In total there were three people. She had to tell the others. Ishida-kun was probably on his nightly portal like he was every night, so she had no way of contacting him. He must have felt those reiatsu pressures. He would go to them perhaps. She had to call Sado-kun and plan to meet up with him somewhere. They needed to band together in order to meet this new menace.

She dialed Sado-kun's number hurriedly. Her ears picked up the ringing of the other line. He wasn't answering. It was passed midnight though. He was most likely asleep. Of course Sado-kun had to be a heavy sleeper. She told herself that, but she doubted he would remain asleep in the presence of these types of reiatsu. Could something have happened to him? Was she not fast enough? "Please pick up, Sado-kun." The ringing finally stopped to her displeasure. The answer machine's generic voice started to speak. The healer cursed her luck when the tone beeped bringing her back to her senses. "Sado-kun, please pick up! I know you feel that reiatsu too, but don't move on your own! Please meet up with me and Ishida-kun in at the school! Sado-kun, are you listening to this?" No one picked up the receiver and her message did not get through. Sado-kun either left before she made the call or he could not answer. She prayed it was the former.

She couldn't panic. Her friends needed her. If she couldn't reach Sado-kun with the phone than she could just track his reiatsu and go to him. If he was in the middle of a battle she could help him. Two against one would improve his odds or it would even them if he was jumped by two people. The question was could she reach wherever Sado-kun was in time to be any help to him at all. With no time to waste Orihime put on some sockets and shoes, opting to stay in her pink sweat pants and pink short sleeved shirt. Her clothing wouldn't hinder her movements in anyway, so there was no need to change clothes. All she needed was a jacket and she was ready. Her keys and cellphone were stuffed into her pockets and her hairpins were attached to her shirt. She threw on a one of her jackets hanging on the rack, swiftly zipping it up. She was out of the door, locked it, and ran down the stairs.

"Where is Sado-kun?" she asked aloud. She increased the range of her senses. The reiatsu that produced dread was bigger than ever. Her brow furrowed in confusion. How could that particular reiatsu become so much stronger? It wasn't as if it grew any. It just felt stronger and it continued to grow in strength. Realization hit her. It was growing stronger because it was coming towards her direction. What should she do now? Should she continue to follow her plan to locate Sado-kun and meet up with him? But wouldn't she be leading the dread inducing reiatsu to him as well? That would only add to his worries. She refused to be a burden anymore. Sado-kun was most likely fighting his own opponent. If she joined him he would worry about trying to defeat both opponents and keep her safe. That would lead to his death. She shook her head of that thought. She would stay where she was and wait for this person to come to her. She would fight on her own, without Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, or Kurosaki-kun's help. She may not have been able to help them fight in Soul Society and in Hueco Mundo, but she would fight alongside them this time.

She pushed aside those fears and worries that held her back. Her will hardened into iron. Her resolve was unshaken. The moment of truth would be upon her, the moment where she got to prove to herself that she was not all talk. This was the moment she would use everything she learned from her friends, Tatsuki, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, and especially Kurosaki-kun.

She heard a light tap. Orihime turned around to see a figure staring at her. He was skinny. His frame lacked any real bulk to speak of. He was about her height give or take a few inches. He wore that uniform, the same white one she had seen over a dozen or more arrancar wear. However unlike his brethren he had black cloth decorating his shoulders that reached all the way down to his back. Another odd thing that separated him from his brethren was the fact that had a black mask covering his face. It wasn't the normal mask made from bones that hollows normally wore. This was a clothed mask. He chose to hide his face by choice. The eyeholes did not reveal the color of his eyes. There was a swirl on the center of the mask's forehead. Behind his waist sat rested his sword. This arrancar was odd in deed.

"Aizen-sama's pet," he said in a chilling even tone.

She frowned and cast a glare at him. She despised being addressed as Aizen's pet. She would have whether have been called woman as Ulquiorra and Grimmjow called her or even wench that some of the arrancar had taken to calling her during her stay at Hueco Mundo. She never wanted to be associated as being a mere pet to that man!

"Judging by your face I see I have offended you," the arrancar said in the same chilling even tone as before. "It was not my intention to offend you. However, what you must realize is that from my perspective all you were was a pet for Aizen-sama, to use to his heart's content, to feed and take care of you because he found some use for you or got amusement out of you. That was your role in our army," he said plainly.

Orihime's glare intensified. Her blood was boiling. She couldn't remember the last time she was this angry. How dare this man call her a pet? How dare he speak to her as though she were nothing, but Aizen's dog? She wasn't like those two women. She didn't live to serve Aizen nor did she whore herself out to him as this man suggested. Unconsciously her reiatsu sparked.

"It seems I keep offending you. I give you my apologies." His tone did not give any true remorse, at least not to her.

Ignoring the anger building up Orihime mustered a question. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"That is of no importance," he stated.

"Why is that?" she barked. She was still offended by his remarks.

"In a moment you won't be here to care."

Orihime was about to protest when a loud thud sounded off. The arrancar disappeared from her sight. The healer was caught unaware. She had seen this so many times now. How could she still be surprised by Sonido?

"I'll cut you down right here and now, Aizen-sama's pet."

Fright took hold of her. Her hazel eyes broadened in response. The arrancar had already unsheathed his blade. He raised his right arm into the air. "Goodbye," he almost whispered in her ear as he brought down his sword. The woman didn't stand a chance. After all she was just a pet. His steel was inches away from cutting into her shoulder when she dropped to the ground at feline speeds. The arrancar's zanpakuto had missed its target. Before he could react Orihime swept her leg into his feet, causing him trip. The arrancar fell on his back Orihime had gotten to her feet and distanced herself form him. The arrancar pushed himself back up and then immediately pursued her. He swept his zanpakuto at her, but she was already moving in the opposite direction. Not wishing to admit defeat the arrancar chased after her. He slashed and stabbed away at the healer, but she proved that her agility and speed was more than a match for his strikes. Orihime avoided each blow he threw at her. He wondered how she was able to move at such speeds. Aizen-sama said nothing about her being able to do that. The red-orange haired woman jogged backwards while he continued to run after her.

Orihime stopped moving and stood her ground against the arrancar. He jabbed his sword at her, aiming for her heart. This time he had her for sure. Little did he realize that his feelings of relief were missed placed. Orihime moved sideways, dodging another strike. Seeing an opening Orihime wrapped her arms around his. The arrancar shot her a questioning gaze. She ignored it and kicked at his shin, forcing him to lose his footing. Once his footing was gone she was able to use the momentum to help her flip him over and throw him away from her. For the second time that night the arrancar's back hit the ground. Orihime put her arms out to take a fighting stance.

The arrancar got up. This time he made no move against her. He simply stared at her. She really wished he wasn't wearing that stupid mask, so she could read his face. "You are swift?"

"Are you surprised?" she asked.

"Very," he replied.

"Did you expect me to be some helpless woman who can't do anything? That might have been true at one time, but not anymore. Tatsuki-chan taught me some karate, but I've never used it. I didn't feel comfortable hurting someone else, but in order to help the people close to me I'll use everything she taught me. It was Kuchiki-san who helped build up my speed and my reflexes. She also taught me how manipulate my reiatsu to increase my speed and strengthen my blows. I am not some pet and I am not helpless. If you take me lightly you will be sorry. This time I will not hesitate. Ishida-kun and Sado-kun won't have to worry about me. I'll defeat you on my own." She narrowed her eyes at him. _'I'll move forward so that Kurosaki-kun won't have to worry about me!'_

"Hmm, you seem completely different from when I last saw you. You have shed your collar. You are right calling you a pet hardly seems appropriate. What was your name, woman?"

"Inoue Orihime," she stated.

"I'll tell you my name. I am Salvador Goyadali. I am also arrancar number 110."

"110?" she repeated. Weren't the arrancar numbered from 1 to 99? Why was this one 110?

"Aizen-sama and Ulquiorra neglected to tell you about us. Arrancar with three digits are members of the Privaron Espada."

"Privaron Espada?" she cried in shock.

"The Privaron Espada is made up of ten arrancar who were demoted from the Espada. We were all replaced by the current Espada, but Aizen-sama still valued our strength more than the Numeros, so he created the Privaron Espada. I was originally Espada diez."

That was good right? That meant he was the weakest one. That made her chances of winning greater.

"Woman, I will still cut you down with my zanpakuto," Salvador claimed. He used Sonido to appear before her. He swung his blade at her.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" A golden triangular shield materialized in front of her. It stopped Salvador's blade completely. The masked arrancar was surprised again. The reports said her shields were weak, but it just stopped his sword.

'_Why have her powers changed?' _he wondered.

Orihime held her shield up. _'I can do this. I have to have confidence in myself and my Shun Shun Rikka will become strong. No more doubt, no more worries, I can do this!' _Orihime summoned her Santen Kesshun back to her, the three fairies that created it returned to her hairpins. She started running at the former Espada. All of the knowledge that Tatsuki had bestowed upon her was inputted into her mind.

"_Now remember to keep your hands opened and straight. That way when you thrust your arm forward your palm will hit them full force. That way your fingers won't get in the way. I figure this is more suited to you since I doubt you want to punch somebody," Tatsuki said._

Orihime rushed Salvador. She pushed her arms forward using Tatsuki's teaching. She made sure to open her hands. The masked arrancar dodged her first blow, she continued to throw another. He dodged that one as well. The healer refused to let up and continued to throw one attack after the other, forcing Salvador to go on the defensive and dodge her. Not getting anywhere with her thrusts Orihime formed a new plan. She threw another arm thrust the arrancar turned sideways just as she anticipated. She pulled her leg up and kneed him in his stomach. This time using Kuchiki-san's teaching she used her reiatsu to get past his Hierro. She heard him grunt his discomfort. She followed up with a kick to his cheek. The arrancar caught himself from falling. He backhanded her, hitting her in the face, but like him Orihime did not fall. She did back up.

Salvador flew into the sky escaping her reach. Orihime groaned in annoyance at him taking advantage of her inability to fly as shinigami and arrancar could do. Salvador opened his mouth. Within seconds a ball of turquoise reiatsu started to charge within his mouth. She was not surprised by this. Cero was the standard go to move by the arrancar. Could she stop it with her Santen Kesshun? Was it too foolish or risky to attempt such a feat? Perhaps the best course was to dodge it, but would that create an opening for him to use?

"Yo, woman!" cried an irritated voice.

She recognized the voice instantly. She looked beside her and found the most short tempered, rough talking, and fiery member of her Shun Shun Rikka, Tsubaki.

"Eh, Tsubaki-kun!" she cried. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Tsubaki snorted before rolling his eyes. "Idiot I am here to remind you that you still have me! Don't try to dodge that or block it. Use me to attack him in the air. I can stop him before he even fires that off."

She blinked at his sound logic. She was a little embarrassed that she didn't come up with such an obvious counter herself.

Tsubaki continued, "But you got to actually want to kill him." His mistress looked stunned at his statement. She was too good natured for her own good. "Don't look at me like that, woman. You know how my power works. If you hesitate my attack will fail and be easily countered just like the one time."

She did not need to be reminded of her failure to muster killing intent against Yammy which resulted in Tsubaki's death. If it weren't for Hachi restoring him for her he would still be gone. Now the kindly vizard was not here to aid her. If Tsubaki was killed this time he would be gone for good.

"Hey!" he called, drawing her attention. "We don't have a lot of time. Get off your ass and do something! That boyfriend of yours, Kurosaki wouldn't hesitate so you can't either."

'_He's right Kurosaki-kun would not hesitate. I can't either. I have to try to kill this man. But can I actually wish him dead?' _No, she would not doubt herself. She furrowed her brow and turned to Tsubaki. "I'm ready," she told him.

"Good," he replied.

Orihime channeled her reiatsu through Tsubaki. The fairy was encased in a golden aura. He felt his mistress' resolve. She couldn't muster any intention to kill him. Try as she might the thought of wishing this man dead, despite knowing he wished her and her friends harm still churned her stomach. She couldn't muster killing intent, but perhaps just wishing him harm would work just as well. "Koten…." _'I want to hurt him.' _"…..Zanshun…." _'I want to hurt him.' _"I…." _I want to help my friends, in order to do that I have to hurt him. I want to hurt him in order to help my friends.' _….reject!"

Tsubaki flew at speeds he was unsure he had. Finally that woman had mustered some damn confidence and ill intent. It may not have been killing intent as he wished, but she wished to harm him to protect her friends. This was more like it. The power he felt coursing through him was unlike anything he ever felt. A golden streak shoot through the sky the arrancar had just finished charging his Cero.

"Oh no you don't!" screamed Tsubaki.

Salvador prepared to unleash his Cero when Tsubaki shoot right through it. He put a shield in the center of the Cero than repelled both sides of his shield pushing it back. The Cero was literally blown up in Salvador's face. A golden and turquoise dome surrounded him, blocking him from Orihime's vision. The light from the explosion was too great for her and she was forced to shield her eyes. She wasn't expecting this result. Hopefully Tsubaki was alright. The dome of reiatsu died down after some time and Tsubaki made his return at last.

"Tsubaki-kun!" she cheered. Orihime wrapped her arms around him before he could even speak. She was overjoyed at the sight of her rather rebellious partner. He did not share her sentiments.

"Let me go! I demand you let go this instant! Do you hear me woman?" He struggle against her strong embrace. She needed to stop being so damn affectionate. He did not need such affections. As far as he was concerned Kurosaki was meant for such things. He was a sentimental type like she was not like the fairy at all. He struggled against her some more before he managed to break free. He allowed himself to celebrate his new found freedom for a short while. After it passed his pettiness emerged. Tsubaki started to hit Orihime in the head.

"Ouch! Tsubaki-kun, don't do stuff like that!" she whined.

"Well than don't go around hugging me!" he shouted back. He crossed his arms and turned his back to her.

"Tsubaki-kun, please don't be upset. I was just happy you were alright."

He scoffed at her. "You got bigger things to worry about. That wasn't enough to kill him." All traces of her happy go nature faded. Her expression was serious. He could tell her focus was on him now. "He's still alive. I told you that you had to want to kill him."

"But I wanted to hurt him!" she protested.

"That was fine and dandy, but because your attack had no killing intent I couldn't use my full power. He survived because of it," he complained.

"I failed then." She lowered her head in shame.

Tsubaki felt like an ass. If he didn't do something the others would be cross with him for making their mistress sad. "Hey don't lower your head. It was a good attempt. You didn't hesitate at all and I was able to use more of my power than I normally can." She lifted her head to look at him. "We still managed to hurt him. We were only able to do this because of your resolve. Don't let your confidence falter now or we won't stand a chance. Just think about whatever you were thinking before," he suggested.

A smile graced her lips. She looked at Tsubaki lovingly. "Thank you, Tsubaki-kun."

"Tff, whatever." He tried to display annoyance, but a small blush materialized. He returned to the hairpins.

There was no time to dwell on her failure. She had to remember that she was fighting for people that were depending on her. The healer reaffirmed her determination by reminding herself of how bravely her Kurosaki-kun fought against Ulquiorra for her sake. She would be like him and continue to fight until she succeeded.

The debris cleared up and Salvador emerged. His mask had been destroyed along with his jacket. His torso was bear and burned. His now exposed hair was revealed to be short and dark brown. Half of his face blackened and covered in red and scared skin tissue from his Cero's preemptive discharge. The other half of his face was miraculously free from any damage. His skin was very pale. It was perhaps as white as the arrancar uniform. His pupils were colored in chocolate brown. The arrancar still held his zanpakuto in his hand. He glared at Orihime, but she was unable to read his emotions or his reiatsu. He allowed himself to be bonded to the Earth. He was only feet away from her.

"Woman, you are becoming bothersome." He pointed his sword at her. "I look forward to ending your life now."

"I won't fall, because I still have to keep moving forward."

**They promised not to fall behind. Chad and Orihime proclaim they will keep moving forward!**

* * *

**I know what you are thinking. How does a pacifist go from not lifting a finger on two women who beat her to kicking someone in the face? Well read the manga and you'll see Orihime is a little more willing to hurt others in order to protect people she cares about. In this case her need to help her friends out and fight on her own so they don't have to worry about her is why she has decided to actually fight. Am I making Orihime stronger than she should be? I don't think so simply because all of Ichigo's friends, Uryu, Rukia, Chad, and Renji have been shown to fight arrancar and in some cases former Espada in Hueco Mundo. Orihime has been training with them all this time. It is only her unwillingness to hurt people that makes her attacks ineffective and thus gives her the appearance of being weak. Like I said at the beginning of the chapter I think all the stuff she learned from Tatsuki and Rukia means she can fight hand to hand and move at great speeds in comparison to normal humans and spirits. Personally I don't think it is a stretch if you put all the pieces and hints Kubo has left during the manga to have Orihime kick someone or dodge an arrancar's attack. **

**If you think she is winning too easily remember that Salvador underestimated her and left openings because of it. He took a lot of damage because his own Cero blew up in his face. Orihime isn't going to be God mode and beat everyone with no problem. Please don't send me pms and reviews screaming at me and saying I am overpowering Orihime. She is fighting the weakest guy in the group, the fight just started, his resurreccion can heal all that damage he took, and it is not like I have her pwning Ulquiorra. I am trying to portray a realistic Orihime, but trying to show what happens when she is determined to fight and isn't fighting someone vastly stronger than her like the Espada. **

**Sorry the fight still came out scripted or listed, but I am still trying to work that out. I'll keep trying in the future. I hope you guys like it. Please review. **


	31. The End of Normality:The Will To Protect

**The next chapter is here. No Bleach chapter this week, so I am a little bummed. School starts up for me next week. I am not sure how that will affect my updates yet. It really depends on my work load. This chapter focuses solely on Orihime's fight. I was hoping to sneak in some of Uryu's fight, but this one ran longer than I expected it to. I am really happy that people seem to like the fights so far. I hope I continue to keep your interest. I should be wrapping these fights up soon. I hoping to have the next chapter to finish things up, but I don't want to make any promises. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo own Bleach and I am just borrowing the characters.**

* * *

A breeze hit them. Her red orange strands danced with the wind and tickled her face. Normally she would have giggled as her face was caressed by her own hair. The sensation of her cheeks being stroked by the red orange strands always made her laugh. She couldn't help it. The feeling was just so unusual that it was funny. If this was a normal day she would have been giggling right now at the strange prickling that tickled her funny bone. Tatsuki would look at her oddly before deeming her weird. However, today was not a normal, carefree day. For one thing it was in the early the morning, passed midnight. She was standing outside of her apartment staring down an arrancar who was pointing his blade straight at her chest, in the area where her heart resided in. He was injured from his failed assault. She stood across from him with her arms in front of her. She took a defensive stance that her best friend had taught her. Her hazel eyes were glued at to the man's form, while her sixth sense was tuned into his dreadful soul crushing reiatsu radiating from his body. She was determined not allow him any advantage. There was no time to laugh because her hair tickled her cheek. Such things were unnecessary in battle. Her mind needed to stay focused on the arrancar, Salvador. She couldn't allow herself to be defeated, she just couldn't. Ishida-kun and Sado-kun were in their own battles. They did not need to worry about her in addition to their own problems. She wouldn't allow them to. She would win this battle on her own. She would finally be able to help them fight and move forward.

Kuchiki-san had trained her for this. That month long training in the Soul Society was so that she could help them battle the arrancar, to fight in the war. She allowed all of that training to go to waste and became a hostage instead. Not this time. No, she would not be powerless to do anything anymore! She absolutely refused to allow that to happen. Orihime flexed her reiatsu. The dread that had been mucking its way onto her heart, trying to weigh it down had been burned away by the flames of her determination. The effects of the arrancar's reiatsu were thrown off. Her reiatsu formed an invisible protective barrier. Everything felt so different. Things were quiet; nothing else seemed to even exist around them, not her complex, not the garbage cans on the sides, not the concrete sidewalks, not the pitter patter of cats' paws, as they ran away from the two great forces colliding. The only thing that existed, the only thing that she could see before her was that man. Everything was focused on him. The healer had not experienced this feeling before. Was this how Kurosaki-kun felt when he was focused on a battle? Did Kuchiki-san also feel it? What of Ishida-kun and Sado-kun? Oddly enough this focused feeling did not bring her uneasiness. Her emotions were at bay. Her heart was not racing. Everything was calm. She was at peace.

He felt the pressure of her reiatsu increase. He narrowed his eyes at her, allowing his confusion to take hold of him. He could feel her reiatsu, but at the same he couldn't, but that hardly made any sense. How could you feel something and not feel it at the same time? That was absurd. He could feel the pressure coming from her. It warmed the air around him. The breeze that was blowing in his face was hot, much hotter than it was moments ago. He shouldn't have even been affected by a shift in weather. That was the first clue that this heat was unnatural. The heat was blowing away his reiatsu pressure, burning it away slowly and its effects. It was trying to push him away from her. The climate around them was becoming unbearably hot, unsuitable for anyone to inhabit. It felt uneasy. He despised that this mere human woman could make him feel uneasy. The thought was laughable. The pressure from her reiatsu continued to push him. It also seemed to shield its producer. He couldn't feel the woman's emotions at all. There was no anger, no sadness, no dread, no hatred, no happiness, and no anything. She had no emotions swirling around in her reiatsu. That was improbable. Humans wore their emotions on their sleeve, especially her. He remembered her when she resided in Los Noches. She was so apprehensive, terrified, and forlorn. It was pathetic. All she did was stay in her room and look out into the sky. She tried to put up an act that she was content with her position in Aizen's army, but her reiatsu betrayed her. The apprehension and the terror were so thick and heavy that she reeked of it. Whenever he caught a glimpse of her she would wear this forlorn expression. There was this uncertainty in her eyes as if she had second thoughts of decisions. To Salvador she was a fitting example of why humans were frail and pitiful.

If this woman, who was so pitiful and an emotional wreck, concerned for suicidal friends, too weak to even raise a hand to defend herself from harm was the same one he was ordered to defend in Las Noches than why could he not feel any of her emotions? She had to have been feeling something. When he looked into her brown eyes he saw something, something that he did not see all those months ago. Strength and conviction, two things that she lacked before now burned within her eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing and what she needed to do. This woman was not backing down. Despite this intensity he could not feel any of her emotions. It was as if her reiatsu had formed some kind of wall between her and him. The woman was an entirely different person. It was as he said before. She had shed the collar that once held her in Hueco Mundo.

'_This woman is an enigma. How did she change so much in just six months?' _Salvador asked himself. The grip on his handle tightened. Why was he so concerned by a human? So what if she was different from the last time he saw her or that he could not feel her emotions in her reiatsu. She was still a human, a weak frightened human. This was a farce. How could he allow a human to actually harm him? He would not stand for this. Silva just wanted them to fight the humans and get a good grasp of their powers. She left it to them to decide their fates. This woman's blood would stain his zanpakuto. He swiped his blade to his side as he had just slashed some invisible foe. Orihime was un-phased by his action. The healer continued to pose and stare him down. "I like that expression you wear. Your eyes are strong." She did not respond. "You spoke of a need to move forward. However, your progress ends here. For you see you have caused me pain and I cannot allow a human to get away with such a thing. The only way to atone for that is with your life." The woman still did not cower at his proclamation. She was too big for her own damn good. He chuckled quietly, but drew her attention. "I see you still believe you can win. That is arrogance, human. Your power is still far inferior to mine." He raised his sword. "I'll show you the difference between weak humans and hollows, gap that you can never hope to surpass." Salvador drew his spiritual energy into his feet. He made a loud thump as his body faded out of existence. He jumped towards Orihime at high speeds.

The goddess much to her surprise was able to follow his movements. She prepared to jump out of his way when he changed directions, going right. Imaginary question marks started to form above Orihime's head. She couldn't help, but wonder what the arrancar had planned. Quickly she turned her head to follow him, but just as she did his directions changed again. This time he went left. Her eyes went left as well. Salvador glided along, when he changed directions again, by going up. Orihime groaned as he returned to the air. However, when her eyes went into the sky he was nowhere to be found. Surprised by her opponent's quick maneuvers she tried to feel where he could be. He wasn't on her left. He wasn't on her right. She had few choices to search for him. A loud thump boomed loudly. Thankfully her hearing was good enough to locate the noise was behind her. She had already started pulling away from it, but she wasn't fast enough. The cold unforgiving steel of his zanpakuto grazed her left shoulder. It had succeeded in creating a red dripping cut. Although Orihime felt a mild pain in her shoulder she was able to ignore it and hop backwards, escaping him.

It stung. She supposed she should have been grateful that her reflexes were quick enough to dodge him with only a scratch. It would be easy enough for her to heal. The more immediate problem was Salvador and his speed. She had failed to keep track of him and as a result he was able to sneak behind her. He was faster than she originally thought he was. If it weren't for her being able to deduce that he was behind her she could have easily lost her head.

His lips curled into a half grin momentarily. "I see even though you lost track of me that you were able to avoid me somewhat. If you had not pulled away when you did I would have sliced your head right off your neck," he said in another chilling even tone.

She did not enjoy life's cruel twisted so called sense of humor. She just thought of him cutting her head off and now he just proclaimed that was his original intent.

The dark brown haired man twirled his sword in his hand. Her eyes never left his eyes though. He was trying to distract her, so he could strike. All of his zigzagging around was meant to make her lose sight of him. It had worked. The healer had no intentions of allowing it to work a second time.

"My Sonido far outstrips your speed," he stated. He ended his sword twirling and pointed at Orihime once more. She was getting sick of him pointing that at her heart. "You cannot hope to keep up with me, woman. This is just one of the reasons why hollows are superior to you humans," he boasted. He disappeared from sight.

Her hazel eyes followed him. He went left, right, left, right, up, and she lost him again. She started to panic and allowed fear to rear its ugly head. Her mask of determination was breaking. How could she have lost sight of him again? This wouldn't have happened to Kurosaki-kun. Her mind wondered to her carrot top boyfriend. What would he do in this situation? One thing she knew for sure was that he would not give up. He would find some way to keep his fears down and concentrate on finding the enemy. That was what Orihime had to do. If she kept it together she could find her enemy. Taking a deep breath the healer closed her eyelids. She couldn't trust her eyes, not at the moment. She had to put all of her focus on her sixth sense and feel out his reiatsu. The pressure of his reiatsu flickered in and out. He must have been attempting to mask it, but she could still feel it. It was constantly moving from one spot to another. Without her eyes she could not be precise at which directions he was going in. It felt like he had her surrounded. Where was he going to strike? There had to be some kind of tell he had. What did she know of Salvador from their battle so far? The workers inside of her mind scrambled sending all of the recent data they collected to the brain in order to create some kind of theory.

'_What do I know? What has he been doing in this fight?' _she asked herself. Her brain continued to analyze the data. _'So far all he does is use Sonido to try and attack me from behind…. Wait that's it! He's going to attack me from behind. All I have to do is wait for him to stop moving and try to attack me,' _Orihime thought. She took another deep breath and waited. The constant flickering in and out continued longer than she would have liked. He must have been cautious by trying to make sure she was unable to follow him. Her nerves were itching. She just wanted him to make his move already. The waiting was killing her. He was circling around her like a shark just before it devoured its prey. She would be damned if she was going to be devoured. Finally the shark made its move. The pressure of his reiatsu stopped moving and flickered right behind her. Orihime opened her eyes instantaneously. Before he could strike she had already launched her own strike. She threw her elbow backwards as hard as she could just as she had been instructed to do by Tatsuki to get away from an attacker. The elbow connected to Salvador's stomach. She felt it sink deeper into it, while the arrancar allowed a groan of agony to escape him. Orihime patted herself on the back, but that was when Kuchiki-san's words came to her.

_Start of Flashback_

"_No that's wrong!" Rukia screamed. Her voice was so harsh, while her tone was so loud that nearby birds or whatever animals lived in the Soul Society would scurry in fear. Needless to say Orihime jumped out of her skin in fright. _

_Kuchiki-san was a wonderful friend. She had helped her out so much already. She gave Orihime confidence in her abilities as well as the desire to continue so that she could help her friends fight in the upcoming war. Truly she was a wonderful friend, but she was an unforgiving and hard instructor. In the week she had been staying in the Soul Society she had discovered that her delightful and nurturing friend had a bit of a mean streak. Ok mean streak was an understatement. Kuchiki-san was downright monstrous. Training began as soon as the sun rose. Of course she did not learn that until Kuchiki-san threw her out of bed. The petite shinigami made her earn her breakfast by running laps. That was followed by sit ups and pushups. Kuchiki-san finished with a light exercise and by light she meant another lap around the barracks of the 13__th__ Division. She never felt so happy to take a long and relaxing soak in a bathhouse. It soothed her aching muscles. She could hardly control her rapid consumption of food, but after that morning exercise session she shoved all the food before her into her mouth. Afterwards she was given an hour to digest so as not to become sick during the training. Too bad she only got an hour. She had been training now for three hours with only ten minute breaks whenever Kuchiki-san deemed them necessary. She never understood why Kurosaki-kun complained about Kuchiki-san being hard on him. Now it all made sense. He had to put up with this for months when he first started out as a shinigami._

_Orihime was hunched over, panting heavily, and struggling to keep her body up. Kuchiki-san was standing in front her with her arms crossed, giving her a harsh and disapproving glare. She shook her head back and forth in disappointment. The healer was left to wonder what she had done wrong now. _

"_That is all wrong, Inoue!" Rukia repeated._

_Orihime wanted to question her, but her lungs wouldn't allow it. As far as they were concerned it was the red orange haired woman's job to obtain as much oxygen as she could. _

_Rukia continued to shake her head. "You need to build up your stamina as well. You cannot afford to be out of breath only after a little sparring."_

_A little sparring she said. They had done more than a little sparring! Kuchiki-san threw Kido spells at her constantly forcing her to dodge. If that wasn't enough she also had to avoid strikes from her zanpakuto. Of course that wasn't good enough for Kuchiki-san. She berated her for going on the defense and barked at her to start attacking. Wishing to appease the shorter woman's wrath the healer hastily threw attacks at her. Kuchiki-san was able to easily counter them, which lead her to picking apart Orihime's attacks. This had been going on for the last three hours. After hours of thankless work, a body reeking of stench from all the sweat it produced, and her lungs revolt against the rest of her body Orihime had succeeded in landing a blow on the shinigami. If she wasn't so exhausted she would have cheered for joy, but she had to settle for mental hooray. Instead of receiving praise though she was met with more criticism. "Ku….Kuchi….ki-san….what did…..I do wr…..wrong now?" she managed to breathe out. Her lungs were on fire and her stomach was in knots._

_Rukia decided to allow Inoue to catch her breath more before she answered her. The truth was despite all of her criticism she was impressed with Inoue's perseverance. She had been working hard this past week and unlike Ichigo she did not complain or question her once. Her desire to not be burden to their friends and to contribute to the war was very strong, strong enough to do whatever was asked of her without hesitation or doubt. She could see the healer steadily improve even if Inoue herself could not see it. However, that did not mean she was flawless. The reason she was here was to becoming stronger. That meant it was Rukia's job to point out her mistakes so that she could work on them and become stronger. "After your attack landed on me you stopped," she stated. Orihime panting had finally lightened up. Her brown eyes were now staring directly into Rukia's violet eyes. She could see the questioning gaze from within the shimmering hazel spheres. "I wasn't defeated, so you should not have let up on your attack. Unless you strike your enemy down in one blow do not ended your assault. You cannot afford to show them any mercy or they take advantage of you and completely crush you until there is nothing left. Remember these words, Inoue. In battle you must harden your heart and cast aside your compassion. For someone like you I know this is hard, but it is your burden to overcome." She unsheathed her zanpakuto. She swiped the blade before holding it in front of Inoue's chest, startling the younger woman. She looked like a frightened child. _

"_Kuchiki-san," she said fearfully. _

"_If I were the enemy I would jab my blade into your chest and pierce your heart. I wouldn't have allowed the fear in your eyes to affect me in the slightest. I could watch as the agony and suffering that would swallow your eyes and not feel the tiniest bit of pity or sorrow." _

_Her words shook Orihime. The way Kuchiki-san talked, there wasn't any remorse. Her tone was hollow and yet strong, strength in her words and belief. She knew if it she was her enemy that Kuchiki-san would be able to kill her without a second thought. Was this is what it meant to be a shinigami? Is that why her body was shaking so uncontrollably? Was this her fear or shame that caused her quivering?_

"_Inoue, you must understand. The enemy, the arrancar will not hesitate to kill you. This is war. They have to win it in order for Aizen to achieve his goal and create the King's Key by destroy Karakura Town. That man holds no sympathy or empathy for others. He would cut you down for no other reason than that you stood in his way. You cannot hesitate in battle," she warned her. Rukia sheathed her zanpakuto. Orihime involuntarily let go of the breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. "You told me that your powers weakened when you hesitated right?" Inoue nodded her head yes before sinking her head down in disgrace. "That is what is also hindering you in battle. You do not wish to harm others. That is wonderful trait, but one not suited for battle. It will be difficult for you, but just remember if you hesitate you will put not only yourself at risk, but the people you are trying to protect." Rukia lifted the goddess' head up. She curled her lips into an encouraging and warm smile. "Don't make such a sorrowful expression. This is the reason you came here. Don't look at your heart as a weakness. You just need more confidence. Do not look at it as harming someone, but as defending your comrades in battle. That is what Ichigo does."_

"_Kuchiki-san…"_

_Rukia continued, "Remember do not let up your attack unless the enemy is defeated or unless you need time to recover. Now let's go again."_

_Orihime's face fell. "Eh…." She whined loudly. Her eyes watered up at the mere thought of continuing their very harsh and grueling training. "But, but can't we take a little break?" she asked hesitantly. Rukia stared at her as though she had lost her sanity completely. _

"_You just had a break twenty minutes ago! We are supposed to be training!" she shouted at the younger woman. Orihime whimpered at her friend's demanding demeanor. "You were only able land on blow against me then stopped. We are going again until you can land at least three more attacks on me! If you do not let up on your attack you can finish up quickly," she said as matter of fact manner. The taller woman was reduced to tears. How much longer could she handle Kuchiki-san's training?_

_End of the Flashback_

That was right she couldn't let up. Salvador had already revealed his intent to kill her. It was just as Kuchiki-san had said. He held no sympathy for her, so she could not hold any for him. With lightning like reflexes Orihime turned around then unleashed another assault of quick jabs. The scarred arrancar was still recovering when he felt another blow to his stomach, causing him to let out a moan. His attacker did not let up. The palm of her hand slapped against his right cheek then his left his cheek, she finished with an uppercut. He was stumbled backwards. Orihime grabbed his sword arm. She forced it behind his back, successfully disabling him to use his zanpakuto. She did another sweep with her foot, knocking him off his feet for the third time that night. With his footing broken Orihime flipped him over once again, this time she throw him on his back, using both the momentum of his fall and her own enhanced reiatsu strength. He crashed so hard into the concrete that she heard a loud crack. Never before had she been thankful to Kuchiki-san for using her own zanpakuto against her during their training. At least she was prepared to fight someone with a sword now. This was her chance to recover and prepare for the arrancar's counter assault. The raven haired shinigami's teaching continued to echo through her head Orihime backed away from him to escape his range and avoid any quick counter strikes.

"Shit," Salvador cursed. He picked himself up. It was taking a considerable amount of effort to do just that. More effort than he should have needed. His body was still suffering from the effects of his own Cero's premature discharge. It was more than sore. It felt like his entire body was just an instrument to play the melody of pain. The bleeding was worsening. His back had taken a heavy hit especially. If it weren't for that Cero his back wouldn't have suffered from such a weak impact. This was humiliating. Being bested by a mere human, he was a disgrace to hollow kind. She actually saw through his attack pattern. This human woman saw through his attack pattern and attacked him. He wouldn't stand for it. He would not stand for this humiliation any longer! His anger was rising and becoming harder to control. No he wouldn't give in to it. He wasn't a human. He was superior to them. He would not allow his anger to control him. His actions were not motivated by anger or something as pity as revenge. This was about killing a bothersome enemy who opposed them.

"To think I have to go this far just to defeat a human," he muttered. He shot a glare at the rather annoying woman. She was becoming more of pain than he originally thought any human could be. Look at her glaring back at him trying to act tough by standing some kind of fighting stance. Salvador turned his sword upside down so that the blade was pointing to the Earth beneath him. The woman's expression remained the same disgusting frown as before. He would give her a reason to frown alright. "Your defiance is futile, woman. As I said before the difference between us is too great."

"I won't let you intimidate me," Orihime stated with defiance he spoke of. "I can't lose here," she said more to herself than to him.

He scoffed at her claim. "You will not lose here. You will die," Salvador stated in his even tone. He planted his zanpakuto into the concrete. He made sure it had gone through it and into the soil hiding under this manmade construct. "Take root, Arbol del Pecado (Tree of Sin)!" His zanpakuto was engulfed within a bright brown light. The ground it was planted in started to crack. The thin cracks grew and spread seemingly traveling in all directions.

The red headed princess charged her reiatsu in preparation. Whatever Salvador was going to do she had to be sure to have her guard up.

The cracks were thin cracks widened until a thick vine-like object made of brown reiatsu emerged. Orihime counted at least ten of these vine-like objects had emerged. They wrapped themselves around the arrancar. They grabbed at his arms, his legs, his waist, his torso, and even his head. They did not stop there. Soon they grew even large and took more of his body. The healer stood and watched she could not stop herself from gasping in horror as Salvador seemed to be consumed by his own power. Inch by inch his body was swallowed by the brown reiatsu vines. Her hazel eyes bugled from their sockets in both fascination and terror. Salvador's entire body has been consumed by the reiatsu now, but its growth did not stop. No it formed some kind of bulb that was at least twice the size of the hollow-shinigami hybrid.

Every instinct in her body told her to run that this thing was very dangerous. She followed her instincts and jogged away from it. She didn't plan on running. She just wanted to put some more distance just in case. If her instincts were to be trusted than something bad was going to happen. Roots sprouted out of the energy bulb. Like the vines before them they implanted themselves within the Earth. One of them shot through the area that Orihime was standing just a little while ago. The healer gave a sigh of relief. Thankfully she had followed her instincts. Several roots imbedded themselves deeper into the soil, perhaps trying to get a strong hold. They dug into the Earth, while the bulb started rising into the air, leaving long tail that connected it to the roots still planting themselves. It grew trying to reach the sky itself.

Orihime narrowed her eyes solemnly. _'He's finished,' _she thought.

The bulb started to peel into petals shapes. Once the bulb blossomed a human torso bathed in the same brown reiatsu was revealed. The bright brown light died. The tail was actually a white tree trunk. It was remarkable just how similar it was to a normal tree. It had all the same rough and shapely patterns that bark had. It also looked to be just a thick as normal trees often did. The only real difference she could see was the color. The roots were now firmly within the ground. Orihime's eyes went upwards. The blossomed bulb had become these beautiful white petals with stripes of pink on the edges. It reminded her of some exotic flower she had seen in books. The arrancar's main body was in the center of the opened flower. His body was still slim as before. Now his body was free from any scars. He seemed to be wearing a white body suit. His skin was still as pale as the attire he was wearing. His hair had grown considerably. It now reached passed his shoulders. Pink circles now traced his eyes. His irises were no longer brown, now they were yellow, while his pupils were jet black. His arms were wrapped in white vines. Out of his back were six tiny white bulbs. His shoulders had opened pink flowers on them. His fingers were so thin that they were almost nonexistent. They had grown considerably longer. They reminded her of vines with their long length. The expression he wore on his face was unreadable. He looked out into empty space for some reason. As she looked into his eyes she did not see or feel his presence in them. He was there, but his focus seemed to be somewhere else.

He blinked. His pupils dilated for some unknown reason. She couldn't help, but speculate if he saw something from a distance that captured his attention, something she could not see. The yellow orbs shifted their gaze below him, hitting her and making her the new center of his attention. Unblinking and unmoving Salvador's big bright yellow eyes stare her down. His very gaze seemed to bring despair with it. The pit of her stomach dropped so low that she could no longer feel it. A huge lump formed in her throat while her bones froze, while her blood chilled to frigid temperatures. Her skin started to crawl. She was tempted to throw her Santen Kesshun to try and shield herself from that dreadful gaze. However, she doubted it would have done anything except expose her inability the handle the effects of his reiatsu. Kuchiki-san taught her it was better to keep your fears from the enemy.

"Woman," Salvador summoned. His tone was lower than it was before. It was very empty as if talking was a foreign concept to him. He could speak words, but it sounded so unnatural that you had to question if he had ever spoken a word in his life. It was so inhuman. She did not like it one bit. "It is time for you to die." Two pale vines sprouted from the ground on both of his sides. The vines grew until they reached his height. They hardened and became bark. Their growth did not stop there, branches grew from the center. The branches were long and far reaching. On them were cherry blossom pink leaves and tiny white thorns. It seemed as soon as the new additions settled themselves in the branches started pulsating, going in and out. This development aroused Orihime's curiosity. She looked on with interest as the branches went in. However, this time they did not expand. The curiosity within grew even more.

Wham!

It happened in an instant. The branches expanded, becoming as round as balloon. The cherry blossom pink leaves were thrown off. They rained down on Orihime like barrage of bullets.

They were coming so fast and she was so unprepared. Brilliant, juts brilliant of her. She not only allowed herself to become distracted, but also let her guard down while she watched her enemy's actions in some morbid curiosity. She used morbid because that was the only way she could describe her interest in her enemy who was obviously preparing to attack her. Now was not the time to berate herself. If she didn't do something and fast she would really die. "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" she cried. Her Shun Shun Rikka flew from her hairpins and formed the recognizable golden triangular shield. The leaves collided right into her shield. They beat against it making a loud pop noise. Orihime concentrated all of her effort into Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon, putting all of her will and reiatsu into those three to keep the shield up. It continued to hold as the speeding objects continued their barrage. _'Please hang in there, Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily. I believe in you, so just hold on!'_

It seemed as though the universe had rewarded her faith because the fury of the leaves ended with her Santen Kesshun no worse for wear. Her lips curved into a triumphed U shape smile. They did it, she did! Her Santen Kesshun held up against such a powerful attack and there was not a crack in it! She believed in her powers and did not hesitate and her powers were not easily countered. The golden shield dissolved into nothingness.

Noticing the woman's jubilant smile Salvador narrowed his eyes. Humans were insufferable. She managed to defend herself against his attack and now she was overjoyed. The battle was hardly over. She didn't even cause him any harm. Her demeanor was unsightly and undeserved. "Are you really that happy being able to stop such a low level attack?"

The smile she wore was quickly wiped off of her lips. Did he just say that was a low level attack? The speed and power was anything, but weak.

"That was my Hoja de Bala (Leaf Bullet). By focusing my reiatsu into my leaves I can sharpen them to be even stronger than steel. If you are hit by one of those you would have been hacked into several thousand pieces. But it is one of my low level techniques. Stopping it is nothing to feel proud of," he said plainly.

That nagging feeling that told her that she was in trouble started going off in her head. Sweat started to fall from her forehead. The red orange haired woman closed her left hand into a fist to vent out her frustrations.

Salvador continued, "Allow me to show you a more advanced technique." The now naked branches bore new items. Leaves did not sprout out. In their place were black bulbs. Within seconds they covered both branches.

"Hmm," Orihime groaned. She re-summoned her Santen Kesshun.

The arrancar looked un-phased by her action. The branches moved. They bent inward, going in front of him. They did not stop until the tips of the branches touched themselves. The black bulbs themselves were not touching at all, almost as if he put effort into keeping them separated. Orihime focused more of her reiatsu into her Shun Shun Rikka, causing her shield to glow even brighter. The pale tree arms swung apart so quickly that she could feel the friction it created even from behind her shield. Several of the black bulbs were launched.

She was ready for him this time. As long as she had faith in her abilities her Shun Shun Rikka would be able to fend off any attack. The second wave bombarded her triangular shield of gold reiatsu. At the instant that the black bulbs hit it they exploded unleashing a small, but powerful burst of energy. The shockwave that followed blew her hair back and nearly knocked her off her feet.

"Ah!" she cried. The healer instinctively put her arms in front of her even though she knew that her Santen Kesshun was already giving her a much more effective protection. She could chalk that one up to her survival instincts. The bulbs continued to explode on impact. Multiple small explosions bombarded her shield, causing it to quake in response. Orihime could feel the heat of the explosions on her face. This was not a good sign. The Shun Shun Rikka started to wail within her head. Their anguished cries saddened her. They were giving it their all, but the power of the bombs were too much for them to hold on for long periods of time. If to prove her correct cracks started to appear on the shield. Alarmed by this the goddess threw her arms forward to reinforce it. She tried channeling more of her spiritual energy into the trio of fairies.

'_Please bear with me a little longer!' _Orihime prayed. She strained to keep her strength up in the force of the roaring blasts striking her shield. More cracks appeared, while the older ones were growing larger. The palm of her hands and fingers were plagued by an incredible heat. She gritted her teeth as her struggle was becoming more and more useless. _'It's no use! It's going to break.'_

Salvador swung his branches back and forth launching his bulbs without rest or break. She was reaching her limit. It was only a matter of time before she fell. All he had to do was keep firing at her.

"Ummm!" the healer continued to cry. Now her hands felt as though they were on fire. The burning she felt was excruciating. Her upper lip quivered as she closed her eyes to brace herself for the blast that would break through soon. At its absolute limit the Santen Kesshun was covered in large cracks and started to flicker in and out, while the series of explosions went off. "Aaaahhhh!" she screamed. The golden reiatsu shield was finally destroyed and the explosions reached Orihime. She continued to scream as the force threw her several feet. She landed on her back. The bombs continued on their path. Salvador put more force into his throws to allow his attack to cover more distance. Orihime got up just in time for a stray bomb to hit her feet. It went off she fell again, landing on her shoulder. Unable to get up Orihime had no choice but endure the blasts. The explosions unleashed their fury the poor goddess could only scream in tormenting pain as her body took the force and heat of the bombs. It hurt so bad that even her brain shutdown as it was unable to cope with this unrelenting pain. If it weren't for spiritual power forming a protective aura around her she knew her body would have been blown to bits already. She was unsure when she stopped screaming. She didn't even know if she stopped screaming because her lungs were too worn out by now nor if her body realized it did little to ease her pain that it simply saw no need continue to scream.

The movement stopped and he knew she had met her end. Salvador stopped his assault. The branches rested themselves. He waited for the remaining explosions die and the debris to clear and reveal her lifeless body. Ridiculous, to think he needed to use his resurreccion just to defeat this human. He still found it hard to believe. The last explosion had ceased and the debris was gone. His lip curled slightly. There she was her on her stomach, unmoving her clothing was singed, a rip appeared on the back of her pants, and her jacket had a tear in its sleeve.

"Woman, you never stood a chance. No matter how powerful you may be you are still a human. You are limited in how strong you can become. The truth is human limitations prevent you from ever being able to reach a hollow's strength. The gap between us was something you could never hope to close."

"It's not over."

"What?" he uttered in surprise. The woman's body stirred. She pushed herself up then got to her knees. He watched in stunned silence. How could she have survived that? Her body had taken the brunt of his last strike without her shield protecting her. Her body was far too fragile to have been able to take that. She was a weak human after all. The human had fully risen. She turned her head to look him in the eye. His eyes widened slightly at her stare. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips curved into an upside down U shape frown. He noticed some trickle of blood rested on her bottom lip. Her hazel eyes were contaminated with anger and determination. Her glare was hard and unforgiving. This was not a look he was expecting to see in her eyes. He expected fear and helplessness.

"Don't talk as though you have won already," she stated in low almost dangerous tone.

"Tff, don't presume you can lecture me, woman. Your words do not suit you. You speak as if you can actually oppose me. Your arrogance knows no bounds and it sickens me." He prepared his braches for another strike. "You barely survived my Petalos de Combustion (Combustion Petals). That shield of yours cannot hope to withstand it. I doubt your body can handle it. Death will come to you. There is nothing you can do to change that."

'_He's right. Santen Kesshun will just be destroyed if I try to use it to block it again. I'll have to try and dodge it, but he'll just keep firing until he hits me. What can I do?' _Orihime asked herself.

Salvador flicked the pale wooden arms, firing off more black bulbs. Orihime urged her legs to move. She channeled her reiatsu into the bottom of her feet, her calves, and knees allowing her to move at accelerated speeds that made her look like a blur to the untrained eye. She ran across the concrete lane. She zigzagged from left to right and back, successfully dodging the petal bombs. The healer ran as hard as she could and just barely missed an explosion that went off in the areas her feet had just been.

"Running is futile. You will tire eventually and be hit," he declared.

She hated to admit it, but he was right. No matter how well Orihime was dodging the petal bombs fatigue would set in and slow her down just long enough for one of the petals to hit her. One hit was all that was needed to knock her down and make her victim to another barrage of explosions. She had to do something to stop him. The question was what could she do? Having avoided another nearby explosions Orihime risked stealing a glance at the arrancar. He was lazily swinging his branches without a concern. Then it hit her. The branches were the source of her despair. If she could take them out he could no longer fire his bombs. She knew exactly what to do.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Tsubaki shot out of her hairpins encased in a golden light. The golden streak shot through the black skies. _'Good luck, Tsubaki-kun,' _she wished him.

He saw her pitiful attack. He rolled his eyes. _'Does she honestly think that attack of hers can actually stop me? I'll simply blow it away,' _he thought. He threw some of his Petalos de Combustion at the disgraceful excuse for an attack. They hit the golden streak. It wasn't even a challenge. He was about to renew his attack on the woman when his eyes caught a glimpse of the golden streak continuing its charge. "What?" he questioned. Utterly ridiculous, that deplorable attack survived his explosions. The streak shot through his right branch. It broke off and fell to the ground. As soon as it hit bulbs detonated, causing a large explosion at the base of his trunk. The golden streak made a bee line and hit his second branch, which also fell and caused another explosion at his trunk. The bark was severely burned and broken at the base. It was loose to his dismay. "Damn," he cursed.

Tsubaki returned to his place. Orihime got a short reprieve. It was a small victory, but one well earned. She took out her enemy's Petalos de Combustion. That victory fueled her confidence.

"Are you that determined to attempt, the impossible?" He scowled at her in disbelief and perhaps pity. However, those emotions left his face very quickly. "Do you not understand the difference between us? Is that why you attempt to fight? You are a human and I am a hollow. Hollows devour the souls of humans. Do you understand? You are our prey. That is the role you have been given. You cannot hope to escape it as antelope cannot hope to escape its role as being prey for a lion. You cannot win," the arrancar stated with certainty.

Orihime's resolve remained just as hard as it had been before. Her body was battered and she was tried, but her resolve was the one thing not weakened. "Someone I know once said that in order to protect those precious to him that he kept fighting, even against those who were more powerful than him. He said he didn't care if he fought someone stronger, because that didn't change the fact that he had to win in order to keep those precious people safe. I agree with him. Even if what you say is true and you are stronger than me it doesn't change the fact that I have to win. I have to protect the people that I find precious, so I will keep fighting."

"Fighting hopelessly because of a need to protect others, such nonsense could only come from you irrational humans. You follow your emotions rather than your brains. That is why you are inferior."

"You are wrong. We may let our emotions run away with us from time to time, but our desire to protect people close to us is not nonsense." Images of the battles she had seen since she became involved in this secret world replayed in her mind. She saw Kurosaki-kun fighting her brother to keep her safe. Tatsuki's desperate stand against a hollow that threatened her came to her mind. Ishida-kun defending her from that shinigami in the Soul Society was the next image she saw. She saw Kurosaki-kun standing proud and smirking as he saved Kuchiki-san from being executed. Sado-kun trying his hardest to stop the Espada Yammy so that she could take Tatsuki and run replaced the last image. She saw the grinning and laughing face of the sexta Espada Grimmjow as he watched Ichigo put on his mask to defend her and Nel from his Gran Ray Cero. The intense battle between the bitter rivals continued with Kurosaki-kun out of breath, but then she cried for him to not die. He found the strength to continue. Ulquiorra declared that he would kill the orange haired man, but he stood his ground determined to fight. Now he lay on the ground dead, she and Ishida-kun were helpless. She cried and he emerged transformed. He defeated Ulquiorra and reached out to her declaring he would save her.

"We may be weak and we may fail from time to time, but when we put our lives on the line to protect those people we hold in our heart. When we fight to protect those people we are able to tap into a strength that we were not aware of. That strength will allow us to protect those people. I know he would say the same thing. That is why he is so strong and that is why I am getting stronger. You can look down on us all you want, but I refuse to allow you to mock our desire to protect those precious to us."

"Is that human shinigami as irrational as you?" At the mention of her Kurosaki-kun her eyes widened slightly. "I bet he is. How could such a flawed and weak race have a member who could defeat Aizen-sama? It makes no sense. It must have been a fluke. I refuse to believe a weak and overly emotional human could have bested Aizen-sama any other way."

"Don't speak badly of Kurosaki-kun," she interrupted.

"Kurosaki? Is that his name?"

"Kurosaki-kun defeated Aizen and saved everyone. I won't allow someone like you to speak badly of him," she stated.

"Someone like me, you say? Where is that man anyway? Why has he not come out to defend this town?"

"Don't concern yourself with Kurosaki-kun. I am your opponent."

There was something more going on here. In all of the hollow attacks Silva had ordered the shinigami never appeared once to stop them. Only the Quincy came. Now even though three arrancar appeared he still refused to go to action. Why did he not come? Was it a matter of choice? Did he believe his weak allies could stop them or maybe he couldn't come out? "Kurosaki is his name. Tell me woman why won't he come out. Is there something wrong with him?" She said nothing. "Silent, I see. No matter I'll get the answer out of you one way or another. You should know though that even if he does get in our way we will just kill him." That brought forth fear in her. He could feel it clearly, just as he remembered it. "It is just as I said. It was a fluke that he managed to defeat Aizen-sama. We will kill him. In fact depending on how you answer I may just kill him tonight."

"No," she whispered.

"What are you muttering, woman?"

"NO!" she screamed, startling him albeit shortly. The fear evaporated from her dazzling brown spheres. "I won't allow you to touch, Kurosaki-kun! I will never forgive those who threaten Kurosaki-kun!" Golden reiatsu started overflowing from her body. She furrowed her eyes as she casted her most powerful glare at him. He was mesmerized by the woman. Her demeanor had completely changed once again. He could feel her emotions again, but this time he only felt one. It was one he was unfamiliar with. Whatever it was it overpowered anything else she felt and was as intense as her reiatsu. "I'll protect Kurosaki-kun with my last breath!"

* * *

**The fight between Orihime and Salvador just heated up. Not sure if Rukia was ever that hard on Orihime, but I remember her being strict when she trained Ichigo when he started off, so I figure it was the same with Orihime and since they were getting ready for a war I figure that would be turned up to 100. When I was writing this chapter I remembered there was an arrancar with a tree resurreccion. I smacked my head. But hey that guy's power was making a bunch of clones of himself, while Salvador's abilities are more plant based. Razor sharp leaves that is sharper than steel and petal bombs. They are different. I'll work Uryu in next chapter and try to finish up the fights. Chad's fight is at its end and Orihime's is somewhere in the middle. I'll tell you right now Uryu and Joaquin's fight won't be as long as Orihime and Chad's. I can't tell you the reason why right now, but you will see why (hopeful) in the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and to manga readers I hope this provided you with a substitute for this week. Please review. **


	32. The End of Normality: The Speed Demons

**This chapter was a little late and it does not wrap up the battles like I thought it would. It focuses on Uryu and Joaquin's battle. I wanted to answer MiszIceQueen10's question at the moment Ichigo is unaware of his friends' fights. Remember he is powerless now and cannot sense reiatsu. I am trying to wrap up the fights back next chapter and move the story along. The good news is people like the fights. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am just borrowing the characters. I do own Joaquin though.**

* * *

His breathing had become labored. The panting and wheezing had been getting worse with every passing second. His eyelids were fighting a fierce war just to stay open, while the rest of his body rested on the ground trembling uncontrollably. He attempted to pick himself up, but every time he tried to push his body up his arms would give out on him. His own weight had become so unbearable. If it that were not enough the street was decorated with small splotches of red, creating a trail from the ally to the wall he was now laying in. His head was killing him and everything was so dizzy. Silently he cursed to himself. He was experiencing the effects of blood lost. There could be no more pussy footing around he needed to close his wound fast. His shaking hand slowly went to his right breast which had a clean circular hole that went through him completely. Blood driveled from it, leaving thin yet vibrant streak running down his chest. It was a useless jester and he knew it. There was no way he could stop the bleeding by covering it up with his hand. All that would accomplish would be to stain palm of his hand.

"Ha…ha….ha… G-got to…..close the wo…wound…." He breathed out. Warmth coursed through his palm, fingers and fingertips. This warmth was not from his spilled blood. It was caused by his spiritual energy. The shooting pain in his breast seemed to shrink. The green reiatsu generated from his hand soothed his wound. "Aaaaahhh," he exhaled peacefully. Gradually the pain was lessening with each passing second. He had no real talent for healing Kido. He just knew enough to close some injuries up and stabilize himself until he could go to the 4th Division to get his wounds properly healed. This was supposed to be a simple job. He was supposed be guard Karakura Town from hollows and guide departed souls to their journey in the next world. It was routine work. Every shinigami fresh out of the academy could do such a task without running into too much trouble. Sure there was an infamous hollow that would appear to certain areas from time to time and they may have been successful in killing less experienced shinigami, but even those cases were rare. So why was it that ever since he had been assigned to Karakura Town that he had been running into all these extraordinary cases?

First he had to deal with some orange haired brat with some strange badge with a skull on it claiming to be a substitute shinigami. He wasn't told about any sort of substitute when he was given his assignment. Next was some strange blond guy who looked like a human, but carried a zanpakuto. Both of those guys had monstrous reiatsu that brought him to his knees. He was a seasoned shinigami and yet two nobodies had overwhelming reiatsu. He had to slink back to the Soul Society with his tail between the legs. He found out that Karakura did indeed have a human acting as a substitute shinigami. His superiors rudely told him not to hassle him and they could careless who the other shinigami was. All these crazy arrancar started showing up and a team of high class shinigami was sent to deal with them without his assistance at all. The worst was when the town he was defending was transported to the Soul Society itself and he was put under the same sleep spell as the humans! It was like he was a no better than the humans he was supposed to protect. That thought was enough to make him bawl. As sad as that sounded it got even worst. The traitor Aizen came to the Soul Society and he could only usher a group of humans away and try to hopeless hold him off. If it weren't for that orange haired punk he knew he would have been killed.

Now he was forced to partner with an arrogant human with strange powers. He wasn't entirely sure what a Quincy was, but judging by how often Ishida spoke of them that they were some kind of powerful and spiritual aware clan of humans. He was amazed by how efficient and fast the Quincy was when it came to hunting hollows. Ishida would always have a hollow pinned by the time he got there, so he just had to finish it off. He hated to admit it, but the Quincy made his job considerably easier, especially with the surge of hollow activity lately. It struck him as odd that so many hollows started appearing again, but he was determined to take care of it himself. He saw no need to tell his superiors about it. If he complained they may have thought he could not handle protecting Karakura Town and demote him. That was why he decided to handle things on his own. A laugh escaped his lips as he just smiled. He was such an idiot. If he told the Soul Society he probably wouldn't be in this situation right now. No, he allowed his pride to drive him to keep the increased hollow activity a secret. It kept him from requesting help or an investigation in Hueco Mundo. What did it get him? Here he was Kurumadani Zennosuke with his back against the wall of an alley, breathing heavily struggling to keep his eyes open. The green reiatsu in his hand was stopping the bleeding.

"I am….such a fool," he said. In the end he couldn't do anything again. Despite being a shinigami he was taken out with one blow from the enemy, stabbed in the chest instantly. His human partner was doing battle with the arrancar. They had moved away from there. The pressure he felt from their reiatsu was sucking up the oxygen from his lungs, hindering his efforts to catch his breath. Although it pained him to admit it Zennosuke had to face facts he was no match for a foe as powerful as the hollow-shinigami hybrid known as an arrancar, but perhaps Ishida was. The human had far surpassed his level of power. He would have to defend his own home town, not Zennosuke. "Looks….like it is up to you…..Ishida. Don't die."

* * *

He flew backwards, hopping from roof top to roof top. However, he was being pursued by a man dressed in white. He matched his movements exactly. His pursuer carried a spider webbed like bow made of blue energy. The archer possessed a cold and hard gaze so powerful that it could put fear into the mightiest of predators. They had been steadily moving across the town and away from the shinigami that he had injured. It wasn't his intent to kill the shinigami, but he needed to take him out before he could radio the Soul Society. Silva gave them instructions to battle only the humans and to avoid engaging the shinigami at all cost. Joaquin ran his sword through his chest to take him out. To say that the Quincy was outraged would not be inaccurate. It may have even been under stating it.

He materialized his bow and fired at him almost instantaneously. It was a good thing that Joaquin was already in the process of ridding his Sonido or he may have been hit. He escaped to the skies, while the Quincy quickly followed after him. They had been playing their little game of cat and mouse ever since. He would fire a few arrows off and he would parry them away. He needed to draw the Quincy away from the others though. Silva gave him the order to keep the Quincy from interfering with Gild and Salvador's battles. She wanted to assess the abilities of the other two humans separately. They had enough information on the Quincy thanks to Joaquin's last battle with him, so it was determined that he would keep him preoccupied.

He pulled back his bowstring. A blue arrow suddenly materialized. The raven haired man released the bowstring, sending it flying straight towards the place where Joaquin's heart resided. Joaquin swiped his sword to knock it down without care.

'_It will take more than that to harm me,' _the red haired arrancar thought. He stopped his running and landed on the next roof top. The glasses cladded man landed across from him. Those blue eyes he had were as unforgiving and cold as before. His lips curled into an equally cold frown. The Quincy still held his bow out as if he was challenging the arrancar to run. He narrowed his violet eyes to meet the gaze with his own cold glare. A breeze blew over them. The vivid red locks belonging to him blew into the wind carelessly. He still carried one of his zanpakuto in his hand. The grip on the handle tightened. He pulled the blade in front of him, getting into a defensive stance. They stood there frozen in place, glaring at each other, wondering if the other one could read the their intentions. Their eyes traded stories back and forth with each other, conveying their desire to crush the other one.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would return," Uryu said, breaking the long silence that had been with them since their reunion.

"You were expecting me then?" the arrancar mused.

"Of course I was. Why would you even ask such a question when you obviously know the answer?" he asked snidely. He pulled the bowstring back again. He drew in the spiritual particles into his body almost automatically. The blue reiatsu arrow formed. "This time I will not allow you to escape without answering my questions."

"I suppose if I do not answer your questions you will fire your arrow at me," Joaquin speculated. The blue eyed man kept his glare up and his mouth shut. He could only assume that this was the Quincy's way of confirming his speculation. He shot seven arrows in quick succession. Joaquin had to admit that his opponent's speed time at firing arrows had improved since their last bout. The Quincy released and pulled back his bowstring in perfect harmony and nearly simultaneous, giving off the impression that he fired seven arrows at once. As absurd as that sounded it was the truth. However, even with the arrows increased speed it did not change the fact he could still avoid them. "You will have to do better than this if you hope to kill me, Quincy."

Joaquin distanced himself from the incoming arrows by jumping backwards. Now that had more room to maneuver the red haired arrancar waited for the arrows to follow him. The first two arrows had come closer to his chest, but just as they were inches away from his abdomen he sidestepped to his right and missing them. The next group of arrows prepared for their own strike, but this time he merely turned his body sideways. They too missed their target just as he had intended them to. The last set of arrows was upon him. Feeling a bit arrogant after his other successes he decided to deflect the last batch rather than to dodge them. He swiped his blade across, swatting the reiatsu arrows away like flies. Satisfaction was a feeling he was not very familiar with. If satisfaction was a person he would not be able to use its given name. It was loosely associated with him. Today however it decided to visit him and he was enjoying its company.

"I learned a great deal about your techniques and style when I fought you last time. By analyzing how much energy you exert when you pull back your bowstring I am able to determine how much power and speed your arrows will have when you shoot them. Armed with this knowledge I know how much distance I need to put between us, or how much speed I need to dodge them, or how much strength I need to deflect them with my zanpakuto." He heard the Quincy give a small groan. "None of your attacks will reach me I am afraid," he continued.

Uryu's head fell and he lowered his bow. His enemy watched him with a look that could only be described as pity. "None of my attacks will reach you, you say." He tightened the grip on his bow. "Hmm, that is absurd," he stated.

Joaquin could only shake his head at the raven haired man's arrogance and denial. "Surely you must realize that I have been able to deflect and dodge every arrow you have fired at me. No matter how many times you shoot at me the same result will continue to happen," he lectured.

"You sound so sure of yourself, but how can you be certain?" Uryu asked. He raised his bow once more. His head remained down obscuring Joaquin's view of his face.

He didn't understand humans anymore. Why were they so persistent on things that they knew they could not do? The Quincy was the exactly the same way. "As I told you I have analyzed your techniques. I know how to read your movements and know exactly how fast and powerful you arrows will be when you fire them."

"You analyzed my techniques to that degree and for that I praise you. However, allow me to rephrase the question. How can you be so certain that what you have seen so far has been my best? How can you be so certain that I can't fire my arrows at a faster rate than what you have seen?" Unwilling to give the arrancar the time to ponder on his words Uryu pulled his bowstring back, forming his familiar blue arrow. He released it unleashing a single arrow. The enemy stood in place. He looked unworried by Uryu's attack at all. He waited until it was arm's length away before he slapped it away with his zanpakuto.

The arrow fell off course and he continued to stare at the glasses cladded man with the same disinterested expression as before. "As I told you, the end result will be the….." He was stopped in mid-sentence by a shimmering blue light flashing right by him. He was unable to identify the mysterious blue light. He couldn't even tell if what he saw was real. It flickered in and out just as lightning did. Evidence of the blue light's existence came in the form of a strong stinging sensation which took hold of his left shoulder. Immediately his right hand went to his injured shoulder. "Ugh," he cried out in pain. What happened? The pain wasn't terrible enough that he could not move his shoulder, but it still was far from being unnoticeable. He took a glance. The wound was fairly deep. Blood drizzled over his formerly clean white sleeve. The size wasn't particular large nor was it small. It was in the shape of a circular form, the perfect size for the tip of an arrow. His eyes found themselves back on the human standing before him. Slowly the Quincy raised his head until he met Joaquin in the eye. Those blue eyes were no longer void. The glimmered with pride. His lips curled into a half smirk. This was the expression of a triumphant man not of one who had been trying to fight the grips of despair as he had assumed. "You…." he hissed.

Still smirking Uryu acknowledge the arrancar's accusation with a nod. "I thought I asked you how you could be so certain that I couldn't fire my arrows at faster rate than you have seen." His pride was brimming off his body and wrapped itself around his words. Joaquin could feel the conceit from all the way across from him. He probably could have felt them if he was twenty miles away from the human. Uryu continued, "You assumed that you had my techniques all figured out and that put you at ease. After all if you know what to expect from the enemy it is easy for you to keep yourself calm. When you are calm it becomes easier to counter your enemy's attacks. However, that can be a fault. If you feel too secure you often leave your defense open." Uryu formed a new arrow. He carefully took aim at the white and black clothed enemy. "Remember this, arrancar. Never assume you know your enemy's full capabilities. Always think that they may have another technique or power hidden and you will always be on your guard," he lectured.

"I will keep that in mind, Quincy," Joaquin replied. He readied himself for the next assault. The human's finger was twitching in anticipation. He was already drawing his reiatsu to his feet so he could use Sonido.

"Of course that is assuming you will survive this encounter," Uryu stated. He unleashed a new barrage of arrows. He pulled back and released the bowstring in a rapid yet fluid motion without breaking his stance or his position. The speed he was going Uryu had soon covered the entire area in illuminating blue arrows.

They were coming at alarming speeds. Joaquin phased out of existence in a loud boom. The Quincy's claims were not simply misguided boasts. The arrows shot through the sky at far greater speeds than they had previously. Before he was able to easily deduce how fast they were going and how to avoid them. He could time when they would hit him, so that he could dodge them at his leisure. He dare not attempt that now. The arrows came were raining on him. Like the rain it was impossible for him to simply stay in place to time how fast they were coming and avoid being hit by them. Instead the crimson haired man rode on Sonido, jumping over incoming arrows, turning his body sideways, or moving other body parts just narrowly missing some arrows, while skillfully evading others. He had no time to rest. He had to constantly use his Sonido to dance around them. This could not last forever. Sooner or later the Quincy would have to stop to rest. He could only hope that by the time it happened that he would not be too weary.

The raven haired man continued to fire arrow after arrow his eyes closely followed the arrancar's movements. He was able to see him gracefully maneuver his way from left to right. If the arrancar was anything he was swift and agile. He wasn't arrogant, but truth was that his firing speed had increased steadily since the war ended. It was one of the things he desired to improve through his training. There were so many powerful and fast opponents in Hueco Mundo. He did not always have the time he needed to unleash the amount of arrows he desired. In his last battle against Ulquiorra he was only able to throw a barrage at him because his attention had been on Inoue-san and Kurosaki. When the cuatro Espada's full attention was on him he was just fortunate enough to have been able to get off ten arrows let alone the 1200 he had been attempting to do. These past six months he had been using his father's secret training room for uninterrupted training. That man could care less. Aside from some jab about how pitiful it was for him to have gotten his arm severed by the enemy Ryuken told him to use it because he needed all the help he could get. It was his father's way of allowing him to use the space. He didn't thank that man. It wasn't as if he owed the man anything or gratitude. If he refused to allow him to use the training space he would simply find another to use. His time there was not wasted. He had been able to increase his firing speed. Right now in the present he was grateful that he had continued to progress. If he had not done that the arrancar's statement about his attacks not being able reach him would have proven true.

Even with his newly found firing speed the arrancar was still able to dodge all of his arrows. He was tempted to increase the number of arrows, but his fear of a stray one running free and crashing into a building stopped him. Just because normal humans could not see his arrows did not make them less deadly to them. He would be content with the amount of arrows he was shooting now. It was probably better he not increase the number anymore. His left hand was starting to sting from the constant firing. He was reaching his limit and would have to rest soon.

Having enough of trying to outrun the pesky arrows on the ground Joaquin jumped into the air. If he got to higher ground he would have the advantage. There was more room in the sky to run to than the roof. However, he failed to realize that by taking to the sky that the Quincy's inhibitions would disappear. Uryu found himself smirking once more. Now that the enemy was airborne he could unleash more arrows.

'_Now let's see if you can dodge this,' _Uryu thought. All the stray spirit particles within hundred or so meters were drawn into his body. Now that he had taken in more spirit particles and by donating more of his own reiatsu he could initiate his plan. He just waited until the arrancar went high enough to unleash his next strike. On instinct he narrowed his blue spheres to increase his range. There it was. The arrancar had achieved both his own and Uryu's desired location. He pulled his bowstring as far as it would go. The reiatsu arrow became brighter and brighter until it was beacon within the darkness of night. The nearest street lights would pale in comparison to his arrow's brightness. He held on to the string as long as he could. Once he felt his left hand starting to tremble under the pressure of keeping string back he released it. A new wave of arrows flew into the sky, racing towards the arrancar.

Not again. He cursed himself at his carelessness. He took to the air because it had more maneuverability, but he had forgotten the Quincy's ability to create large barrages of arrows and fire them at once. The last time he had encountered the Quincy he had done the same thing when he attempted to return to Hueco Mundo. He should have remembered this from last time. There was absolutely no excuse for him to have made such a basic mistake as this. There were hundreds, possibly thousands of arrows converging on him. He wasn't entirely sure he could avoid all of them. With little options Joaquin had no choice, but to try and deflect some of the arrows. He quickly drew his second zanpakuto from its sheath. He threw his arms out, carrying both blades in his hand. Joaquin took a deep breath in order to brace himself from the incoming attack. It was now or never. If he failed to act now he would be trapped by the wave of arrows and most likely taken down. That was not viable option for him. Joaquin pushed off from the sky using his Sonido and rocketed downward into the storm created by the Quincy.

He pulled his twin swords to his chest and closed his eyes. The wind blew in his red locks and tickled his face. He could feel the mass of spiritual energy inching closer to him. His eyes snapped opened just as his body descended into the ferocious storm of arrows. The arrancar started his counter assault. He jabbed and swung his swords at arrows. No longer did he have two arms. He had hundreds arms and blades, at least that was how it would look to an onlooker. Joaquin dashed in hectic formation, going right and left, evading half the arrows. The other half he swatted away. Uryu became transfixed by his enemy's spectacular display of swordsmanship and speed.

"Remarkable," he uttered. "I created 500 arrows exactly and he is not only able to evade them, but even deflect some of them as well. Obviously speed is one of his strengths, but what else does he have?" There was also the little known fact that the arrancar still had his resurreccion to fall back on as well. He could not underestimate his foe. If he let his guard down even for instant he was finished.

Fatigue made itself known. His movements slowed as the long battle was taking its toll on him. He had defeated 279 arrows and counting. Yes, he was actually counting the arrows. Sonido allowed him much leeway. It still did not eliminate exhaustion. He overrode his body's commands and forced it to forge on. Ignoring his body's protests did not come without consequences. His reflexes and speed dropped even more. His zanpakuto felt like lead. They were so heavy and difficult to wield now. How many of these damn arrows were there? He had encountered 385 now. Was there any end? His speed failed him at last as an arrow brushed against his thigh. He felt the sting, but did not cry out. Rather he endured it and soldiered on. Another arrow got through his defenses. This one hit his forearm. More and more arrows struck him. His body was no longer willing or able to follow his commands and allowed itself to be bombarded. Fighting was futile at this point. The best option was to merely endure the attacks and allow his body some rest before he needed to attack. He was fully aware how contradictory that sounded. He had to trust that his Hierro could handle it. He had managed to stop and or evade about 400 arrows. The remaining ones were hopefully not great in quantity. The sliver blades fell to the arrancar's sides. Joaquin accepted the arrows. They collided with him. Soon he was engulfed within the sea of blue energy.

The arrancar was lost to the blue reiatsu Uryu used Hirenkyaku to back step several yards within seconds. He would not make the same mistake he did weeks ago. If the arrancar was foolish or bold enough to attempt to throw one of his swords at him to distract him again he had put enough distance between them to able to avoid it. It would also prove difficult for him to sneak up on Uryu as he did last time. The arrancar was not wearing that black cloak he had been wearing the last time and as a result Uryu could feel his reiatsu. Strangely enough this brought him no solace. In fact the Quincy felt even more apprehension now than he did that night. At that time he was not truly trying battle with Uryu. Tonight was different. He came here for a battle with him specifically. There was no telling how his battle prowess would change. He kept his eyes and ear open, while his sixth sense fixed on the calm and passive reiatsu the arrancar gave off. The pressure if you could call it that it created was not heavy and it did not try to crush him. It gently brushed against him. The arrancar wasn't the only reiatsu he felt. There were two or more large ones. He spread his sixth sense further he was able to detect four more forces. Two were unfamiliar with various negative emotions, such as blood lust and the other one that could only be described as dread. They were similar to his opponent. The other two he would know from anywhere. Those two reiatsu came from Sado-kun and Inoue-san.

'_Sado-kun and Inoue-san are engaged in battles as well!' _he thought in alarm. He took his eyes away from the explosion momentarily. _'I am not their only objective then. There are three in total for the three of us, but why only three? If we are their objective then they should have sent four, one for fighting Kurosaki. However, I only sense three of them. It could be possible that a fourth member is here using reiatsu suppressing cloak.' _He shook his head of that idea. _'If that was the case there would be no need to start a battle with us. They would simply use the cloak to sneak into the Kurosaki Clinic and attack. Even if they did have a fourth member Kurosaki's father is most likely watching him since Urahara-san informed of the enemy's interest in Kurosaki. Keeping that in mind that means the enemy is interested in Sado-kun, Inoue-san, and me. But still if we are their objective why exclude Kurosaki? It is almost as if they know he won't be coming to the battle…. Wait, do they know that Kurosaki's powers are gone?' _

His gaze returned to the now dying explosion. The light blue spheres widened while fear infected them. The enemy was more deadly then he imagined. If they knew that Kurosaki's powers were gone than what else did they know? Was he just jumping to conclusion here? Only they and the Soul Society knew of Kurosaki's power loss. There was just no way for that information to gotten to Hueco Mundo. The only other person Kurosaki told was Aizen and he was safely imprisoned with no way of contacting his followers. He told himself this, but he could not stop the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach.

'_These people are troublesome. Their aim is still unclear. We need to get answers from them.' _The grip on his bow tightened slightly. His objective was clear. He had to defeat and capture the arrancar in order to get answers from him. His abilities were best suited for that job. Sado-kun and Inoue-san shouldn't have to worry about such a task. He would capture his opponent so that they just had to focus on defeating their own. Inoue-san for one did not need to worry about anything except for winning. He felt uneasy about leaving her to fight on her own, but under the circumstances he had no choice. If he hurried he could still make it in time to assist her.

The smoke that formed after the arrows assault ended cleared. A lone figure hovered in place. He hid behind his arms. Once the debris dissipated he lowered his arms. He did not look any worse for wear. Aside from a few rips in his hakama pants and his white jacket was fully intact except from the wound Uryu had inflicted on his shoulder before. Mentally Uryu gasped at the arrancar's lack of physical damage. His enemy was more durable than he originally gave him credit for. The purple eyes locked on to his blue ones. He wondered what the arrancar was planning when he rocketed downward towards him at full speed. Apparently he had his answer. He created another arrow. His fingers held his bowstring and arrow in place. Until his foe stopped moving it would unwise to attempt to hit him. His foe fully descended to the ground only to push off the ground and shoot himself towards Uryu without losing any speed at all. He closed the gap between them at startling rates Uryu maintained his composure. Once he got close enough he would fire his arrow. He was inching ever closer, second by second. The grip on his handles strengthened as he prepared his swords to strike the Quincy down. There it was the point of no return! The red hair warrior was too close to dodge his arrow now. His fingers let go of the blue energy string and sent the arrow soring. As it was about to go right through the arrancar's face. He made sure that the area it would hit would not cause death, but it would still cause a great deal of damage. The point tore through the right side of the face. He patted himself on the back when the arrancar vanished without a trace. Before Uryu could react he felt his back being slashed by ice cold touch of steel.

"Agh," he groaned silently. Uryu turned around to see the arrancar his blade stained with red fluid he could only assume was his blood. The expression he wore was mundane expression, the same one wore when they had completed a chore. _'Damn!' _thought Uryu. He turned to face him and shot another arrow. It went through his chest, but like before he disappeared without a trace. Having learned from his previous encounter Uryu spun around just in time to see the arrancar about to slice him again. This time however he jumped backwards escaping the blade's range. He hurriedly shot formed a new arrow and fired it off. Those usual tranquil violet eyes were filled with panic, but there was nothing he could do. The arrow hit him square in the throat. Disbelief and horror that broken out on his face was unmistakable. He dropped his swords as he fell to his knees.

Uryu let out a breath of relief the enemy had vanished once again to his own horror. "Shit!" he cursed. He started his search for his deceptive enemy. A sharp agonizing throbbing in his chest appeared. His lungs felt crushed by something wet. A coughing storm would soon begin as he was having more of difficult time breathing. He was uncertain what the cause was, so he wasn't sure why he looked down. Perhaps his body realized what was going on before his brain or perhaps it was just common sense to look at spot the stinging was coming from. He wasn't sure which reason applied to him, but he looked down. What he saw made him gasp in horror. Sticking out in the center of his chest was a silver blade. A sword was rammed into his chest. A sword was rammed through his chest!

"H-how…" he asked hopelessly. Talking felt near impossible.

"I stabbed you," answered a voice.

Uryu didn't need to turn around. He recognized that voice well enough now. His brow furrowed and he gritted his teeth. "Y-you!" The arrancar was standing directly behind him with his right hand still holding onto the sword lodged into the human.

"The wound is not fatal, but it cannot be considered minor either." He pulled his zanpakuto out cleanly. The blood started to flow from the Quincy's wound. The clean and pure white was tainted by the horrid color of death. To the Quincy's credit he did not fall. He disappeared and reappeared several feet away from Joaquin. His hands reached for his belt. He grabbed something from it. It seemed to be some kind of bandage of some kind. He wrapped it around the area the wound was in. When he was satisfied with it the Quincy cut the excess bandage and returned it to his belt. "You are prepared I see."

Uryu ignored his enemy and glared at him. _'What happened? One moment he is there and when I hit him he vanishes. Is that Sonido? Is he really that fast? Could it be that he is traveling at such great speeds that he is leaving mirror image of himself?' _He lifted his bow up, aiming it right at the arrancar. "Are you leaving some kind of mirror image of yourself?"

He chuckled. His opponent was very clever. He quickly deduced the reason what Joaquin was doing. "Very astute, Quincy," he praised. "You are correct. I am using a variation of Sonido, called Gemelous Sonido. It allows me to create an afterimage of myself after I use Sonido."

"So all this time you have just been moving so fast you left afterimages of yourself to confuse me. I fell for it. It would seem speed is one of your strong suits."

"Again you are correct," Joaquin stated. He returned to an offensive stance. "Could I persuade you to surrender?"

Uryu scoffed. There was no way he would surrender to a hollow or arrancar. His pride as a Quincy would allow him to do such a distasteful and sickening thing. "It goes against the pride of the Quincy to surrender to a hollow."

"Even though I am faster than you, you refuse to submit."

"I wouldn't assume you are faster just yet," he warned. Uryu's form phased out of existence in a swish. He materialized above the arrancar. His bow and arrow were locked on to him. Joaquin's eyes went upward, catching the raven haired man just as he let go of another arrow. Joaquin refused to be hit and boomed out of sight missing the arrow. "Mmm," the Quincy growled.

"I believe it is indeed safe for me to assume my speed is greater."

Uryu caught his fellow white clothed warrior hovering from behind him. He swiped his left hand to cut the human in half. However, just like him the Quincy speed away to evade his strike. He saw the raven haired man emerge yards away on the ground. Before he could pursue the archer said archer shot a round of arrows before disappearing once again. Irritated Joaquin swatted the arrows away then turned into the direction the Quincy went to. Uryu unleashed more arrows, disappeared, then reappeared into a new position and repeated the process. Uryu circled around Joaquin and had shot off hundreds of arrows. Joaquin deflected them with even more speed than he had previously. This arrancar was indeed a speed demon. With the last arrow slapped away Joaquin rode on Sonido to disappear once more, forcing Uryu to frantically search for him.

A loud boom sang out and alerted him. Fortune favored Uryu this round because he dipped backwards and just barely missed the sword coming from him. Unable to rest on his success he used Hirenkyaku to safely escape the second one. He sprang himself straight into the air. He soared like the mythical phoenix. He prepared to take aim he found his enemy had gone. He didn't have to search for him though. The arrancar appeared behind. He slashed at Uryu's right shoulder causing him to curse aloud. He followed up with another slash to Uryu's left calf. Uryu in desperation swung his bow at the arrancar, but only hit thin air. Posed with the threat of his speedster enemy reappearing to strike Uryu used the reiatsu drawn to his feet to push the air to reach the Earth faster. But just as his feet hit the ground Joaquin appeared in front of him. Terror smothered his heart and ravaged his face. Joaquin jabbed his sword into Uryu's left breast where his heart was.

"Ugh!" he screamed. Blood rushed out of his mouth. Joaquin watched as the life abandoned the once cold blue eyes. The human stumbled backwards before he finally fell backwards. He took no solace in his victory. If only the Quincy surrendered he could have let him live.

"Farewell, Quincy. You were a worthy adversary," he said. The human hit the ground his form dematerialized into nothingness. "How could this be?" Realization hit him. If this was an afterimage that meant the real one would be attacking him. He spun around to find an arrow rushing towards him. He sidestepped in just the right moment to avoid it. The human was standing in place with his bow extended forward. "You can create an afterimage of yourself as well."

He nodded yes. "A skilled Quincy can use Hirenkyaku to leave a mirror image of themselves for a brief instant. This is the first time I have actually used in battle. It is really a difficult to use. It requires me to gather even more spirit particles and channel them into my feet in conjunction with my own reiatsu. This allows me to temporarily exceed speeds that gathering spirit particles alone would not achieve."

Joaquin's lips curled into a half smirk. "If you had such a technique why would you wait now to use it?"

"It is as I said this was the first time I used it in actual combat. If the amount of spirit particles exceeds the amount of reiatsu I use or if the opposite is true I will lose control of my speed and could end up injuring my own body with the speeds or over shot my intended destination."

"You only used it when absolutely needed to. I must say you seem stronger than from what I have heard."

Uryu shot him a questioning gaze. "Just what do you know about me?" he demanded.

"Only what Aizen-sama saw fit to tell us and from what stories I have heard from others. I know it was you who defeated Cirucci Sanderwicci and even proved yourself capable of fighting Szayel Aporro Granz one of the Espada. With the latter you were defeated along with some shinigami."

"Hmm, you seem to know quite a bit. Did the person you are working for inform you of my battle with Szayel?"

"Still trying to obtain information from me even in this situation," he mused at the human's insistence. "To answer your question I was informed of your battle with Szayel from one of my comrades."

"Is that one of the comrades here right now?"

"I was wondering when you would mention my comrades here in this town. No, neither of those two told me anything about your battles."

'_So if the one who told him about me isn't among us that would mean including the leader that there are at least five of them,' _Uryu thought to himself. "It is obvious that you have come here to fight my comrades and me. Why is that?"

"We are simply here to battle you," replied the arrancar.

"I find that difficult to believe," he quipped.

"Believe it or not it is none of my concern. Your injuries should be hindering you now. Your concern should be on this battle."

His enemy wasn't entirely wrong. All of his moving around only worsened the wound in his chest. He had bandaged it though that did not close it. He had to be careful. If he lost too much blood he could lose consciousness and that would spell his doom.

"Let me ask you something, Quincy. Can you go faster than you already are?"

"I haven't maxed out my speed just yet," Uryu replied.

"That is fortunate for you because I have not shown you my top speed. For just instant I will show you my top speed." Uryu took in spirit particles within the bottom of his feet, preparing to use Hirenkyaku to move. "Watch closely." Uryu did just that. He kept his eyes glued on to Joaquin.

Boom!

Uryu was knocking right off his feet, while his lungs were deprived of the oxygen they carved. He fell on his back hard. "What the hell happened?" He got up. The arrancar was standing right above him. _'When did he move?' _cried Uryu mentally. The hollow-shinigami hybrid was standing across from him and all of a sudden he was standing inches away from him right after the breath in his lungs was knocked out. Did the arrancar attack him? Uryu pushed himself back onto his feet, now standing at his full height. He was determined more than ever to keep his guard up. A great force pushed him down to the ground. His face forced to the roof. Angered from suffering another unseen blow Uryu jumped to his feet. He shot an arrow right at the arrancar, but the moment the arrow left he was nowhere to be found. "Where did he go?" His eyes went left, but no one was there. His eyes went right, but there was no one standing there. He turned around, but there was nothing, but air. His vision went upward to the sky, but he found nothing once again.

"I am right below you."

Uryu rushed to the edge of the roof. The violet eyes were watching him from below the street. It couldn't be. His enemy was standing in the streets. He was unable to follow his movements at all. How could he lose track of him completely? This was his top speed? He couldn't hope to achieve such degree of speed. _'I didn't see anything at all. It all happened in a flash!'_

"Well shall we continue?" Joaquin asked.

* * *

**Uryu has his hands full with Joaquin who is a bit of speed demon. I know I have said this before, but the fights really are coming to an end. With any luck I can hopefully end them all in the next chapter and not have it feel rushed. I did promise that Uryu, Orihime, and Chad would see action and they did There will be some more fights in the future considering there are still four more arrancar left. Ichigo will eventually find out about the Privaron Espada. How he reacts to them will be a key point. After all he can't really help them now and he will be in a position he was never in before, helpless. It echoes what Orihime told Ichigo when he confronted her about her nightmares earlier in the story he has never been powerless or helpless to do anything before. That is something I want to explore. Heads up I may not have a chapter up next week. I am not sure yet. **

**I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review. **


	33. The End of Normality: The Coming Storm

**Here is the newest chapter. Sorry for the delay, but life happens. Don't worry nothing major happened, but getting adjusted to school life again. This chapter ends all of the fights. The chapter is pretty lengthy. I probably made a few mistakes. I re-read this before I uploaded, but I always seem to miss something. I guess I need to get off my ass and get a beta. **

**Edit: I fixed the many mistakes I found, but I am sure I missed a few. I think it should read better now. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did Ichigo and Orihime would be together in the actual series.**

* * *

He missed. Damn he hated when he missed. Always one for precision it always brought him much disconcertion when he failed to hit his target. The Quinces were a proud and skilled group of archers. The Quinces had the ability to shoot down hollows miles away from their location by simply feeling their reiatsu alone, hitting the head and instantly kill them. There was no excuse for why he should be failing to hit an opponent whom was only feet away. He was disgracing the Quincy name, his grandfather's name. He would never allow his deceased grandfather's name to be disgraced by anyone not even by himself. Uryu aimed his bow at the ghostly image of the arrancar that continued to make sport of him. The violet eyes gleamed at him with calm and passive glare that he had come to know the arrancar for. It was eerie just how still those eyes were, like the eye of a hurricane. It was relaxed and serene, deceiving those that observed it by telling them that the worst was over and that they could continue with their lives. The eye was a lie. It brought no such promises. Instead it passed away to unleash the rest of the fury of the hurricane upon the observers, claiming some of their lives. The red haired arrancar's eyes held that same gaze that promised peace, but Uryu knew that it was nothing, but false peace. Just like the eye of the hurricane the purple orbs hid the fury of the storm that was the arrancar's power.

The glasses cladded man pulled back his bowstring, creating the familiar blue reiatsu arrow. Without wasting any time he unleashed the arrow. He watched it shoot through the night sky. Its destination was the beating heart that lied within the arrancar. He had given up trying to take his enemy captive while alive. He was too fast for that. If he had any hope of coming out of this battle with his life intact he would have to fight to kill his hollow enemy. His foe sped out of the incoming arrow's direction once again avoiding it.

"Ugh, not again!" Uryu growled. He turned around and started to sprint away. Gathering the spirit particles the Quincy rode Hirenkyaku to gain much greater distances than he could ever achieve using his own speed. The battle was taking its toll on him. With every attack Uryu tried the arrancar would just evade it than counter with his own attack. His once proud and spotless white Quincy uniform was diseased with red stains of his spilled blood, torn from sword slashes that it could hardly be described as the Quincy uniform. Yet another disgrace he brought upon his clan and his grandfather. The grip on his bow tightened. How could he be having such a difficult time against an arrancar? How could there be one this powerful remaining? The Espada were all taken care of. The remaining ones should not have this much power. This had been one of the most difficult battles of his life. He felt this overwhelmed since his battles with Szayel and Ulquiorra. They were Espada though. This man was not among their ranks. Shouldn't he have been less challenging?

He created another arrow. His enemy would appear soon. This time he was determined to hit him. A loud boom thundered alerting him to his presence. The Quincy found himself face to face with the handsome face of the arrancar. He shot his latest arrow point blank. Before his very eyes the arrancar gracefully spun his body around and with much flexibility he moved all of his body parts away from the sharp point of the spirit arrow's tip. Bewildered by the arrancar all Uryu could do was watch as his enemy's superior speed proved itself mastery over him despite there being virtually no distance between them. The raven haired man was frozen in midair with fear. The swordsman cleanly swept one of his blades across Uryu's left shoulder, his shooting arm. Crimson liquid gushed out of his wound. The burning in shoulder forced his arm down. Uryu's face riddled with pain, his bottom lip trembled. The arrancar stabbed the Quincy's left forearm with his other sword.

"Gah!" he cried out. Joaquin spun around and kicked the human into his stomach, pushing him away. He watched as the archer crashed into the hard pavement of the streets of the normally bustling town. He hovered in the air over the human. Joaquin stood there wearing a solemn expression. This battle was becoming more and more one sided as time went on. The Quincy refused to give in and continued to fight, but every strike he threw, every arrow he shot, every movement he made was easy for him to evade. The Quincy could no longer touch him. His body was succumbing to its wounds. The arrancar had no doubt that the human was standing on his last legs. Now that he injured his shooting arm the Quincy lost any means of attack. He couldn't use that arm anymore.

"This battle is over," Joaquin stated to himself. His attention was on the light crater created by his opponent's impact. The glasses cladded man was curled up into a fetal position, unmoving. His thoughts began to wonder. Was his last attack too much for the Quincy's body to handle? After all his body was already badly injured from Joaquin's earlier attacks, what if the fall was simply too much for him to handle? Perhaps his words were truer than he expected them to be. This could be a trick. But even if it was one he had taken measures to incapacitate his shooting arm. Even if the Quincy was playing possum he no longer had means to attack. Joaquin turned his back to the fallen archer. His efforts would perhaps be more beneficial to watching over Gild or Salvador. He could tell that both of them had gone into their resurreccion. Were the other two humans that powerful? They were going to draw attention soon. If they didn't end their fights soon he was going to have to open up a Garganta to allow them to escape before backup arrived. He flew off to nearest battle when sharp pain vibrated through his chest. This stopped him right in his tracks.

His violet eyes broadened as shock took ahold of him. The pain was growing for some reason. His very strength was being sapped right out of him. He had never experienced such an event before. Slowly he reached for his chest. Fear or shock kept him from laying his eyes on it. If he felt it he could use his hand to identify what was the cause of this growing sharp pain, so that he could brace himself for what it was. Was that naïve of him? It was probably so. His fingers curled around an icy cold metallic object. But he heard this buzzing sound. Suddenly he was reminded of Cirucci and her wings. That had to be it. The object imbedded in him now must have been something with high speed vibration. It must have been cutting through him and eating away at his body. Finally he forced himself to look. There it was a blade of blue energy connected to a silver metal tube sticking right out of the edge of his left breast. His mind jolted with information. He had seen this before, weeks ago during his last visit to the Human World. The Quincy used this exact same weapon to block his sword strike! Joaquin shot around. Sure enough there was the raven haired, glasses wearing, blue eyed man standing. His bow was raised upwards towards the sky, while his left arm lay limp. The normally icy glare in those blue eyes was gone. A defiant and challenging gleam was now there. His brow furrowed with his lips curving into an upside down U shape.

"This battle is far from over, arrancar," he stated. His voice was low yet somehow still contained a fierceness of cornered beast.

"Hmm, this doubles as a sword and an arrow. How deceitful of you, Quincy." After taking a quick breath he swiftly pulled the dual weapon out of his chest. The blue spiritual energy that was the blade died leaving only the physical shell left. Having no use for it he discarded it to the ground below. "I am curious as to how you were able to fire that. Your left arm is unusable. I made sure to cut the muscles leading from your forearm to your shoulder to insure you could not use it again. How is it possible to fire a bow with only one arm?" He noticed a white-blue energy wrapped itself around the human's left arm. It flowed freely and inhibited. Joaquin could hardly believe his eyes. The human was short of amazing. _'It can't be,' _he thought. The arrancar was trying to decipher what his opponent was doing. Said opponent used his injured arm to pull his bowstring back. He gathered spiritual particles to form an arrow. Taking aim at the airborne man, Uryu released his bowstring and watched as an arrow went charging for his enemy. Meanwhile Joaquin was watching his movements closely. Now that he had seen how the human moved his arm his suspicions were confirmed. He effortlessly swatted the incoming arrow away.

"Just as I thought, you are using the spirit particles in the atmosphere to create strings to control your arm. Even though your muscles are severed you can still use the strings you are creating to forcibly move your arm. What an ingenious technique."

A small laugh passed through Uryu's lips. "Upon seeing me use this technique you have already figured it out. This is Ransoutengai, a technique created to allow elder Quincy to battle more effectively after their reflexes dulled with age. However, to a Quincy who has had his muscle tissue damaged it could be used to force the body to move. I admit it is not perfect. I originally aimed the Seele Schneider at your heart, but I wasn't as precise as I wanted and missed by inches."

Joaquin ready his zanpakuto. "Quincy use spirit particles in the most interesting ways. That weapon of yours, Seele Schneider I felt it sap my spiritual energy away from me. Was your aim to drain me dry and kill me in my weakened state if you missed my heart?"

"Hmm, you even figured out the Seele Schneider's power to absorb reiatsu and spiritual particles of anything it cuts. Arrancar, you are not someone I should take lightly."

"Don't be stupid. Even using your technique to move your arm doesn't negate the damage. If you keep forcing it to move you could damage it beyond repair. Also nothing has changed. You did not drain enough of my reiatsu to weaken me to the extent for you to defeat me. Even if you did all I would need to do is use my resurreccion to replenish what I lost and use my full power. No matter how you look at it you are at such a disadvantage that victory is nearly impossible for you."

His lips twitched upwards momentarily. _'He's right in regards to my arm. Ransoutengai only allows me to keep using my left arm, but the damage has already been done. If I put too much stress on it I could indeed make the injuries worse as he says. What he doesn't realize is that the Seele Schneider did absorb more of his reiatsu than he anticipated. The wound I inflicted is still fairly serious. He is bleeding heavily in that area. That has to slow him down even if it is just a little. However, if he uses his resurreccion his injuries will heal completely and his abilities will grow even more powerful. I have to finish him before he can release his zanpakuto or I won't stand a chance.' _Uryu jumped straight into the air, flying towards his fellow white clothed enemy.

"Attacking me head on is foolish. I didn't expect you to take such a rash action, Quincy." He dove down to meet the archer.

"You are mistaken. This isn't a rash action at all!" he shouted. Uryu retrieved another silver tube from his belt. He activated it causing the blue blade extended into its full length. The red haired swordsman's body trembled slightly at the sight of his Seele Schneider.

'_Is he going to shoot it or use it to cut me?' _Joaquin pondered. He needed to discover his opponent's intentions now. If he was hit by that again it would take more of his reiatsu. The best option was to avoid that weapon altogether and strike him down before he even got the chance to fire or wield it. He disappeared from sight with a loud boom produced by his Sonido. Before the Quincy could even respond he reappeared right behind him. Without hesitation he slashed at the neck, cutting through the flesh and immediately snuffing out the human's life. The body and head separated from each other. He smirked at his accomplishment when they quickly dissolved into thin air. He growled loudly. _'Fuck an afterimage!' _He heard a swish noise from behind. He tried to mount another attack, but by the time he turned around the blade had already sliced through his chest, leaving a clean cut across his white jacket. Uryu pushed his bladed weapon at his heart, but Joaquin knocked down his hand throwing the Seele Schneider off of its intended place. Instead it stabbed his left side. His strength was once again failing. The Quincy was leeching too much of his power for his liking. He attempted to stab the Quincy himself, but the human had already freed his blade and skidded himself down.

Uryu's feet met with the roof of building. He started to twirl his silver tube weapon. His enemy was shooting him a questioning gaze. No doubt he was wondering why Uryu was spinning his weapon around. He might have even thought it was arrogance. The true purpose was nothing as shallow as that. He twirled it around to gather all of the spiritual particles into it. With each particle drawn into it the blue blade it only grew stronger and became shaper. Little did the arrancar realize was that his new cuts were more than just injuries. In those places that he cut the spirit particles had been loosened. This fact is what was allowing Uryu to absorb his opponent's own reiatsu. All he had to do was leech enough of the arrancar's reiatsu along with the spiritual particles in the atmosphere until it was powerful enough to finish him.

Something was terribly wrong. The blade was no longer buried into his flesh, but his strength was still leaving him. He narrowed his eyes menacingly at his human opponent. How was he doing this? It was impossible for the Quincy to be able to absorb his reiatsu straight from him. If he had such a skill he would have used it by now. The only explanation was that the conditions changed enough for the glasses cladded man to absorb his reiatsu. The question was what. Realization hit him. The Quincy was twirling his weapon around. It was so obvious that he kicked himself for missing it. The twirling was to help it gather stray spiritual particles in the air and somehow taking his reiatsu straight from his body.

"That damn leech," Joaquin muttered. He shot off like a white shooting star, one that was threatening to crash into Uryu.

Seeing the enemy rocketed towards him at speeds that rivaled a falling star Uryu realized his strategy was found out. The twirling ceased. He placed it on his bowstring and pulled both back. The arrancar's speed had fallen from what it was before. His reiatsu theft had served its purpose. Now he could keep up with him. If he just waited for the right moment he could evade the attack then counter with firing the Seele Schneider to end it once in for all. He counted the seconds as the distance between himself and his enemy lessened. The spiritual particles were already gathered into the bottom of his feet. Joaquin stopped suddenly feet away from Uryu. Caught by surprise at the arrancar's action Uryu raised an eyebrow. The violet eyed man sheathed one of his blades, which only served to further confuse the Quincy. In the palm of his free hand a yellow sphere materialized. He threw his arm out, pointing it directly at Uryu. The Quincy was now plagued by fear. "Cero," Joaquin uttered. He fired a large stream of yellow energy. Alarmed by the sudden assault Uryu sidestepped out of the way and avoided the Cero. Taking aim he fired the rare Quincy weapon. The arrancar made no move to evade the incoming arrow. He shot towards it.

"What the hell is he doing?" Uryu shouted.

The two opposing forces raced towards each other. When they would meet Joaquin surprised his foe by turning his body sideways, safely passing it. Uryu stood there stun. His best chance to defeat the arrancar had just flown away. Seele Schneider had been empowered by not only the spiritual particles he had gathered, but the arrancar's own reiatsu. He gritted his teeth. No, he would not accept defeat. He was a Quincy after all. He went for a third silver tube in his belt. A new Seele Schneider would not possess the arrancar's reiatsu, but it would still be a potentially lethal blow if used right. He pulled it out however a strong blow made contact with his stomach. He had sent skidding across the roof. Joaquin followed after him. Once Uryu's body stopped he planted one zanpakuto into his hand holding his bow.

"Aaahh!" bellowed the battered Quincy.

He unsheathed his other sword and quickly stuck it into the human's other hand, trapping him. The screams grew louder. "Even if you can use spiritual particles to force your body to move that ability can do nothing to if another force is keeping it down," he reasoned.

"Damn you!" With all of his might Uryu pulled against the implanted swords, but his hands absolutely refused to budge. As if to punish him for his carelessness the searing pain in his hands intensified. It took biting his lip to prevent a moan from escaping.

"This time you have truly lost any means to attack." Joaquin took steps forward until getting closer to his pinned enemy. "You are a worthy adversary," he complimented. His opponent said nothing. He did answer Joaquin with a glare full of spite. "I need to go to my comrades. They are drawing far too much attention to themselves."

So his enemy did not want to draw attention. These battles were not meant to be full scale assaults. They were reconnaissance battles. It would explain why they were only interested in Sado-kun, Inoue-san, and him.

"You are unable to move, but you have proven quite resourceful. If I leave you as you are there is a possibility that you could escape. With your accuracy and cunning you could sneak up on me and shoot that special arrow of yours at me. I was fortunate last time that you missed my heart, but I may not be as fortunate the next time." He positioned his right arm above Uryu. The blue orbs became infected with fear. This was it and he knew it. "It would be wise to finish you off." He charged another orb of yellow reiatsu in his palm. The human was cloaked in yellow glow of the charging Cero.

He tried another failed attempt to free his hands. No matter how much he tried Uryu's hands would not budge. His hands were pinned. He couldn't even pick up his bow let alone aim it. He was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

* * *

"LA MUERTE!" Sado rammed his white armored fist into white rock and bone-like skin of the giant arrancar's chest. The crackling lightning reiatsu quickly escaped his fist and ran through Gild's body. Sado had put all of his strength and hopes into his punch, but it seemed to have no effect on his rival any more than the other La Muerte he had thrown. His eyes traveled upward, finding the wide grin that he now completely despised.

"How many times do you have punch me before you realize it is useless?" Gild barked. He threw his large balled hand at the silent giant. Sado maneuvered out of his path by jumping to his right. Despite his evasion he felt force behind the blow graze him. It took considerable effort not to be taken by great force Gild wielded. He had come to the startling revelation that the behemoth's blows were slowly, but steadily growing in strength. The dark skinned arrancar was toying with him. He was using more and more of his strength with each passing moment to test him for some sick reason. Not that this surprised Sado. Gild had treated this fight as nothing more as a game. The only thing he cared about was getting as much enjoyment as he could. He wouldn't use his full strength right away. It was more amusing for him to slowly reveal it bit by bit. There was no longer any room for error on Sado's part. If he was caught unaware by another of Gild's attacks with his body as worn out as it was now, his life could be snuffed out.

He closed his hands into fists and clenched them tightly. He didn't know why he did or who he was doing it for. It was just his way of reminding himself that he didn't have the luxury of giving up. He had to win no matter what. They had to be able to do this on their own now. Ichigo wouldn't be there to save them like he did when the Espada first invaded Karakura, or to come racing down a tower to save them after they were badly beaten into unconsciousness by an oversized monster that treated them as insects. This was more than just a battle to Sado. This battle would determine if he could truly watch Ichigo's back. He had no doubt that Ichigo's powers would return someday. When that day happened he had to be strong enough to keep his promise. He had to watch Ichigo's back and fight for him as well.

Gild stumped his way towards him, causing the earth to quake in his wake. He slammed his fists downward. The hollow powered human escaped into the air. Drawing his reiatsu into his left hand he pushed himself forward. "La Muerte!" he screamed again. His fist came crashing into Gild's back.

"Ta, come on Sado Yasutora your punches aren't going ta cut it!" He swung his right arm wildly in hopes of striking the human. However, the dark skinned human used his speed to dodge him. Sado circled around him until they were face to face. Sado jumped towards him bravely. Unsure if he should respect the human's bravery or pity his stupidity Gild decide there was only one way to answer Sado. He threw another punch. A sidestep brought salvation to the armored armed man. Before he could respond Sado slammed his white fist into his forearm for some unknown reason. _'What the hell is he up to?' _Gild asked himself. He sent his left arm flying at his baffling opponent. As luck would have it Sado was already backing away. Annoyance and frustration was building within him. Gild planted his fists into the grass and threw himself.

He couldn't help, but smirk. Gild was doing what he expected him to do. The massive white form came shooting at him like a cannonball. Gild thought that he would catch him by surprise with this action. He didn't realize that Sado had already deduced when he would throw himself or that he created the conditions to force Gild to do so. He zoomed left just before the gigantic form could hit him. His ears picked up the loud curses Gild spat out. Now he had a brief widow to take a breather. He waited for the arrancar to recover. _'I just have to keep evading him and strike when I can. It isn't much, but if I am right I may have a chance,' _Sado thought. He charged his way to him. Gild saw him running of course. He stole his idea and started to run as well. The two giants sped to each other for another bout. When they finally collided their reiatsu tried to push each other back in order to give their respective producers an edge. The massive white knuckles hoped to make a claim on the Sado's face. He was quicker and jabbed Gild right into his stomach. Perhaps angered Gild stopped with his punch and attempted to grab him up. Sado used his reiatsu to push himself away by several yards. This process would repeat itself. Every time Gild would punch him Sado would dodge it then land his own blow on him. He would strike at Gild anywhere he could, shoulders, knees, chest, arms, stomach, back, and even neck. He made a few attempts to get his face, but Gild would always block it with one of his massive arms.

The dark skinned arrancar jumped into the sky. He let out a mighty primal roar that brought out primal fear in Sado. Using his reiatsu on the sole of his feet to accelerate his descent Gild prepared to unleash his latest devastating attack. "Try and stop this, Sado Yasutora!" He beat the grassy field of the park with his hands. The powerful blow was too much for the earth to handle. It wept loudly into that it caused the entire park to shake uncontrollably. The shockwave forced the silent giant to his knees. He planted his fingers into the crust of earth the keep himself from falling fully. He could only ride the quake until it ended. While he still shook from the weeping earth Gild jogged on the air thanks to his reiatsu. Grinning cheek from cheek the dark brown haired arrancar attacked. Realizing that he could not hope to get up to run Sado hid behind his shield. When the attack hit the force behind it overwhelmed him. It felt like a stampede of wild bulls all charging at him. His arm violently screeched. The black and magenta armor shattered, destroying the shield to his horror. Sado skid across the lawn before landing on his right arm that followed by a loud snap. Ignoring his body's pleas he forced himself up. His right arm lay there, dead, swinging uncontrollably.

"Your shield broke a lot sooner than it did the last time." He turned his head to find Gild strolling like it was a nice sunny day in the park and he was enjoying the scenery. He scrunched his eyes warningly. This had the opposite effect that he desired. Instead of seeing Gild's face angered his stupid grin materialized on his lips. Did he mention how much he hated when Gild grinned? "I get it you can repair it as much as you want, but it gets weaker every time it breaks don't it? Of course it does. Your reiatsu is a lot weaker too. You are exhausting your power. Ha, you are human after all. That body of yours is falling apart. That arm of yours is broke. You ain't gone be able to use it again. Yah are nearly done," he said gleefully. He cracked his knuckles. "Well it was entertaining, but it is just about done. One more attack will…." He never finished his sentence. Sado materialized right in his face. "Ah," gasped the startled arrancar.

Gild wasn't moving. He wouldn't get a better chance than this. Blue white reiatsu encased his fingertips. They crackled silently a sign of his decrease in reiatsu. He closed his fingers up, the lighting reiatsu coursed through his entire fist. Pulling his arm back, he concentrated all the spiritual power he could into his left arm. Narrowing his brown eyes at the goliath, they were fortified with resolve. He pushed his arm forward. _'Please work!' _His fist connected with Gild's abdomen.

Recovered from his earlier surprise the hulking arrancar snorted at Sado's latest doomed attempt. "Are yah brain dead? Get it through that thick skull of yours! No matter how many times you use that attack it won't do anything!"

He refused to believe that. There was something different about this time. He could feel his fist plowing through.

CACKLE!

What was that noise? Was his armor giving out? If that was the case then he was done for. No, that wasn't his armor cackling. It was something else, something denser. He felt it his fist was sinking. There it was a crack. There was a crack in Gild's skin! It started to spread. The arrancar hadn't even noticed. This was the chance he had been waiting for. He just had to focus and he could do it. "Aaaaaahhhhhh!" He poured even more of his reiatsu into arm. The cackling grew louder, the cracks widened. He was nearly there.

"Just give it up already!" Sado ignored him and powered on through. "What do you think you'll accomplish?"

Sado's single minded desire prevented him from hearing Gild's taunts. He didn't care if his arm fell off as long as he broke through Gild's Hierro.

Gild chuckled. "Come on it…."

He ripped through the bone and rock-like skin. His armored fist went traveling deep within the arrancar's insides, finally stopping when it could go no further. Despite his literal breakthrough Sado did not cheer. He wore the same dull expression as always. However, his exposed eye did light up with pride. His talkative enemy was now mute. This left him wondering if the wound he inflicted was the causing this or Gild's own shock of having his Hierro broken. Whatever the reason for Gild's frozen status Sado used the opportunity to free his arm and put some distance between them. He noticed his white and red armor was stained with dark crimson blood belonging to the arrancar. Now that his arm was no longer clogging it blood spilled out of the open wound, dripping down.

Pain set in. Gild hurriedly attended his wound, covering it up with one of left hand. "How did you break through my Hierro?" he finally asked. "None of your attacks had any effect at all until now. What made your last attack different? Were you holding back some kind of technique until now?"

"No, I wasn't saving up some technique. I stopped holding back once I transformed both my arms."

"But then how did you break through my Hierro? It makes no sense your attacks should have been getting weaker not stronger!"

"You are wrong," Sado interrupted.

"What?" Gild cried.

Seeing the confusion in his enemy's gray stormy eyes he decided to explain his reasoning. "My attacks haven't been getting stronger. Your first assessment was correct. My attacks have been getting weaker. However, your Hierro has also been getting weaker."

"Bullshit! There is no way my Hierro has gotten weaker."

Sado shook his head in disagreement. "When I used my La Muerte on you I wondered how it had no effect on you. You said your durability increased drastically when you went into your resurreccion, but even than I wondered how it had no effect on you. La Muerte focuses my reiatsu into amplifying the strength of my blow. When I punch someone the reiatsu rings throughout their entire body and rips through it, breaking it down, and ripping it apart. This technique has only failed when I fought the Espada. I realized that their reiatsu was too high for mine to have any effect on them, but as strong as you are your reiatsu isn't that much higher than mine. That's why I couldn't understand why my reiatsu had no effect, but then I thought of something. What if my technique was working and it was weakening your Hierro all this time? What if the density was preventing me from breaking through right away? You said you felt a tingle, so that meant you felt it to some extent. Against the Espada when I used La Muerte they claimed not to feel anything at all. I guessed that my attack was putting pressure on your skin. I decided to use La Muerte on places I already hit using it before. I thought if I attacked you in the same places over and over that the stress would build up and weaken it overall."

"You are telling me that all this time you weren't just hopelessly punching away at me. You were actually attacking me in places your technique already hit. I get it you did it that way so I wouldn't catch on."

He gave Gild a quick nod. "That was one reason. The other reason was that I could hopefully find a weak point in your Hierro. If I did I would focus all my efforts on it. But I suppose your Hierro has no weak link."

"You sneaky bastard, to think you would try such a rash plan. In order to do that you had to fight me close range, my specialty. You were confident in your close combat skills to try something like that."

"In terms of physical power you outclass me greatly. One hit from you at full strength was enough to throw me across this park. However, there is one area that I exceed you in."

Gild widened his eyes in curiosity. He was eager to learn of the area Sado exceeded him in.

"Gild, you told me that you discarded all of your abilities to increase your physical strength and durability when you became an arrancar. Your body reflects that. In your resurreccion your body becomes larger, your muscles grow larger, and your skin becomes denser. That body maximizes your physical strength and durability to its absolute peak, but that body is not meant for speed." He saw Gild flinch at his statement. It figured the arrancar understood where Sado was going. "Your muscles and body mass is so big and weight so much that they actually slow you down. Your speed hasn't increased at all in your current form. In fact you may have gotten slower than you were in your humanoid form. I noticed this early in the fight. I was able to dodge your attacks without much difficulty. I landed more blows than you did. The truth was it was all you could do to try and hit me let alone try to keep up with me. That's why you throw yourself whenever there was a great distance between us. You knew that there was no way your Sonido could get you to me before I already moved out of the way."

"Tff, you noticed my speed decrease after all." His lips curled into a half grin. "Yah ain't the first person to discover my speed decrease. There have been a few of people who noticed it, but they were never able to overcome my Hierro, so they couldn't use it to their advantage. There are the arrancar ranked higher than me of course. They could break through my Hierro, but I never thought a human would be able to do it. Sado Yasutora, you don't disappoint!" He jumped forward. "You keep bringing me lots of entertainment!" He prepared to pulverize the shorter giant into the ground. Sado stood his ground. He stared Gild down with an unknown emotion in his normally dull eyes. "Don't get cocky!" Gild screamed. He threw arm forward, but still Sado refused to move. That damn fool, did he have that much confidence in his speed. Let him be arrogant. He'll end up dead.

He was just inches away from landing the final blow. Sado sprang into the air, just in time to dart out of the way of Gild's fist. He charged his reiatsu into his left arm as he always did then dived straight for the white and red massive arm. "La Muerte!" He jabbed into the bone-like skin. The surface crumbled under the pressure of his power. He felt his arm rip through the bone skin and sink deep within the interior. Finally he broke through the other side. His entire arm went right through Gild's forearm.

"Gah!" whined Gild. He shut his eyes tightly, groaning at the agony he was in. His entire bone felt broken. It hurt to try to twitch a finger. He stumbled backwards, while Sado used his superhuman speed to travel to the arrancar's back. He launched another attack this time on the back and hit the weakened area. He tore through Gild's near impenetrable skin once more. He disappeared then reappeared to the side, repeated the process, again broke through the skin. The lady of fortunate did not grace Sado with a smile because Gild backhanded him, knocking the hollow powered human down hard.

"Ugh!" Of course he would land on his broken arm. His head was spinning. Fuck he was actually seeing spots. His head was pounding. It hurt to think. Things were becoming blurry again and he felt so tired, that his eyes were dropping. Wait this was bad. If he felt sleepy after all the adrenaline pumping through his veins then he could have a concussion. _'This fight has dragged on too long. My body is reaching its limit. My right arm broken I can't defend against his attacks anymore. My reiatsu is very low. I probably only have enough for one last attack. I have to make the next attack a finishing blow. I'll aim for either his head or his heart. It's the only way to end it in next attack.'_

Gild observed his limp arm. An abnormal tranquil feeling came over him. His right arm being broken, his chest bleeding heavily, broken ribs, and even hole in his back, but he didn't feel uneasy in the slightest. The fight had turned against him even if it was only slightly. These wounds made him feel alive. For once he was uncertain how the battle would go and it excited him! Sado Yasutora was an interesting man. A human with the power to break through his Hierro, a human who could injury him, now this was more like it! No more fighting weaklings or easily clearing out trash. He had to remember to thank Silva for selecting him to come.

"Invigorating, simply INVIGORATING!" he shouted. "This entertainment to its fullest! This has been a splendid fight. It is a shame that it must end, but even if it does let the conclusion be just as splendid! Sado Yasutora, come at me with everything you have left and I will do the same." He clenched the fingers belonging to his left hand into a ball. "Entertain me one final time."

Lightning reiatsu crackled as it surrounded his enclosed hand. The spiritual power deep within in his soul surged, swelling up, and traveled through his arm. Crackling intensified, echoing through the night air like a bird crying out for its mother. Everything he had left was flowing through his arm. His brown eyes met with Gild's gray spheres. An understanding between two fighters was made. The climax was upon them. Whoever walked away from this would be the victor. In a heartbeat the two combatants raced towards each other. Sado forced his legs to move faster. His vision was becoming worse. Gild was a fuzzy white shape. He had to keep it together until his next strike, his final strike. He would win no matter what, even if he destroyed his body he would win.

* * *

Orihime glared daggers at Salvador. She stood tall casting away any fears or doubts that remained clinging to her heart. Her lips curled into a frown. Golden reiatsu had formed an aura around her that was released from within her body. Anger swirled within her hazel eyes. She directed every ounce of it onto the arrancar. He threatened Kurosaki-kun. He threatened her Kurosaki-kun, the man who had sacrificed everything to stop Aizen and bring them their well-deserved peace. This man before her wished to undo everything he had achieved. The soreness evaporated from her body. She had forgotten about the pain she was in. Her entire focus was on Salvador. This man, no this inhuman unfeeling bastard actually declared that he would kill her beloved. For once the healer did not try to contain the boiling anger emerging from her stomach. Guilt did not plague her for thinking badly of someone. She had proclaimed she would protect Kurosaki-kun with her last breath and she had no intentions on going back on her word now.

'_I want to protect Kurosaki-kun with all of my heart. I have to protect him! I have to protect him just like he protects me. He is my precious person. I love him with all of my heart, because he made the darkness go away. He saved me from that nightmare and my guilt. That is why I absolutely refuse to allow him to be harmed! Until the day that Kurosaki-kun's power returns I will keep him away from these horrible battles. Do you hear me, Kurosaki-kun? Just as you once vowed to protect me and keep me away from battles, I will make you the same vow. I know you don't want me to put myself in danger, but please endure it. I understand your feelings. I have no desire to see you in any danger, but I know that is impossible. You are the type of man who yearns to protect those around you with your own two hands. Your future will be littered with many battles, although when I think of that my heart can't help but weep. That is who you are, a man who protects. I'll make peace with it and won't try to stop you. However, please bear with me. Until your power returns please stay out of battle and allow us to protect you, allow me to protect you and keep you safe. I'll win this battle for your sake, Kurosaki-kun!'_

Mesmerized by the golden reiatsu surrounding her Salvador could only observe her in curiosity. It seemed to be acting as a shield of sorts. It concealed her emotions making it difficult to discern what she was feeling. The nature of her powers was barrier related, so her reiatsu forming some type of shield to protect her made sense. However, her reiatsu produced this unnatural heat and push him away from her as it did before. For a woman with the powers that centered around defense her reiatsu was surprisingly forming an offensive protection. _'Hmm, her power is intriguing indeed. Be that as it may I will still crush her,' _he thought. Six white vines emerged from the concrete. They grew in both length and width, becoming a thick almost bulb like, while leaf like heads formed at the end of the steams. The leaves opened up in a way that it was akin to a mouth. Adding to the mouth feeling was the pink interior and hairs that grew on the inside of both ends as though they were teeth. Long thick needles came from the edge of the leaf heads. They appeared to be Venus Flytraps. The white heads opened up, bearing their teeth. They snapped at the red-orange haired woman hungrily, but this seemed to have no effect on her. Saliva drooled down from its teeth to its mouth.

"Do you see these?" he asked the healer. One of the plants wrapped itself around his body. Its head nuzzled up against his chest almost affectionately. Orihime found the sight to be chillingly disturbing. What made it even more wrong to her was that Salvador stroked its head as though it were a loyal and cuddly puppy looking for its master's affection. "These are my Venus Deathtrap. They are actually sentient and think for themselves, but they are also obedient. Once I give them a command they will stop until they have completed. They are carnivorous in nature and they love human flesh especially." He expected hear her gasp or jump, but to her credit she did not show any signs of fear. A small, very small part of him begrudgingly respected her for her courage. "They eat meat, they also consume the reiatsu of their prey, that reiatsu is transferred to me. Everything else, bones, nails, they are broken down by the digestive acid they produce." One of the head opened wide letting out a loud hiss one would not associate with a plant. It continued to hiss. The saliva she saw from before escaped its mouth and fell to ground. As soon as it came into contact with concrete it started to melt it. The healer watched as part of the sidewalk was dissolving into nothingness. This time she was unable to stop herself from gasping. His upper lid twitched upward for a second before falling down. It was the closest he came to smiling. "The digestive acid they produce can burn away bone in a matter of seconds. That should give you some idea just how quickly it can melt flesh. Do not concern yourself with that though. They wish to devour your flesh. They will not use their acid until they have ripped your flesh right of your body," he said maliciously. Taking his hand off of his Deathtrap, it unwrapped itself from him to focus its attention on Orihime. "However, until you tell me what I wish to know about the human that defeated Aizen-sama I will not allow them to consume you. No, they will pour their acid on you and melt your flesh very slowly. You will cry in agony as excruciating pain becomes your sole feeling. Your skin will slowly dissolve and drive you insane. Afterwards you will not only tell me what I wish to know, but beg me to kill you," he mused.

She still did not as much as squeak at his claim. The goddess stood their frozen like a motionless statue. Foolish woman, she still tried to wear façade of bravery. It wouldn't last much longer though. He looked forward to watching her brown eyes bugle out if their sockets and hear her scream her lungs out in terror as his pets melted her flesh right off her bones. "Curse your foolishness and arrogance, woman. The torture you are about to endure is the price you pay for believing you could ever hope to defeat me and go against nature. Attack my Venus Deathtrap!" The six carnivorous floras lashed at the red haired princess. They snapped their mouths open in anticipation of their next meal. "Woman, if you think your shield will save you than you are sadly mistaken. They'll consume it as well! Remember they can even consume reiatsu, which your shield is made of!" he boasted.

The Deathtrap surrounded her at all sides when, "Koten Zanshun, I reject," she uttered in a low nearly mute tone. A bright golden beam flashed from her jacket. Tsubaki flickered out of sight, having achieved near god like speeds. Reveling in his new power the fairy sliced through all six heads, before they realized what had happened. He expanded his shields he left inside of them causing all the Deathtraps to explode.

Salvador couldn't believe his eyes. Instantaneously all of his Venus Deathtraps had been obliterated so….effortlessly. _'I-Impossible,' _he thought. Her attack happened so fast that he was barely able to follow it. But how could that be? The last time she used it to destroy his branches it did not travel at such speeds. Was she holding back or did her offensive powers increase to such levels in only a few minutes?

Orihime mentally thanked Tsubaki when he returned to the hairpins. Her reiatsu was overflowing from her body. It surged through her veins empowering her. She felt so strong, strong enough to climb five giant sized ice cream sundae scoops mountains six times over! She felt invincible just like the Super Mecha Orihime drawing she made in art class. The healer was unsure what was going on or why her power had gone haywire and yet she found herself not caring. The only thing that mattered was defeating Salvador and protecting her friends. With this power she could do just that. She could definitely win! _'I can win. I am going to win. Watch me, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-kun, I'll win!' _

"What the hell is going on? Why is her reiatsu getting stronger?" The air around him was suffocating. If he was human he would be sweating a storm by now. His skin felt as though it were on fire. Even his bones were burning. The flames of hell had consumed him, but he knew that could not be true. There weren't even any flames around! This was the effect of her reiatsu. Aizen never said anything about her ability to alter the atmosphere like this. Her reiatsu was trying to incinerate him from the inside out. Being in her presence was overtaxing. Soon realization hit him. This was her power at work. Her reiatsu produced an invisible barrier to protect her. That is what this sweltering heat was. It was her reiatsu forming another barrier. It was using the heat to repel him. _'This woman is too troublesome. Her powers have changed considerably since she left Hueco Mundo. She could become problematic. I will have to kill her now. We won't get any answers about the shinigami, but it is a small price to pay.' _A pale plant sprouted from the earth. This one held a giant white pod. "La Muerte de Flor (Death Blossom), when it blooms it will secrete a deadly poison. Anyone who breaths it in will become paralyzed instantly, from there it will enter the brain and disable your sight, your ears. You will even lose the ability to talk. Eventually your brain will stop functioning altogether. Your lungs will stop functioning, followed by your heart. The entire process will take five minutes. It is a slow gruesome death. I only use this on people I truly despise. I of course am immune to the poison. Once it begins to blossom it is the end for you." _'Perfect there is no possibility of her being able to counter this. She can't attack the poison with her power and her shield won't be much use as the poison will spread out for 2 mile radius. All it takes is a little whiff and its effects will start. I just have to stall her long enough until it blossoms.' _He curved his lips into a half smirk before they fell.

She clenched her fist. If his Death Blossom bloomed it would not just endanger her, but everyone in her building. They would all die. There had to be some way to stop it. Unlike his other floras thus far this one did not immediately blossom. Did that mean there was a time limit that had to expire before it could open up? There was a widow for her to destroy it. "Koten…." Before she could get the next words to come out of her mouth two vines lashed at her. The goddess of Karakura High jumped right to miss it. They curved right and renewed their attack on her. Orihime ran for her life. She danced around frantically to evade his lashes. She was brought back to days of her childhood when she played a lava game with her classmates. Thankfully she excelled at the game. Her skills were now aiding her now. Ha, to think her old teacher told her games wouldn't help her in the real world. Dodging the vines was child's play. The true problem was the Death Blossom. Every second she spent dodging his vines was a second the pod would bloom. What could she do though? Every time she tried to launch her attack one of the vines would nearly hit her. Surely there was a flaw in his defense that she could exploit. She just needed to figure it out.

He lazily swatted at her, not really caring that he missed. It was enough that she was running. If she had no time to recover she could not attack his growing flower. Time was almost up. Only one more minute and it would bloom into its beautiful deadly form. "Dance human. Dance to the melody of death!"

Death he said. No she wasn't going to die here. Despite his assault and the threat of his poisonous flora her power was still surging. Defeat wasn't possible for her. She would use this power save everyone in her building and stop his rampage. In fact she already had an idea how to stop him.

Time had expired at last and the pod opened up slowly. Glee or the closest thing to it consumed Salvador. His victory was now secure. The pod fully opened into rainbow colored petals. A yellow powder sprayed out of its center. Not even bothering to move his vines anymore Gild let them fall dead. "I win, woman. There is nothing you can do to stop my Death Blossom now! Just as antelope can never hope to consume lions you humans can never hope to defeat hollows!"

Good he stopped attacking her in favor of letting the poison do his job for him. Now was the time to act. "Soten Kisshun!" Ayame and Shun'o overjoyed at being summoned left the hairpins. The duo formed a golden dome around the Death Blossom and the poison. Yellow orbs belonging to the long haired arrancar widened slightly in interest. When she was sure the dome was secure the healer recited the rest of her incantation, "I reject!" The gorgeous rainbow petals started to dematerialize. Within seconds the petals were gone. Soon the core would disappear, and finally followed by the stem, leaving nothing behind. The flora wasn't incinerated or destroyed. To those who were observing the plant it was as if it was being erased by some unseen eraser. Its very existence was undone. There was nothing left, not even the atoms that it was made of. There were no remains left. The only evidence that it once existed at all was the golden dome around the area it once sat in.

Astonished by this unusual woman's display of power Salvador stared off into space. He had heard of the reports on her power of rejection, but witnessing it was an entirely different matter. The full scope of her power to reject any event incased in her dome could only be realized by watching it with one's own eyes. There was nothing there, absolutely nothing. For all of his power Salvador could never erase someone's entire existence. He could kill them or hack their body or even reduce his enemies to ash, but he could not erase every last trace of someone. It was maddening to think that a weak and overly emotional human could wield such a power, almost overwhelming. Is that why his body was trembling? No, this wasn't right. He was a hollow, a former member of the Espada, a member of the Privaron Espada. He should not be trembling for a human! No matter how powerful she was or what her power was it was inferior to his. He was a hollow by the laws of nature herself he was stronger than her. He would prove it. "Do you think it is over? Well you are DEAD WRONG!" he screamed for the first time that evening.

She jumped at his harsh and deafening tone. Orihime even felt his reiatsu spike.

"I CANNOT BE DEFEATED BY A LOWLY HUMAN! TO THINK OTHERWISE IS ABSURD! ARROGANCE, UTTER AND COMPLETE ARROGANCE, WE ARE NOT EQUALS! YOU ARE SO FAR BENEATH ME THAT IT IS LAUGHABLE THAT YOU CAN EVEN BE IN MY PRESENCE!" He bit his thumb with enough pressure to draw blood. He opened his mouth to charge his turquoise Cero. He flicked a dab of blood into his charging Cero, increasing its size, expanding to sizes greater than his head. Everything was covered in turquoise light.

"Stop it! If you fire something that big you'll kill everyone here!" Orihime screamed in horror. Her opponent was deaf to her cries. Santen Kesshun could not stop something as powerful as Gran Rey Cero. What else could she do though? Letting everyone in her building die wasn't an option. _'What would you do, Kurosaki-kun?' _Not give up, that would be his response. He would just do whatever he could because to do nothing would mean certain defeat. That was what she had to do. She would be reckless like her hot headed boyfriend and try something new. "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" The familiar golden triangular shield formed right in front of the charging ball of reiatsu.

'_That idiot! Her shield will never hold!' _he thought arrogantly. _'Gran Rey Cero!' _He unleashed his enhanced Cero.

Orihime was already making her next move. "Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Tsubaki flew directly into the center of the shield. He was reinforcing his brethren.

'_What the hell is she doing?'_

Orihime focused her reiatsu in her two formations at once empowering them with the same overflowing reiatsu into them enhancing their powers. The turquoise Cero hit Santen Kesshun head on. Thankfully for the healer her shield was holding up so far. Now it was time for Tsubaki to do his part. The lone fairy went through the shield into the cero. He was struggling to fight against the force of such power, but he knew his mistress was relying on him. Her determination and desire for victory both strengthened and inspired him to go on. He slowly pushed on. Now if Lily and the others could hold on. He could hear their screams and heard the golden shield crack. Damn he had to hurry if his mistress plan was going to work.

Orihime threw her arms out to reinforce her Shun Shun Rikka. _'Lily-chan, Baigon-kun, Hinagiku-kun, it is almost over. Tsubaki-kun is almost there.'_

Orihime's intuition proved correct, for Tsubaki had finally reached the center of the Cero. He repelled both sides of his shields, pushing the turquoise energy. It was taking him much more effort to push the Cero back this time. He succeeded in disrupting its flow. Now instead of the power flowing straight as a stream it was being diverted into two streams one going upward with the other on the bottom. The power was weakened enough for the next stage.

Orihime let out a breath of relief. "Soten Kisshun, I reject!" The last two fairies went into action. They put up their dome around diverted Cero. She focused more of her reiatsu into the last set. All of her spare willpower was put into Ayame and Shun'o. She had never done this before, trying to use all of her powers in conjunction to stop a single force. Using them all at once for different tasks was simple. Her short battle with Yammy if it could be called that she had healed Tatsuki, put her shield up, and used Tsubaki all at once. This was different. She had to focus on maintaining all three of her Shun Shun Rikka formations and divide her power up not only evenly, but put just the right amount so that they could all be at their strongest. Hopefully she was not biting off more than she could chew. Soten Kisshun started to erase the Cero, slowly. Strong reiatsu slowed down her ability to reject events, but that was why she had Tsubaki disrupt the burst of energy. She had hoped it would make it easier to erase. Her arms began to shake. The force of his attack was difficult to contain. Her stubbornness wouldn't allow her arms to fall even an inch. Oddly enough she did not feel her strength diminish. The overflow of power reenergized her, keeping her strength not only up, but increased it. She wasn't the only one. Santen Kesshun stopped cracking, Soten Kisshun erasing became much faster, undoing the Gran Rey Cero quicker, and Tsubaki power increased allowing his shield to expand even further. The turquoise reiatsu was soon nothing, but a memory as it was erased out of existence. The Shun Shun Rikka followed suit and returned to their mistress.

"Im-Impossible!" exclaimed Salvador. Gran Rey Cero was defeated. No human could have such power. What was she? The powers of a god dwelled inside of her. The reiatsu she possessed was growing still. She wasn't human. She was some type of demon in human flesh. "S-Stay away…. STAY AWAY!" Several branches and vines shot up. He wasted no time and launched them at the demon. The triangular shield intercepted his extra appendages. "YOU DAMNED DEMON! YOU MASQUERADE AS A HUMAN, BUT I KNOW THE TRUTH! YOU ARE A DEVIL!"

The said demon folded her arms and sunk her head down.

"YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD! I'LL SEND YOU BACK TO HELL, YOU BITCH!"

"I am a demon. Fine I don't mind being called that. I'll accept that, but if you threaten the people I love I'll give everything I have and stop you!"

"SILENCE!" Irrationality had taken hold of him, pushing his brain down. No longer was he thinking logically. He acted out of irrational and primal fear. The vines and braches beat against Santen Kesshun. "DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!" he kept screaming.

Orihime watched as Salvador descended into insanity. He continued to shout obscenities at her. Fear laced yellow eyes glared at her. A small part of her felt some strange satisfaction at seeing the prideful arrancar fall part. The larger part took pity on him and another part of her chastised herself for even taking joy in his breakdown. He was a mad dog now, a mad dog that was bearing its teeth. She would have allowed him to return home, but he posed a danger to her friends. The healer knew what she had to do. "Koten Zanshun, I reject," she muttered. Aiming for the burned and broken part of his tree base Orihime realized it was his weak point. Naturally Tsubaki shot right through it. Salvador fell backwards. The white plants stopped moving. They dropped dead to the goddess' interest.

"Thank goodness it is over," Orihime sighed. Her hunch was correct after all. Salvador was a plant she thought if she cut him away from his roots that powers would be nullified. Like with a real tree without the roots it could not do much.

The arrancar shook uncontrollably on the ground. However, he was as a beached whale losing any ability to move. Cut off from the ground his power to create and manipulate plants was gone. This was his fatal weakness. He needed to be connected to the earth in order to use power. His resurreccion made him immobile as it was and now he was at even greater disadvantage. He was defeated by this horrible she devil and her horrific power. "Stay away! Stay away!"

She gave him one last look of sympathy. Now that his power was gone she did not have to kill him. Heart felt an immense weight lifted off of it. She was determined to defeat her foe, but the thought of ending his life was still something she was uncomfortable with. Orihime wasn't a fool she knew this man was evil and that if their positions had been reversed he would not hesitate to kill her. By all accounts she should be able to end his life. Something inside of her told her not to that it was wrong even if Salvador was a wicked being. It felt wrong. She avoided killing the enemy this time, but the healer couldn't help but wonder if the next time she would be as fortunate. She put her back to him and walked off to leave him to his fate. _'I have to go to Ishida-kun and Sado-kun. It is becoming harder to sense their reiatsu. I hope they are fine.' _She ran off to the nearest reiatsu to her.

"How pitiful of you, Salvador." stated a new gentle voice.

Orihime immediately turned around. A lean figure was standing above the fallen Salvador. He was dressed in the usual arrancar attire. He was taller than Salvador was in his human form. She took notice to his turquoise eyes and the remains of his hollow mask on his forehead. His hair was long, but tied into a ponytail. Its color was snowy blond. The strange was he wore a mirthful smile was on his face. He almost seemed playful. Salvador's terrified face only worsened at the appearance of the new arrancar.

"Calputto, what are you doing here?" he spat out.

The one named Calputto widened his smile. "I came here to watch of course. I never thought you would lose your control and become so overly emotional. You are supposed to be the one who holds his irrational and weak human emotions in check after all."

"Do not mock me! Help me kill this devil! She is no human we must act fast to…." He was silenced when a blade cut through his neck, slicing his head clean off its torso.

Completely appalled by what she had just seen Orihime had to fight back a scream. They were allies, weren't they? Why did he kill Salvador then?

Calputto stood there wearing the same mirthful smile as before. "You misunderstood. I did not come here to help you. I came here to make sure you didn't kill the woman. Silva-sama did promise me her after all." His gaze left the now deceased arrancar and turned it on the beautiful young woman. "It seems my fears were unfounded. You were able to handle Salvador quite well, even if he was the weakest among us. From everything Aizen-sama told us about you we were not expecting you to be even half as strong as you are. I must congratulate you on your victory."

"Why?"

He blinked once unsure of what she was asking. "Why, what? I am afraid I do not understand your question."

She furrowed her brows, her hazel eyes were contaminated with pure rage. "Why did you kill your own ally?" she screamed. Not even she could keep the hatred she was feeling at bay. Salvador was wicked, but this man was vile, to kill his injured ally.

"Oh is that all. I killed him because I felt like it. Salvador was always annoying with his talk about how being hollows made us superior and how emotions were a weakness we should not endure. God, it was annoying. Besides you defeated him already, so he was dead anyway. I only corrected your mistake," he said as matter of fact.

"You didn't have to kill him!" she shouted back.

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "A difference in opinion I suppose." Her glare became more venomous. "My, that is such a mean look on your beautiful face. Don't be like that, especially when I came all this way for you." Her glare faded into mystification. "That is right I am here for you. Now come along with me, Orihime-chan."

He knew her name. He was one of the few arrancar who bothered to remember it. What did he want from her though? "I refuse to go anywhere with a man like you."

His smile widened again. "I am afraid this not up for discussion. If I must I will take you by force."

"You can try," she said daringly.

"Oh my, this is interesting," he said cheeringly. He lazily swung his sword to rid it of the blood staining it. "Please go easy on me, Orihime-chan."

She blocked out his words. Her focus was on the weird aura he was giving off. He felt very cheerful, yet it made her feel bad. His disposition brought out her sadness and fear somehow. He was a different from Salvador. "Koten Zanshun, I re…" Calputto instantly closed the distance between them. Unprepared for his swiftness Orihime eyes bulged out of their sockets. With the same swiftness he lazily jabbed the sword into her abdomen. He then pushed upwards until it reached her breasts. He freed it, doing all of this within an instant. Orihime fell to her knees. Her eyes faded into unfocused surprised state. She slammed her hands against the ground to keep her body from fully falling. Oxygen had run away. Now her lungs were trying to recapture as much of it as it could in panic. "Ha…ha….ha….ha…ha," Orihime breathed heavily. The overflow of power was abruptly stopped and her strength had nearly disappeared completely. She felt so woozy before in her life. The sharp pain in her stomach was the only thing keeping her awake. Her body cried for her to fall and sleep, while her brain warned her that if she fell asleep now that there would be dire consequences. Orihime found herself agreeing with her brain. Even though it hurt really badly she did her best to follow her brain's warning. She mustered some of her remaining reiatsu. "Koten…" He snatched her up by the throat, effectively quieting her. The goddess' lungs were truly wailing.

"I am sorry about this, but I cannot allow you to say your incantations or you will use your powers. It will become more troublesome for me if you use your powers. Don't worry this isn't life threatening. Once I take you back to Hueco Mundo I'll tend to you injuries."

Orihime tried to open her mouth to protest, but no words would come out. She closed her hands around his arm. Desperately and perhaps hopelessly she tried her best to pull his grip free from her throat. Her efforts were in vain. She couldn't even make him budge. No, it couldn't end this way. She couldn't go back to that hell. No she absolutely refused to return to that hated place! There had to be something she could do. She couldn't be helpless, not again! Why did it end this way? She tried her hardest and defeated Salvador. She was going to rescue her friends. Now she was struggling against an enemy, helpless before him as always. The worst part was in this bleak situation she found herself thinking about Ichigo. Why was she thinking about him at this moment? He couldn't save her this time. Damn it she was supposed to be protecting him! What would he do when he found out she was gone again? Would he blame himself for being powerless? She couldn't let him carry a burden like that. She had to do something, anything. Her mind was blank. Her eyes became so heavy. Consciousness was eluding her. The little strength she had remaining left causing her hands to fall. _'I am sorry, Kurosaki-kun. I wasn't strong enough.' _Orihime was about to close her eyes.

Calputto grinned, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Before he could turn around he felt a great pull yank him away, so sudden and so powerful was the pull that he let go of his captive. He was unsure what had happened until he crashed into an empty building. "What the hell just happened?" he asked. The first time since he came to the Human World the smile was wiped off his face. Who could have thrown him like that? He recovered and left the building. There wasn't any sign of Orihime or his attacker. Nothing in the area was the same! He must have been thrown back several yards! Who the hell was his attacker? He flew in the direction of the tow reiatsu, one weakened Orihime and the other belonging to his attacker. Whoever it was his reiatsu was smothering. Thanks to Sonido he returned to the old apartment complex within seconds. He saw two figures below him. One was the woman with the powers of a god; the other was man wearing black shihakusho and carried a sword. "Damn a shinigami," he uttered. Calputto descended to the earth. Now he was standing across from the shinigami. "I wasn't expecting a shinigami to appear hear so soon. The others caused too much havoc," he mused.

"Damn straight. Man you guys were so loud that a guy can't get any sleep," the shinigami said.

Calputto closed his eyelids and smiled. "I have to agree with you. I'll be on my way now and let you get your sleep. I just need the woman you see."

"Ah yeah you see we got a problem now. You see me I am a laid back guy. I let my son run around all he likes. I trust him to do the right thing, but my daughters are an entirely different story. I am super protective of my princesses. I always keep an eye on them. When I see them in trouble I come running to their aid and if someone is causing their woes well I kind of get out of control and I beat those guys down until they can't get up." His lips curled into a half grin. "Orihime here is like a daughter to me, so when I saw your hand on her throat I got carried away and threw you as far as I could. To make a long story short I won't ever let you touch her got it?"

It became easier to breath. Her lungs quickly recovered as much oxygen as they could. Her strength was slowly returning. Her eyes flickered as consciousness also returned. Finally she had enough strength to fully open her eyes. The first thing that greeted her was the back of a large framed man, dressed in black. He carried a sword on his hip and wore a tattered white haori hung over his shoulder. Could it be? "K-Kurosaki-san?" He turned around with his classic wide grin plastered on his face.

"Hey there, Orihime!" he exclaimed.

"Kurosaki-san, if you are here than who is at the clinic protecting the others?" she questioned.

"Don't worry, everything is taken care of. All you need to do is rest. Let daddy handle this," he said cockily. His hand went to his sheathed zanpakuto. He released his reiatsu into a large burst. Both Orihime and the arrancar flinched as his reiatsu washed over them. Neither of them could stop from trembling at the sheer ferocity of it. "Like I said when my girls are in trouble I just can't control myself." The arrancar backed away slightly. Isshin watched in amusement.

Orihime could hardly believe how powerful the senior Kurosaki was. It was still hard to believe that goofy loving Kurosaki-san possessed such a heavy reiatsu. It was on wonder Ichigo was so powerful when he still had his shinigami powers. "Kurosaki-san, I am not the only one who needs your help! Sado-kun and Ishida-kun are also in trouble! I am having a hard time feeling their reiatsu anymore I think that means…."

"Orihime, calm down," he urged in a soothing and fatherly tone. "Your injuries are going to become worse if you worry yourself. Gather your remaining reiatsu and start to heal yourself before anything else. We'll need your power to heal the others."

She shook her head. "But…."

Isshin interrupted her, "I told you before that everything is taken care of. Those guys should have reached Uryu and Chad by now."

Confusion set in on her face. "Those guys," she repeated.

Sado ran at the hulking monster. When they were about to collide with each other a streaking crimson arc came between them preventing them from meeting. Both were surprised.

"Oh that was close. If I had been a little later I may have hit both of you," said a playful and mischievous voice.

Sado and Gild turned to the direction the voice came in. The silent giant's mouth fell open. A familiar figure was strolling into the park lazily. He carried a sword in one hand, while the other hand rested on his hat.

"Sado-san, sorry I am late. But you know the hero always has to make a dramatic last second entrance, so I had to lag just a little bit so my entrance wasn't too early."

Gild looked from the newcomer to Sado. "You know this bastard?" he questioned Sado.

Sado ignored Gild and focused his attention on the man walking up to them. He should have known he would show up. "Urahara-san," he said.

"Urahara, Urahara Kisuke!" Gild exclaimed.

Kisuke blinked a few times before grinning in child-like wonder. "Oh so you know of me, Arrancar-san. I am honored." Kisuke stopped in front of the two combatants. "I'll have to take Sado-san's place. I hope you don't mind, Arrancar-san."

Gild spat at the former captain's suggestion. "Get fucking real! My fight is with Sado Yasutora not you. Stay out of it."

Kisuke shrugged his shoulders and shook his head apologetically. "I am sorry, but I can't let that happen." His playful nature was replaced with his serious demeanor. "I must insist, Arrancar-san."

Cero was done charging. Uryu bathed in yellow light gritted his teeth. The arrancar prepared to fire his Cero and end it. When he disbursed the yellow energy Uryu raised an eyebrow in disbelief. The arrancar snatched his swords up, further confusing Uryu. He jumped into the air just as a blue arrow hit the spot where the arrancar was just standing. He couldn't believe his eyes. That arrow could only belong to one man. His blue eyes searched for the archer. It took him no time to find the man. As usual he wore a light almost white gray suit. Wearing the same uncaring expression he always wore. His solid white bow rested in his outstretched right arm, still smoking an obvious sign that he had fired an arrow.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ryuken?" he half asked half spat mild interest and disgust.

Ryuken closed his eyes and scoffed. He took steps towards the much too prideful Uryu. "Even though you were beaten down and slashed up you still have the arrogance to talk to one who saved you in such a manner. It is unbecoming of you to speak rudely to your own father, Uryu."

Uryu growled at his father. "You didn't answer my question. Why the hell are you here?" he questioned again.

Ryuken scoffed at the question for a second time. "I would have thought it was obvious even to you. I am here to rescue you, because for all your talk you are still a no talent conceited brat who apparently still need his father to save him," he mocked. This earned him his son's ire. He ignored Uryu and continued his path to the arrancar.

Joaquin narrowed his eyes at the odd pair. _'Another Quincy,' _he thought.

Ryuken turned his attention to the arrancar. "It seems you have some skill. In order to sense me while I was suppressing my reiatsu and move quickly enough to evade my arrow is mildly impressive. That is more than my no talent son who was unable to sense my presence at all." Uryu shot a spiteful glare at his father. "If you had been unaware my arrow would have gone pierced your head and killed you." A blue arrow materialized right on top of the white bow.

"What? He formed that arrow without having to pull his bowstring back?" How different were the two Quinces?

Ryuken continued, "The next arrow I fire will pierce your head."

Evidently the son took after the father. The tone of the new Quincy was cold and unforgiving. His eyes were just as icy if not more so than his son's. The real difference he could distinguish between them was that the white haired man's reiatsu was on another level from the young raven haired man's and he wasn't entirely sure the elder Quincy was still holding back more reiatsu. Two people appeared in the areas Gild and Salvador were in. The mission was officially over. They were meant to assess the humans' abilities not start a war. Now the only concern was how to retreat. He doubted he could just open a Garganta to escape this time. In a twisted fate of coincidence a rip in the night sky opened up. Three sets of eyes shot up to it. Ryuken and Uryu scowled at the black pits opening, while Joaquin could only smile. A golden beam of light came crashing down on the arrancar.

'_It seems we exceeded Senpai's time limit. I supposed this is a stroke of good fortune,' _he thought. Joaquin was sucked up into the sky completely out of harm's way.

The golden light ensnared Calputto and Gild. The smiling Calputto bowed before Isshin and Orihime. "It seems my time is not my own this night. Farewell, Shinigami-san. Farewell to you too, Orihime-chan. We will meet again." Isshin scowled the same manner his son did. He berated himself for not finishing that bastard right away.

Gild was outraged at his "rescue." "What the hell? NO, NO, NO! SILVA YOU BITCH! DON'T CALL ME BACK YET! I NEED TO FINISH MY BATTLE! DO YOU HEAR ME, SILVA! SILVA!' he hollered at the top of his lungs. Realizing it was no use Gild turned to his opponent. "This isn't over yet! Next time you and I are going to settle things all out with nobody interfering. Do you hear me Sado Yasutora? Our battle ain't finished!"

Sado and Urahara were silent. They merely watched as the overgrown arrancar was sucked up into Garganta and watched the tear in space repair itself. The dark brown haired giant fell to his knees. His white armor dissipated. Urahara went to his aid.

"Take it easy, Sado-san. You have internal injuries in addition to the external ones you suffered." Kisuke helped lift Sado to his feet.

"I am fine. I am just a little worn out," he tried to reassure to the shopkeeper. Urahara did not appear to share his sentiments.

"We'll get you to Inoue-san. She will heal you. Until then it is important you not go to sleep. You might have a concussion." The pair started their trek to the kind hearted healer. The former captain was plagued by many questions, the foremost being just what exactly their enemies' true intentions. He assumed it had something to do with Kurosaki-san, but this went much deeper than him. The attack on Sado-san, Inoue-san, and Ishida-san was evidence of that. They left as soon as he, Ryuken, and Isshin joined the fight. What was it that they were missing? Obviously their interest lied in Karakura Town, but what was it? They didn't have enough forces to try and revive Aizen's plan. The next thing that came to mind was the Spirit Keystone. Could it have anything to do with the enemy's objective? This called for a closer look into the matter.

* * *

Orihime had finished healing her wounds. No longer tired the young woman felt like a bundle of energy again. The best part was even her clothing had restored to their condition before the battle started. This was her favorite jacket too. Thank goodness it wasn't ruined.

"Orihime," Isshin called bringing her out of her head. "Are you feeling alright?"

She vigorously nodded her head. "I am 100% all better now, Kurosaki-san!" To prove her point she jogged around him then jumped. Her clumsiness kicked in and she tripped, fell right on her face. "Owwww!" she whined. A drop of sweat formed behind Isshin's head. His son's girlfriend was an odd one indeed. She nursed her cheek as she got back to her feet. "See I am perfectly ok, Kurosaki-san!" she said excitedly.

Isshin nodded along with her. "I see. You know Orihime you don't have to call me Kurosaki-san."

"Hmm," she responded.

"You can call me Isshin or if you want and I am not really pushing this or anything, papa!"

"Eh, papa?" she repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, papa or you can call me daddy or dad. You know any of those things will do. You are practically my daughter anyway. I mean you and Ichigo are pretty serious anyway right? He gave you Masaki's necklace after all. It really isn't overstepping any boundaries by calling me papa!"

The healer stared at the shinigami oddly. He was just chattering away about how she would make a great daughter and how Masaki loved her and some other sweet yet totally goofy things that were just so Isshin. "I am not sure how Kurosaki-kun would feel about me calling you papa."

At this Isshin frowned. "Don't you worry about Ichigo. If he has a problem I'll just beat him until he likes it."

Laughing nervously at the elder Kurosaki's actions Orihime rubbed the back of her head. "Isshin-san, you are so funny."

Noticing that she dropped his surname in favor of his given the shinigami let out a mighty wolfish laugh. He pulled Orihime into a bear hug that caused the goddess to turn blue in the face. "You called me Isshin-san! We are making progress! Soon you will be calling me papa. You are the best daughter a man could ask for. I can't wait to tell Masaki about this. Oh dear our newest daughter is so kind!"

"I-Isshin-san, I….can't breathe," she croaked out. He finally let her go. Her lungs did not need to be deprived of more air. She inhaled as much air as she could.

"Orihime." The humor was gone from his tone. That sent chill down her spine. Orihime rarely heard Isshin when he was serious. "Please don't tell Ichigo anything that went on here tonight."

"You want me to keep this from Kurosaki-kun? Urahara-san already asked me to do that. I am not sure if I should keep this from him though. Isshin-san, I don't want to keep secrets from him," she said truthfully.

The black haired man found the ground very interesting suddenly. "I know it is a lot to ask of you, but there is no reason for Ichigo to know. His shinigami powers are gone. He is unable to help us. If he knew what was going on he would do something rash. He'll definitely want to protect you. For the time being it is just better to keep him ignorant on the current situation." He put a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up he gave her a sincere small smile. "I am sorry for asking this of you."

"He would do something reckless like always," Orihime spoke. "I want to protect Kurosaki-kun as well, even from himself," she repeated her earlier words. "The truth is I don't think I would have told him about tonight even if you didn't say anything. Kurosaki-kun is reckless he would try to fight even with his bare hands. Without his powers he would get himself killed, but I don't want to lie to him either. I won't mention anything, but if asks me directly I won't lie to him."

"I understand. My idiot son is lucky to have someone like you in his life." His smile widened. She returned it. _'That arrancar worries me. He wasn't like those other three. Their objective was to battle with Ichigo's friends, but he wanted Orihime. Do they have their own individual objectives? If so what is his interest in Orihime? They are more organized than we gave them credit for. Aizen has fallen, but they haven't fallen into complete shambles as we assumed they would. It feels like the calm before the storm.'_

* * *

**Sorry for any mistakes you see. I am tired and I've been falling asleep trying to re-read this. That ends the fights for now. I'll answer what happened with Orihime's power and why it was overflowing. Her powers strengthen with intent and conviction. I made her desire to protect Ichigo and intentions to win that it made her power grow. It was just something I thought of. I put it in here. I'll probably be a few more chapters before the Privaron Espada return. The next chapters will involve Ichigo and Orihime's relationship, the focus of the story. Yes, I mad for putting it in the backseat for five chapters. :D Or not and people didn't mind reading five chapters of fighting. Hey figure if you are Bleach fan you enjoy a fight every now and again. I am trying to balance out fighting along with the other aspects of the story. If people aren't particular thrilled with reading long ass chapter dedicated to fights it won't be a regular occurrence. But keep in mind I am using the Privaron Espada as stepping stones to help Uryu and the others improve to follow their training during the 17 months. **

**To give you bit of preview for the next chapter since I've been M.I.A. for two weeks Ichigo notices his father is acting suspicious and begins to wonder if something is going on. On top of that he contemplates if he should keep his job or not after the kiss incident in order to put Orihime at ease. After harsh battles with Privaron Espada, Uryu, Chad, and Orihime start their training again to prepare for their return. **

**See you guys next time. I hope you enjoy the chapter. **


	34. A Love By Any Other Name

**The latest installment is here. Sorry for the wait, but I'm behind on a lot of other stuff. I am playing catch up with other stories in addition to this one. Two weeks isn't so bad for an update at least to me. I want to thank everyone for the reviews. I surprised you guys not only liked the fights, but were a bit sad they were over for now. I was worried people were starting to read it and think OMG aren't these fights over yet. Fan reaction was not very good when the fights in FKT arc dragged on message boards if my memory is serving me well. I was pleasantly surprised with the positive reaction I received. There will be more fights in the future. At the moment I cannot tell you exactly when that happens. I have planned it out in detail yet.**

**N.N.T.L: I am still trying to figure out the Uryu and Tatsuki deal. Right now I am playing with the idea, but haven't made any decisions yet. As for Histugaya entering the story at the moment I would say no. I have nothing against the character, but I am not sure if I want captains to get involved. The captains already took down the Espada in canon, so the weaker Privaron Espada probably wouldn't pose much of a challenge to them. One of the reasons I chose to expand on the Privaron Espada idea is because they were powerful enough to give Ichigo's friends some trouble, but they weren't so strong that they could only be defeated by the captains. Don't worry the leader of the Privaron is not stronger than Isshin. Isshin was stronger than Aizen lol. If I had one of his men be that strong it throws the entire thing out of whack. **

**Nypsy: Don't worry Ryuken didn't cut things close on purpose. He got there as fast as he could. If things aren't close then there is no suspense. **

**People keep asking me if Ichigo will regain his power. I have finally decided on what I am going to do. The answer is at the end of this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All of the characters belong to Tite Kubo, expect for my own original characters.**

* * *

Something was wrong. He knew something was up the moment he woke up. First of all his loud mouth annoying father did not kick his door in and jump at him with the glee and actions of unbalanced and possibly deranged man. He woke up thanks to loud ring of his alarm clock for a change. He thought his father wasn't feeling well, but when he went down stairs he saw his father was drinking his morning coffee. The dark haired middle-aged man wore an earnest solemn mask. He had seen this face a few times in his life-time. The first time was the day of his mother's funeral. The other times were on the anniversary of her death. Ichigo disliked seeing that expression on his father's face. His father was known for being excessively happy, energetic much to his and Karin's dismay. He would boast to all of them about how awesome of a father he was. No matter what mood any of them were in his wide smile and lively eyes always sparked with the same love of life. He tried his best to get his children to feel that same way even if they were not always appreciative of it. This gloomy scowl he wore now was not like Kurosaki Isshin at all. It was not his father. But then again how much did he really know about his father?

He never had an inkling that the man who had raised him his entire life was in reality a shinigami. Despite six months passing since the final battle with Aizen he still was no closer to learning of his father's former life. There was more to it than he originally thought. Rukia never showed any signs of recognizing the name Kurosaki at all during her stays in the Human World. In fact she seemed to be surprised that Ichigo had as much spiritual power as he did when they first met. Ukitake gave him his Substitute Badge to make him an official substitute shinigami when they left the Soul Society. Surely he would have mentioned something about a shinigami that held the name Kurosaki. Shouldn't someone in the Soul Society have recognized his name and asked if he was related to Isshin? Hell when he told Ikkaku that Urahara trained him the guy was in awe, revealing his master was indeed a noteworthy shinigami in the Gotei 13. Why was his father not held in the same regard? Why did none of them seem to recognize the Kurosaki name? He had seen his father battle and felt his monstrous reiatsu that dwarfed his own before his training in Dangai. He overpowered Aizen something none of the current captains except for Yamamoto could do. If his father was that powerful he had to be well known. Yet, all the shinigami he met, Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, Ukitake, Toshiro, Rangiku, Kenpachi, or Ikkaku seemed to not know the name Kurosaki. Who exactly was the shinigami known as Kurosaki Isshin?

What did his father possibly do in the Soul Society that warranted his very existence being unknown by so many? The only two people who knew anything about the senior Kurosaki were Urahara and Aizen. Ichigo was not surprised that they knew of him. Both men had their hands in everything. They made it a business to discover the secrets of everyone around them and put them away to use later. Ichigo never questioned him no matter how badly he yearned to know. He was still set on following his original intent and wait for his father to tell him the story. Despite Ichigo and his father's disputes (both verbal and physical) he never once doubted in his entire life that his father had the best intentions for him and his sisters. If his father felt it was necessary to keep his former life as a shinigami unknown then he had a reason for it. It sounded nice to say, but when he stared at his father wearing that mask of solitude he couldn't help wondering if this was the expression often worn by Kurosaki Isshin the shinigami or Kurosaki Isshin the man.

Finally his father took notice to his presence. Within the blink of an eye the deadly serious gloom mask was broken and replaced by his usual energetic joyous expression. He greeted Ichigo not with a punch or kick as usual, but with pat on the shoulder. Damn his father was easy to read when he was worried about something. Why didn't he speak up and demand answers? Ichigo knew the reason why. It didn't concern him, right. He was a human not a shinigami. He had no more place in their world or their problems than Keigo or Mizuiro did. Ichigo watched helplessly as his father walked out of the room with his shoulders weighed down by unknown worries. Even his father's pep was robbed from him. With no more reason to remain in the living room Ichigo returned upstairs, took a shower (managing to beat Karin or Yuzu for once) and got dressed. When he went down stairs again he heard the voice of his father. The middle-aged man was talking to someone. Curious Ichigo crept his way down. In an ironic twist his lack of reiatsu helped him conceal him. Isshin was on the phone. His father mentioned something about an incident that happened the previous night. Apparently he had come in on the tell end of the conversation because his father muttered something about keeping watch and hung up the phone. The dark haired man said nothing about the conversation during breakfast. When Orihime came over he returned to his old usual jubilant annoying self. The deception was flawless. Karin, Yuzu, and Orihime had no idea that their father was concealing something from them. Hell he wouldn't even know if he hadn't heard the secret phone conversation.

Isshin oversaw their departure to school making the same idiotic gestures and giving them bear hugs or in Ichigo's case a sneak attack. Naturally he responded with a classic kick to the rips. He made the usual "well done my son" comment and closed the door on them as they left. He couldn't help, but notice just how quickly his father had hurried them out. Did that mean his father was going to see whoever was on the other end of the phone? A part of him wanted to go back to the clinic to observe his father. The larger more responsible part of him scolded him on invading his father's privacy when he hated when his own privacy was invaded. There was also the fact that he had school to attend. The term was nearing its ends in two short weeks. He had to worry about finals. If he wanted to move on to junior year with the rest of his friends he could not afford for any distractions. He was no longer a shinigami, so whatever his father was involved in no longer concerned him. Ichigo just needed to worry about his normal life. That's what he told himself, but this gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach kept him from dropping it. The hairs on the back of neck were standing up and that was usually a bad omen. For the past six months everything felt so clear, peaceful, and so normal. Life had returned to the way it was before he met Rukia and became a shinigami, with a few exceptions. However, now there was this heavy ominous cloud setting in on him. The rays of normality were blanketed out. His very soul pulsed as if to warn him of a coming storm. This was the same feeling he had when he met Hirako and the arrancar started to show up. Was that it? Was another battle approaching them? Was his father working to prevent that battle from taking place in Karakura Town? If that was the case he should be doing something. There was no way he could be sitting by and do nothing. This could affect all of them, Yuzu, Karin, Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki, Chad, Ishida, and…

"Kurosaki-kun," called out a small worried filled voice.

He shook his head slightly before looking to his right. A beautiful angelic face ravaged by apprehension was staring right at him. The doe like hazel eyes swelled with concern and fear. The plush pink lips had fallen into a frown. His lips curved upside in their own frown at this sight. She did not look right at all when she frowned. It was too much of a departure from his Inoue. They had been walking to school, but they were stopped now. The ex-substitute pondered when he actually stopped moving. The healer continued to stare at him with that sorrowful expression, silently asking him what was wrong. Instinct told him to protect her. There was no need to worry Inoue with any of this when he had no evidence as to what his father was doing. Besides he was causing her worry enough with the worrisome expression he was no doubt wearing. He shoved down the questions and concerns about his father into the deepest pits of his mind. He mustered his best happy, no worries smile. "What's with that look?" he asked.

Orihime still wearing her apprehension on her face narrowed her eyes. It was her way of trying to discern something that was hidden within that smile Kurosaki-kun wore. That smile that was much too happy, that fake smile she despised so much. The chocolate eyes that she adored were murky with insincere joy. The mirthful aura he gave off was forced at best. He was hiding something from her. "You look really tense about something," she explained. She cleared her throat. "Is there something on your mind?" she asked timidly.

Ichigo closed his eyelids and widened his smile. He looked like he had no care in the world. It was a striking contrast from the usual scowling or intense serious expression the carrot top man was known for. "I am just thinking about finals. I am still a little worried about them."

He was lying through his teeth. She could easily see through him. Orihime felt a miffed. He was lying to her. He promised her that he would let her in more. Why was it that he had trouble letting her in? All she wanted to do was comfort him and ease his worries. What made it worse was that he tried to play it off with that false smile that she hated so much. She folded her arms. "If you don't want to talk about it I'll leave you be, but please don't use that fake smile. I truly despise it," she said truthfully. Kurosaki-kun did not wish to speak about what was bothering him than it would do no good to badger him about it, not yet at least. He would eventually open up to her. She would trust he would do that like he did in the past. Orihime could bear to wait for him to come to her, but she would not tolerate that smile.

Surprised by her statement Ichigo opened his mouth slightly. She had seen through his act. Was he that transparent or did she just know him so well she could tell when he was hiding something from her? The young woman started walking away. Stunned Ichigo stood there for a moment before he followed her. He was in trouble. She did not like when he kept things from her. When he lied to her she would frown at him with a glare of disapproval that could only be compared to the one a mother wore with her child. He was an idiot. The day right after White Day and he evoked the ire within his Hime. It was no use grumbling about it. He was going to have to ask forgiveness and hope for the best. "Inoue, I…."

"I am not angry," she interrupted. She heard his small gasp of surprise. She turned around and flashed him her sun inducing smile complete with her loving gleam.

"Wait you aren't angry, but why?" he asked dumbly.

"Yesterday was one of the best days of my entire life! I got to eat ice cream and go to the parlor with my boyfriend! He gave me an amazing and sweet gift and even took me out to a fancy restaurant to show me how much he cherishes me!" Orihime put her hands on her hip and spun around. Universe seeing an opening to play a trick on her caused her to lose her balance and fall on her butt.

"Inoue!" called a fearful Ichigo. He tended to her with the swiftness of a cheetah. He helped her back to her feet, while Orihime rubbed her poor aching backside. "Are you alright?"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," she sang. She continued to nurse her bottom. "I am fine. It is just my butt hurts, but it will pass."

He sighed in exhaust. What was he going to do with her? "You are way too clumsy. Inoue, you need to be more careful," he lectured. His protective nature engulfed him.

Rubbing the back of her head Orihime let out a small embarrassed laugh. "You are right." The bashfulness abandoned her. Orihime straightened her face. She met his dark brown orbs. Immediately Ichigo matched her expression. "While I am not angry it still frustrates me that you are keeping something from me. I want to ask you what it is or why you feel the need to keep it from me, but I understand why you feel the need to do it." She had no right to tell him to be honest or open with her when she was keeping the arrancar attack from last night from him. Perhaps it was that secret that made Orihime appreciate that Ichigo's reasoning for remaining silent had merit. She wanted to keep him safe and he no doubt wanted to do the same for her. She would trust his judgment. Her Kurosaki-kun always had her best intentions in mind, even if his actions were not always correct. "Kurosaki-kun, I know you will tell me when you are ready and feel the need to do so. Until you do I'll just wait."

Her words echoed. Ichigo was taken to the time he heard Rukia recite the same message to him with similar words and how he told his father that he would wait for the older man to confide in him. Life was a cruel unforgiving bitch. He was dwelling on how his father still had not shared his secret with him and now Inoue was doing the same with him. He felt like an ass. He wanted to tell her, but how could he? Ichigo did not want Orihime to get involved in whatever his father was plotting. She had been through enough with Aizen. Knowing her she would try to aid in any way she could. She had no place in the battlefield. Not because she was weak, but because her pure and innocent soul should not have to be dirtied with the cruelty, unforgiving, and harshness of battles. The thought of Inoue in tears as she was when he battled Ulquiorra was something he never wanted to see again. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. Things are complicated." The frown returned to his lips. He was such a hypocrite. He wanted his father to tell him what was going on, but kept Inoue in the dark.

The red-orange haired woman gave him a smile small. "I understand. I'll respect your decision, so I won't ask again until you tell me."

When his sights fell upon the round doe like spheres he found understanding. She wasn't entirely fine with his choice to withhold this from her, but she would not pester him to tell her either. This woman seemed to truly understand him. She didn't wish to change him, but accepted him for who he was. A weak chuckle escaped his lips and he smiled. "I must have really stored some credit up yesterday for you to give me a pass like this," he joked.

Her smile widened to its giddy form. "You definitely stored up credit!" She wrapped an arm around his and nudged him forward to his amusement. The healer surveyed the area quickly. No one from their school appeared to be around, only people heading to work or teenagers from other schools were up and about. Assured that they were safe Orihime rested her head on his shoulder. The minute they spotted a Karakura High student she would stop like she always did. But did she have to? Yesterday her relationship with Ichigo had been exposed to their class and was most likely known to their entire school by now. The two orange haired teens were now a public couple. The giddy smile emerged from her pink lips once more. They didn't have to hide anymore. They could be open! Hand holding and public displays of affection! Well perhaps not public displays of affection. The incident with Tatsuki was still fresh in her mind. Orihime did not wish to welcome that teasing on a daily basis. Hand holding would be enough. "Um, Kurosaki-kun," she summoned.

Ichigo turned to her. "Yeah, what is it?" She cleared her throat then took a deep breath. Confusion set in. He watched her with perplexity. What could get her so worked up? Ok there were a number of things, asking him out on a date could be one. It still amazed him how she would get so flustered whenever she was the one to pose the date question. She was embarrassed to ask him to do something for her or ask him to do something he found embarrassing like modeling for her for a sweater she was sewing. No matter how much he cherished her there was no way in hell was he going to model for her in the Crafts Club. Ishida was in it and if he saw him wearing some pink flowery or sunshine creation it would be forever held against him. The thought of it made his eyebrows twitch in annoyance.

Orihime continued, "Since we are um exposed as a couple I was wondering…."

"Yes, go on," he encouraged. He was genuinely intrigued by her question. Last night they had not made any mention on how their newly public relationship would affect them.

She kept her head on his shoulder, but wrinkled her nose as if it would help her to find her words and courage. "Well you see….I was just wondering since um….we are basically known as a couple at school if that meant we could….um you know hold hands and stuff at school. I mean we do that already, but we keep holding hands when we walk through the school gate. If that is alright with you of course!" she hastily spat out the last part.

Ichigo shook his head. "You worry about the littlest things," he declared drawing her attention. "Of course we can hold hands. If you want you can even stay like this. I have no problems with that." She threw her arms around him, bringing him into a very strong bear hug. His cheeks flared into a violent red.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!" she exclaimed. She brushed her cheek against his chest. Orihime didn't realize her own strength. She failed to notice that Ichigo squirm in her grasp. To say that she was happy would be a gross understatement. Orihime was ecstatic at her boyfriend.

"Inoue….can you let go of me….right now!" he urged in a mix of embarrassment and discomfort. The young woman was stronger than he realized. Her hugs could be a lethal weapon. Finally she loosened her grip and allowed him to breakaway. "Man you have a tight grip." He rubbed his arms to sooth the stinging shooting them.

She gave him an apologetic expression, while rubbing the back of her head. "I am sorry. I guess I am stronger than I realize." She laughed nervously.

The stinging subsided in his arms. The pair continued their journey to their school. Orihime had opted to hold his hand rather than rest her head on his shoulder. True to his word Ichigo did not break their hold even when more schoolmates started to appear. There was one group of friends or two that gawked at them, but he found himself not caring in the slightest. He found pleasure in holding Inoue's smaller hand, feeling her slender fingers curled around his knuckles. The warmth produced by her hand brushed against the skin of his hand, putting him at ease. The worry of his father and the secret operation he was working on was becoming forgotten. Being in Orihime's presence gave him a much needed solace.

"Are you going to wear the necklace over your shirt now that we are public?" he asked. When Inoue had come to the clinic in the morning she was wearing the crescent moon shaped necklace proudly over her uniform. Yuzu got all excited that was expected, but when even Karin took an interest (albeit a minimum one) Ichigo had choked on his breakfast. His father had gotten interested enough to weep. He went to the giant sized picture of his mother, dragging Inoue over there, and spouted out some non-sense about how he had become a man. He went on to mention how Inoue was officially their fourth daughter (the third being Rukia of course). God bless Orihime because she indulged his father and even started a conversation with the picture of his mother. She fit in with his bizarre family.

"I don't think so," she answered. "Please don't be upset. I love it, but I am afraid if I wear it out in the open at school that someone might try to take it."

He didn't need convincing. Despite being a strict rule against stealing there was a surprising string of thefts going on. Ishida was bitching about it one time during lunch and how the student council was working hard to put a stop to it. Ichigo agreed with Inoue's decision full heartedly. If her necklace was stolen he would turn that entire school upside to find it. It belonged to two women that held great importance in his life and he would unleash unrelenting, agonizing, brutal pain on the thief. "You don't have to convince me. I would say keep it hidden at school at all times; at least until all the stealing business is sorted out."

"Well I did want to show it to Tatsuki-chan at lunch."

Figures she would want to show Tatsuki. They were best friends. He understood her need to divulge her feelings and going ons in her life to the black belt. It wasn't a practice he did often with his own friends, but he understood it. "It is fine, but just make sure you show it to her when you two are alone. It is not worth a whole lot, but it might still catch someone's eye," he warned.

"Ai, I'll be extra, extra careful," she said in her serious playful voice. This brought another smile to his face. "This is my precious gift." Her hand went to the sliver band around her neck. "It contains the love of Kurosaki-kun and Masaki-san as well. This is a mother's love. I can't help, but feel she is watching over me right. That probably seems silly to you, especially since I haven't met her."

"No, it doesn't seem silly at all." He squeezed her hand lovingly. "I think mom is watching over you to," he said quietly.

Feeling heat rising in her chest Orihime decided to change the subject. "Did you want to study at my apartment today after school?"

Ichigo nodded. "That sounds good. Hey, I can't do it afterschool today. I have to go into work an hour after school ends. After I get off I'll head to your place." He felt her body become rigid. He turned his head and saw that her face had become colorless.

"Y-You are going to work today," Orihime said slowly. It didn't sound like she was talking to him, but rather she was talking to herself. "You had yesterday off, but you have to go back to work today."

Even he understood where the goddess of Karakura High was going. It had been two days since Masaoka had kissed him. He told Orihime as soon as it happened. After she told him that their relationship was not ruined and how his honesty had strengthened it Ichigo had not thought about it. However, now he could see that was perhaps a mistake. She made no mention of it that he just assumed everything was ok. Judging by the less than thrilled expression Inoue was wearing that his assumption was very misplaced. "Inoue, do you not want me to go to work?" There was no need to be subtle. Not in this situation. The kiss incident was something he wanted to put behind.

Orihime laughed rather awkwardly. This did little to ease Ichigo. "What? How could you ask such a silly thing? Of course I don't want you to miss work."

Doubt was thrown at her by the former vizard's disbelieving glare. "If you are bothered by it you know you can tell me, right?" They took a big step forward yesterday. He would hate for them to take two steps back.

Orihime shook her head. "No, no, I mean it does feel funny because Masaoka-chan kissed you and she'll be there, but I trust you. You told me that she kissed you as soon as you could. I have nothing to worry about. Why should I want you to not go to work?"

He could recognize that her tone had risen just a little. Her smile was strained at best. Even the joyful gleam in her hazel eyes had faded. Obviously Inoue had a problem with his attending work with Masaoka there. She just did not want to tell him because this was his job. "Masaoka feels bad you know. She wanted to apologize to you. She even offered to come with me that night, but I thought it would be better if I did it alone."

That was the wise choice. If she saw Masaoka that night after he told her about the kiss she might have closed the door on them. "Oh really," she stated. Why did her voice sound all weird? For that matter why did she feel bothered by the fact that Ichigo was going to his job? Masaoka had kissed him two days ago, but that was it. He didn't even enjoy it. She assumed he didn't. No, she wasn't going to start freaking out over something like that. Her beloved Kurosaki-kun was very honest. She had nothing to worry about with him being there with Masaoka for hours… Why couldn't she just let this go? There was no reason to be jealous at all. Yesterday they had spent the entire day together, went for ice cream, went to dinner, and even snuggled on her couch. He spent White Day with her not Masaoka. According to Kurosaki-kun she felt bad. There was nothing to worry about. These feelings of distressing emotions would pass. "Really there is no need to feel concerned, Kurosaki-kun. I trust you and Masaoka-chan feels bad too. I do feel bothered a little, but it will pass. I have faith in our bond." She squeezed his hand gently before flashing him with her personal smile for him to assure him things between them were good. "This is your job. I'll get over this fast since you'll be over there a lot."

How come her words did not match what she was feeling? Ichigo could hear the distress with every word she said. No matter how she tried to mask it from both herself and from him the fact was she felt uneasy about him going to his job today. Instead of telling him that she would be more comfortable if he didn't go in today she told him to go and not worry about her. For Inoue there was a battle going on within, a battle involving reason and emotion. She seemed to be champion reason which told her that he could be trusted and how strong their bond was that it could endure Masaoka's kiss. Ichigo was not a fool. No matter how much Inoue wanted to be she was not fine with him going back to work with Masaoka so soon. He could understand because if their positions were reversed he would not be fine with Inoue going to a place where she would spend hours with a guy that kissed her. Could he expect Inoue to endure such an awkward situation? Should he call in sick? Should he keep the job at all? He had offered to quit his job before when she revealed she was bothered by how Masaoka was over him on his first day, but she insisted he keep it. The circumstances were quite different now. Inoue had to recognize that as well.

"I'll call in and tell them I can't make it," he finally said breaking the unsettling silence that fallen on them. The red-orange haired woman did not seem to find relief. On the contrary she seemed to be more anxious.

"But if you do that you could get in trouble. What if they fire you?"

"If they fire me then they fire," he said nonchalantly.

"Please don't do this for me. I am fine with it. Really I am. You need this job. I don't want to be the reason you lose it."

"Inoue…."

"Kurosaki-kun, I am fine. I understand that this is your job. I really do trust you and our bond. I am not just saying it. I won't be mad or upset with you for going to your job. I am not going to be some insecure girl who needs you to do things for her all the time. I don't want to be that person anymore. I just want you to be happy."

She was so stubborn. It wasn't a matter of being insecure or not. It was an emotion that she couldn't help, but feel. He loved that she was trying to look out for him. Didn't she understand that he it went both ways? If she wanted him to be happy then he wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to not feel uneasy.

"Go in today. Promise me you'll do that, please," she pleaded.

He groaned. She was giving him that lost puppy look. She knew he couldn't deny her when she used that face on him.

"Kurosaki-kun, please do this for me." Her tone was almost like hypnotic melody. Inoue was a siren enchanting him to follow her will. Damn it all to hell if it wasn't working.

"Ha," he sighed in frustration. "Alright you win. I'll go in today." Oddly enough this brought the elated smile that he cherished so much.

"Oh thank you, Kurosaki-kun! I promise I will be fine when you get off. It will feel really weird at first, but you'll see we will get past it!"

The cynic in him told him not to hold his breath. Inoue was fooling herself if she thought it would be a simple matter of turning off her emotions. Not wishing to argue about it anymore at the moment he let it go. The rest of their walk was not only peaceful, but enjoyable. Aside from the occasional gasp or whisper from someone nobody they ran into made a big deal about their holding hands. Karakura High had accepted that "bleached haired punk" Kurosaki Ichigo was dating the goddess of Karakura High Inoue Orihime. The pairing made no sense to them and they no doubt thought Hime could do much better than him. Ichigo couldn't care less. His only concern was that Inoue thought he deserved her. That was good enough for him. That was not entirely true. Inoue may have been willing to put him above her, but he wasn't. He planned on protecting her from herself.

* * *

The school day had ended a testimony to this the students of Karakura High combined their shouts of joy. It was unfortunate that it was tainted by the extra work load their teachers had set for them to prepare them for finals. Many went straight to the library to begin their torture, others shuffled off to their clubs and teams and the remaining ones either went home or to their afterschool jobs. Uryu did not fit into any of those categories. He stood on top of the school roof, watching his schoolmates rushing away from the building. Normally he would be at a student council meeting, but he called it off under the guise that they could use the time to study for finals. Once he mentioned that he found little resistance from his fellow council members. Their fears of finals had consumed them. Everyone seemed to be concerned about failing. He wasn't of course, but not every student studied as thoroughly as he did. If he was truthful with himself he would acknowledge his hollow exterminating was starting to affect his study habits. He may have to see Urahara-san about taking some time off next week. Immediately he dismissed that idea. Leaving Kurumadani to deal with hollows on his own was just asking for trouble.

He could see that smiling afro idiot now as he tried to keep up with all the hollows as they came to Karakura Town. That guy was way too slow for his own good. "Ha," sighed the exhausted Quincy. He would just have to juggle the hollow extermination with his studying. The good thing was with finals afterschool activities would be put on hold for studying. He would worry about finals later. Right now he was waiting for Sado-kun and Inoue-san to appear. After the battles from the previous night had ended they met up along with Urahara-san, Kurosaki's father, and his own to discuss the threat the Privaron Espada.

_Start of Flashback_

"_Ishida-kun!" cried a very upset Orihime. She frantically ran over to him as fast as her legs could carry her. Isshin in his full shinigami attire stood in place and watched as his potential daughter rushed over to the fallen Quincy. Beside him was the familiar faces of the former 12__th__ division captain, Urahara Kisuke and the hollow powered him, Sado Yasutora. Sado-kun looked to be in perfect condition. He must have already been healed by their healer. Ryuken stood some distance away from him smoking on one of his disgusting cigarettes. She came up to him. Her hands went over her mouth. She gasped indicating that his injuries were as bad as they felt. _

_To put her at ease he mustered up a small reassuring smile. "It is not as bad as it looks I am sure, Inoue-san." That was a bold faced lie and they both knew it. However, he still said so as not to have her worry over him. She had fought her own difficult battle. "Inoue-san, how do you feel? You aren't injured are you?"_

_She shook her head no. "I am alright. Isshin-san saved me."_

_The battle weary raven haired man stole a glance at the elder Kurosaki. Isshin had his arms crossed in a relaxed demeanor. It still shook Uryu to know that Kurosaki's father was such a powerful shinigami and that he hadn't sensed it at all. "I see. I am glad you are uninjured." He heard snort of contempt. Both he and Inoue-san turned to their right to see his father standing. He had put out the cigarette. A spiteful frown materialized on Uryu's face._

"_You shouldn't concern yourself with her. It is obvious just by looking at the two of you that you are the one who is seriously wounded. She on the other hand does not have scratch on her," Ryuken stated._

_Uryu growled unaware that he startled Orihime. "I have to make sure Inoue-san is safe. Her wellbeing is more important than my own. That is something someone like you wouldn't understand."_

_Ryuken chuckled to his son's ire. "Such words are for someone who is strong enough to defend themselves. As it is you were defeated by the enemy easily. Your allies on the other hand forced their opponents to take them seriously. Did you not sense that the arrancar that they fought had released their zanpakuto unlike the one you battled?" he asked mockingly. His condescending smirk formed. "As always you talk too big and show little for it; so worried about this woman that you did not even realize that she won her battle. Perhaps the one who does not understand her is you?"_

_He clenched his hand into a fist. Uryu's rage was boiling. Where did that man get off in lecturing him? He understood Inoue-san more than he ever would. Of that he was certain. He opened his mouth to tell him just that when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. It was Inoue she was holding him in front of all of them. His face became very red. Ryuken's smirk widened. "I-Inoue-san," he stuttered out._

"_Ishida-kun, please don't agitate yourself. It will only make your injuries worse," she pleaded. _

_Still very red and not desiring to upset Inoue-san anymore the Quincy gave her a nod of agreement. She let go of him. Instantly a golden dome was encased around him. The sharp pain throbbing all over his body was lessening. The golden rays of the sun themselves felt as though they had been transferred straight into his body, rejuvenating him._

_Ryuken observed the young woman heal his son with mild interest. He had heard of her abilities, but this was the first time he had seen them. At first glance it appeared to be like shinigami Kido, but it wasn't accelerating Uryu's healing process as Kido did. It was actually undoing the wounds altogether. It was fascinating event. "How long does it usually take for you to heal?" he questioned genuinely intrigued. She tore her gaze away from his son and gave it to him. He could see that she nervous. Considering she had never met him before it was understandable._

"_It depends on how serious the wounds are and how thick and powerful the reiatsu left in wounds are. I can typically heal serious wounds quickly, but if the remnant of the reiatsu left over is very thick or powerful it can take me up to five to fifteen minutes."_

_Ryuken acknowledged her with a nonchalant nod of the head. "I see."_

_Orihime couldn't shake this familiar aura she picked up from this man. He knew Ishida-kun judging by the way they talked to one another. It was also obvious that they did not get along well. She wanted to ask the elder man what his relationship to Ishida-kun was, but did not want to be rude. Her question would be answered without her having to word._

"_Yo, Ishida!" called out Isshin. He had walked up to them. His lips had widened into a huge teeth revealing grin. At first Orihime thought he was referring to Ishida-kun, but he walked right past them and stopped right in front of the white gray suit wearing man. The glasses cladded man rolled his eyes before sighing._

_Isshin continued to grin proudly. "I see you made it after all! I was wondering if you would show up or not!" He patted the shorter man on the shoulder roughly. "There isn't much that will get you out that hospital of yours and jump into action!" He gave another rough pat._

"_I had no choice. The shinigami in charge of this town is so incompetent that he cannot properly protect this town. I had no choice, but to get involved," Ryuken said coolly. _

_Isshin let out a hearty laugh. He patted the man identified as Ishida on the shoulder a third time. "You haven't changed one bit, Ishida."_

"_You are one to talk, Kurosaki. I am more surprised you are here. As usual you were much too rowdy. I could feel your coarse reiatsu overflowing from here despite the distance. Exposing the inhabitants of this town with even more spiritual power after your son had already done that. I suppose he inherited that quality from you."_

_The dark haired shinigami pouted. "Don't lump me in the same boat as Ichigo. I was never as clumsy as that kid was."_

_The white haired man scoffed. "Your memory is faltering, Kurosaki," he mused._

"_You are the one who is getting senile, Ishida." _

_As the two middle aged men started to bicker Orihime couldn't help, but be reminded of Ichigo and Uryu's arguments. It was unsettling at how similar these two behaved. That is when it hit her. This man was named Ishida. Did that mean…. "You are Ishida-kun's father!" she cried._

_The two men stopped their bickering and turned to the healer. They gave her odd looks that made her shrink from embarrassment at her outburst. Isshin's odd expression soon faded away into his usual glee. "I guess we forget to introduce you two to him." The second person was referring to being Sado. _

"_So you are Ishida's father." The silent giant had spoken the first time since they arrived to the roof. "You are the man who restored his Quincy powers and trained him for the war?"_

_The elder Ishida responded with a silent nod. _

"_Ryuken-san, it has been a long time!" Kisuke cried in his cherry tone. Like Isshin he wore a smile; however his was more childlike and disarming than the dark haired shinigami's. "How are you doing? I am glad you came here tonight. I was unsure who I should aid first Ishida-san or Sado-san, but when I felt your reiatsu going for Ishida-san I felt very relieved that allowed me to go to Sado-san's aid! You were a big help!"_

_The Quincy groaned in annoyance. Between Kurosaki and Urahara he was going to lose his sanity. "Must you always behave as such?"_

_The former shinigami captain sighed in depression and he slunk down. "Ryuken-san is always so mean," he pouted. Sweat fell from both Ryuken and Isshin's heads. _

_Surprised by the three elder men interactions with each other Sado widened his eyes in surprise. "Hold on, the three of you know each other?"_

"_Yeah," replied Isshin._

_Orihime and Sado suppressed their surprise. They knew this news shouldn't have come to a shock. Urahara did seem to know just about everything and everyone. His knowing Ichigo and Uryu's fathers came as no surprise. Neither of them knew that the two fathers would be acquainted with each other. Neither Ichigo nor Uryu mentioned anything. Did that mean they were in the dark about their fathers' acquaintance? Soten Kisshun finished restoring Uryu to full health. All of his injuries had become non-existent and his uniform was returned to its full glory. The younger Quincy got to his feet. _

"_Thank you, Inoue-san." To show his gratitude he smiled at her. _

"_Ai, it is no problem at all, Ishida-kun." She returned the smile._

_Now that Ishida-san was healed it was time to get things going. The overly innocent mask was broken. The intense and no nonsense face that people rarely saw to him had finally appeared on Kisuke's face. "The arrancar have regrouped and are now carrying on without Aizen. I suspected as much with the information Ishida-san gave me, but tonight has proven that. There were four of them in total."_

"_Four?" Sado said questioningly._

_Isshin answered, "Yes, a fourth one appeared after Orihime defeated her opponent. He came after her, but I got involved."_

"_The arrancar I fought confirmed that they were all comrades," Uryu stated._

"_The one I fought, Gild also said the same thing," Sado said. "He was a part of a group called the Privaron Espada, arrancar who were demoted from the Espada. I ran into one when we went to Hueco Mundo." Inoue squealed urgently drawing attention to her._

"_That is what the arrancar I fought said too! He also said his number was 110. Their numbers correspond to the rank they had when they were Espada. Salvador was originally number 10. The way he talked it sounded like they weren't going after Kurosaki-kun. It was more of an afterthought."_

_Uryu pushed his glasses up. "That fits with what my opponent said. They were testing our abilities, Sado-kun, Inoue-san, and my abilities. This battle was reconnaissance for them. Now they have everything they need to access our battle strategies and our abilities. The next time they appear we will be at a serious disadvantage. We still do not know how many members are in their group."_

"_I doubt it is no more than ten. The Privaron Espada is modeled after the original Espada then there should only be ten. We defeated some of them when we went to rescue Inoue," Sado pointed out. _

"_One of them is dead. That guy Orihime fought killed his comrade after she beat him. The number is least nine."_

"_Their numbers aren't the problem," Ryuken spoke up. "The bigger concern is what their object is and why they are here in the first place." He focused his stare on the ever annoying Urahara. "Surely you must have some idea." _

"_The only thing of importance that is here in Karakura Town that I can think of is the Spirit Keystone."_

_Isshin and Ryuken's faces fell in horror, while Uryu, Sado, and Orihime were puzzled by what the Spirit Keystone was. _

_Isshin's eyebrows twitched. He tightened the grip on his sheathed sword. "That can't be. For them to be interested in the Spirit Keystones…."_

_The trio of human teenagers wanted to know what the Spirit Keystones were, but it was ultimately Orihime who voiced the question aloud. "Urahara-san, what are the Spirit Keystones exactly?"_

_He didn't answer right away. He casted his gaze below and sighed, looking very old and tired in that moment. "The Spirit Keystones play a crucial part in keeping the balance between the worlds. One of them is located here in Karakura Town, but in order to protect them the Soul Society has kept their locations an up most secret. The only person who knows the locations to all of them is the Captain-Commander Yamamoto."_

"_If their location is unknown how can you be sure one of them is here?" Sado was quick to question._

_Kisuke replied, "It was only by chance that I discovered one here and even then it led to complications."_

_Unsure what the keystones were about Orihime had imaginary question marks form around her head. "Urahara-san, what will happen if someone finds the Spirit Keystones?"_

"_Nothing will happen if they are discovered. The problem arises if someone were to try to destroy them. You see the worlds, the Human World, the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and even Hell are each in their own space, separated from each other, but they are also connected. When a human dies their soul usually passes on to the Soul Society. Hollows instinctively find their way to Hueco Mundo. Small rifts or tears in the fabric of this reality allow for them to crossover to the other worlds. Imagine a string or chain that connects the Human World to the Soul Society. This chain is what allows deceased souls use to travel to the Soul Society when they pass. Of course with souls that possess regrets they linger in this world until a shinigami sends them off or they become hollows. The chain is what the pathways connecting the world, like Dangai are essentially. The Spirit Keystones are set up in a way that keeps the worlds locked into their space and away from the space of other worlds. They maintain a balance. However, that balance is gone if the Keystones are destroyed. Without the Keystones the worlds would go wondering around and crash into each other. If the worlds touch they will combined. There is no telling what that will do to the worlds. It could very well kill all those who inhabit them and end all life as we know it." He was stopped by horrified gasps._

"_If the Privaron Espada's objective is the Spirit Keystone they could cause just as much damage or even more so than Aizen's plan to kill the Spirit King."_

"_But how would they know that one of the Spirit Keystones is?" Orihime questioned._

"_Aizen no doubt," Isshin said bitterly. That man was locked away and he was still causing them so much grief. _

"_What is the probability that they know the exact location of the Spirit Keystone here in Karakura?" asked Uryu._

"_I am unsure. I am more concerned about is if they know the location to any of the other keystones." Kisuke put a hand on his chin. The mad scientist was already contemplating the equation. "Anything at this point is mere speculation. We've gathered as much information as we can for now."_

_Isshin turned to the trio. "You kids have school tomorrow anyway. Just get some rest for now."_

_Kisuke agreed with him. "I'll contact all of you when we obtain more information, but for now be on guard. We have no idea when the arrancar will return."_

_End of Flashback_

Before they dismissed he, Sado-kun, and Inoue-san all agreed to meet up at the roof afterschool. It was the perfect time. Kurosaki had to get to his job when school ended, so he wouldn't suspect anything. Inoue-san told him that she was meeting up with him after school today at lunch. It was the truth, so they did not need to worry about Inoue-san's poor lying skills give them away. The three of them needed to have their own discussion. The unmistakable cricking of the door brought Uryu out of his thoughts. He turned around to see the dark skinned giant and the beautiful young woman emerge from the door. They were alone.

"Inoue-san, Sado-kun," he greeted. They exchanged their own hellos than quickly went into their discussion. "I've contacted Urahara-san, but he hasn't gathered any new information on Privaron Espada."

"It is hasn't even been 24 hours. I am sure Urahara-san will be able to gain more information once he has more time," suggested the red-orange haired woman.

Sado nodded in agreement. "Inoue and I have been talking. The arrancar we faced were numbers 106 and 110. They were the former 6 and 10 of the Espada respectively. Ishida, what was the number of the arrancar you faced?"

"He never told me his number or his name. However, I suspect because of his battle strength and skill that he would be one of the four strongest. In Hueco Mundo I fought a woman named, Cirucci Sanderwicci. She was a Privaron Espada. Her number was 105, which means she was rank 5 when she was an Espada. The arrancar I battled was much stronger than her. He hadn't even released his zanpakuto last night. His strength was overwhelming."

Sado and Orihime were silent and absorbed his words. They both knew how strong Uryu was. If he had such a challenging time that meant the enemy was powerful. They had battled weaker members and had difficulties. There was no telling how terrifying the stronger ones were. Sado knew that he just inflicted wounds to Gild, but only after his body had sustained so much damage from the arrancar. He was not confident in his ability to win with his final attack before Urahara-san intervened.

Uryu continued, "The arrancar referred to someone above him. It is highly unlikely that the one I fought is the strongest. That means there is one for sure who is even stronger than him. If he was 103 than there could be two more that are stronger."

"The arrancar that Isshin-san saved me from yesterday moved so fast that I couldn't even react. His aura made feel sad and afraid, but his emotions felt all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Uryu asked.

"I am not sure myself, but it felt wrong. He seemed very happy, but it wasn't genuine. Something was off and it made me feel sad and afraid."

"That man sounds different from the one you managed to defeat," Sado said.

"He was very different. He killed his own ally in cold blood and with a smile on his face." She shivered at that thought of that man. "The way he moved was unsettling. Thankfully Isshin-san came to my rescue."

Understanding where Orihime was coming from Sado furrowed his brow. "You think that guy is one of the four strongest." She responded with a nod. "The Privaron Espada is much stronger than I originally thought. If we were to battle with the four strongest as we are now we would lose."

"No, we can't lose," Orihime muttered. "We can't lose! We have to defend Karakura Town, defend the peace that Kurosaki-kun fought so hard for. We have to get stronger."

"Inoue-san is right. If we are going to survive the next battle we have to grow stronger." He may have disagreed with his father on a lot, but one thing he could not disagree with him on was his performance against the arrancar. He was no match for him at all. He had to get stronger than this. He was a Quincy to be defeated by a hollow was unforgivable. "Staring today I will intensify my training."

"Ishida-kun," Orihime called politely. The raven haired young man gave her his full attention. "Sado-kun and I were discussing training together. If you want you can train with us."

"Thank you for the offer, Inoue-san, but I must decline. I have my own method for training. I am afraid I am the only one who can do it."

"Ok if you are sure."

"Ishida, just what are you planning on doing?" Sado voiced his curiosity.

"Hmm, I would rather not say. This is method of training meant for a Quincy."

"Training meant for a Quincy," Sado repeated slowly. _'Is he planning on doing that?' _he wondered.

"What about you two? Where exactly do you plan on training?"

"We were going to use Urahara-san's place," Orihime answered.

"I see. Good luck with your training." Uryu made his leave.

"Ah, wait, Ishida-kun!" Orihime cried. He stopped in his tracks. His face conveyed worry. She had alarmed him. Laughing nervously Orihime blushed slightly ashamed of her uncalled for outburst. "Please do not miss any days of school. If you do Kurosaki-kun will get suspicious," she warned.

"I understand. You are right. It would be wise to keep attending school as well as train. We want to keep Kurosaki out of this."

Orihime closed her hand into a fist. _'This time we are fighting to protect you, Kurosaki-kun. We'll get stronger so we can fight without you and protect you.' _An unwavering and hard look materialized on her face. She wasn't going to be a victim this time. That arrancar that was interested in her, she would not run from him nor would she depend on someone else to save her from him. She was going to defeat him on her own.

'_Ichigo needs us to protect Karakura now. I'll move forward with Inoue.' _His eyes fell on his right arm. _'I can get much stronger than this. The next time I run into Gild I will be ready for him,' _he mentally promised to himself.

The silent vow was made. They would grow stronger. In order to protect the peace that Ichigo had brought them. They were going to give everything they had to stop the Privaron Espada and keep all of their loved ones safe on their own.

* * *

"How pissed is Orihime at me?" Shiori asked. She was behind the counter watching Ichigo was getting ready to leave. His shift was about to end in a few minutes. Today had been beyond awkward. Ichigo was afraid to get near her and she tried to keep her distance from him, just in case Orihime decided to visit him during his shift. She had already caused enough trouble. The golden haired woman just wanted to steer clear from anymore drama she unwittingly created.

Ichigo retrieved his school bag from the back of the store. He was wearing his school uniform. He was so concerned about his father that he forgot to bring a change of clothes. "Honestly I have no idea."

"That is great," Shiori said sarcastically. She put her head on the counter. "Ha, hopefully when she gets here I can apologize and things will blow over."

He hoped so too. It wasn't like Inoue was going to give Masaoka the cold shoulder. His cherished girlfriend just did not have it within her nature to be so cruel. It was uncharacteristic of her. "You will get your chance soon enough. Inoue said she would meet me here when I got off. She should be here any minute now."

"Ichi-kun, you still call Orihime by her surname?" she half asked and half laughed. "She is your girlfriend. Don't you think it is about time you start using her given name?"

Red faced from Shiori's teasing Ichigo turned his back to her. He had to admit that there was some truth to what she said. After all this time and becoming romantically involved he still referred to her as Inoue not Orihime. He didn't know why it just felt unnatural. All this time he referred to her as Inoue. Using her given name felt so personal and intimate. Before when they were acquaints through Tatsuki, so calling her Inoue was fine, but thinking about it now that sounded stupid. Inoue was now one if his best friends and his girlfriend. They were intimate in the emotional sense. It wasn't just him. Inoue still called him Kurosaki-kun. Before he could give the matter anymore thought the princess made her appearance. Already she greeted him with a smile.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she practically cheered as she waved.

He waved back at her. "Inoue," he said simply.

"Hello, Orihime," Shiori said meekly.

The healer smiled at the golden haired beauty, although it was obviously forced. "Hi, Masaoka-chan," Orihime said just as meekly as Shiori. She stroked her arm anxiously. The atmosphere had become very tense. Orihime tried to look Masaoka in the eye, but when she did she thought of the kiss between her Kurosaki-kun and this woman. She turned away in discomfort. Why did this still bother her so much? Nothing was going on between them she knew that. She trusted Kurosaki-kun with all her heart, so why did that little kiss bother her so much? Couldn't she just get over this already?

Noticing that the hazel eyed woman could not hold her gaze on her Shiori slunk a little. This was going to be harder than she thought. "Listen, Orihime. I didn't know that you and Ichigo were together when I kissed him. Believe me if I knew I wouldn't have done it! I don't want screw things up for you two. I just want to apologize to you for kissing Ichigo. He and I are co-workers. It was unprofessional. Please accept me apology. I can promise that it will not happen again. Can we put this behind us?" She put her hand out and smiled weakly.

She stared at the hand for half a second before she accepted it. "Of course, Masaoka-chan. We will put the whole thing behind us. Kurosaki-kun likes working here, so I want us to try and be friends." That was true. Despite her mixed emotions about Masaoka she did want to try and be friends with the woman.

Shiori's smile became stronger. The pressure she was feeling had let up. "I am glad to hear that. I have been stressing about what you were going to say." The handshake ended.

Orihime kept her forced smile up. She twiddled her fingers to ease her nerves. Things still felt so tense. Her discomfort was not alleviated as she was hoping. Ichigo took notice to this. His lips fell into an upside down U-shape. He could tell she was trying very hard to befriend Masaoka and forget about the kiss. It brought him pity to see her fight a losing battle. She was trying to make discomfort go away rather than let it pass naturally.

"Inoue, we should get going." Ichigo couldn't bear to see this any longer. Inoue didn't need to force herself to get over this in one day for him. She pushing her guilt and dissatisfaction down her into her stomach was not good.

"Alright, Kurosaki-kun," she called. The healer gave Shiori a light wave. "Bye, Masaoka-chan." She ran to Ichigo and did not look back. She was afraid of what she might say or do if she was stayed there any longer. The carrot top pair left the store.

"Did that feel as awkward for you as it was for me?" he asked.

"Yeah," Orihime said sadly. She let him down. She promised him that she would be over this by the time she came there and she wasn't. Her head fell. "Kurosaki-kun, I am sorry. I tried to be alright, but…."

"There is no need for you to apologize. I didn't expect you to just get over that so fast. Give yourself a break. It will take some time before you feel fine with Masaoka after what happened." He lifted her head up to meet those dazzling hazel orbs he loved. "You are a wonderful person. One of your best qualities is your kind heart, but don't force yourself to get over this. When it happens it will happen. Don't be ashamed to feel this way. You can't help the way you feel. If you don't want me to go into work because you are bothered just tell me." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"How can you say that though? I was so awful to Masaoka-chan in there. She is your co-worker."

"Like I said go easy on yourself. You are worried about being this selfish girlfriend, but you are so far from that. You are always putting me before you and I don't like that. Do you remember when you told me that you wanted to protect me from myself?" She nodded. "It is my turn to protect you from yourself. Inoue, I do not want you to make yourself miserably by doing something that bothers you just to please me. I hated seeing you trying to force yourself to be fine when you aren't. I don't want you to drive yourself crazy thinking about me and Masaoka in that store for hours, then berated yourself for feeling jealous or upset. That's why I am going to look for another job."

"No, don't do that. I'll get over it," she cried in a panic.

"Calm down. I am not quitting just yet. I am going to keep working at Nakamura Electronics and in few weeks if you are still bothered I will quit. No you aren't making me quit. I am not being a martyr this time. You are the one making yourself into one," he jested. "This isn't a career. I can get another part time job. I want you to be happy too." His small sincere smile formed. "We give it a few weeks and see where you are at. Does that sound good?" Unable to say anything Orihime just nodded bashfully. "You have to promise me you won't lie. You have tell me how you honestly feel in a few weeks from now."

"I promise." She finally started hug him back. The two of them stood there enjoying their embrace. "I am so lucky to have you, Kurosaki-kun."

"That's my line. I am lucky to have you, Orihime."

Her eyes bulged out of their sockets. He called her Orihime. He called her Orihime. He called her Orihime! He released her. He took her hand and started pulling her forward. The megawatt smile of hers worked its wonders on him a smile graced his lips. They strolled through the lively town.

"Kurosaki-kun…Ichigo-kun, thank you for protecting me," she said. He said nothing, but his grip on her hand tightened. His warmth and soothing touch made her heart aflutter. She was still bothered by Masaoka, but Ichigo found a way to make her feel like a triple layer bean paste flavored ice cream with pickles and relish.

* * *

**This chapter brought back the IchiHime fluff. They are going to start trying to use their given names more. It is going to be something they work at since they have referred to each other by their surnames for so long. The gesture is supposed to show how far they have come along. The possibility of Ichigo quitting his job to get a new one is my attempt to tie things back to the series. Speaking of the series I am disappointed with the last few chapters of Bleach. Orihime and Chad got robbed and the fights have been a little dull for my tastes so far. **

**That reminds me I wrote a side story that fellows this one called Flowers and Strawberry. It is about Ichigo and Orihime's first time. Obviously it is rated M for the lemon. It is set just a little into the future from where we are at now. I was thinking about making it canon with this story. Don't worry it is not essential to read Flowers and Strawberry. Truth be told you don't need to read it at all to follow this story. I just wanted to mention it to people in case they are interested.**

**Oh yes I was supposed to be answering something. The question that has been asked frequently is will Ichigo get his power back into this story and the answer is that Ichigo will not get his powers back…..**

…**permanently, but he will get them back temporarily. Did I make anyone sweat? Yes Ichigo will become a shinigami again for a little while, but he will ultimately lose his powers again to fellow the storyline in manga, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. I do plan on writing a sequel fic of sorts revolving around that arc. I will add my own twists and ideas into it of course, so it will be different from the manga. A big change will be Ichigo and Orihime being together. I think that answers all the questions. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter please review. **


	35. The Spring of my Youth

**I read all of your reviews. I have taken into what you all said into consideration, especially Neowww on Ichigo regaining his power. Neowww your review had detail on why Ichigo should not regain his power and made valid points. I can also assure you guys Ichigo will not steal the show. I wasn't planning on giving him his powers back right away. The truth be told I imagined a last minute deal with Ichigo only entering when the Privaron and the good guys had their final fight. I want to keep him powerless and helpless for a while when he finds out what is going on. Damn I sound like a flip flop, but Neowww's review really spoke to me and had a lot of things I was debating with when trying to decide to give Ichigo his powers back for a little while. I recently saw the Invading Gotei 13 Army arc and I am a little worried if I give Ichigo his powers back for a little while now people will think he copied that.**

**Anyway this chapter is a break from the plot for a bit and about the characters enjoying their normal lives. The school year is over. Ichigo, Orihime, and gang have just finished their freshmen year of high school (high school in Japan is still three years not four like in the States) and have a two week break. Ichigo and his friends being freshmen doesn't right and contradicts what I said in earlier chapters, but like I said in one chapter I messed up the ages. School year starts in Japan in April and the start of the LSS arc Yuzu talked about her school's entrance ceremony, revealing that school year just started for them. That means Ichigo just started his senior year in the current manga. Subtract the 17 months from that you get Ichigo and company were actually freshmen pre-timeskip. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All the characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

* * *

"Hmm, let's see. Asano, Asano, Asano. Oh there I am!" exclaimed Keigo. He skimmed across the board in the hallways of Karakura High. This was not an easy task due to all the students crowding the area, pushing and fighting each other to get closer. Keigo had to do battle with the surprisingly rowdy mob for the better part of ten minutes. It took him another five to get close enough to the board. Finally after fifteen minutes of a long, grueling struggle the hyperactive teenager broke away from the sea of students and got his rightful place ahead of the pack. Now for his reward he could see the board and its contents. His eyes moved left to right, scanning the paper. His mouth curved into a U-shape, it grew larger and larger until his pearly white teeth made themselves known. "I did it. I did it. I DID IT!" Keigo cheered at the top of his lungs. He threw his arms into the air and rejoiced. He cheered and his impatient peers shoved him out of the way to get to the board. Despite being forcefully removed and nearly falling straight on his butt the pure jubilation that had emerged on his face had not lessened in the slightest. His arms were still in the air. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, YEEEEEEESSSSSSS!" he continued to shout. He spun around before jumping into air reaching heights that some would consider abnormal or at least to anyone who did not know Keigo.

Water secreted from his eyes staining his face. These were not tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy. He did it. He really did it. He tried to act like he didn't care, but the truth was he cared very much. He was seen as a clown by many including his friends and he knew that he only helped perpetrate those thoughts in the way he behaved. Even Keigo knew when it was time to be serious and stop with all the silly puns and childish gestures. What he saw on the board was proof of that in his humble opinion. "I D-ID IT!" The tears were streaming freely now. His eyes were closed as he absorbed this proud moment in his high school life. The gods had smiled upon him and now everything would be different. Now he had to wait for the flock of girls to come prancing to him begging him for a date! This was long overdue.

"Asano-san, what are you so happy about?"

Mentally Keigo groaned at the mention of his dreaded name. There was only one person who would call him Asano-san. Most knew he hated to be addressed as such by those he considers a friend. However, so ecstatic was Keigo that his face did not fall into its usual aching woe is me demeanor as would normally do when he heard that name. Today was just too damn good for something as menial as being addressed as Asano-san to bring him down. He turned around to face his vertically challenged, raven haired, and cellphone obsessed friend. "Mizuiro, how are you this fine day?" Keigo attempted to keep his jovial at bay, but was not successful. His tone was musical and free of any agitation or worry.

Taken aback by his friend's new sunny disposition Mizuiro stared blankly at the taller more emotional young man. Already his mind started putting together different possibilities for Keigo's unsettling good mood. Each possibility was becoming less and less plausible. He had all, but given up when a loud mouth student howled like a defeated dog. A light bulb went off inside of his head. Now he understood the source of Keigo's chipper mood. "I see Asano-san passed his exams," he said jokingly.

Keigo put his arms on his waist and nodded his head in such a smug manner that one would have thought he had scored the top of his class. "Why yes I did, Mizuiro. I received a passing score in all of my final exams for this term, which means I have passed all of my classes. In other words I am officially a JUNIOR!" He let out a boastful laugh. Mizuiro shook his head at how lively Keigo had become.

"Keigo, you are very bothersome to hang out with." His statement fell on deaf ears because Keigo did not pout or whine as Mizuiro was accustomed to when he insulted him. The brunet man continued to revel in his success.

Keigo was so enthralled that he never even saw the fist coming. It rammed right into his mouth putting an end to his laughs and causing the young man to sink to the ground like a stone. The pain was excruciating. Immediately he rolled around on the ground with his hands over his mouth, whining and cursing frantically. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Why does this stuff always happen to me!" he whined. His eyes stopped watering. Keigo was able to get a clear view of his assailant. She was standing above him wearing expression mixed with annoyance, irritation, and a tad bit of amusement. "Arisawa, why did you do that?" he cried.

Tatsuki glared down on him. Her glare had the strange effect of making Keigo feel like he was nothing, but a spec to the karate expert and star players of the karate team of Karakura High. One hand was on her hip. Her pitch black hair had grown slightly. It was making its way to her shoulder albeit slowly. "You were being annoying and you are so loud that it hurt my eardrums."

"So you just come up to me and punch me!" Keigo recovered, but was still on his back. He whimpered at his misfortune.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes before sighing. "If I didn't you wouldn't shut up. I know you well enough, Asano."

Keigo slowly got to his feet. His tears of joy had given way to tears of pain. Unlike before there was no longer a stream of water running freely over his face. He managed to somehow draw his tears back despite being punched by the woman deemed the second strongest in their age group in all of Japan. He would like to think all the abuse he took from Ichigo had strengthened his body. "Arisawa, you are just like Ichigo!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say just shut up." She brushed him aside not caring for another one of her odd acquaintance temper tantrums. Predictably Asano's outburst became louder. She rubbed her temples, trying very hard to fight back the fury building within. "Hey, shut up or else I'll knock you out even harder!" she threatened. To her relief Asano instantly stopped his childish cries. He had become as still as she had ever seen him before. He could be confused with a sculpture. Her ears picked up an amused laugh.

"Arisawa, you certainly come in handy when we need to make Keigo silent," Mizuiro praised.

Allowing a proud yet mirthful smile grace her lips Tatsuki chuckled with Kojima. "I don't mind if I can protect my eardrums."

Keigo growled at the duo. "You two are so cruel."

Tatsuki ignored his jab. "So what got you pumped up today anyway?" she asked him.

When Arisawa's question reached his ears Keigo's troubles were quickly forgotten. The happiness he experienced before the raven haired woman's assault returned. "Why am I pumped you ask. The answer to that is quite simple. You see I have passed all my final exams and classes. I, Asano Keigo am officially a JUNIOR!" A mighty brake like laugh erupted from Keigo. Tatsuki and Mizuiro watched him, sweat falling from the back of their heads, embarrassment swelled within their stomachs.

"You are hopeless, Asano," Tatsuki whispered.

His acute hearing proved itself useful and allowed Keigo to hear her. "Say whatever you want. The fact is that I passed all of my exams and classes with flying colors and have moved up to my second year of high school!"

Doubt paid a visit to both Mizuiro and Tatsuki's faces. Mizuiro started, "You passed…."

"…with flying colors," Tatsuki finished.

"Well…" He laughed uneasily while rubbing the back of his head a habit that had formed from his childhood when he was being less than honest. "By flying colors I mean the 70s ranges and a one 80…but I the point is I passed!"

"Oi, the way you were jumping and laughing I would have thought you got really good scores not average ones. Such a simple man, being satisfied with obtaining average scores is pitiful."

He plugged his ears with his fingers and shut his eyes as tightly as he could. "I am not hearing you. I am not hearing you. I am not hearing you."

"This guy is too exhausting." She turned to Mizuiro who she noticed did not have his cellphone out, text away at some girl. "How do you put up with him?"

Mizuiro shrugged his shoulders. "I like his energetic nature I suppose. He is really amusing when he gets upset. I am able to look pass his faults because I like him. Isn't it the same for you with Inoue and her quirks?"

Her thoughts went to the eccentric auburn haired princess. Orihime was a handful with her wild imagination, odd food combinations, and her naivety, but even with those quirks she was still a loving person who put others above herself. She looked after Tatsuki to the extent of her power and thing were never boring around her. "That's true," she admitted.

"Besides he may come off as annoying, but Keigo is a really good friend. Do you remember when we were running from that Aizen guy? Keigo was absolutely terrified, but he kept his head and made sure we were alright. He even got Afro-san's sword just in case he needed to use it to give us a chance to escape. We don't give him enough credit."

Tatsuki returned her gaze to the man child. Kojima did have a point. Asano was annoying with his whining when she found him, but considering the situation, being the only person awake in town while everyone else was lying unconscious on the ground would make most panic. It was understandable. He did keep his cool when they ran into that guy with the unreal force coming from his body, the man she now knew as Aizen. She had to admit that he acted courageous; though she would never divulge this to him lest he never shut up about it. "I guess you have a point." Kojima flashed her with his charming smile that had most likely deceived so many women in the past. She had to remember to be on guard with him. "Did you get a look at your scores?"

"Yeah, I passed all my exams," he answered. "I even managed to get a 90 on an exam."

"W-What?" uttered Keigo. Amazingly he heard Mizuiro's claim when only seconds ago he had been deaf to the rest of Mizuiro and Tatsuki's conversation. "You got a 90!"

Mizuiro nodded. "I mostly got 80s and a few 70s," he explained.

"You did better than me!" Keigo complained.

Tatsuki crossed her arms and shot him a stern glare. "You were shooting for average. Is it any wonder that Kojima did better than you?"

The brunet waved his arms in frenzy. "But Mizuiro and I usually get the same scores! Now he is has abandoned me just like Ichigo and Chad!"

"Instead of whining about others getting better scores than you just study harder," said a new voice. The trio turned in his direction. Asano pouted pathetically.

"Nobody asked you, Ishida."

Uryu merely shook his head. When would Asano ever learn? "With that attitude you will not do well on your college entrances exams," he stated.

"That isn't for another two years," Keigo said as though that settled the argument.

"Two years will come faster than you realize," Uryu warned him.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, I passed. I am moving on. Right now that is all that matters."

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Your short sight is astounding." The Quincy decided to turn his attention on people who were not sticking their tongues out at him.

"I take it you got top of our class as usual," Tatsuki teased.

"That is expected of Ishida," Mizuiro joined in.

"You don't have to talk like it is predetermined thing," grumbled the glasses cladded man.

"Oh, so you didn't get the top of the class," a playful Tatsuki continued.

Patches of crimson appeared on his face. Uryu fixed his glasses and choose to look away from the mocking smiles from the two dark haired teens. He cleared his throat. "Well, I did achieve the highest scores in our class."

"Oh wow, what a surprise," Tatsuki and Mizuiro said in unison. They broke out into a laugh while the humbled Quincy endured it.

When their laughter ceased and the blush had left his face Uryu posed a question. "Arisawa-san, how did you do?"

"I passed with 80s mostly."

"Ah, Arisawa got mostly 80s as well!" Keigo fell on his knees. He knew he would get the lowest scores out of all his friends, but surely not all of them got 80s like it was nothing. Knowing Ichigo and Chad they would have 90s or 100s just to spite him.

"Congratulations," Uryu praised.

"Thank you." She widened her lips into a cocky smile that she was known for. "All that studying I did really did pay off. It wasn't easy trying to study and work. I am grateful all the teams and clubs stopped meeting last week, so we could all study. That freed up a lot of time."

"That is good to hear," Uryu said. "Inoue-san isn't with you?"

"No, she had to go to this bakery after class. She applied for a job there and she got called back for an interview. Since today was really a free day while we waited for exam scores to be posted she told the owner that she could meet him today at noon."

"Inoue-san's job hunt finally bore some fruit." The kind-hearted healer had been looking for a part time job for weeks now, but had no luck. He hoped that her interview was successful.

"If Inoue gets a job that would solve her money issues right?" Mizuiro asked the taller woman. "She is on a fixed budget right."

Tatsuki replied, "Yes. She has a distant aunt that sends her money for her living expenses if she gets good grades and sometimes she throws in a little extra yen for her personal use, but she can't afford to go out and buy something for herself you know. She is so kind that it takes me and Ichigo a lot to convince her to let us pay for something. I guess she doesn't want to feel like a sponge."

"I keep forgetting Inoue doesn't have parents. I always sort of take it for granted, you know having my parents give me some money," Mizuiro said almost guiltily.

Sensing his guilt Tatsuki shook her head. "Don't feel bad. I am her best friend and even I take my parents for granted some times." She smiled warmly at him. "Besides ever since she has been dating Ichigo his father has been treating her like another daughter. He is always insisting that she has breakfast and dinner at the clinic. Orihime told me that he said she could invite me over anytime, since Ichigo, Karin-chan, and Yuzu-chan don't invite their friends over. That guy has always been hospitable though." She thought back to the times Isshin would welcome her over and encourage her to toughen up Ichigo back when he was still a mama's boy. The man was very welcoming. As if sensing her thoughts the offspring of the man she was thinking of walked out of the crowd of students along with a dark skinned, muscle bond giant by his side. _'Speak of the devil,' _Tatsuki thought. "Oi, what's up you two?" She waved.

"Yo," Ichigo replied coolly.

"Hey," Sado said in the same even tone.

"You guys fought that mob. I would have thought the sight of the infamous duo, Kurosaki and Sado would send everyone flying out of your way," Mizuiro joked. He knew it always brought much annoyance to Ichigo whenever they mentioned his so called "thug" rep. Not one to disappoint the brightly orange color haired man's eyebrows twitched and the equally infamous scowl materialized.

"It has been a year of high school and since I haven't mugged anybody like everyone was expecting the infamous bleached haired punk, Kurosaki doesn't frighten people as much as it did at the start of the school year."

Keigo laughed, which only furthered to annoy Ichigo more. Wearing a broad smile Keigo walked up to Ichigo and started to pat him on the shoulder. "Your secret is out. Kurosaki Ichigo is really a nerd who studies in his room all day and not some punk who will kill you with a simple glare. Your act would have been up sooner if you didn't miss so much school last term."

Ichigo snatched Keigo's hand off of him then started to put pressure on it. The loud mouth brunet squealed and tried to wiggle out of his grip. "First of all, don't speak as though I started those rumors. I got into so many fights in middle school that when I started here rumors about how I was a trouble maker were already flying. Plus nobody believed this is my actual hair color. Any fight I got into this year was with punks who were picking a fight with me or jackasses who disrespected memorials of the departed." He added a more pressure, adding to Keigo's cries. He took a bit of sadistic pleasure at seeing Keigo suffer. "Secondly, the only reason I missed so many classes last term was so I could train and fight Aizen the same as Chad, Ishida, and Inoue. I was in a coma for a month too."

"Ok, ok I get it. I am sorry just please let go." His voice vibrated with sincere pain. Tear were threatening to leak out once more. Thankfully Ichigo saw his sincerity and let go of his hand. The minute Ichigo let go he started to attend to it, while putting some distance between Ichigo and himself.

"You didn't exactly do much to disprove those rumors with the way you carry yourself around as a loud mouth barbarian." Uryu smirked both inwardly and outwardly. He always took joy in ridiculing Kurosaki. It had become a bit of a ritual.

"Piss off!" shouted the ex-substitute. "You didn't exactly disprove the rumors about you being a stuck up and arrogant genius! If you ask me those rumors weren't so far off."

"What was that?" Uryu cried.

Ichigo smirked at getting the better at the Quincy. "I said you are stuck up brat."

"At least I am not emo punk who shifts his mood every five minutes!" Uryu screamed back. The verbal warfare between Ichigo and Uryu started.

"E-emo! Are you fucking kidding me? I am not emo at all!"

"You shift from happy, to angry, to sad so often that none of us can tell what you are feeling! If that isn't emo than I don't know what is?" he shouted.

"This from the guy who is emotionally dead inside! Nobody can tell if you feel anything at all! You are like a robot, acting all stoic!"

"There they go again," Tatsuki said. She shook her head. Watching those two was so taxing on her.

"Can't they ever get through the day without arguing?" Keigo asked.

Mizuiro shook his head to answer Keigo's question. "That is just how Ichigo and Ishida are."

"Well it is killing my eardrums," Tatsuki complained. "Hey, idiots SHUT UP ALREADY!" she screamed so loud that entire hallway echoed with her voice. She had gathered an audience, at least from those in the back of the mob trying to fight their way to the board. Ichigo and Ishida stopped to stare at her. Both wore expressions of shock. "Seriously, it is the same thing with you two. My ears can't handle it. One of the siblings to the kids I instruct got away from his mom and screamed right in my ear yesterday when I was sitting down. That kid had a set of lungs on him. I really don't need to hear you two shouting at each other, while you have your pissing contest." She glared darkly at both men. "I don't need this got it?" They said nothing. She growled like lioness ready to pounce.

"Got it," they said in unison.

"Good," she said cheeringly.

Keigo leaned in on Mizuiro. "Arisawa can be really scary," he whispered to the cellphone obsessed friend. He nodded in agreement with Keigo assessment.

Out of the corner of her eye Tatsuki saw something in Ichigo's hand. She took a closer look and discovered he was carrying a piece of paper. Her curious nature took hold of her. "Hey, Ichigo," she called.

"Yeah," he replied.

She pointed at his hand then asked, "What's that in your hand?"

In the blink of an eye Ichigo's entire face turned beat red. He was quick to turn his gaze to the floor, avoiding all of them. Tatsuki's curiosity inflated to the size of a blimp. She was not the only one. The rest of their friends also became interested in what was in his hand that could invoke this response from him, including Sado.

"It's nothing," he replied almost too low for them to hear.

Tatsuki would have none of Ichigo's deceit today. "If it was nothing you wouldn't look like a tomato right now. Spill it!"

Damn she was nosey and intrusive. Couldn't she ever let things go? "Like I said it is nothing big." Feeling her powerful glare on him he knew that Tatsuki would not accept this answer either. He had no choice. "Inoue is at a job interview right now. She had to leave before exam results were posted. She was going to come back later to see how she did, so to save her a trip I copied down her scores on this piece of paper. Like I said it is nothing big."

"Why aren't you a considerate boyfriend," teased Tatsuki, who was wearing mischievous smirk.

He expected as much from her. That is why he did not want to tell her what was on the paper. The former vizard kept his sights on the floor, determined not to look Tatsuki in the eye and give her the satisfaction of seeing him flushed. Too bad this tactic did not stop his friends from sharing a chuckle at his expense.

"Kurosaki, Sado-kun, how did you two do on the exams?" Uryu questioned.

Ichigo rejoiced at the change of subject. "I passed all of them. I brought my grades up too." Orihime had been right. This term had been easier for him since he did not have to worry about catching up on school work. He owed her for her help in keeping him caught up, while he balanced his school work and his part time job. He would make sure to return the favor once she joined the workforce, which would be soon hopefully. "I managed to get a 98 in Math."

"98 in Math!" cried Keigo. "I knew you were good in Math, but you actually got a 98 on the final exam? You really are one giant nerd!" The brunet started to blubber.

Ichigo having a lot of practice at tuning him out by now activated his Keigo shields. "Math is one of my strongest subjects. Biology is what killed me. I barely got a 72 on that."

"Yeah, but you still passed," Tatsuki pointed out to him before her eldest friend started to beat himself up over something trivial. "Besides wasn't that your lowest score?"

"Yeah, everything else was 80s." Keigo's cries grew louder. Just like he thought, Ichigo got a 98 just to spite him.

Sado spoke up, "I got two 90s and three 80s on the final exams."

Uryu smiled at their silent giant. "Congratulations, Sado-kun."

"That means we all passed." Mizuiro closed his eyes and curved his lips into a charming smile. "With this we are officially juniors now." The group shared nods and murmurs of "oh yeah" and "that's rights."

Keigo threw off the shackles of misery and returned to his normally goofy energetic self. "We have two weeks off until the new school year starts in April! Two week break from rigorous studying and tedious exams! We can enjoy the warm, gentle and lively spring days and party all night! It will be a wonderful time!"

"Asano-san is really excited about our spring break," Mizuiro said.

"Stop calling me Asano-san! You know how much I hate when you call me that!"

Mizuiro pulled out his cellphone and started texting. "Hmm, what was that, Asano-san?"

"Aaaagggghhh!" screamed a frustrated Keigo. He rubbed his hands in his brown locks roughly trying to control his pent up frustrations and not lash out at the shorter man. "I'm so sick of you guys ignoring me!"

"Ha," Ichigo breathed out. "Nobody is ignoring you. Can you stop freaking out over every little thing though?"

"I am with Ichigo on this one," Tatsuki said. "Besides your plans aren't going to happen."

"Why is that?" he asked in a huff.

"Simple. I am working extra shifts during the break to make a little extra money. I am sure Ichigo and Sado are in the same boat since they have jobs as well."

He turned to the silent giant and the scowling carrot top. They confirmed Arisawa's words.

Sado was the first to speak. "During the break I am planning on spending more time to work. Sorry, Keigo, but I won't be able to hang out as much as I would like to." He did plan on spending more time working during the break it just wasn't at his job. He and Inoue had already agreed to use the break to their advantage and train longer. They were making progress, but they could not pass up the opportunity to get more training in without alerting Ichigo's suspicions. Urahara-san had given them permission to use his underground training room whenever they liked. For the last two weeks they had been doing just that. Sado had to admit Inoue was a better sparring partner than he originally thought.

"Nakamura-san has already added hours to my schedule since it is spring break. That old man couldn't wait to give me more work," Ichigo said the last part under his breath. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. At least he had a job and it wasn't like he couldn't use the extra money.

"Ah, no way! All of you are going to be working your spring break away! That leaves only me, Mizuiro, and Ishida!"

The raven haired man cleared his throat to get the groups attention. "Actually during the break I will be helping out at Karakura General Hospital. My time will not be my own."

"Hmm, you are volunteering at hospital?" Tatsuki inquired. "Are you interested in becoming a doctor?"

Ichigo asked, "Are you trying to get recommendation for college this early?"

Uryu dismissed both notions. "I haven't really thought of pursuing a career in medicine. At the moment I have no plans to become a doctor. I am not seeking out any recommendation."

A confused Ichigo stared at his four-eyed friend. "So why are you going to be helping out at the hospital?"

Mizuiro jumped slightly as mental lightning hit his brain, giving him new enlightenment. "Karakura General Hospital isn't that the place your father works at?"

Ichigo, Keigo, and Tatsuki were caught by complete surprise. Sado on the other hand was the picture of restraint as always. Ichigo turned to his rival. Most of the shock at Ishida's father being a doctor had worn off. "You never said anything about your father being a doctor before." The Quincy's expression had changed from the controlled stoic mask he wore. Ichigo could see the raw almost animal like glare. It was like a raging inferno, but somehow it had been frozen at its mightiest moment just to preserve it. _'What the hell is his problem?' _Ichigo wondered.

Mizuiro took noticed in Ishida's drastic shift in demeanor. Like Ichigo he pondered on why the normally stoic man that controlled his emotions lost control of them. Was Ishida's father a sore spot for him? "Um, I just remembered when my father was in the hospital that I saw the name Ishida on the director's office. I imagined that the director was your father."

"Eh, Ishida's father is the director of an entire hospital!" Keigo exclaimed. "No wonder you don't have to worry about money."

"Oh I get it. You are volunteering at the hospital to help out your father," Tatsuki suggested.

Help his father out. Those words did not go together. Uryu's relationship with his father was so strained that it was not uncommon for them to go without speaking to each other for days. Ryuken's hours at the hospital also helped to ensure that though. There were days when he came home well after Uryu was asleep. If he had his way he would spend as little time as possible with his father, but he had no choice. In order to get stronger for the coming battle with the Privaron Espada he had gone to Ryuken to seek training from him. He fully expected that man to turn him down and cite how Uryu had no talent for being a Quincy and how Ryuken had no desire to be one. Uryu was proven right. His father did say all of those things, but he also said more. He continued to berate Uryu with his latest defeat. His father said he would like to ignore his request, but he would not deny it. The elder man declared that Uryu needed his help if he was to survive. Of course it wouldn't be his father if he did not add an insult or two. The thought of going to his father and actually ask him for help made him want to vomit. However, he had no choice. Ryuken was a powerful and experienced Quincy despite his lack of interest in it. If he wanted to grow to a new level before the enemy returned he would need his father's guidance. There was only so much he could do training alone. Sado-kun and Inoue-san invited him to train with them, but something inside of him told him that training with his father was for the best. He doubted he could spar with Inoue-san. He would hold back when facing her and that would only delay both of their advancements. Between him, Kurosaki, and Sado-kun the one who would be able to go all out with Inoue-san was Sado-kun. He and Kurosaki's protective nature for the healer would get in the way of their training. Sado-kun while protective of her also knew when to suppress his protective urges and treat Inoue-san the same way he treated Kurosaki or even him.

Sado-kun was the best sparring partner for the red-orange haired woman. Uryu held no such fondness for Ryuken. Sparring with him would be very easy for him. The animosity festering beneath them would bring out more of his power. The last two weeks he had engaging his father had been using him for target practice. It was his job to avoid all the arrows Ryuken shot at him and nothing else, as in no countering with his own arrows or anything else. If he didn't know better he would have sworn his father was trying to kill him. "Something like that," he finally replied with Tatsuki. Although he reined in his mixed emotions in his father he unknowingly let resentment he felt slip out. It was so hidden within his tone that only Ichigo, Sado, and Tatsuki were able to pick up on it. Ichigo exchanged s look with the hollow powered human. Tatsuki narrowed her chocolate spheres slightly and stared at Uryu. Perplexed by what had set off the reserved number one of their class.

"Ugh, even Ishida is working! We aren't going to hang out at all this spring!" Keigo furrowed his brow in anger, but instead of looking angry his overdramatic sadness and happiness tainted his expression. He looked like a mix between angry, sad, and happy, making it a comical expression. He pointed an accusing finger at Ichigo. "You said having part time jobs wouldn't affect our friendship! Now you all are going to be working through spring break and none of us are going to hang out! On the eve of our junior year and we won't be spending any time together! How cruel you are! I can't believe you. This is supposed to…." He never finished his sentence. The scowling carrot top elbowed him in the face and silenced him instantly.

"Shut up and listen. I am going to be working in the mornings and afternoons. I'll get off by 3, so it is not like I won't be around. I just can't stay out really late because I go in at 9 in the morning." A pair of arms wrapped around Ichigo taking him by surprise.

"ICHIGO!" chanted Keigo, his face stained by tears once again. He hugged Ichigo and rubbed his cheek against his chest, making the ex-substitute very uncomfortable. "You do care. You really…CARRRRRREEEE!" he sobbed.

A vein formed on his forehead and his short fuss was lit. Foolish Keigo had yet to realize what his actions had set off. Ichigo exploded. He broke out of Keigo's grasp and proceeded to beat him into the ground. The others ignored this as it had become a regular occurrence. Questions still formed within Tatsuki. For some reason she wanted to know what the source of Ishida's discontent with his father.

"Ishida," she called. When his light blue eyes landed on her she continued, "I hope I am not intruding too much, but do you not get along with your father?" She noticed that the raven haired man had a strange faraway look in his appealing light blue eyes, almost as if he was a million miles away. Perhaps she was out of line to ask him such a question. Ishida's relationship with his father was his own business after all. Who was she to get involved? "Listen, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No it is fine. To answer your question my father and I have different views on subjects. It leads to disagreements."

Sensing the tension that she partially created Tatsuki brushed his right arm sympathetically. He raised an eyebrow at this as did Mizuiro and Sado. At least she thought Sado did. It was difficult to tell since he was still wearing that disinterested expression. Feeling she overstepped a boundary the second strongest woman in Japan blushed. "Maybe you could use these two weeks to try and find some common ground with him," she muttered.

Uryu's eyes broadened and mouth opened slightly. Arisawa-san's suggestion caught him by surprise. It had been so long since he heard someone suggest he try to understand his father. The last person who told him that was his grandfather, the man he idolized. It shamed Uryu that he disregarded his grandfather's words. He failed to understand his father's distain for being a Quincy or why he was so cold to his grandfather. Unable to understand Ryuken only lead to resentment and they had been at odds ever since. He used to despise his father for trampling all over his grandfather's and by extension their heritage by abandoning the Quincy. However, now he discovered that his father was a Quincy and one whom his grandfather recognized as the true Last Quincy. There was something he was unaware of. What happened between his grandfather and father? Did that have any reason for why his father seemed to despise being a Quincy? Arisawa-san had a point. He closed his mouth and smiled modestly at her. "I'll take your suggestion into consideration, Arisawa-san." The blush on her cheeks darkened. He heard her mutter a "no problem."

The beating ended with Keigo twitching on the ground. Ichigo stood above him, nursing his knuckles. "You are getting as annoying as my old man!" He stuffed his sore hands into his pockets.

"Poor Asano-san," Mizuiro said, shaking his head slowly. "I guess he won't ever learn."

Ichigo snorted at the shorter man's understatement. He started to stroll away.

"Hey, Ichigo where are you going?" asked Mizuiro.

He stopped and turned around. "I am going to the bakery Inoue is having her interview at. I want to see how she did."

"Before you go, Keigo wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to lunch. It was supposed to be a celebration for all of us if we passed our final exams."

"Where are you guys going?" Ichigo asked.

"I think we are going to yours and Chad's spot, Bakusui's Ramen cart."

"Tatsuki, Ishida, Chad, are you guys going?"

"Yeah," Sado replied plainly. Uryu and Tatsuki also agreed to the outing, leaving Ichigo the only one left to reply.

"I'll pick up Inoue first. I am sure she wants to go. We'll meet you there." He started walking off again.

"Hey, do you think you two will make it?" Tatsuki asked. "We know how hard it is for you two keep your hands off each other when you are alone!" Ever since White Day when Tatsuki caught Ichigo and Orihime in a moment of weakness kissing passionately on the school roof she took every opportunity she could to ridicule them with it.

"I'll remember this when you get a boyfriend. That is if you get one with that nasty attitude of yours," he mocked. Ichigo stopped to see that his insult had the desired effect. Tatsuki looked absolutely furious. He left before she could come with a counter. He was happy to have gotten the last word for a change.

* * *

"Thank you for seeing me again." Orihime gave a small bow to the elder man sitting behind the desk. He was surprisingly thin from what she was expecting. He looked like he could use more meat on his bones. His skin was a bit pale, with some lines that would probably become wrinkles in the near future. He had chestnut hair and brown eyes. There was a streak of white running through the sides of his hair, revealing his age. His cheeks contrasted his thin body. They were slightly swelled. He had a smile that was pure delight plastered on his face. She was grateful for that because that smile put her at ease when she first arrived.

"It was a delight. I am happy to see a polite young woman such as you interested in working here. I did not expect too many candidates from your age group and the ones that applied did not inspire much confidence," the kindly elder man said. He got out of his seat and walked over to her. He opened the door for her and invited her to go through it. He was a gentleman from what she could tell. "I look forward to seeing you here on Monday, Orihime-chan." He held out his hand for her to shake.

Orihime curled her lips into a bright smile. She shook his hand with enthusiasm. "Ai, I will be here bright and early. I will make sure you do not regret hiring me, Choshi-san."

He chuckled deeply at the young woman's zealous. "I am sure you will not disappoint me." The auburn beauty graced him with her angelic laugh before she departed from the bakery. He watched her go with an affectionate gaze. "Such a kind young girl, she reminds me of my daughter when she was that age." So far he was satisfied with his new employee.

Orihime left the bakery. She was unable to keep her body under control. Her giddiness escaped from her and she jumped into the air. "Yes! I did it! I got the job!" she cheered. She clapped for joy at her accomplishment. After weeks of searching, months she had found a place that would hire her. The best part was it was a bakery! It had everything, bread, bagels, cake, cupcakes, and other tasty bakery treats! And she would get to take some of them home. This was the ideal job for her. She could hardly wait until she could bring treats to her friends. Oh and now whenever they had birthdays she could get a discount on cake and buy it for all of them. Sado-kun had a birthday coming up in April. She could get him a cake and they could throw a party for him! This job would enrich all of their lives. Orihime would make sure of that. After all cake was one of the most delicious and sweetest foods in the world. It could bring people together through parties that featured it as the main dessert. Chocolate cake was especially good. The rich flavor, the way it crumbled into your mouth, that yummy aftertaste that went with it and the way it filled not only your stomach, but your taste buds as well. Chocolate cake was a gift from the gods themselves. The goddess' thoughts were of nothing, but that tasty chocolate treat. Her hazel eyes became glazed. Drool escaped her mouth. A strong yearning for chocolate cake came over Orihime. "Mm, now I want some cake. Maybe I should have asked Choshi-san if I could purchase a piece with my discount." She shook her head of such selfish thoughts. "No, I haven't even started yet. I can't expect to use my discount yet. But I really want some chocolate cake now!" she whined.

"Orihime!"

The princess' thoughts of cakes were pushed aside for the thoughts of her other love, the bright orange haired boy. A pleasant carefree smile formed on her lips. Her light brown orbs began to shimmer. She greeted him with a wave. "Kurosaki-kun, I mean Ichigo-kun!" She mentally scolded herself for her forgetfulness. Orihime still had problems using his given name. He seemed to slip up every now and again, but not as much as she did. Of course they still referred to each other by their surnames around people. They only used their given names when they were alone. Their reasoning varied. Ichigo did this, so as not to draw more attention from their friends who he thought had taken far too much interest in them. Her reasoning was more romantic, being called Orihime by Ichigo when they were alone felt so intimate. It was as if they were in their own world. She told him as much. He said he didn't really get it, but he blushed after she made her revelation. She suspected he did feel the same way she did.

She jogged to Ichigo. Instead of stopping as he expected her to she charged right into him and wrapped he arms around him in tight, yet gentle embrace. That wasn't all she kissed him on the cheek. "I am going to guess this greeting means you got the job."

"I got the job!" she sang. "Ichigo-kun, I got the job! I am officially employed. I am working at a bakery too! This is a dream come true."

"That's great news, Orihime. I am happy for you." He planted is lips on the top of her head, kissing it affectionately. "Here is some more good news for you." He reached in his pocket and retrieved a piece of paper. His Hime looked on with the interest and innocence associated with a child. He couldn't help, but grin. Her pure child-like spirit was one of the things he loved about her. He unfolded it then handed it to her.

"What is this?" She looked over the paper carefully.

"You left school before the results of the final exams were posted, so I thought I would save you the trip of going back and copied all your scores down. I even added your grades too."

Her face lit up. A wide and bashful smile that went from cheek to cheek formed. "Aw, that is so sweet."

"I-It was no big deal," he said modestly. He felt some embarrassment at her thanks. However, he kept his eyes locked on to hers. Ichigo found himself running from the beautiful princess less and less. Still a charged look from his Hime was enough to make him retreat momentarily. Orihime went on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips before he could react.

"That was me thanking you," she stated.

"I appreciate it." She giggled at his reply and the blank expression he wore. Orihime scanned the paper. "Not surprising, but you passed all of the exams. I saw a 96 on that English exam you were worried about. I told you that you worrying for nothing." She pulled him into another hug. He made a mental note that whenever Orihime received good news or was in a good mood that she became very affectionate. All the ex-substitute needed to do was make sure he was around her when she was in a good mood.

"How did Tatsuki-chan do?" she asked. Their embrace continued. The healer did not want it to end it just yet.

"Tatsuki and everybody else passed. In fact they all went to Bakusui's Ramen cart to celebrate finishing up our freshmen year. They invited us to come."

"Oh, can we go?" she asked eagerly.

Ichigo closed his eyes and laughed. "Yeah, I figured you would want to go." He let go of her as she pulled away.

"Bakusui-san's ramen is the best in all of Japan," she repeated the ramen cook's famous saying. "I love going there with you, so with all our friends there it should be a hundred times more fun."

"I am not sure how true that statement is. Keigo has been going in and out of moods all afternoon because of exam scores or everyone having a job. He'll probably be more of a headache than usual." He let out a tired and annoyed breath. Just thinking about the brunet was exhausting.

"Asano-kun is just feeling a bit left out. You, Kojima-kun, and Sado-kun use to hang out a lot. When you met Kuchiki-san and became a shinigami. You had so much going on that you weren't able to spend as much time with them as you use to. I am sure he felt out of the loop. Sometimes I think Tatsuki-chan felt the same way." The couple walked off in the direction of the ramen cart.

"When you put it that way I can understand how he feels a bit."

"I am sure it only got worse once Ishida-kun and I started to hang around you. When returned to school after summer break ended and we had just returned from the Soul Society he got himself worked up over the four us greeting each other."

He remembered that outburst well. Keigo wouldn't shut up about during lunch at all. He spouted nonsense on how he was getting pushed out of the inner circle, while Ishida and Orihime were slipping in. _'Thinking about it though Keigo had a point. In middle school it was just me and Chad. When we met Keigo and Mizuiro our circle grew. After I met Rukia and became a shinigami I got to know Orihime better and met Ishida. I am pitiful. I never even noticed how much my circle of friends grew. This school year has been interesting.' _

Noticing the serene look in his chocolate shaded eyes Orihime raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking about?" Orihime asked him.

"That this was interesting school year," he answered truthfully.

She smirked. "I agree. It has been an interesting school year." There was no telling what the next year would have in store for them. Orihime only hoped that her relationship with Ichigo would only strengthen. She stole a glance at her beloved Kurosaki-kun. Unbeknown to her he also stole a glance at her. When their brown eyes met smiles appeared on their faces. Without words they took each other's hands, walking side by side to the ramen cart.

* * *

The seven friends were laughing, joking, and enjoying their company. Once Ichigo and Orihime arrived at Bakusui's cart the party ordered their meals. Orihime naturally ordered the oddest combinations that she could, but also ended up eating the most, even more than Sado who was known to consume great quantity of food due to his size. Keigo, Mizuiro, Sado and Uryu were stunned by how much the hour glass figured woman put away. Ichigo and Tatsuki having grown use to Orihime's large appetite did not bat an eye at her chaotic and large bowl of ramen. The healer revealed her new job and her high scores, much to Keigo's dismay. The usual bickering between Ichigo and Uryu then with Ichigo and Tatsuki broke out. Mizuiro flirted with Tatsuki and Orihime something neither Ichigo nor Uryu took too kindly too. Sado enjoyed a chuckle or two at the ex-substitute and the Quincy's expense. As a treat for passing their exams Bakusui cut their bill in half, even though the group (Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu) tried to persuade him that his generosity was too much, but he would not have it and they accepted his gift. They were taking an aimless stroll through the park near the ramen cart.

"I don't get why we can't go see a movie?" Tatsuki posed the question a second time. She stood in between Sado and Uryu.

Keigo responded, "I am running low on yen."

"I don't see how that is a problem," Tatsuki complained.

"That is easy for you to say. You have a job. I don't."

"Whose fault is that?" she said smugly. "You could always stop relying on your parents for money and get a job yourself."

At this he shook his head violently. "No thank you. I plan on enjoying as much care free life style as I can. I'll join the workforce and have my soul crushed after high school."

"In other words you plan on sponging off your parents for as long as you can," Tatsuki said sarcastically.

"Until you start living on your own, Arisawa you sponge off your parents to, with the food they provide you and the roof over your head," he quipped, silencing her.

"He does have a point, Arisawa," Mizuiro chimed in. His head was into his cellphone as he texted away at a girl he planned on meeting that evening.

"Oh shut up, Kojima." To her ire Kojima only smiled at her. She rolled her eyes before returning her attention to Asano. "If money is an issue just borrow some from one of us."

"He's borrowing money from you," Ichigo spat out. He held Orihime's hand as they walked. Tatsuki scrunched her face into a scowl.

"What the hell is your problem?"

Ichigo matched her scowl with a scowl of his own. It was just as mean and dark as the raven haired woman's. He felt Orihime squeeze his hand to urge him not to get into another argument with her best friend. She always hated when he and Tatsuki went to verbal war with one another. Keeping this in mind Ichigo chained the anger that he had allowed to rise. "I already lent Keigo money and haven't gotten any of it back." He shot the energetic loud mouth a suspicious glare. He held his hands out in a peace gesture, while he sweated bullets. "I am not giving him anymore until he starts paying me back."

"Hey now, you know I am good for it, Ichigo."

The carrot top man scoffed at his claim. "Bullshit if you were good for it you would have paid me back by now. I've gotten more money from Inoue out on dates then I do from you. I insist she doesn't give money, but she does anyway. What the hell is your excuse?"

"That's not a fair comparison. She is your girlfriend. She can pay you back anytime and you won't get angry," he complained.

"That's not the point dumbass!" he screamed, causing his friend to shrink behind Sado. He opened his mouth to say more when he felt another gentle squeeze from his kind hearted girlfriend. He looked to his right to see her milk white smooth face with doe like brown eyes staring at him with adoration and devotion. His anger was appeased.

"Kurosaki-kun, I could lend Asano-kun the money so he can pay you back and then he can owe me the money."

"No way in hell! You are way too kind of a person. If I let you do that he would take advantage of your kindness and never pay you back!" He shot a glare at Keigo who was still hiding behind Chad.

"I resent that! I am not so low as to not pay back my debts and I would never take advantage of someone as kind as Inoue! Frankly I am insulted you would say otherwise Ichigo. I have always paid you back in the past. I am running a little low this month that's all."

"You only pay me back after I remind you a bunch of times," Ichigo argued. "Inoue does not start her job until Monday and her first pay check won't be to either the end of next week or the week after that. There is no telling when you could pay her back. I would much rather have you owe me than her."

"Alright, so I lend Asano this money so we can see a movie. When does he pay me back?" Tatsuki asked.

Keigo shook his head vigorously. "If I accept your money then I owe both you and Ichigo. You two will threatening me until I pay and whoever I pay first will only get me in hot water with the other."

Uryu interrupted the dispute. "If we do come to an agreement what movie would we see?" No one was eager to answer his question. He looked from one face to another he saw they all baffled or unknown looks. There started a new dilemma.

Sado broke the silence to everyone's relief. "There isn't really anything out that I am interested in seeing."

"What about that new action flick that came out?" Tatsuki suggested.

Sado frowned at the thought of the movie Arisawa was talking about. "Mizuiro, Keigo, and I saw that last week and it was bad."

"Puff, that's for sure. I wasted my money on that," Keigo complained.

Ichigo growled. This information was news to him. "You don't have money to pay me back, but you had enough to see a movie last week?"

Keigo laughed nervously. He started to fidget behind Chad. Now he was worried that the silent giant was not large enough to keep him from Ichigo. "Well that is kind of the reason I can't pay. I forgot about the money I owe you when I bought the ticket." He let out another tense laugh that sounded just as unsettling as it felt. "It's kind of funny when you think about it."

"Yes it is historically," Ichigo muttered sarcastically.

"I sure as hell not going to lend you money now," Tatsuki told Keigo. "Not if you are pulling crap like that."

"You all act like a sponge off of you every day. I forgot to pay you back, Ichigo. I am sorry."

"It doesn't sound like we will be able to decide on a movie to see," Uryu whispered to himself, but the others heard.

"There is that new action/horror film. It is about a guy who gains supernatural powers and he has to protect the mortal world from a race of evil spirits bent on eating human souls," Mizuiro suggested. Ichigo, Chad, Inoue, and Ishida stared at him as though he was an idiot or Keigo. "Ok bad idea."

"I've had enough of soul eating monsters to last a life time," Ichigo muttered. He wasn't lying. If he never saw another hollow for the rest of his natural life-time he would count himself fortunate. That was a bitter-sweet wish. After all without his powers he could not see hollows and for that to continue his powers would have to remain gone. That was something he did not want to happen. He still held out hope that his powers would return in the future.

"Nothing is out. That is good because I don't have the money," Keigo kept reminding them.

"We heard you the first three times," Uryu said in a clearly annoyed tone.

"Hey if Ichigo is going to keep bringing up I owe him money I have to keep bringing up I don't have it."

An idea hit Orihime, causing her to jump lightly. "Oh, we could go to my apartment and watch a movie there! That way we can watch whatever we want and not have to spend money. Oh and I can even make us all snacks!" She clapped her hands at the thought of all the lovely snacks that she had at home. "I can make mustard filled rice balls with chocolate!" she exclaimed happily. She failed to notice her friends turn green.

"Umm, Inoue, we can buy some snacks," Ichigo said. He tried to disguise his disgust so he would not hurt her feelings. He would walk through hell for her, but even he had his limits. Her odd taste of food was just one thing he would not brave for her. "This way you don't have to trouble yourself with preparing us food."

Tatsuki nodded hesitantly. "Ichigo is right. We'll just buy some food then go back to your place."

"Are you sure you have no problem with all of us going to your apartment, Inoue-san? We do not want to intrude."

"Don't be silly, Ishida-kun. We will have a lot of fun! I have had lots of people over my apartment before when Rangiku-san and Histugaya-kun were here. This is a celebration for becoming juniors!"

Uryu was still unsure, but seeing Inoue-san's lovely and carefree face smile at him made his reservations disappear. His lips curled into a small smile, giving her his assurance that he would be there.

"Going to Inoue's apartment is like a dream come true!" Keigo sang. A stern and very evil glare from Ichigo froze him were he stood. He recognized that glare all too well. It was the glare Ichigo only gave him when he was standing on very, very thin ice. He should have more sense to gush over his fantasy of going over to Inoue's apartment with her protective and short tempered boyfriend there. "I mean it should be fun." Ichigo's glare did not lessen at all. Apparently the ex-substitute was not done conveying his message yet.

"That is good with me as long as we do it now. I have a date tonight." Mizuiro confirmed said date with the girl then put his phone away. "Chad, are you in?"

"Yeah," replied the silent giant.

"You know I am in," Tatsuki uttered.

Orihime clapped again. Her eyes closed and her large smile had appeared. The energy bounced off of her body exciting all of those around her. "It is settled we will go to my place and watch a movie! It will be like a little party!" She started humming happily. With an aim set the group of friends left for Orihime's place. The school year was an interesting one. Orihime found her circle of friends had not only gotten larger, but become diversified. She looked around to Asano-kun chatting away with Sado-kun and Kojima-kun. Her eyes fell on her best friend and Ishida-kun conversing about something. They both wore smiles. She bumped into Ichigo on purpose, but made sure it was light. He asked her why she did that with a just a look. "I am happy," she uttered.

"Good because you deserve to be." The dark brown spheres were consumed by love. His sight was frozen on the goddess, his goddess. Unable to look away Ichigo continued to beam down on her, unwisely ignoring what was in front of him. She eventually took notice of his stare. She turned her head to meet his gaze.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just like seeing you happy. You glow when you are really happy." Surprisingly Ichigo did not run away from her eyes, nor did he blush. Orihime on the other hand a deep shade of red and that infectious smile grew twice in size.

God she wanted to kiss him, but all their friends were there. They would hassle them for their public display of affection. That didn't really matter did it? She wasn't ashamed of her love for her beloved Kurosaki-kun. It was the opposite. She was proud of it. Orihime stole a kiss from him, brushing his lips ever so lightly. She felt him return it and intensify it without turning the kiss into a make out session.

"Oh come on you two. We aren't going to have to see that when watch the movie are we?" Keigo asked when their kiss ended.

"If you don't like it don't watch it," Ichigo stated as a matter of fact. He groaned. "It is not like we do this in front of you guys all the time anyway."

"We thank you for that," Tatsuki said with wit she was known for.

Ichigo did not respond. He held his tongue. Getting the better of Tatsuki did not seem so important at the moment. He was with friends, holding his girlfriend's hand, and things were peaceful. He couldn't help, but think that maybe, just maybe normal life was not as bad as he thought it was.

* * *

**A care free chapter with the gang acting likes normal teenagers for a change. Orihime got her job at the bakery. She has to balance work and training with Chad now and when school starts that will be another ball to juggle. Uryu started training with Ryuken, while Orihime and Chad train by themselves. That part in there is to let you know they have already started training already. If think the scores for Ichigo and his friends are too high, Japan's education system is top notch. I am assuming that Ichigo and his friends studied hard enough get mostly 80s or 90s to pass. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review. **


	36. Bakery Days and Lunch Dates

**I probably going to have to come back and clean this chapter up. I apologize ahead of time for mistakes you see. I am tired, but want to upload this chapter. This is a fluffy and romantic centric chapter with a spice of humor in it. Orihime's first day on the job and both she and Ichigo have their own ideas for celebrating it, sort of. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am merely borrowing the characters for a little while.**

* * *

"Ooooooooohhhhhhhh!" he howled. He blinked four times, trying to make sure that his old eyes were not deceiving him. He even went as far as to rub them. No, there was no change. She was as lovely as always. No that was an understatement she was even lovelier, elegant, enchanting, and more. Looking at her made him feel so old. He wasn't old damn it! He still had a tremendous amount of energy and youth left for another hundred life times. Why did looking at her sap all that energy away and reduce him to a decrepit old man? It wasn't fair. This shouldn't have been how he felt? Damn and he didn't even feel bad. His heart swarmed with this cluster of differing emotions. Two emotions stood above all the others, happiness and pride. Why shouldn't he have felt both? He had watched her for some time. He saw her grow and become stronger. Compared to the person she was back than she was entirely different. There was a confidence to her. Her eyes illuminated with hope. Her small honest smile drew the warmth in the hearts of everyone within it presence, making them forget their troubles if only for a second. She wasn't a girl anymore. She was a woman. Realizing that fact brought tears to his eyes. He sniffled not caring that everyone was staring at him. "You…." He sniffled again. "You…." He had to wipe the salty discharge that was overflowing from his eyes. "You look….absolutely lovely, Orihime!" Isshin screamed at the top of his lungs.

He had walked into the kitchen looking to satisfy his hunger with Yuzu's splendid cooking. One could not start the day without a healthy meal. He would have a long day of checking out patients who could not afford to go to Karakura General, which was surprisingly a good number of people today. His day would start sooner than usual, so he had to be swift so as to finish his breakfast before his patients showed up. When he walked through the door the first thing he noticed was that Yuzu and Karin had their gazes locked on to something. His eyebrows rose and he mentally hummed. What could have captivated both of his daughters' attentions? His inquisitiveness was soon ignited. Isshin directed his stare to where his daughters were looking. That is when he made his outburst. All three of his girls were giving him odd looks some annoyance (Karin), others with embarrassment (Yuzu), and one with a concerned expression that was tainted by fear (Orihime).

He ignored them. Instead he focused all of his attention onto the gorgeous red-orange woman standing only feet away from him. Orihime still wore the same worried and fearful expression. Did she think he was going to bite her? She acted so wary around him. Obviously she was infected by the poisonous words that were no doubt spouted from his children's mouths. But still here Isshin was wide-eyed and full of wonder. Orihime was a vision to see. She was wearing long sleeved white buttoned shirt along with gray skirt that reminisced her school uniform, but it had a more casual feel to it. The glimmering silver crescent moon necklace rested over her chest. Her hairpins were pinned near her left breast, out of sight to anyone who was not looking in that area. Her posture was perfect. She looked so grown up! "Ori….HIME!" He rushed over to the young woman.

Her hazel eyes bulged out of their sockets as she trembled with fear. He was going to crash right into her and there was nothing she could do. Her body just froze up on her. Out of fear or surprise Orihime shut her eyes tight. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her. Her small frame was being crushed by the overwhelming strength that the man possessed. His embrace was so strong that she could not even yelp. Her eyelids were forced open.

"Oh, Orihime look at you!" he cried. "You have grown so big now! You are all grown up! Where was that scrawny little girl I first met? Who said you could grow up into a woman?" Tears were pouring out in excess now, threatening to stain her shirt. "Oh my god that's right you are a grown woman now!" He rubbed his stubble cheek against her smooth cheek. "It is not fair my newest daughter is the one I get least time with!"

Karin watched her father treat his fourth proclaimed daughter as though this was the last time he would ever see her. Her eyelids were half closed and her lips frowned into an upside down U-shape. Yuzu was expending all of her effort to keep a smile up. She felt bad for Orihime, really she did. However, she was glad that it was Orihime and not her in her father's overzealous embrace.

"Hah," exhaled Karin as she rubbed the temple on her head. "Does he always have to be so hyper? Orihime-chan can't even breathe."

Yuzu turned her head slightly sideways. Maybe if she looked at it in a different angle her eldest sister (as Yuzu viewed her) suffering would be more bearable. It was not. "Onee-chan is turning blue!" Yuzu put her hand over her mouth. The rest of her face broke up into alarm and mid horror.

Karin sighed. A hand went through her midnight black hair. Her father was a real piece of work. He was so overcome with joy that he did not even realize that he was about to suffocate Orihime. She shared her twin's concern for the healer, but there was not a whole lot they could do. Like with his fights with Ichigo she knew that her father would have resolve his sadness or whatever with Orihime before anything could be done to liberate the elder girl.

Orihime's lungs were on fire. They were actually on fire. Try as she might she could not get any air into her to extinguish those terrible flames. Her ability to move was completely stolen from her. All the pressure applied to her body that it was a wonder none of her bones were broken. Isshin-san's grip was too strong for his own good. If she did not do something and fast she could very well fall unconscious. "Isshin-san…." She managed to barely get out. Her plea had gone unheard because he continued to rub her cheek with his. His stubble tickled her cheek. Any other time she would have been giggling at the action. "Isshin-san," she put more strength to her words this time. This time having heard her Isshin-san stopped. She could feel his arms loosen and although it was only a bit the inferno that was within her lungs lost some of its intensity. It was a godsend for her. "I…can't…breathe…"

"Hmmm," Isshin uttered. He pulled away slightly too get a good look at her. She was blue in the face, while her pupils had been replaced by two miniature dizzy swirls. The poor girl had nearly gone limp. What an idiot he had been. His future daughter's life was hanging on by a thread and the culprit was he, himself! "Ooooh no! My daughter you cannot die here!" He threw the orange haired goddess out of his grasp. Fearful that she would fall he maintained her balance by putting his two large hands on her shoulders. "You must live! Do you hear me, Orihime? Listen to papa and live!" he beckoned. He impulsively shook her back and forth roughly. The doctor's actions had the opposite effect that he desired. Instead of reviving Orihime it increased her dizziness and stunned her. Karin and Yuzu both overtaken by horror watched, their eyes bulging out of their sockets, their mouths had fallen open.

"Dad, stop or you are going to kill Onee-chan!" cried Yuzu.

"Listen to Yuzu!" urged an equally panicked Karin.

Hearing his daughters' warnings and seeing the adverse effect he had unwittingly caused Isshin ceased his shaking. However, the damage seemed to have been caused. Orihime was moaning in a disturbing deathly and sickly tone. Her legs had given out on her, while the rest of her body had also shutdown. Her brain was working on a reboot. Until then it would be up to Isshin to support her. Terrified at her limb body he let out a cry of agony.

"Oh no, stay with us Orihime! You must live!" He rushed over to the table. He pulled a chair out while managing to hold her up. He carefully sat her down. His medical training kicked in. He put enough distance between them for her to get air, but close enough to get her in case she fell out of the chair. "Please my lovely future daughter, stay with us! I can't believe this blight has befallen on us!" A stream of water now flowed out of his eyes threatening to flood his face. "Be strong my daughter! You cannot allow yourself to be taken by this unfortunate event that has befallen you! I will not allow it! I will stop this plight myself!"

Karin growled. The vein across her head formed. It pulsated like a little heartbeat. Her body shook with rage. She had enough. "Stop this plight," she repeated his words. "You are the plight! Just stop being ridiculous and act your age! I mean you are a doctor. You should know better than to shake a person who nearly suffocated!" She pointed an accusing finger at the unconventional father. He had the decency to bulk away from her accusations and shrunk away.

"I didn't mean any harm. I was just overtaken by joy and sadness." He twiddled his fingers sheepishly and sobbed quietly.

"You always have to take it to entirely unnecessary and dangerous levels though!" the second scowling Kurosaki continued. "You are a fully grown man. It is important for you to control your strength!" she lectured. Somehow their roles had been reversed. Karin seemed like parent and Isshin the child. He sunk on his knees to take an apologetic stance. The two dark haired Kurosakis continued their back and forth Yuzu went to Orihime to tend to her. Fortunately she seemed to be recovering.

"Orihime-chan, how are you?" she asked. Her words were laced with not only worry, but with affection.

The spinning had stopped at last. The light brown haired girl came into clear view. By looking into her eyes alone she could see apprehension radiating from them. Her entire face had fallen into despair. Not caring for this look one bit Orihime took upon herself to erase it off of the younger girl's face. She placed her hand on Yuzu's shoulder and squeezed it softly. "I am fine, Yuzu-chan. I am just feeling a little dizzy." The frown reversed itself transforming into smile. The dark atmosphere around her had dissipated.

"ORIHIME!"

Both girls turned to see Isshin running towards them.

"Ah!" they both squealed.

He fell in front of the red-orange haired beauty. His sobs had become louder. Orihime and Yuzu observed him, startled by his shift in emotions. "Please forgive me and my carelessness. I beg of you to forgive me." He bowed gracelessly. "I throw myself to you mercy!" He threw his body up just to throw it down again.

Feeling uncertain and awkward Orihime sat there trying her best to not show her uneasiness to Isshin. She was not doing a very good job. Judging by the look Karin was giving her when she looked to the sarcastic girl for help. She turned to Yuzu. She also seemed to have felt as out of place as Orihime did with her father's eccentric behavior. However, Yuzu encouraged her to talk to him. When she silently mouthed to Yuzu about what she should say the younger girl told her to assure him that she was ok. Orihime patted him on his shoulder timidly. "There, there Isshin-san. I am fine. There is no need to feel bad. I forgive you."

Once again the middle aged man's mood shifted in the blink of an eye. The tears had evaporated. His eyebrows rose and his lips spread out into a very large very Isshin smile. If possible his brown orbs had given a new light that shinned so bright that it would require one to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes. "Thank you! Oh thank you! My newest daughter is also the one who is most forgiving!"

"Hey!" Yuzu protested. She pouted out her bottom lip out.

Isshin either did not hear Yuzu or choose to ignore her because he went on to praise Orihime. The poor girl could only laugh and accept his praise uneasily. "Isshin-san, it is really no problem at all. You were just…overzealous."

Karin and Yuzu traded looks. Overzealous was an understatement for their dad. They weren't sure there was a word that captured the strength of their father and his energetic nature. "Onee-chan is very forgiving," Yuzu stated.

"She would have to be. She dates Ich-nii after all."

This earned her a smile from Yuzu. They loved their brother very much, but he was oblivious. There was no other word for it. How else would they explain how he missed Orihime's very obvious attraction to him? Sometimes they worried that obliviousness would spill over into his now romantic relationship with the gorgeous red head. From what Orihime told them their brother was surprisingly in tune with her emotions and picked up on her moods quite well. He was even romantic if they could believe that, but then again Ichigo did give Orihime a necklace that belonged to their mother. In a way it officially welcomed Orihime into the Kurosaki family and a promise that she would not be alone no matter what. Even Karin had to admit her elder brother's gift had been a very sweet sentiment.

"Bless you and your forgiving nature." Before Orihime could respond Isshin had left her, leaving only the outline of where he had once been. In her confusion Orihime could only blink as she pondered where he could have gone. A glance at Karin and Yuzu told her all she needed to. Orihime turned to her left to see Isshin in front of the large picture of his deceased wife, the woman who's necklace she wore now, Masaki.

"Masaki, did you hear that? Our newest beautiful daughter is so kind and forgiving!" He threw himself at the wall, attempting to hug it. All three girls having seen this sight so many times before did not bat an eye at Isshin's embrace. It was as mundane to them as eating breakfast together, although Orihime was not sure if that was a positive or negative thing. She thought it was sweet that after all this time that Isshin-san still loved Masaki-san so much that he could have conversations with her image and imagine what her responses would be. "Just look at her. Doesn't she wear your old necklace well?" He waited for the silent response. Isshin pulled himself away from the larger than life photo. He turned to Orihime and gestured for her to come over. Being obedient she went over to him.

A nauseous reaction occurred in the deepest pits of her stomach. Her body started its rebellion and made her twitch. This was the same feeling she felt when she first had dinner over at the Kurosaki household. Her nerves had been stroked as they always were when Isshin called her over to talk to Masaki. It was unusual and it did not make much sense, but whenever Isshin-san introduced her to image of his late wife she would become incredibly self-conscious. Masaki-san had such a big place in Ichigo's heart that she needed the golden-brown haired mother's approval. Was that irrational? She knew full well that Masaki was not there. Even if her spirit had remained in the Human World she would see her right now if she stood there, not to mention Isshin and Karin would see her now. So why did Orihime become so flustered by photo? The healer would like to think that somewhere in the Soul Society that the magnet of the Kurosaki family was watching over them, watching Isshin-san have daily conversations with her picture, listening to him and smiling. If that belief was correct she would also see Orihime when she came over to the picture as well. Surely she had an interest in the girl that now wore her necklace. Several questions started to form. Did Masaki-san like her? Would she view Orihime good enough to date her son? How did she view Orihime and Ichigo's sharing a bed during her time at the Kurosaki Clinic? What if Masaki-san thought she was a loose, amoral girl who seduced her son with her body? It wasn't like they did anything bad and it was only a few times. Ichigo did wrap his arms around her and she did snuggle up to him, felt his hard forming pecs and the six pack he developed a little, but it wasn't on purpose. When you are pushed right up against someone you occasionally brushed against something. She mentally whined, realizing what she had just thought. She had felt her boyfriend up and she was expecting his mother to approve of her. As Tatsuki would say she was an idiot.

Orihime mustered what could only be described as a ghost smile. It wasn't just weak it was barely noticeable. The doe-hazel eyes failed to even produce half of the normal glow that they put out. She did provide a contrast to the picture of Masaki. Masaki's smile was so lively and joyous that it would have summoned any happiness buried deep within any observer and force it to the surface, while simultaneous burring any sadness or anger into the deepest pit of the soul. The golden-brown strands of her hair illuminated even within that photo, although Orihime suspected that the photo did not do the extraordinary glow her hair produced any justice. Masaki's eyes were closed, but she had no doubt her eyes were full of just as much life and love that her smile contained. She was angelic, a beauty not meant for this world. Yet despite these features Orihime found no comfort from them. Hesitantly she put her hand up and waved at Masaki's image.

"H-Hi again, Masaki-san," she said. She heard her voice and it was so faint and it sounded distant. Where was her confidence? Where was her courage? "How are you doing today?" She sounded a little better. Her voice had some more strength in it and she didn't sound so far away. The healer stood there unsure of when she should speak again. Unlike Isshin-san she had no idea how the Kurosaki mother would respond to her questioning. "I am doing fine." She thought Masaki-san would return her question to back to her if she was physically there. "It is spring break right now, so there is no school. I am really glad to get a break. It is not that I don't like school!" she hastily threw in there. If Masaki was watching her she did not want her to think Orihime was slacker and slutty. "It is just that all that studying for finals was so exhausting and time consuming. I could use the break. I sound ungrateful though. In comparison to Kurosaki-kun who has to balance school and work he had to work even harder to get through both. He works too hard though. Sometimes I think he goes overboard, but that is why I try to help him when I can."

Isshin crossed his arms and nodded his head solemnly. "Orihime is the very reason our son did not fail this term." That obnoxious wide grin materialized. "She takes good care of Ichigo."

Her cheek became inflamed. She took her eyes away from the image. Slightly embarrassed, but mostly out of modesty Orihime pulled herself away. Isshin-san made too much of her. All she did was help Ichigo keep up with his school work and highlighted a few topics and facts that she thought were important. She would not call herself the reason the carrot top passed his exams. It was still his hard work after all. "Isshin-san is exaggerating," she told Masaki's image. "Kurosaki-kun worked very hard for all his grades. He ranked thirty seventh in our entire class! It was better the first term. He was twenty third, but circumstances beyond his control during our second term hurt him and he dropped down to forty fourth. There is marked improvement!" she exclaimed. "I didn't improve my rank at all though."

Isshin trying to hold back a laugh patted his second adopted daughter on the head affectionately. "Don't be so modest, Orihime. Masaki she did not improve her rank, but she is third in her class." Orihime's humble nature allowed her to bounce the praise off of her. She closed her eyelids and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "She is a regular genius just like the rest of our daughters! She is just as gorgeous as Karin, Yuzu, and Rukia. She is dressed up today as well." His gaze became glued to Orihime. He cemented her formal dress in his mind. The cogs started to spin rapidly within his brain. Why was Orihime dressed in such a professional manner? It was similar to her school uniform, but as the innocent young woman said the schools were on spring break for two weeks. School was eliminated as a reason. The doctor constructed new ideas before ultimately throwing them away. It would be simpler to ask her than to guess. "Orihime, why are you dressed up?"

Unbridled happiness rushed to her face. That bubbly heartwarming smile formed on her lips. From a father's point of view she looked simply adorable. Any father would be fortunate to have Orihime as a daughter. It may have come across as him being comical or goofy, but Isshin was quite serious when he would claim Orihime as his daughter. During her stay with the Kurosaki Clinic, not mention all the times he saw her when Tatsuki would play with Karin and Yuzu and when she visited Ichigo when the latter was in a coma, he had grown attached to the princess. She was so kindhearted and selfless a trait that Yuzu had herself. That was probably the reason his youngest daughter took such a liking to her. Her maternal side was just as strong. He saw how Orihime's maternal and nurturing feelings had drawn Karin out of her shell and made her more expressive, albeit only a little. It was obvious that she was the source for Ichigo's new found happiness. She was a joy to have for everyone. Isshin gravitated to her just like the other members of his family. She was a good kid who had a great deal of misfortune. He did not know the full details he knew that the reason Orihime did not live with her own parents was because they had been so terrible that her elder brother ran away with her to protect her. He knew when Sora died (he remembered that patient well because of the little girl he had in the clinic the very girl that was before him now) that she was on her own.

He never told Ichigo this, but when Inoue Sora passed on he made it a mission to discover everything he could about the man. Maybe he felt guilty about failing to save him or that he was honor bond to Sora's sister, but whatever it was Isshin was determined to make sure that little girl was taken care of. He owed that man at least that much. He had come into contact with said parents intending to give them their daughter, but one visit there and he realized why Sora was raising the girl on his own. He dug deeper and found a distant aunt. She lived quite a distance so he opted to phone her. He told her the situation. She was reluctant at first to come into contact with Orihime due to a turbulent past with Orihime's parents. However, Isshin managed to convince her to at least meet Orihime before anything. He did not witness it, but he received a call from her. The aunt had met her and took a liking to her citing she was nothing like her parents. She told him that she wanted to bring Orihime with her, but the younger girl was insistent on staying in the apartment Sora raised her in. Instead she decided to send money to Orihime for rent, food, and some pocket money for her luxuries (the amount for luxury funds would depend on her grades in school). A weight was lifted from his heart at that time. He could rest knowing that girl would not fall between the cracks. He thought he would never see that girl again, so imagine his surprise when Tatsuki came over the clinic to play with Karin and Yuzu with that the same girl who had shrieked a deathly hollow howl as he told her that her brother did not make it. Despite his many years life never ceased to amaze him. His son's eldest friend would befriend that same girl and come over to the clinic with her. Whenever Tatsuki would bring Orihime over he would take note of her to see how she was doing out of curiosity. In some loose way Isshin had watched her grow up or at least saw her transition from girl to woman. Now he had taken an active role in watching over her. He was a sucker for hard cases, but he still felt connection to Orihime at least, one he that would remain regardless of whether or not she and Ichigo made it as a couple. He identified this connection as paternal. His ear picked up her jolly laugh and returned him to the present.

"Today is my first day at Choshi-san's bakery. I wanted to look professional for the job," she explained.

"Oh I see. But aren't just a little overdressed for a bakery?" He could see question marks appear around her head as she shot him a perplexed expression complete with a finger on her chin.

"Do you really think so?" she posed the question after some time.

He closed his eyes and smiled lightly as oppose to large teeth revealing ones he usually gave; providing him with a look of understanding. "Usually people only dress up like that if their jobs are at an office or are interning for a doctor or something. A bakery is usually an occupation that allows you to dress more casually."

Her eyes broadened and her lips puckered into an oh gesture. The question marks faded away as she grasped on to what he was conveying. "Ooooohh, so I could have dressed more casual then." Isshin replied yes with a nod of his head. "I guess I am a little overdressed then. Oh well. Now this way Choshi-san knows I am serious!" She balled her hands into fists. "This way I will be super ready for anything that happens!" she cried.

Yuzu just giggled. Between Orihime and her dad she was unsure who was sillier. What would she do with them? "Even if Onee-chan is a bit overdressed she still looks really pretty," she complimented.

Isshin agreed with his light brown haired daughter. "She is simply dazzling." He turned to his wife's giant poster/picture. "Isn't Orihime simply dazzling, honey?" This nearly caused all three girls to fall down. "It is hard to believe you are starting your first job so soon." Water was returning to his eyes. Damn they were going to be red. "You are still so young too young for a job." He shook his head hard; unwilling to accept this reality. "Quit this job and allow papa to give you money."

She laughed aloud. "Isshin-san is too silly."

His face fell into a depressed and lifeless husk. "I was being serious," he whimpered.

"What are you whimpering about now, old man?" Ichigo had entered the kitchen fully dressed, wearing his dull borderline deadpan expression.

The gloominess shed itself. Isshin's ecstasy increased tenfold. He pushed against his heels to rocket through the air at his only son. "Ichigo, prepare yourself!" Ichigo did anything, but prepare. He continued to walk forward leisurely not taking Isshin's attack seriously at all. His son had become too laid back for his liking. Ichigo needed to keep alert at all times. When he was inches away an elbow collided straight into the bridge of his nose. The blow threw him off his intended course and he fell backwards. In addition to his nose being crushed and stinging like a bitch his back was in an excruciating amount of pain. To add insult to even more injury Ichigo walked right over his stomach. He had to put his hands over his mouth just to keep the woeful cry from escaping his lips. "Well done my son," he said breathlessly. "Your skills continue to improve."

Ichigo ignored his father and made his way to the table. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Orihime standing to the side just in front of the poster of his mother. He rolled his eyes. His father made his girlfriend have another heart to heart chat with the poster.

"Good morning, Onii-chan," Yuzu greeted.

"Morning, Ichi-nii," Karin stated before she put another bite of her breakfast in her mouth.

"Morning you two," he replied back.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun."

The perky greeting of hers had an effect on him, warming his insides. His chocolate shaded spheres fell upon his goddess. She was the incarnation of beauty itself, with her blemish free milky skin, the unearthly glow from her bright vivid red-orange hair, bewitching smile that was ignorant of its own power and the breath taking hazel eyes. She still had the power to make his heart beat faster and make his stomach somersault. "Morning, Inoue." Attached to her name was a tenderness that would have gone unnoticed by most. Inoue wasn't one of those people. He could tell by how her smile had widened slightly that she heard the gentleness in it.

Orihime was not the only one to pick up on Ichigo's slight change of tone. Karin detected it also. They were too obvious in her opinion. "Ichi-nii, you are going to be late for work if you do not hurry. It is 20 minutes passed 8. You have to get to work by 9."

"Onii-chan you have to eat fast if you want to make it on time!" Yuzu warned.

Ichigo waved his sisters' concerns off. "Don't worry about it. I already ate earlier. I just finished getting dressed."

"Huh?" wailed Yuzu. The younger girl appeared to be shaken to her core as though she had received horrifying news. "You ate something already. Onii-chan, you mean to tell me you got up early?"

"Yeah," he replied plainly.

Yuzu's face normally cheery face shattered. It looked downtrodden and beaten. "I knew I shouldn't have slept in. Why didn't you wake me up? I could have made you breakfast. I bet you didn't have a hardy meal. Well tomorrow I will make sure to wake up on time and have a nutritious, hot meal." She babbled on more about how she should have woken up and gotten breakfast earlier and scolded herself for forgetting about Ichigo's new work schedule, until Ichigo stopped her by gripping her shoulder. Instantly Yuzu became silent. Her full attention was now on her brother. Her gaze was unwavering. The way she looked at Ichigo one would have thought he was about to give her some life altering news.

"Slowdown, Yuzu. I didn't wake you up so you could rest. Honestly you work hard all the time making all of our meals, going to school, homework, and you are doing more house work around here now that I have a job and can't do as much as use to. I made something simple and ate breakfast, so you could sleep in today. I am not a good cook like you, but I can at least make simple stuff. Don't sweat sleeping in today. You can sleep in tomorrow morning too if you want. It is your break too, so enjoy it."

Yuzu had a moment of clarity. She stared at Ichigo. She saw him as a normal girl would see him, as a big brother who was looking out for her. He wasn't someone she had to take care of or a helpless man who would be lost without her culinary skills. The bright wild chocolate colored eyes glistened with admiration. "Onii-chan," she uttered.

Orihime beamed at the siblings' display. _'Ichigo-kun is really a good big brother. Watching him with Yuzu-chan just now reminds me of how Onii-chan would always calm me down when I thought I messed up.' _Big brothers were born first to protect their little sisters. That was what Ichigo believed anyway. He took those words to heart.

"Listen to Ichi-nii, Yuzu. It is no big deal that you didn't cook him breakfast. He's grown and can fend from himself," Karin stated. She took a bite from her meal before stopping to continue. "You were tired last night anyway. You might as well take advantage of the break and sleep in while you can."

The more maternal twin merely nodded her head and smiled. "Ai, you are right," she told her cynic twin. Karin smirked at obtained victory over her. She turned back to Ichigo. "Are you sure you don't want me to make you something real quick?" He answered her with a head shake.

"I don't want you to go out your way. Besides I don't want to be late."

"It doesn't take you that long to reach Nakamura Electronics does it?" Karin furrowed her brow. Disbelief made itself known on her face.

Ichigo replied, "No, but I like to leave early just in case something comes up and I lose time."

"That is a smart idea," Orihime complimented. The ex-substitute turned to her. She noticed the dark brown orbs she absolutely adored reduced their size slightly. The upside down U-shape frown grew. She could tell he was saddened by something.

"Too bad I have to go in so early. I wanted to walk you to the bakery on your first day."

He was down because he couldn't walk her to the bakery. Relief washed over her. She feared it was something more serious. Ichigo had to be in at his job by 9 o'clock, while she did not have to be in until 10. Only an hour a part from each other, but that meant he could not walk her to her job lest he wished to be an hour late. "It is fine, Kurosaki-kun. I don't mind," she assured him.

He stuffed his hands into his pocket. His deadpan expression did not change at all. "I still wanted to walk with you," he reiterated. He had become so accustom to Orihime coming over to the clinic for breakfast then walk to school with him that it felt unnatural not to have her walk beside him in the morning. _'What the hell am I thinking about? So I can't walk with Orihime this morning. It is not the end of the world. We don't have to do everything together. She is not too broken hearted about it and I shouldn't be either.' _He told himself that, but there still ping of sadness mixed with shame. Orihime would walk with him to and from the electronic store all the time. It felt like the least he could do was the same. They even got off at different times, he at 3 and she at 4. The good news was since he got off first he could go to the bakery and walk her home at least. "Ori…Inoue," he corrected himself. The last thing he needed was for his family to know he had started to call her Orihime. The fuss they made over the necklace would be tame in comparison to the one that would be made once they discovered he used her given name. "You get off at 4 today right?"

"Yes," she answered promptly. He thought she was practicing for the customers she would get that day.

"I'll walk you home," he declared.

Orihime objected to his surprise. "Kurosaki-kun, you can't because you are going to be spending time with Asano-kun and Kojima-kun after you get off work."

Damn. She was right. He promised Keigo that after he got off work on Monday that the three of them, Mizuiro, Keigo, and he would hang out. Knowing Keigo he was counting down the minutes until Ichigo got off work. The infamous scowl appeared. He groaned. Ichigo wasn't unhappy to spend time with Keigo and Mizuiro. He would never tell Keigo this, not even if hell froze over, but he was looking forward to hanging out just the three of them. They had not done that in a while. There was still Orihime. He did want to walk her home. It was more than repaying her kindness he wanted to see how her day went. He wanted to hear what joys she would experience, the pitfalls she would unfortunately be plagued with. He wanted to lend her his ear. It was a shame he could not be in two places at once. "I'll walk you home."

"But…"

"I'll still hang out with Keigo and Mizuiro, but I'll leave and meet you at the bakery. After we walk here I'll meet up with those guys again." She still seemed to need convincing.

"There really is no need to walk me home," she tried again, completely missing the fact that she referred to clinic as home. "Asano-kun can be a little…" What was the right word for him? "….fragile." Perfect, the healer had to pat herself on the back for thinking of that word. Her beloved scoffed.

"If Keigo can't understand that I am taking a bit of time to walk you home that is his problem. I am going to meet you at the bakery at 4." His tone sound harsh and left no room for argument, but it wasn't directed at her. However, he had made up his mind. Orihime learned when Kurosaki Ichigo made up his mind on something that it would take heaven and hell to deter him and sometimes even that was not enough.

'_He is so stubborn,' _she thought with an amused smile. She was flattered that he would take a break from two his closest friends to walk with her. He did seem almost down about not being able to walk with her this morning. Their morning ritual of walking together had been broken and a part of her felt glum at not being able to walk with him in the morning. What could she do? They had conflicting work schedules. It would just be something they had to deal with. This was not even the first time they could not walk together. She had crafts club and when he had makeup exams one of them would leave earlier. This was no different from those times. Besides she had something in store for Ichigo that would make up for their morning walk being time being broken. It hinged on Ichigo leaving. He needed to keep his attention on the time and not her. Although she was secretly hoping that he would comment on her wardrobe. Ichigo showed no signs that he even noticed her appearance. She wanted to pout, but realized it was such a minor issue that it was silly to be upset with him for not noticing her clothes.

Ichigo laid his eyes on a clock. He needed to get a move on or else risk becoming late. "I'm off." He gave his goodbyes to Karin and Yuzu just as his father had gotten to his feet. The former vizard stood in front of her and the poster of his mother. He opened his mouth, but simply could not find his voice. He wished to give his farewells to Orihime, but the eyes of his family kept him frozen in place. Another ritual that they had gotten into was far more personal than the first one. When Ichigo would drop Orihime off at either her apartment or the clinic when they were alone he would kiss her then said his goodbyes. Needless to say the ex-substitute found this ritual to be an enjoyable experience. He loved to taste those strawberry flavored lips. Ichigo could not just kiss her in front of his entire family. They would always bring that up. Forty years from now he could already hear Karin smugly asking him if we remembered this moment to ridicule him. He gave her a nod and he turned to leave. Not even two feet away something inside of Ichigo stopped him.

What the hell was he doing? He didn't say one word to Orihime when he bid her a farewell. He nodded like a twelve year old boy afraid of getting teased for liking a girl. This was unacceptable. The goddess of Karakura High deserved much better than that. He spun around to come face to face with his Hime. Not bothering with a reply he rushed at her, but maintained his leisurely pace and retained his grace. Only inches kept them apart. Ichigo lifted her head by her chin. He pressed his lips to hers for short yet passionate kiss. He heard Yuzu squeal in delight and his old man's prideful slightly lecherous chuckle. Orihime was stunned by his actions. He could see that. Her eyes were unblinking. The rest of her body was stiff as a board. "See you, Inoue. You look nice." She gasped at his forwardness around his family. Without uttering another word Ichigo turned around and left the kitchen.

* * *

He was ignorant to the great gleeful smile the goddess wore. She was struggling to contain her delight. Orihime found herself giggling like a grade school girl. To both her annoyance and merry she could not stop blushing. Her cheeks were so red that she resembled a strawberry. When he kissed her she felt a dip in her stomach. It was that kind of dip a person would get going down on a roller-coaster, only the difference was that after the dip ended a bubbly sensation would occur. Thinking about it made her want to burst out in giggles. Her brain told her to get a hold of herself and to stop brining humiliation to both of them. Everyone was staring at her. Orihime tried to obey her demanding brain even though it was being insufferable. Try as she might the Shun Shun Rikka wielder could not stop smiling. It seemed to be permanently burned on to her lips. She had to hide her face in her hands trying and failing to regain her composure. Curse the universe for making her endure this experience. "Karin-chan." The first word she had spoken since her wonderful boyfriend left. Her face was still hidden behind her small hands.

"Hmm," replied the raven haired girl. Karin raised an eyebrow giving her an inquisitive demeanor. She was fascinated by how a simple gesture as kissing could make a person turn so loopy. Was this how she would act when she fell for a boy? God she hoped not.

"Can you please check to see if your brother has left yet?" she asked in her most pleading and polite tone.

Karin went to the window to adhere to Orihime's request. She pushed aside the curtain. She caught the unmistakable orange locks belonging to her elder brother. He was quite a way from the clinic by now. She watched as his former grew smaller and smaller before finally fading from sight altogether. "He's gone Hime-nee."

Sliding her hands off of her face Orihime wiggled her body in delight. "Papa" Isshin as he called himself blinked clearly mystified by Orihime's reaction. Her bouts with bashfulness had been put to an end. The redness in her cheeks also left. "Thank you, Karin-chan!" The healer speed off further into the kitchen. Isshin moved his eyes to where she was now standing.

"No problem," Karin stated as returned to her nearly finished breakfast.

Orihime thanked her pseudo little sister with smile. Her other pseudo little sister had reached her side. "Yuzu-chan, thank you again, for allowing me to use your kitchen."

"There no reason to thank me," Yuzu insisted. "I am happy to help you out." She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Onii-chan will really appreciate this. I wish I could see his face."

"I can't either!" said an equally excited Orihime. The shinigami turned doctor was at a lost. He had no idea what Orihime or Yuzu was talking about. What exactly where they planning? They pulled out different foods from the refrigerator and cupboards.

A new found understanding took hold of Isshin. _'They are planning on cooking something. Is it some kind of treat for Ichigo?' _The pair had turned on the stove and put the rice on there. Confident that she could take her eyes off of the rice for a short time Orihime opened the oven, which he found odd since it was not on. She retrieved a pan. The interest of the shinigami increased. Seems his girls had some kind of plan. Curiosity won out over his patience. Isshin could no longer keep his mouth shut. "What are you girls up to?" He downplayed his interest, putting on a charade of mild interest and that he was simply asking a question in passing.

Isshin's answer did not come from either Orihime or Yuzu, but from Karin. "Orihime-chan is making Ichigo lunch for today."

"Oooohhh is that so?" he repeated teasingly. His knowing gaze was targeted completely on the healer in his kitchen. "My, my, making Ichigo lunch. You wouldn't happen to be putting it all into a bento box would it?" Fully expecting the girl, no young woman to break out into a chorus of denial that Isshin was thrown for a loop when the auburn beauty met his gaze with bright smile.

"Yes I am making a bento box for Kurosaki-kun and I to share." There was no hint of bashfulness or fear in attached to her words. She sounded very cheerful. The prospect of making a lunch for both Ichigo and herself was unreal. Orihime wanted to jump up and down and scream to the heavens.

"Making lunch for your beloved, oh to be young and in love again." He wandered over to Karin's chair. She was on guard and shot him a glare that told to tread lightly. Despite this he slung an arm around and drew her near him. "Isn't it remarkable, Karin? The power of love is as strong as it as is mysterious!" He rubbed his chin on the top of her head, unaware that pushing Karin's dangerous buttons. "This brings back memories. Masaki used to make me little bento boxes all the time. The smile on her face when she presented them to me was the most precious and endearing smile ever. Those little tokens were evidence of our love!" Never one to stay still Isshin moved his chin off of Karin's head to her relief, only to slap their cheeks together, which irked her more. Her father roughly rubbed their cheeks together. "Oh Masaki, do you believe that our son has his own love making him a lunch! He is a grown man! Before we know it Karin and Yuzu will be making lunches for boys they like." He let out a loud screech to Karin's great displeasure. "I am…" Karin slammed her fist into his face and put an end to his reminiscing. For the second time that morning Isshin had been vanquished by one of his own offspring.

"WILL SHUT UP AND QUIT SCREAMING IN MY EARS!"

In daze and being drunk on pain Isshin moaned, "Uh, ah…ah." Children were so vicious. How did they end up that way?

Karin turned a cheek to him, muttering how her father needed to grow up and he was too overbearing. Putting her thoughts off her father aside the middle Kurosaki focused on Orihime and Yuzu's activities instead. What she witnessed the elder girl was putting a great deal of effort into the lunch. As romantic as this was she still did not fully comprehend Orihime's thinking. There were holes in her plan that seemed too big to ignore. "Hime-nee, I don't understand why you are making lunch now. Ichi-nii left already and you didn't give him the lunch. Are you going to drop it off before you go in to work?" Orihime gave her answer in a head shake. "Then what are you going to do?"

"Your brother's lunch break is at 12: 30 this afternoon. Mine is 12:20. Both of our breaks are about thirty minutes are so and the electronics store is not that far from the bakery."

Karin interrupted, "You are going to take him the lunch to him and eat together."

"Right!" exclaimed the healer. She checked on the rice and saw it was not ready yet. She readied the container she would distribute the food in. Yuzu watched from the sidelines studying her with the watchful eye of a mother. "Your brother never asked me when I eat lunch. I decided not to tell him, so I could surprise him today. I've always wanted to make him a little bento when he had to work longer hours on the weekends and got a lunch break. I know he does not share my same taste in foods. He never says anything, but whenever I mention my cooking his face turns a bit green. I've always been nervous about making him anything. That is why I usually got Yuzu-chan to help me make chocolate for Valentine's Day." The girls could see her get a faraway gleam in her eyes. No doubt she was remembering Valentine's Day, when she and their brother officially became an item. Neither of them wanted to disturb her, so they let her be until she got out of the memory on her own. Her finger tips caressed the cold chain of her necklace.

"After White Day everything changed. Kurosaki-kun did so many wonderful things for me that day. He made me feel like the most special girl in the whole entirely world. I nearly exploded by how cute he was. It wasn't just the necklace or taking to dinner. It was little things he did like wipe ice cream off my lip or play footsies with me under the table. Those kinds of things seem so out of character for him, but he did it for me. I want to do more. If he is willing to put his pride aside sometimes to make me happy then I want learn how to cook something that suits his tastes so I can make him lunch sometimes or even dinner. I want to be like those couples in the park. I want to make him lunch and the two of us enjoy it."

Listening to Orihime's heart filled confession touched Yuzu. "Onee-chan," she said in a hushed tone.

Isshin having recovered sat on the ground tearing up yet again. He was feeling too nostalgic for his own good.

"That is why I've been asking Yuzu-chan to help me cook some of his favorite foods."

"What type of food did you make?" Karin inquired.

"I made some salmon last night and left here." She pointed at the container that was in the oven from before. "I am making rice. I have an umeboshi, eggs, some broccoli, some chopped up carrots, some beef, and last, but not least shiitake mushrooms."

"That's a lot," Yuzu blurted out. Karin found herself agreeing with more upbeat counterpart. Orihime did not appear to be offended by Yuzu's outburst thankfully. She laughed it off and rubbed the back of her head just like she always did when had to reluctantly agree with someone on something a little embarrassing.

"I have a big appetite," she reminded them sheepishly. "There has to be enough for both Kurosaki-kun and myself. If there isn't he will try to give me all of the food and not eat any even if he is starving." A quick glance at the stove revealed that the rice was done cooking. She turned it off and started putting it in her box. The rest of the ingredients for her lunch were being put into the box. "He always put me ahead of himself even though I ask him not," she mused.

"That is because you mean so much to him," Isshin chimed in. "You are the same way too. I bet you put him above yourself."

Orihime thought back to Ichigo saying something similar the day after White Day when she felt bothered by Masaoka being around Ichigo after she kissed him. He was the one who told her to stop putting him above her own feelings and to tell him he really felt. They were similar after all. "Yes. I do that too and he does not always like it any more than I do when he does it."

Isshin wore a sincere small smile. It was easy to see where Ichigo got his true smile from in Orihime's opinion. "That is just the proof that you two care for each other deeply. Already you put other people ahead of yourselves, but you can't bear to see the other one in pain. More importantly you want to make each other happy. I can see it. You two are at the stage where you light up when you enter the room." A mighty chuckle escaped his lips. "You just want to be near each other and when you can't be there is a small part of you that feels sad. I wish I could tell you it would always be like this, but it won't. There will be times when you get mad at each other, when you won't even want to be around each other. Let this old man give you some words of wisdom. When things get rough don't give up; fight to keep what you have. Try to listen to each other and remember it is not supposed to be perfect. There is a lot of give and take to make a relationship work out. It is not easy, but if it is real and worth it you won't mind the hard work. Of course that is just this old nostalgic man who years for his youth," he joked.

"Isshin-san, that was….Thank you. I take those words to heart." Everything Isshin-san said resonated. All this time things between her and Ichigo, their highs and lows always left something etched into her heart. She grew because of it. They both grew because of it. She wasn't a fool. She knew things could not always be good between them. The future was unknown, but she was willing to bet there would be disagreements and perhaps even some hurtful words slung around by either of them. As scary as that was the alternative of sharing laughs, snuggling up together on her couch, study dates, and kisses, lots and lots of kisses made all of that worth it. She never wanted to leave Ichigo's side. Orihime could only hope to feel the same way five years from now or even ten and that he would feel the same. _'I might not know what the future holds, but right now I love Ichigo-kun. Isshin-san said I'll fight to keep our bond safe from anyone, even ourselves.'_

* * *

"Welcome to our bakery!" Orihime had said those words so many times since her shifted started earlier in the morning. She was working behind the counter. Choshi-san had given her the task of watching the counter and ringing up orders after he gave her a brief tour around the store and some last minute training on anything he had forgotten to tell her the previous day. The elderly gentlemen gave her an apron and a hat to wear while she was working in the store. He told her that she the apron was to avoid any accidents involving their pastry items so that her clothes would not get messy. He put emphasis on that citing that it would a great injustice to stain the clothes she was wearing now. Isshin-san had indeed been correct. She overdressed for work. "What can I do for you today?" She put on her most welcoming smile on.

The customer was a middle aged man wearing glasses. He was a stocky and short with jet black hair that was neatly combed. "Hello there, miss," he returned her formality. "I am here to purchase a loaf of bread."

"Ai, I'll get you one loaf of bread." Swiftly the healer turned around to the shelf, picked up a bagged loaf as the customer requested. She put it on the counter and rung him up. "That will be 600 yen please." The stocky man place the money on the counter. "Would you like me to put that in a bag?"

"No. I can carry it like that."

"As you wish." Orihime put the money into the register and handed the man a receipt. "Have a nice day and please think of us for your baked goods in the future." She waved at the stocky man enthusiastically.

"Yeah, you have nice day to miss." He left the store.

An empty store left Orihime with nothing much to do, but wait for the next customer. She leaned forward on the counter. Morning had its fair share of customers. She was so busy that had no time to stay still. Choshi-san and another worker whose name she was still trying to remember had to help her with the morning load. According to Choshi-san morning was always filled with house wives or stay at home fathers doing their shopping trying to get it done as quickly as possible. She didn't mind all the customers so much. Tatsuki always said that she was a people person. Choshi-san thought so as well. He praised her for keeping the customers calm when their impatience grew at not being served right away. She didn't know if she did as much as he said, but she was glad to have been able aided him. The morning rush died giving her a moment to breathe. Time went by much slower as a tradeoff. It was so frustrating because she wanted time to go faster.

The clock had all but stopped moving it seemed. The hands had barely seemed to move from the last time she looked at it. "Ummm, hurry up and move already clock-san!" She flung her arms up and down in a tantrum. It only fifteen minutes passed 12. Five minutes left until her lunch break. The healer was very impatient. She just wanted to have her lunch date with Ichigo. When she was working there wasn't time for her to think about it. Time was conspiring against her to torture her by standing still, so her lunch date would never occur. That cruel and heartless bully time was! It had become her worst enemy. "No. That is not fair!" Having lost all of composure Orihime danced around, waving her arms up and down. "Move forward already! I want my lunch break to get here now! Not later, not a few minutes from now, but now! Clock-san stop be so mean!"

"My, it seems you are eager for lunch to come."

Fear crept into her heart causing her body to freeze in place. Horrified at being caught chanting for her lunch break by her boss the goddess mind went blank. Was Choshi-san angry at her? She was being very unprofessional and if a customer had walked in they would have seen her. She was such a dummy. She didn't even have her job for an entire day and already it was in jeopardy. She gulped loudly. "C-Choshi-san…." She stuttered, turning around to face him. Instead of being face to face with a furious employer as she was expecting she saw anger free affable Choshi. The sinking she felt in her belly stopped. Her racing heart continued to beat against her chest fiercely. "This is not what it looks like! I was being a little impatient for lunch to get here, but it is not because I am lazy or anything! I just really want to go to lunch! Oh no that sounds bad, but you see there is an important reason that I want to go to lunch! Today I am having a lunch date with my boyfriend. He doesn't know it yet, but it is surprise! I spent all morning making us a bento. This is the first time I have ever made him lunch and I am anxious to see his reaction! That is the reason I wanted lunch to get here. I do really like working here, so please do not fire me! I won't be unprofessional again!" Anxiety had blown itself all over Orihime and covered her in twice the amount of grime that it was made of. Damn it, she could not stop blurting out stuff in quick secession.

"Orihime-chan…" His call was drowned out by Orihime's hysterical apologizes and pleas of not to terminate her employment. She was a very energetic young woman Choshi thought. "Orihime-chan…" Again his words failed to reach her. "Orihime-chan!" he shouted. He was met with success as the red head became mute. Choshi took a deep breath. Getting her attention was more difficult than he thought. "Listen to me. I am not going to fire you." Relief consumed her hazel eyes. Her frame instantly became looser. "Although it sounds as if your lunch plans are a bit more convoluted."

"Hehehe," she laughed awkward. Clearly she divulged too much of her personal life. Why should Choshi-san care that Orihime made plans with Ichigo? The only thing he would concern himself with is her ability to work. "Sorry for telling you all of that. It was really unprofessional. I'll just get back to work until my lunch break." She shrunk back to the counter, turning her back to him with her head and shoulders slung down.

"Do not look ashamed. I really do not mind that you shared any of that with me. If you do not mind me asking what is your boyfriend's name?"

"Ichigo-kun, I mean Kurosaki-kun or um…. Kurosaki Ichigo-kun."

The chestnut haired man snickered. This girl was amusing. He was willing to bet that her employment with him would not be a dull one. "What type of man is he?" In the time it took for him to blink is aging eyes the teenage woman's fidgeting had ceased. Her aura which was fluctuating wildly was now relaxed. She seemed just so content.

"Kurosaki-kun is a very strong man. He uses that strength to protect everyone he cares about with his own hands. He'll go as far as he can and then some to help his friends. He is very brave and thoughtful. People think he is mean because of his hair color and frowns a lot, but he is one of the nicest people in the whole world. He makes me feel very special with the things he does and says."

"He is someone that you hold very close to your heart." Not answering with words she merely nodded her head. "Hurry along, Orihime-chan. Your lunch break just started. I would like you back here before 1 o'clock."

"Hmm?" Orihime saw the clock from the corner of her eye. The long hand was still in between the three and the four. "Uh, but Choshi-san my lunch break does not start for another three minutes."

He brushed her protests with a simple wave. "That clock always runs three minutes fast. It is your lunch break right now. You shouldn't go by that clock. Hurry along to your lunch date. I'll work the counter until your return."

The healer was dumbfounded. He never mentioned anything about the clock running slow until now. She was fairly sure it was not running slow. When she first arrived her cellphone's clock was in synch with the bakery's clock and she knew her phone had the correct time. So why would the kindly Choshi-san lie and say the clock was running slow? Unless…. _'Choshi-san is letting me go to lunch early,' _she thought. "Thank you, Choshi-san." She bowed to show her appreciation. Orihime removed the apron and hat and hung them up in the back of the bakery, retrieved her belongings, and whisked away to Ichigo's job.

* * *

God he was bored. Literally nothing was going on. There were no customers for him to help. There was nobody for him to even talk to. Masaoka was on her lunch break. She got out of the store like a bat out of hell, not even looking back at him once. He couldn't exactly blame her. He was just as eager as she was to leave and relax for the next half hour himself. He hated slow days like today. When there was nothing to do time went by very slowly. At least when Masaoka was here he had someone to talk to. Ichigo was sitting behind the counter just hoping that a customer would come in just so he could get off his ass. He already re-ranged and organized the CDs, DVDs, and even video games. He stacked up some television sets. It didn't help that he and Masaoka had done the majority of stocking and re-ranging earlier.

"Haaaaaa," he sighed in exhaustion. "Damn this boring." He ran his once callus hands through orange spikey hair. Months of not holding a sword had cured him of his calluses that once plagued them. Never did he think there would be a day that he would miss calluses. If there was a time when he needed Keigo and Mizuiro to visit it would be now. He mentally snorted when he his brain finally comprehended what he had just thought. _'Shit I am actually wishing Keigo was here. I really am bored if I am welcoming him to annoy me.' _Some higher power had to have been laughing at him for being so desperate that he started to crave one of the people Ichigo claimed to find one of the most annoying. No, Keigo would annoy him enough when he got off at 3. The ex-substitute sighed heavily. Keigo was going to annoy him today, at least with Mizuiro there to balance Keigo out somewhat.

"Why am I thinking about these guys now? It is still a few more hours before I got off. It is just better if I concentrate on work." Ichigo subjected the door to his stare. If he stared at the door intently perhaps he could actually will a customer to come to the store. He needed something to do to interrupt his boredom. When the door opened up he nearly fell out of his chair. _'N-no way! Are you telling me that actually worked?' _The shock was short lived. Disappointment and resentment masked his face. Masaoka walked in with a magazine in one hand and a drink in another. Her sky blue eyes were scanning the magazine in her left hand. She was reading some interesting article (interesting to her anyway).

"Hello, Ichi-kun." Shiori pulled her eyes away from the juicy page she had been on. Her mischievous smile graced her lips.

"Oi, Masaoka what the hell took so long?" he barked, nearly eating her whole.

"Let's see. Where was I for the last half an hour? Oh wait I can answer this. I was on my lunch break!" The golden bombshell snapped. "What crawled up your ass and died? I just walked in and you are already attacking me. God, I can't believe I ever liked a short tempered guy like you. Things never would have worked. Orihime must have the patience of a saint." She rolled her eyes and made her way to the counter, ignoring Ichigo's dark scowl.

"Smartass what's with you? Usually you get your lunch and eat here to keep me company and I do the same on my lunch breaks."

"And?" she asked, wondering what his point was.

Struggling to keep his temper in check Ichigo squeezed the counter and counted to three. "And I thought you would come back to keep me company like usual."

"Yeah well things change." That was the wrong thing to say because Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed and the vein formed on his forehead. His cheeks reddened.

"When the hell did you become a bitch?"

"Hey I am doing you a favor." She heard his rude snort, but chose to ignore him. "Orihime is an understanding person, but even she needs time before she is entirely comfortable with the idea of you working here with a girl who kissed you. I don't think me keeping you company during lunch is the best idea at the moment." Hearing no witty or smartass remark Shiori smirked at Ichigo's submission to her reasoning. "You should thank me for looking out for you," she jested.

"Don't get too full of yourself. I am not entirely sure everything you just said is true." He narrowed his eyes at her, in order to detect some falsehood in her tale.

Shiori did her best to look offended by his accusation. She went as far as to put a hand over her heart. "How dare you question my character like that, Ichi-kun. I am only being a friend who regrets making your relationship needlessly more complicated. I've grown fond of Orihime as well, yet you think I have some ulterior motive for eating out at lunch."

"Now I know for sure you are lying," Ichigo blurted out. She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "If you were really worried that Orihime was still uncomfortable with me being around you than there is no way you would call me Ichi-kun. The last two weeks you have been calling me Ichigo even when she wasn't here and only recently started calling me Ichi-kun again. I've been working weekends since you kissed me and still had lunch with me. What is the real reason you ditched me?"

Shiori put on her best innocent smile, but Ichigo's glare could easily cut through her. "Ok fine you got me! There was this cute guy at cart. I talked to him for a little bit."

"More like you flirted with him," Ichigo corrected.

"Hey he was a single guy and I went for it. It is not like you are going to be…" Oh no she almost let Orihime's surprise slip. Last week when she visited Ichigo at the store Orihime told Shiori that she would be starting a new job on Monday and that she was planning on making Ichigo a lunch to share because they shared a lunch break. Shiori convinced Orihime to do it on Monday because it was more likely for Ichigo to not ask her about lunch on her first day than later in the week. She also told Orihime that Ichigo rarely brought his lunch to work. The blue eyed woman thought since Orihime would be eating lunch with Ichigo today that there would be no harm for her to not eat lunch with him during her lunch. "….heartbroken without me." Shiori had to pause and congratulate herself on her fast thinking. Ichigo didn't even seem to discover her folly.

"You could have at least told me. I would have brought something to read or something, so I would be bored out of mind," he complained.

"Oh stop being so melodramatic. I've had to work here alone plenty of times as well before and after you came here." She would have argued more, but the door opened up. She saw Orihime walk in carrying what was probably the lunch she had prepared behind her back. "Oi, Ichigo take this customer would you."

"What? Why the hell do I have to take them? You can easily take him or her! It is almost time for my lunch break!"

Shiori put her drink down on the counter and pointed to the clock. "I have one more minute before my lunch break officially ends. That means I am not on call right now. I am not required to work yet. However, you are required to work."

Ichigo was fuming with steam coming out of his ears. "You are splitting fucking hairs now! By the time I get down it will be into my lunch!"

"Not my problem." Shiori shrugged her shoulders.

"Bitch," Ichigo whispered under his breath. He resented Masaoka for her uncaring and selfish behavior he followed her command anyway. She stepped sideways, getting out of his way. "Uh," he uttered dumbly. The customer was Orihime, jolly as ever wearing merry grin. "Orihime," he cried in surprise; even forgetting to use her surname.

"Hi, Kurosaki-kun!" she practically sang.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the bakery?"

"I am on my lunch break!"

"Uh, how come you didn't tell me we had the same lunch break?" he asked indignantly.

Her smile grew. "You never asked." With that her victory was secured. The former vizard's face fell in defeat. She inhaled a deep breath before exhaling away all of her uneasiness. "Kurosaki-kun," she drew his attention back to her. "Um I would like to invite you to lunch with me!" She pulled out the box made lunch from behind her back. Her tone was too high to be natural. She berated her body for its un-loyalty. Her beloved stared at her. His chocolate orbs held an unknown emotion in them. The emotion disappeared before she could begin to theorize what it was.

Ichigo's face relaxed. "Sure, I would like to go to lunch with you. There is a place not far from here that has good food. We could go there and be back with plenty of time with both of our jobs."

"Actually I made us a lunch to share," she spoke up. Just as the healer anticipated her beloved stiffened. The color left his face and became a ghostly white.

"You made lunch for us." His eyebrows twitched. He desperately tried to hide the overwhelming sense of dread that had invaded him. Ichigo failed to realize just difficult such a task was. He rubbed the back of his hair a clear tell that he had not realized Orihime had long since deciphered. "That sounds great," he said unconvincingly. After months of successfully avoiding Orihime's odd cooking the streak had at last reached its end. He knew this day would come eventually, but he was still unprepared for it. There was really no way he could prepare anyway. His immediate reaction was to tell her how he felt. She had so many qualities that loved about her, but the ability to cook was just not one of them. The odd combinations she would think of were just did not go together. He did not want to risk his stomach's wellbeing. But then his father's words came back to him.

"_Ichigo, you should always eat a woman's cooking no matter how bad it is. Your mother was a terrible cook when she started off, but I ate every bite of it anyway. Sure there were a lot of stomach aches and trips to the bathroom, but it made her so happy to see me swallow every last bit of it." _

His old man's situation with his mother paralleled his own with Orihime. Ichigo would never know the extent of his mother's poor culinary skills when she started to learn, but his father seemed to be willing to brave such a task in order to put a smile on her face. The question was would he be willing to do the same for Orihime? Maybe he was making this out to be worse than it was. He had never actually tried any of Orihime's cooking. Perhaps the girl had discovered a whole new sensation of cooking that nobody else found because of her willingness to explore. He should at least keep an open mind and try some of it before judging. It was Orihime. He loved to see her smile. He could try it at least once if it brought a smile to his Hime. Damn he was going to try her food. His stomach was not amused by this decision. Pushing those fears into the pit of his belly Ichigo achieved true peace. "Thank you for making me lunch. I really appreciate you doing this for me. I want to at least try it."

Unbelievable he was telling her the truth. He actually wanted to try something that she made. The color returned to his face. Did he sense her sorrow or did he actually want to eat her food? Whatever the reason was Ichigo genuinely wanted to try her lunch. That thought made her a million times better than mustard filled rice ball with chocolate covering it. "I've wanted to make you a lunch for a long time and bring it to you. I was always afraid you wouldn't like it. Tatsuki-chan tells me all the time that I have odd taste in food. I know you have been worried about my cooking as well. That is why I had Yuzu-chan show me how to cook some things you like. This lunch is the result of that training. I wanted to share it with you and enjoy it with you. I made sure not to add anything you found odd. I even double checked with Yuzu-chan to make sure." She pushed the box towards him.

"Yuzu taught you how to cook things that I like." He wasn't sure if he was questioning her or just repeating it in order to comprehend what she said. "You really went out of your way, huh?"

"It wasn't any trouble at all. Yuzu-chan was patient with me and I really wanted you to accept a meal that I made. I don't want to always eat out or have Yuzu-chan make us something. Sometimes I want to be able to cook you something with my own hands."

He accepted the box, going as far as putting his hands over hers. She looked up to him, staring at him with hope brimming from her hazel spheres. She went to all this trouble for his sake. She tried to play it off as nothing more than a simple gesture, but it wasn't. She actively sought out his sister to teach her how to cook differently for his sake. He never asked her to and he hadn't he even tasted her cooking. Honestly he would understand if she was angry at him for passing judgment on her culinary skills without even sampling it. Everything just stopped. Nothing else existed right now, except for her. He was happy. He was really, really happy. It was simple word, but it was how he felt. It wasn't that he was always unhappy or angry or anything. This type of happiness felt different from what he usually experienced. Something was aflutter within his stomach. He felt like smiling. Was he smiling already? She ignited the sun in his inner world. Everything inside of him felt so warm.

"You are something else. Come on where are we going to eat?"

"Hmm, I know a little outside café not far from here that will let us bring food in. Do you mind if we go there?" He just nodded. Orihime waved at Shiori. "Bye, Masaoka-chan."

"See you two love birds later." She occupied the seat Ichigo was in before. "Have fun," she called back.

The pair walked out of the store. He let Orihime lead the way, but he had relieved the bento from her in an act of chivalry. The goddess hummed so tune that was unfamiliar with. Ichigo felt the same happiness. He felt like a stupid jackass with how he kept smiling for no apparent reason. He didn't stop smiling though. He had no desire to stop smiling either. He wished he could bottle this emotion up and use it later.

"Since we are having lunch today you do not have to walk with me when I get off today." She was met with silence. "This way you do not have to stop hanging out with Asano-kun and Kojima-kun without any interruptions."

"I still want to walk you home when you get off."

"Uh, but you do not have to."

"You didn't have to learn a new way to cook for me, but you did because you wanted to make me happy. That is what I want to do."

"You are so stubborn," she declared.

Ichigo snorted. "You are one to talk. When you set your mind to something almost nothing can stop you. I guess that's why I love you." A red light went off inside his head. A booming alarm vibrated telling him of a huge bomb he had just unleashed.

Orihime immediately stopped and turned to face him. Her eyes broadened; the brown irises were shaken. That was the best word to describe her, shaken and disbelief. He just said love. It wasn't I love when you laugh or I love when you are happy. His exact words were: I guess that's why I love you. I love you. I love you**. I love you! **The words she yearned to hear from him more than anything else had been said. Her dream was reality. It couldn't be could it? The man she had a crush on, the crush that developed into affection, and finally love had said the three little words she craved to hear. Her heart was about to burst right out of her chest.

"Orihime," Ichigo said her name timidly. He wanted to grab hold of her hand, but she wore this utter shock that he thought she would scream if touched her. He cursed himself for saying that. _'Shit, why would I say __**that**__? Since when do I love her? She makes me happy and I think about her a lot. I love to be around her. I know she is very important to me that our bond is different from my other bonds. I always want to be able to protect her from everything. I love how her body feels against mine when I hold her. Being near her makes me feel content. But when I look into her eyes I feel it, something strong. I can't name it exactly. I know it is different from what I have felt before. I only get this feeling from Orihime. Is this love? I think it is. I don't know when I started feeling this, but I know it is there. I love Orihime.' _He came to terms with this revelation, while the woman he loved continued to look at him.

"Please listen to me. I don't want to freak you out. You probably think this going way too fast, but don't think you are required to say it. It just came out."

"I love you," Orihime said.

The breath was knocked right out of his lungs. Ichigo was the one to bulge his eyes this time around. "You love me?"

"Yes, and you love me?"

"Yeah, I love you."

"That's the first time we've said that," she stated the obvious.

"Yeah it is," he agreed with her.

The two carrot tops broke out into small yet true blissful smiles. They stepped towards each other and pulled each other into kiss. If they were not in public their kiss would not have ended so quickly, but they were overjoyed just the same. Still smiling like the carefree teenagers they were, unburdened by hollow attacks, wars with arrancar, and convoluted plans of shinigami with a major god complex, they were allowed to be just normal love struck teenagers.

"Let's go and eat this lunch you made us."

"Right! Follow me!" Her voice was brimming with pure untainted delight. She marched on to their lunch spot. _'He loves me. He actually loves me! I am going to die from happiness! I can't wait to tell Tatsuki-chan! I wish I could tell Kuchiki-san. Ichigo-kun loves me!'_

Letting it slip that he loved her wasn't the horrible mistake he thought it would be. She returned the words and he felt as if he had regained his shinigami powers. Normal life had its merit to it. Perhaps he could actually just be a normal human. With Orihime, his friends, his sisters, and his father perhaps he could be human.

* * *

**I am tired, so I am not going to type a lot. Ichigo and Orihime say I love you to each other. They are pretty happy. In Ichigo's case he starts to think he might be able to handle being a normal human. He'll being eating his words in the future. **


	37. Forget the Future and Shape the Present

**This chapter took me two weeks to write. It got pretty long as you can see. It is the start of the new school year. Ichigo and his friends enter their junior year. The thick of this chapter is about their first day, but there are some developments for the plot of the story in here. Man I think I overloaded this chapter with characters. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in anyway. I am not claiming to own it either. If I owned Bleach Ichigo and Orihime would be together in the manga and the anime would be a little more friendly to us IchiHime shippers, lol.**

* * *

Orihime sprinted to her left ignoring her legs' protest. Her shoes were coated in an earth brown crust. Her pink T-shirt was damp from the sweat that she had worked up. She knew that her skin was coated in the same foul sweat and that she was sticky. Her heart was racing, beating against her chest angrily. It was angry at her for pushing her body so far without a rest. Orihime kept ignoring it. Maybe now her body would think twice the next time it disobeyed her commands. She skidded to a halt and spun around so fast that her orange strands swung around with her. Her eyebrows were furrowed; the doe hazel eyes were hardened with a steely resolve, a look that once eluded her six months ago was no longer alien to her. The reiatsu coursed through her veins empowering her both mentally and physically. The healer took a defensive stance by throwing her arms out in front of her body and took root into the ground. She would not be moved. Her attacker chased after her, streaking across this barren terrain. The dark skinned silent giant pulled his black and magenta armored encased right arm back preparing to strike.

"Aaaaahhh!" shouted Sado. He channeled his reiatsu through his right arm. She didn't budge, not even an inch. He could see it in her eyes. She would not give in. Her resolve was unbreakable. It was an expression that she wore well he thought. Sado threw his arm forward making sure not to hold anything back. There was no need to hold back at this point.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" The golden triangular shield materialized in between Orihime and Sado. It stopped Sado's blow. She hastily put her arms behind her Santen Kesshun to reinforce it with her spiritual power. She kept reminding herself that this was not her close friend and comrade Sado-kun, but an enemy who meant her and her friends harm. He was the enemy right now, so she had to treat him as such and put her will to defeat him into her Shun Shun Rikka. Sado's punch continued to push through. Its efforts did not bear any fruit. In the back of her head a feeling of pride emerged. She was holding back Sado-kun! Her shield was not even cracked! Sado disengaged from his attack. She celebrated her victory; however the silent giant readied his left arm. White liquid consumed his arm proving Orihime's celebration was premature.

"Brazo Izquierda del Diablo!" The liquid solidified becoming the sleek white and red armor. Thrusting his arm forward Sado charged his reiatsu into his offensive arm. The red-orange colored haired woman braced herself for his strike. Unlike before Sado's fist broke right through the golden shield. It shattered leaving her defenseless. He prepared to stop his attack before it came into contact with her, but her reflexes were faster. Inoue side stepped to her right and evaded his blow. She did not stop there. Inoue launched an assault of her own. She rammed the palm of her hands into his lower torso and pushed him back. Much to his surprise she succeeded in making him fall back. Her ability to manipulate her reiatsu to amplify her strength had improved. The healer swept a leg at his feet to keep him off balance. He saw it coming and jumped just as her sweep was about to come into contact with him. Sado landed back several feet away from her.

The two spiritual powered humans glared at each other. They each hoped to find a weakness in the other one's stance. Sparring over and over again for weeks had allowed them to develop a sense of how they fought. With their ability to predict each other's attack and defense patterns it became increasingly difficult to catch each other by surprise, this urged them to develop new strategies. Realizing that Inoue was waiting for the same thing he was Sado broke the staring contest rushed towards her. She knew her shield would not hold up to his offensive arm's power, so that meant she would use her smaller size and great mobility to evade him. However, he had something else in store for the goddess of Karakura High. The distance between them became only arms' length he threw his left fist into the ground. It easily tore through the ground as a knife tore through butter. The earth shattered underneath the mighty giant's overwhelming power causing it to quake. Inoue struggled to keep her balance. Due to her clumsy nature it made his move even more deadly.

'_There is an opening!' _he thought. The hollow powered human flickered out of existence and reappeared inches away from the tumbling Inoue. He said no words. Instead he let his fist speak for him. He threw another devastating strike.

Caught unprepared by Sado-kun's lightning like speed Orihime panicked. There was no way she could catch her footing in enough time to dodge the blow. If she could not dodge she would simply have to defend. "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" She knew it would break, so she had to do something else to strengthen it. Her experience with Salvador taught her that she could blend her techniques together to supplement each other. "Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Tsubaki rocketed out of the hairpins and to the center of the triangular shield. The four fairies combined their power stop Sado-kun's fist. Normally he would have broken the shield when he came into contact with his left arm, but with Tsubaki backing them up his attack power was somewhat able to meet Sado-kun's attack power. Thanks to Lily, Baigon, and Hinagiku's defense power shielding Tsubaki the short tempered fairy had something that could make up for the power he lacked in comparison to Sado-kun's. By combining them Orihime had bought herself enough time steady herself and put distance between them. With her task done she called back her Shun Shun Rikka back. Sado-kun wore the same blank expression he always wore, which frustrated Orihime to no end. Why did Sado-kun have to be so hard to read? She could not tell if her move surprised him or not. How could she get one over on him if he was able to maintain his composure against anything she did? _'That is why Sado-kun is such a terrifying opponent. He is able to maintain his composure in the most dangerous situations,' _Orihime thought.

Across from her Sado was having his own revelation about the healer. _'I get it. Inoue can use her techniques to supplement each other to strengthen each other. If she utilizes them in ways that one would not expect she could gain the advantage over her opponent.'_

On top of the ledge of rock hill stood Yoruichi observing the pair of humans with a critical eye that could only belong to an instructor. Her arms were crossed as if unimpressed by the display she witnessed. Her demeanor was mixed between boredom and highly interested at the same time. The Goddess of Flash made the two contrasting expressions blend perfectly well. "Inoue!" she called the younger woman. Instantaneously Inoue's attention became focused on her. "You are being too passive. Don't always wait for your enemy to make the first move. It is true that allowing your opponent to attack first will give you a better understanding of their technique and ability. However, you must remember that there is a chance that you cannot stop the enemy's attack. By staying on defense and looking for a weakness to the enemy you could also create an opening for them to use against you. Go on the offensive more."

"Yes, Yoruichi-san," Orihime said obediently.

Feeling the slight change in Inoue's reiatsu made her realize that the healer had taken her advice to heart. Satisfied with this the Goddess of Flash decided it was time to address Sado. "Sado, your offense and defense are solid. The problem is that whenever your enemy attacks you follow with using your shield even when you have the time to dodge the attack. If you have the chance to evade the assault do so. If Inoue's attacks had been stronger she could have destroyed your shield and you would have been an easy target." He showed his appreciation by giving her nod. "Now start it again and remember do not hold anything back because your enemy will not. Go!"

"Right!" they cried in unison. Their clash reignited. The Shun Shun Rikka collided with Brazo Derecha de Gigante and Brazo Izquierda del Diablo. Orihime jumped ten feet into the air. She unleashed Tsubaki on Sado. It came down like a bullet. Despite its incredible speed the giant of few words cleared out of its way. He countered by going after his comrade in the air. It was at this moment that Orihime showed the depths of her ingenuity and quick thinking. Beneath her feet the golden triangular shield formed keeping her afloat in mid-air. She pushed her feet against the reiatsu wall going the opposite direction that her pursuer who was trapped in the same linear direction that he had set himself up in. The goddess reached the ground first and called her shield back while launching a new attack on Sado's rear. Yoruichi's acute hearing picked up his curse as he hastily prepared to block Orihime's attack. A prideful smirk that could only truly be understood by fellow teacher formed. Clichéd as it may be seeing people you imparted knowledge to and watching them grow gave one a sense of satisfaction.

"My, my, you are a demanding instructor."

The cheery yet sly voice spoke, giving her both shivers and putting her at ease at the same time. She knew he was there before he uttered a word, before she even sensed his reiatsu. She was unsure if her feline sense had granted her the ability to feel his presence before her ears or sixth sense (would feline senses be a seventh sense?) or if it was their many decades old bond. "Humph, you have some nerve. You are the one who asked me to train Sado and Inoue for you and now you come here to criticize my methods." She closed her eyelids trying to convey displeasure. "Or are you trying to say something else, Kisuke?" Her voice became emotionless and jaded. Her golden eyes reappeared only they had shrunk into a dark glare that foretold nothing, but horrible events to come to any who did not tread lightly.

He gulped fearfully. He had triggered a bomb and if he was not careful it would explode and take him out before he could properly defuse it. Kisuke kept his nonchalant and goofy mask up. He whipped out his fan and waved it at himself. "No, no you have misread my intentions, Yoruichi-san. I was implying that you are a tough instructor, after all Sado-san and Inoue-san have been at this for two hours now. Their bodies have to be nearly exhausted by now." She pouted for about second, but did not make any more complaints. He let out a relaxed breath. The former 12th division captain had defused the bomb that was Shihoin Yoruichi. A century of his life was shaved off due to the fear cause by her.

"If you have a problem with the way I train then you can get off your ass and train them yourself," she threw her not so subtle suggestion. It wasn't as if he did not have the time to train them himself. Sometimes she just did not understand this man.

"I am not suited for teaching others," he replied simply. He hid his face behind the fan.

"You are full of it. You are the one who trained Ichigo to fight as a shinigami before they left for the Soul Society, while I was training these two on how to summon and control their powers at will." She shot him a look that told him to defy that logic. She really should have known by now that the white blond's brain was always at work.

"Ai, but that is just it. With Kurosaki-san I had to awaken his shinigami powers and spar with him until he improved. You on the other hand have already experienced training with Inoue-san and Sado-san. You understand how their abilities work better than I do…" She scoffed loudly. Kisuke had to admit that was a bit of a stretch considering his scientific mind allowed him to analyze how techniques worked with some keen observations. "…I mean on a deeper level than how they function and what they can do. They could benefit from that type of experience. Besides you know I cannot spar with them. My Benihime is not very nice with others. She is not the type to lend people her power, at least not when she is in Bankai form."

"You could always just use your Shikai. Unless you think they need to improve at a more rapid rate?" she ventured. The atmosphere shifted from playful and witty banter to ominous and foreboding weight.

He stopped waving his fan. No longer did he wear a mask of a carefree dolt. Straight faced and deadpan he locked his gaze on both Orihime and Chad sparring. "It has been about a month since those four arrancar invaded Karakura Town and in all that time there has not been any unusual hollow attacks. Things have calmed down so much that there has been no need to call Ishida-san to assist Kurumadani-san in his duties."

"The calm before the storm," Yoruichi added.

He nodded in agreement with her. "They are most likely regrouping and building up their forces preparing for another more surgical strike, especially if their aim is the Spirit Keystones. They are spread throughout the entire Human World. If they hope to destroy them they will need to bolster their numbers." The grip on his cane tightened.

"What did Yamamoto say when you told him about your theory?"

A bleak laugh escaped his lips before he could even stop it. Needless to say it did not inspire confidence in Yoruichi. "Captain Commander Yamamoto heard what I had to say and he believes there is a strong possibility of the Privaron Espada's objective being the eradication of the Spirit Keystones. He realizes the severity of the situation better than anyone else. If the Spirit Keystones are destroyed the worlds will collide and the effects of such an event are unknown. In order to stop such an event the obvious choice is to stop those intending to cause it, the Privaron Espada. However, that is easier said than done. Hueco Mundo is such a large place. Even now after months of being stationed there the Soul Society still has only about 18 percent of Hueco Mundo under its control. Controlling Las Noches did little for bringing the warring arrancar under control. The sad fact is that sheer number of hollows and arrancar is vastly superior to the Gotei 13. Hundreds of thousands of humans die each day. Half of those turn into hollows. About half of those will immediately be stopped by shinigami stationed in the Human World, while the remaining number will go on to devour humans souls then travel to Hueco Mundo and grow stronger. Attempting to establish some commanding force in Hueco Mundo will not be simple. Aizen did so with not only sheer force, but with charisma that inspired many of them as well as instill fear within them. The fact of the matter is with so little control of Hueco Mundo and because of its vastness, trying to find the Privaron Espada will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are also those cloaks they possess which are capable of completely concealing their reiatsu."

Yoruichi nodded realizing what her eldest friend was saying was true. There was a reason there was such little information on Vasto Lorde Menos Grande types. It was frightening how little information and control over Hueco Mundo that the Soul Society had. "Even if Yamamoto were to focus the entire Gotei 13's manpower into Hueco Mundo it would still pan out little results as well as leave both the Human World and the Soul Society vulnerable. It would be disastrous for them as well. Shinigami can handle hollows without problem, but the ones who thrive in Hueco Mundo are ones who have eluded shinigami pursuers by maintaining their consciousness and amassing an amount of power. They are more difficult to handle than the typical hollows. While they can still defeated by skilled shinigami if those types of hollows were turned into arrancar by the Hogyoku the power they would have would be more than enough to deal with an average shinigami. That is not including the Menos arrancar. Captains, vice captains and third or fourth seats could handle Menos arrancar. Some non-seated exceptionally skilled shinigami might be able to, but the majority of the Gotei 13 would fall prey to them. Many shinigami would lose their lives in a full frontal invasion into Hueco Mundo. Such a significant lost in numbers would be just as devastating as losing a captain. Shinigami have to be stationed all over the Human World to deal with hollows and send souls off on a global level."

"Captain Commander Yamamoto is not a fool," Kisuke stated strongly. "He will not make such a rash move. He will keep the shinigami already stationed in Hueco Mundo there and expand their mission to locating the Privaron Espada. His strategy will be to send the remaining captains along with their handpicked division members to the locations of the other Spirit Keystones in the Human World. That way they can prepare for when the Privaron Espada decide to make their move. By coming to the Human World even if they amass a large army it is unlikely they will obtain the numbers needed to invade the Human World in several different locations at once and be able to fight off the Soul Society's forces that will be deployed here." He closed his fan and put it away. "Covering the locations of all the Spirit Keystones will be difficult and leave them stretched thin, so he'll be relying on Karakura Town to be able to hold out on its own this time I am afraid."

Yoruichi frowned. "In other words he is relying on us to defend Karakura Town."

"That is why it will be important that Sado-san, Inoue-san, and Ishida-san improve quickly. We will need them in the frontlines this time." His old captain laughed arrogantly. He raised an eyebrow unknown to her due to his hat obscuring his eyes.

"I cannot speak for Ishida, but Inoue and Sado will be ready. They have improved drastically this last month. I am surprised by how rapidly they are growing actually. They have always been able to rise to the occasion, but even accounting for that their development is remarkable. Inoue is worth mentioning especially. She is no longer hesitating as she has in the past. Her resolve to protect her friends has allowed her to get over her inability to harm others. Her offensive power, Tsubaki is much stronger than before. That is pushing Sado to his limits and forcing him to grow as well."

"That is most fortunate. Inoue-san's power can be quite beneficial for us in battle as well as healing. After all we have lost power with Kurosaki-san's exclusion. Of course with our inclusion along with Isshin-san and Ryuken-san we can make up for Kurosaki-san. Assuming things go as planned."

Yoruichi snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh please I know you. You have already planned for the worst case scenario and set up a contingency plan."

"Hmm, you make too much of me, Yoruichi-san." He turned his back to her and walked away. _'The worst case scenario will be if none of the previous scenarios I predicted occur. There are still unknown variables to consider. How long have they been shaping events from behind the scene? Have they been carrying out their plan while we had let our guard down after Aizen was defeated? If that is true than how much of their plan has been set into motion before we took notice?' _"I am sure that Ishida-san is training very hard as we speak. But do me another favor will you."

"What is that?" she asked.

"Let Inoue-san and Sado-san go home early tonight. Tomorrow is the first day of the new school year after all. We don't want them to fall asleep in the middle of class," he joked, wearing his wide playful smirk. Yoruichi shook her head and grinned at his tension breaking comment. Good. Things would not end so close as they did with Aizen and the Hogyoku.

* * *

"ICHIGO WAKE UP!" The door was kicked opened and slammed against the wall with a loud thud. Isshin jogged into the room. He pushed his feet against the surface of the floor and swam through the air heading for the lump in the bed. "You can't be late for your first day of a brand new school year!" he sang. The lump stirred. It was too late. Isshin would strike any second now. Then it happened. In a flash Ichigo shot out of the bed to find his father up to his old tricks. He spun around and launched a kick that came into contact with Isshin's ribs. The middle aged man let out an urgent yelp. He was sent flying into wall. "Ah…ah…..ha," Isshin muttered. He came crashing down onto the floor, dazed in pain and confusion.

Ichigo put his hand on his hip. He scowled menacingly at his fallen father. As if he could still surprise Ichigo after all this time. "Why can't you ever wake me up like a normal father does?" he spat out.

"I-It's to keep you on your toes…my s-son." Still drunk off of pain and being irritated by the loud ringing in his ears he stumbled as he tried to pick himself up. God was his head killing him. He must have come at the wall head first.

Ichigo seethed in contempt at Isshin's faulty reasoning. "Yeah well it is totally pointless anyway. I have an alarm clock to wake me up. It does it without trying to jump me." Before his dad could respond Ichigo had already opened the door and left. He had no time for his old man this morning. He had to get ready for school. Despite his unnecessary racket his old man was right about one thing. Today was the first day of a new school year, the first day of his second year of high school. Funny most people would feel excitement or anxiety at entering their junior year of high school. No longer the freshmen who were the bottom of the totem pole, they were not the big men on campus, but they now had experience. A new batch of freshmen students would look up to them. Some would perhaps admire them at least Keigo was hoping for such things. Ichigo did not understand the appeal. He didn't feel any different just because he was a junior. He was still going to the same school after all and would see the same people. He would have a new teacher and a new subject or two, but that was all. His legs had carried him to the bathroom door. After knocking and getting no response he went in to get ready.

20 minutes passed. Ichigo had taken a shower, brushed his teeth, and trimmed his gold-orange mane to maintain the same length he had obtained after his Dangai training. When he returned to his room his old man was nowhere to be found. Kon on the other hand was sitting on his bed. The mod soul was shooting off complaints to him about how he got no respect and how terrible Ichigo treated him as well as his missing his beloved Nee-san, Rukia. The former vizard tuned most of his rambling out. He got dressed in his gray school uniform and left the lion doll to his fate. Lately Kon had become bitchier. Every time Ichigo came into his room the first thing he would hear was Kon screaming at him for leaving him all alone followed by a very long list of other complaints such as Yuzu's handling of him. It wasn't that Ichigo was uncaring, but what could he do? It wasn't like he could give Kon his body anymore to allow him to walk around town. If he could just shut up he would let Kon walk around town, but with Kon's flamboyant attitude he would draw someone's attention. A talking lion plushie was going to be the thing on the news for years to come. Plus he was a mood killer. Whenever Orihime would visit him in his room Kon would nudge himself in between them and he actually tried to grope her. Needless to say when Orihime left Kon was punished thoroughly. Ichigo had to admit Kon's new life due to Ichigo's loss of power had become a sad one. He was thinking of asking Urahara if he could leave Kon with him at the shop. At least there Kon could stretch his legs and had people to interact with.

He jogged down stairs following the aroma of Yuzu's delicious meal. Today there were more scents than usually indicating that Yuzu had prepared a large breakfast for their first day of a new school year. She had done the same thing last year and the year before that. Everything felt so mundane that it was suffocating. Yet he found himself not caring. What was odd was that he wasn't holding in some sarcastic comment, no cynical view on events, and no depression over the loss of his powers. There was no weight on his shoulders for once. Life felt as if it had reset itself to give him a new lease on life. He was comfortable with the normality that had become his life. Why shouldn't he be? The last two weeks he got to spend time with his friends, Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chad just like old times before he had become a shinigami. The worst he had to worry about with them was Keigo driving himself insane with his irrational fear of being abandoned or Mizuiro's playboy ways irking the wrong girl and him paying the price. He even spent more time with Ishida during the break. They argued like cats and dogs perhaps borderline World War III in terms of viciousness, but it was generally well meaning and mindless arguing. It was their way of getting along without losing face. He had a wonderful girlfriend. During the two week break they had so much fun. Not that they did not have fun before mind you. They ate lunch together during their lunch breaks just the two of them. When she got off of work he would walk her home (either her apartment or the clinic). Their evenings were filled with strolls through the neighborhood, moving watching, manga reading (Z being their favorite), lounging around on the couch or on his bed (which was completely innocent), and kissing, lots of kissing.

That was his life. His completely normal, dull life and he liked it. Kurosaki Ichigo was adjusting to normal life without having an afterthought of wondering if his powers would ever return. He was content with his life. There were no complaints and everything felt so much brighter, more hopeful. A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. He reached the bottom of the stairs. "I've got it!" he told his family. Ichigo opened the door. His upper lip curled into half grin. There she was one of the sources for his happiness, the gorgeous woman that could make goddesses feel envy, the woman he loved staring back at him wearing a smile that was for him alone. The light brown spheres lit up with adoration. "Morning, Orihime."

"Good morning, Ichigo-kun." He invited her in. She took her shoes off and left them by the door way along with the other shoes. Like Ichigo she wore a gray school uniform. The differences being the skirt and the white stockings (I am assuming that is what she is wearing post time skip).

Ichigo noticed that Orihime was glowing. Her body was jittering, while she swayed her school bag. The ex-substitute opened his mouth to question her when she let out a high pitched sequel. She then broke out into a little hop. He blinked feeling slightly frightened by his goddess' unpredictable behavior. She swung around with a huge smile free of any burden and as pure as an unstained white cloth.

"Today is our first day as juniors!" she practically squealed in the same delight as before. Jubilant as always he could see Orihime was using all of her strength to restrain herself. He couldn't help but wonder just how many times she broke out in squeals and dances that morning. "Isn't it exciting? We are officially in our second year of high school. Eh, that means we only have a year until we are seniors and two years until college!" She slapped her hands on her cheeks, forgetting she was holding her bag and so hit the side of her face with the bag. "Ouch!" she whined.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo held a hand out. His eyes searched the cheek for any blemish that might emerge.

She rubbed her left cheek carefully. "I am fine. I am just really clumsy." She tried to laugh it off, but he did not buy it. Before he could make a big deal out of it she went on with what she was saying as though nothing happened. "College is two years away! I can't believe how fast time is flying by! Pretty soon we will all go our separate ways and have careers and move away. I am not ready to say goodbye to everyone just yet though! It feels like yesterday we all became friends."

She went into overdrive again. The healer chattered at high speeds that were beyond his comprehension. A big drop of sweat formed and fell off the back of his head. This happened from time to time. Ichigo's past experience had prepared to stop the storm that was Inoue Orihime. By placing a hand on her shoulder she instantly became silent. Hazel eyes met with his chocolate eyes. Now that her attention was on him he could put her at ease. "College is still two years away. That is some time away from now. We'll just have to make the time we have left memorable. Let's not think about the future just yet and live in the here and now." He brushed a stray strand away from her face, bringing out a blush from her. She made it hard for him not to want to kiss her. "We'll deal with things as they come up. Besides after everything we have gone through I can't see us drifting apart even after high school," he assured. Friends said that all the time yet it happened. They drifted apart and settled into new lives in college. Ichigo wasn't naïve. He was just a man who wanted to hold everyone he cherished in his grasp. He wanted to be naïve and believe they would remain in touch and not drift apart after high school ended. Bonds created in all these years shouldn't be easily thrown away. He didn't want lose contact with Tatsuki or Chad or even Ishida and Keigo. He certainly did not want to lose contact with his precious Hime.

The smile returned to her face. He never ceased to amaze her with his ability to say just the right words to put her at ease. Surprising for a man who said he was not one for words. "You are right. I can't imagine not talking to Tatsuki-chan ever again or Sado-kun and Ishida-kun either for that matter. I don't want us to become strangers ever. You are such a big part of my life. I am not sure I will be ready to part from you." _'…ever,' _she said the last part to herself. Fingers wrapped themselves around her hands. They gave them a strong loving squeeze. Orihime continued to stare into his soul searching eyes. He didn't say a word, but in that gaze she knew everything that she needed to. He did not wish to part from her either. Her beloved wanted to stay by her side just as she did with him. That knowledge made her stomach go haywire with the mutant butterflies that inhabited it.

Their shared moment was ended prematurely by none other than Ichigo's father, Isshin. Orihime could have sworn she heard Ichigo's brain groan. The papa Kurosaki gave them a large grin that adults gave children when they do something adorable. Ichigo released her hands. She couldn't help, but felt a little embarrassed at being caught in a tender moment with her boyfriend.

"Good morning, Orihime! How are you this fine morning my beloved daughter?"

"Good morning, Isshin-san." Her embarrassment was forgotten. "I am doing great. In fact I am even better than that. Today is the first day of Kurosaki-kun's and mine's junior year!" she announced elatedly.

"Oh! Today is a glorious occasion for you two! You have taken another step in the journey of adulthood! No longer are you the children you were last year at this time." Isshin shook his head slowly.

To Ichigo it seemed like he was trying to convey a serious tone, but was failing. The head shaking came out comical with Isshin's bulging eyes and much too strained frown. He glanced sideways to find Orihime was giving his father her upmost attention and hung on his every word as though he were preaching some gospel. She was too naïve for her own good.

Isshin continued, "Next year around this time you will be seniors and then be ready to graduate." He sniffled. "Just one more year after that you will be taking college entrance exams and…" He sniffled again, while rubbing his eyes. "You'll leave and get your own place…. I am not ready to have you leave yet!" He stole Orihime away in a mighty hug, so great was his strength that he lifted her off her feet much to both her and his son's surprise. Isshin proceeded to rub his cheek against Orihime's cheek desperately as if he could freeze this moment between them forever. "Please don't leave yet, Orihime! I haven't spent enough time with you yet! I haven't even gotten to come to an entrance ceremony for you or a sporting event! I barely have any pictures of you! Eh, that is right I have to take pictures of you this morning before you leave! I need lots and lots of pictures along with Karin and Yuzu!"

Mouth wide open and eyes bulging out of his sockets Ichigo stared at his father completely mortified at his highly inappropriate behavior. For the love of God he was cradling her as if she were a baby! "O-Old man, quit it! You are overreacting! She is not leaving home for another two years!" he screamed. Isshin's selective hearing chose not to hear his words. His rage slowly started to build itself up within his belly. He gritted his teeth and clenching his hand into a fist to relieve himself of some of this anger. "Come on already! You are making Inoue really uncomfortable! Huh?" The ex-substitute became silent. Surprise moved right back on his face. Not only was Orihime not uncomfortable as he said, but she was hugging his dad back.

"Isshin-san I am not ready to leave yet either!"

"Y-You aren't?"

"No! I'll let you take lots and lots of pictures of me. Take as many as you want!"

"Bless you….Orihime!"

Ichigo's skin crawled at the sight of his blubbering father and his girlfriend embracing and grieving at the same time. _'Y-you have got to be kidding me. These two are exhausting,' _he thought. It was for the best that Orihime was just as eccentric as his father. Ichigo wasn't sure how many girls would put up with father. Still it was hard to watch his father's photo shoot. He had taken several pictures of Orihime in seconds. He moved from the left to her back and to her right making sure to take a picture of her in every angle. Orihime was the perfect model. Her smile was charming and sincere. Her poses were natural, slightly bashful. By the time they had ended their photo shoot a half grin materialized on Ichigo's face. He quickly wiped it off before either Isshin or Orihime could see it. He was almost glad for his father's ridiculous insistence at taking pictures of her. Since Sora was gone he doubted anyone took pictures of Orihime on her first day of school or any other event for that matter. This probably meant more to Orihime than it did his dad. He had to wonder if his dad was just being his goofy self or if in a moment of insight provided Orihime with something she clearly lacked in the past.

The trio went to the kitchen. Yuzu greeted them wearing her apron. With their arrival the entire party was there. Isshin had another breakdown and openly wept at the sight of Karin and Yuzu. With some obvious changes Isshin gave an identical speech to the one he gave Orihime in the living room. Karin broke out of his grasp and kicked him in the shin for good measure. Yuzu being the more patient twin allowed their father to hug her longer until her tolerance was up. She argued that both she and Karin were only going to junior high school next year and still had six more years before they graduated high school and moved out. Rejoicing at this fact the mid-night haired shinigami let his youngest go. Yuzu distributed the food with Ichigo's help to the table. Giving their praises to Yuzu for another fantastic meal they dug in.

"Um, Yuzu-chan this is really scrumptious," Orihime said with her mouth full. Her manners were forgotten in her stomach's loud demand for food. When her nostrils inhaled the wonderful scent from outside of the house her belly had started to revolt against her. She was thankful that nobody criticized her when she lost herself to her hunger. Isshin-san still had her beat by how he gobbled down his meal which was probably why Ichigo and Karin did not say anything to her.

Yuzu sitting beside the healer was delighted to be praised by someone she greatly admired. "Thank you, Onee-chan." Yuzu always received praise for her cooking from her father and siblings and of course Orihime when she started to eat meals with them. However, every time Orihime complimented her she could not help, but feel a sense of pride. It was the same sense she got whenever she received praise from Ichigo. "Are you excited about school?"

Orihime swallowed another bite before nodding enthusiastically. "I am very excited." Even though that was her third time answering that question it did not bother her. It just showed that they all cared.

"At least you are," Yuzu said. She looked at Ichigo sitting across from her. "Onii-chan acts like he could less."

Ichigo kept his vision on his meal. He knew full well that Yuzu was giving him a glare of disapproval. He had no desire to subject himself to that look again. "I don't share Inoue's excitement. It just seems like the same thing as last year. It is no big deal."

Yuzu groaned at her brother's lack of enthusiasm. Didn't he get excited about anything? These were supposed to be the best years of his life. He might as well as enjoy high school now instead of treating it like a chore. "You are impossible, Onii-chan."

"If Ichi-nii is not excited than that is his business. There is no need to harass him about it," Karin voiced her opinion.

"Yes, but even you have to admit Onii-chan could stand to loosen up a little, Karin," she insisted to her dark haired counterpart.

"Just let him be. If he doesn't want to loosen up that is his business."

The maternal Kurosaki huffed. "You are the same as Onii-chan."

"I agree with Yuzu," Isshin said in between bites. "Ichigo, you should be just a little excited at least. You get to start over with a new slate and everything."

Ichigo still disinterested in the excitement of his second year lazily took small bites of his breakfast. "Even if you say that I just can't get excited over something like that instantly. I mean it is not like I am a senior yet. That would make a little more sense, but I am only entering my second year."

'_He is impossible,' _Isshin and Yuzu thought at the same time. Both father and daughter's faces fell in disappointment.

Orihime couldn't help, but giggle at her adopted family's amusing interactions with each other. Growing up in an empty household made the young woman relish hearing a noisy table. "It is fine that Kurosaki-kun is not excited. I am excited enough for the both of us! Kurosaki-kun can look all mean and sulky all he wants that just means I'll cheer and clap louder."

The carrot top fell out of his seat, but quickly recovered. His father and Yuzu applauded Orihime's declaration, while Karin continued to eat. Annoyance and anger took hold of him and ravaged his face. "Don't say it like that! It makes it sound like I am an emo punk! Besides you can't tell me to be sulky so you can be excited for both of us!"

She blinked at him. Her adorable face was riddled in confusion. "I do not understand. Why can't I be excited for both of us? If Kurosaki-kun is sulky then I just have to be twice as excited so you can be excited."

"That's not how it works! If I was sulky, which I am not then it would mean I am not excited! You can't be excited for someone. It does not work like that," he complained.

Orihime raised an eyebrow to him. "But Tatsuki-chan's mother always says she is Tatsuki-chan's father's other half. If he feels nervous about something then she just has to feel confident for him and he'll be confident. That is what she says."

"Yeah, but that is different," Ichigo blurted out. His hands roamed through his mane.

"Why is that?" Orihime questioned again.

"Well for one thing they are married. We aren't."

"I am not your other half?" she asked sadly.

Stricken with guilt Ichigo vigorously searched his mind for a solution to rectify his mistake and bring his goddess out of the funk he inadvertently caused. "No, I mean yes. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say was that you can't really be excited for someone…" He had no way to articulate his feelings. Every sentence he formed in his head sounded worse than the last one. Orihime was looking at him with those sad puppy dog eyes. Damn it. He wasn't even sure how he got into this situation. "...it is just um you know different," he said. Ichigo scratched the side of his face, while trying to think of how to elaborate. "Tatsuki's parents have been together for a really long time. We can't really compare our relationship to theirs. They have more time on us," he explained. He watched her perk up. _'I really am getting better at using my words.'_

"I understand. Tatsuki-chan's parents have been together longer than us, so it makes sense why we aren't the same."

"Ha," he breathed in relief. Somehow he got himself out of the hole he dug himself. Now he could return to his meal in peace with his "other half" was at ease.

"Well I am excited about the new school year," Yuzu stated to the table. This would be her final year in elementary school. Next year she and Karin would be attending junior high school. Unlike Ichigo and maybe Karin she was going to enjoy herself this year.

Orihime observed Yuzu's bubbly demeanor. The light brown haired girl was determined to keep her spirits up. "That is great to hear, Yuzu-chan." She pointed at the light brown shaded locks. "Is that the reason you have grown your hair out?" The past ten or twelve weeks Orihime had noticed that Yuzu's hair was getting longer. It was hardly noticeable at first. It grew gradually a fact she was certain Isshin and Ichigo did not notice. However, with Yuzu now noticeable hair length they would be fools to miss it. Yuzu's hair nearly reached her shoulders and it was thicker than before.

"Something like that," Yuzu answered. "I wanted to try a new look," she said meekly. Her cheeks were tainted pinkish red.

She wondered. Yuzu retreated into her shell. She evaded eye contact with her. Orihime looked to Karin. She rolled her eyes at her sister's behavior. When Karin noticed Orihime's stare she gave her an unknown expression. If the auburn haired woman were to guess she would assume that Karin was trying to tell her something telepathically. It was a shame it was not working. Wait Yuzu blushing, growing her hair out, and Karin's eye rolling. It was clear as a window. Yuzu was interested in a boy. It all fit. She told Orihime about a boy she had a crush on months ago. It was cute she was trying to catch his eye. The healer could relate to her. She did the exact same thing to catch Ichigo's eye. "You look very pretty, Yuzu-chan. I am sure everyone will notice." She finished with a encourage smile.

"T-Thank you, Onee-chan." She traded smiles with the older girl.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Yuzu's face was a bit red. He hoped that she was not coming down with something. What were the odd looks Yuzu and Orihime were trading with each other? He just shrugged it off as a girl thing.

* * *

Breakfast ended. Isshin waved a tearful farewell to the kids, well to the girls. He made it perfectly clear that Ichigo was a man and that his tears would only soil Ichigo's manhood. Instead he gave Ichigo a bear hug. How that did not soil his manhood Ichigo probably would never know. Karin and Yuzu went the opposite direction of he and Orihime were heading, leaving the two carrot tops alone outside of the clinic. After waving his sisters goodbye he and Orihime headed out to school hand in hand. They made idle chat. Orihime went on about a new television show that she had gotten into. He listened. He had not seen the show, so he could not provide much conversation. From the sounds of it he doubted he would find it interesting. The conversation shifted into manga so that he could talk. Their favorite manga Z the King Tamers quickly dominated their talk. Neither one of them was exactly thrilled by the current story arc going on in the manga. Ichigo thought it was going too long and that the main antagonist was becoming overpowered borderline omnipotent. The villain was great at first, but after 200 something chapters with him being unbeatable and easily defeating the protagonists even the strongest ones with his creatures and powers seemingly outrageous powers with laughable weaknesses if you could even call them that. How the hell was Z supposed to defeat him without it looking like an ass pull? Orihime was holding out hope that things would turn around after Z and his partner's latest training in a sub space where time ran at a much faster pace than in the normal world. How clichéd could you get? Orihime thought it was brilliant idea and noted the sub space was introduced earlier in the story and that it was the only believable way to increase Z and Starstream to the antagonist's level. He wasn't so sure. Before an argument could break out the duo ran into Mizuiro.

He put his cellphone in his pocket to greet them. "Good morning, Ichigo, Inoue."

Ichigo replied with a nod. Orihime waved. "Good morning, Kojima-kun!"

"Hey where is Keigo?" Ichigo asked. It was unlike Keigo to not be with Mizuiro on their walk to school, especially if they waited for Ichigo.

"Oh he had an errand to run for his sister before he left for school this morning. He'll catch up with us later."

Ichigo's face fell into a frown. "Figures his sister would make him do something before he has to go to school. She could be considerate considering it is the first day of a new term. If Keigo is late he'll make a bad impression on his new teacher."

Mizuiro laughed. Keigo's sister was a demanding woman who would not take no for an answer. Keigo didn't have the courage to stand up to her not that he blamed him. It was no wonder that Ichigo and Mizuho did not get along. Not one for holding his tongue when his friends were in trouble Ichigo spoke his mind when he thought Keigo was being unfairly treated by Mizuho. No matter how much Keigo protested. "I am sure Keigo will make it to school on time. Mizuho knows how important today is. She wouldn't ask of anything that would make Keigo late on the first day."

"Ah!" cried Orihime. She checked her watch and discovered she was running late. "I have to get going now." She turned to Ichigo. "I'll see you at school later. Hopefully we will be in the same class again." Before she could leave Ichigo kept his grip on her hand preventing her from leaving. He gave her a peck on the lips and released her. Kojima-kun was stunned.

"Alright see you at school. Be careful," he nagged.

"Ai, I'll be careful. Bye Kurosaki-kun, Kojima-kun!" Orihime sprinted away.

When she was out of sight Ichigo and Mizuiro renewed their walking. Ichigo was silent and acted as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Mizuiro was still reeling from Ichigo's display of affection in front of him. It was unlike Ichigo to do something like that. He kept things to himself. From what Arisawa told him both Ichigo and Inoue were mortified at being caught kissing on the school roof a month ago. Did he even realize what he did?

"Where is Inoue off too?"

"She is going to meet Tatsuki at her house, so they can walk to school together."

"Are things ok between you two?" Mizuiro asked slightly concerned.

Picking up on his shorter friend's concern Ichigo scrunched his face up into surprise. "Yeah, things between us are great."

"Why is she walking to school with Arisawa? You two have been walking to school together for a while now."

"That is true, but Inoue and Tatsuki have been walking to school together since they became friends. They have never missed the first day of school, so she is going to walk with Tatsuki today. It is fine with me. We don't have to do everything together."

"My, my, you and Inoue won't be joined at the hip any longer?" he joked. This earned Ichigo's ire.

"Mmm," growled the former vizard. "Screw you. You know I spent a lot of time hanging out with you and Keigo without Inoue hanging around us. Don't go accusing me of ignoring you guys for Inoue. I am not going to feel guilty about spending time with her either."

He held out his arms in surrender. "Calm down, Ichigo. I was only joking. I am not as insecure as Keigo is about not spending time with you."

"Pff, I am not upset."

"Of course not," Mizuiro said wickedly.

Ichigo was about to comment on his cheeky friend's sass, but decided against it. It wasn't worth the time or effort to try and debate with Mizuiro on when he was being sassy. His sickening innocent demeanor made it nearly impossible to identify when he was being sincere or not.

Mizuiro's phone went off and he answered it. He received a text message from one of his girlfriends. "When did you two start kissing in front of people?" he asked while typing.

Ichigo gaze went to the sky as though the answer was written up there. Until Mizuiro mentioned it he had not even noticed that he kissed Orihime in front of him. Odd considering that he often avoided initiating overly public display of affection so as not to embarrass either Orihime or him. When he thought back over the last two weeks he remembered that he kissed her goodbye in front of his family. After their lunches ended they would kiss before going back to work. He had become a little more affectionate towards her with people around over the break. All of that happened after he said he loved her. No doubt that was the source of his less conservative attitude. "I guess two weeks ago. It is not like it was something I actively decided to do. Things just ended up that way. Things between us feel different, stronger. Sometimes when I want to show her how much she means to me. I guess I act without thinking who is around."

"I see." _'Inoue is certainly changing him. He does not appear to feel as depressed as he was months ago. Ichigo actually seems happier.' _He finished his text. "Do you think we'll get in the same class this year?"

"No idea. I guess…."

"ICHI-GO!" a voice interrupted.

Neither Ichigo nor Mizuiro needed to turn around to know it was Keigo who had announced the former's name in such glee. On contrary they kept walking ahead. Keigo jumped them from behind. What the poor man failed to realize was that Ichigo's lightning like reflexes would cause him to jump kick him in mid-air and send him flying into the air until he landed on his back.

"Aaaagh…ah…..ah," he groaned. _'Why, why does this keep happening to me?'_

"Oi, Keigo are you alright?" Ichigo asked. He offered the hyperactive brunet a hand. Keigo refused. He chose to stumble his way back to his feet than accept the offer of his vicious attacker.

"Am I alright you ask." Keigo spun his head wildly and flung his arms up in down in a tantrum. "Of course I am not alright! You just kicked me! Why are you so violent, Ichigo? I am supposed to be your friend and all you do is assault me!"

"I wouldn't assault you if you stopped jumping at me. It is only natural for a person to defend themselves when they see something or someone come at them."

"But you should know it is me by now!"

"My instincts and reflexes act before my brain can register it is you," Ichigo said more to himself than Keigo.

False tears ran down his cheeks. He whimpered more. "Sometimes I think you purposely block me out of your memory so you can attack me," he muttered.

"Huh? Speak up Keigo I couldn't hear you."

"Now I am ignored again just like a secondary character!"

Ichigo regretted asking Keigo to speak now. He was already getting a headache. "You are such a pain in the ass."

"That is Asano-san for you," Mizuiro quipped.

"Agh! Stop calling me that, Mizuiro!" He crossed his arms. Keigo was put off by his so called friends' physical and emotional abuse. "Jerks I bet you didn't even notice my new junior look."

"New junior look," Ichigo and Mizuiro said in unison. Both sets of eyes fell on Keigo. They scanned him down then up. Everything was the same. That was until they reached his head. The left side of his forehead was covered by hair. His brown hair was no longer broken up into long strands that curved outside. It was shaggy and ruffled all over. It was the same length.

"Toda!" he sang. Ichigo and Mizuiro looked far from impressed. Mizuiro was fiddling with his phone and Ichigo was staring at him, asking him if that was it with his brown eyes. "Screw you guys!" He went ahead of them pouting.

"I don't see the big deal," Ichigo spoke aloud. He turned to Mizuiro since Keigo was ignoring them and walking ahead of them. "Everyone seems to be going nuts about moving up to juniors. We are still going to the same school. Nothing is really changing."

"You are a total freak!" Keigo declared. He turned around and pointed an accusing finger at an un-phased Ichigo. "We aren't just moving up a grade you know. We are no longer on the bottom of the food chain. Now we are the second in line to the throne! In one year's time we will be seniors the kings of the school! Our junior year cements that place. Everyone is excited because of that. An absolute odd ball like you just can't understand that!" He huffed and put his back to Ichigo.

The scowling figure turned to their cellphone obsessed friend for his input. "Keigo is high strung, but I do agree with him on this. We all know it is still the same school with the same people from the previous year, but we can't help but get excited at the prospect of the future. Next year we will be entering our final year and get ready for college. We all just want to enjoy the time we have left together and make good memories, while we still can. That is what this year means to me."

Creating good memories with friends that was something he said to Orihime this morning. He wanted to do that. Saying goodbye to Rukia made him realize that time was fleeting. Nothing was certain. He hoped that whatever the future brought that he could indeed create cherished memories with his friends. Without his powers he could have that. The normal life he once despised was becoming bearable. There was no need to possess that power any longer. His friends and family were safe. Aizen was gone. He could enjoy a normal life with them.

* * *

The gates of Karakura High appeared before them. Massive groups of students flocked through the gates. The crowd was mixed with expression of boredom, fear, and excitement. Freshmen, juniors, and seniors mingled together and prepared for the next challenge. People were catching up with friends, anxiously chatted away about what they did during spring break. On the belly side of things some students the ones aspiring to be thugs were intimidating the already frightened freshmen. Everything was the same as last year when he first entered Karakura High. He was thinking the same thing he did last year when he first appeared before these gates.

'_It looks so small.' _Ichigo stood there, watching his peers pass by him. It wasn't fear that kept him glued outside the gate. Memories kept popping up and insisted he stay there. He and Chad met Mizuiro and Keigo for the first time in that courtyard when they were fighting some punks from their old junior high that still held grudges against them. Nostalgia was both an unpleasant and welcoming feeling.

"Ichigo! Come on we don't want to be late!" Keigo screamed. He and Mizuiro walked through the gate. They stopped once they realized that Ichigo was not with them. "Hurry up. We still have to find out what class we are in."

Keigo was right. This was no time to stroll down memory lane. The ex-substitute pushed aside those thoughts of yesteryear. He took a step forward when a yelp stopped him. He, Keigo, and Mizuiro all looked around for the culprit. Outside of the gate was a group of six boys standing in the corner. They surrounded a smaller boy who was cowering. The poor guy was on the ground, probably having been shoved there by one of the assailants. The sight of these guys tormenting someone who couldn't defend himself made him sick to his very core. He wasn't completely powerless. He could still stop a bunch of assholes that ganged up on a kid. "Mizuiro," he called.

"Yea…" He didn't finish his response. Ichigo had already tossed his bag to him, which he barely caught.

"Watch that for me. I'll make this quick." He stormed off into danger.

"Wait, Ichigo!" the short young man called. Keigo silenced him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yo," Keigo shouted. "Make it quick, so you don't get caught. You shouldn't get in trouble on the first day back!" Ichigo threw a hand up without turning around. It was his way of acknowledging their words. The energetic brunet grinned broadly. "You know how Ichigo is. Shinigami or not he's always got to be a hero and save someone."

Mizuiro shared a laugh with him. "Yeah, you are right. This is Ichigo we are talking about here."

The bred protector came up behind the group. He was close enough to hear what they were saying, although it was nothing of importance, not to Ichigo anyway.

"P-Please I just want to get to class," cried the boy. "It is my first day here. I am just a freshman!"

"Oi, you think that is an excuse for showing Hashimoto-san disrespect?" asked one of the thugs in a gruff tone. He was tall and muscular for his age. He was still shorter than Chad.

The freshmen sniffled, but he picked himself up, impressing Ichigo. "I-I didn't do anything though! All I did was walk by him and you guys grabbed me!"

The thugs broke out in mocking snickers that was more excruciating than nails being rubbed against a chalkboard. "Idiot, the mere fact that you, a lowly freshman thought you could cross paths with a junior like us is disrespectful," sneered the first punk.

"Ai, little shits like you got learn your place," said another one. He was lean with a bulldog face. He wore a gold chain. He punched one of his hands hoping to invoke more fear into the freshman. It worked because the freshman's knees were wobbling. The bulldog face growled. He took a step forward, but was stopped by the one standing in the center. "Hashimoto-san," he uttered.

"Now boys we have to remember that this kid here is new to Karakura High. He does not know all the rules and hierarchy," Hashimoto stated. His hair was jet black, short, and ruffled. On the sides were clear signs that he bleached it gold. Hashimoto had a twisted half grin. He was the same height as Ichigo, but his built was bigger. He was clearly proud of his muscular arms because he pulled the sleeves of his uniform up to show them off. Why he didn't just take off the jacket was beyond Ichigo. "We were all freshmen last year to remember. We were ignorant to the hierarchy as well. Lucky for us we had our senpai teach it to us with their fists so we never forgot it again. We are going to do you this same favor, so you do not cross anymore of your senpai."

The group howled with laughter at their leader's remarks. The freshman backed away into the wall. They were sharks. They sniffed the fear in the air and relished it just as sharks relished the scent of blood just before they went in for the kill. "P-Please don't! I-I am sorry. Please don't hurt me!" he pleaded. Unfortunately for him this only increased the laughs.

"You should have thought of that before you walked through this gate. Walking with your head down like the piece of shit you are is what you should have done." The bulldog faced boy cracked his knuckles. "If you had done that you could have avoided this situation." He threw a punch straight at the freshman.

The cowering young man shut his eyes and hoped this lesson was would be quick. He waited for the fist to make contact, but it never came. Wondering why he wasn't dead yet he ventured an eye open. He didn't see the hulking bully, but the back of orange haired boy. He had stopped the punch with his bare hand. The next thing he knew the orange haired boy threw a punch of his own right into the hulking punk's gut. The giant collapsed with a loud groan. "N-No way. Who is this guy?"

"Tch, Kurosaki what the hell are you doing?" screamed Hashimoto. His grin had vanished.

Ichigo did not waste his time with a response. He counted the remaining group. "One, two, three, four, and five, alright this should be quick after all. Good now I won't be late for class."

"Hey, answer me Kurosaki you bastard!"

"Did you say something?" Ichigo asked nonchalantly. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and glared at them. "Sorry I wasn't listening."

"You got no business here, Kurosaki," one voice said.

"Yeah, we got no beef with you," said another of the five.

"That might be, but I have a beef with you. Ganging up on a freshman and trying to act like you are tough is outdated and pathetic."

"What did you say?" Hashimoto held back another of his cronies.

"Kurosaki, you are right. It is pathetic for us to go after a freshman. You won't mind if we go after you instead, right?" Hashimoto asked wickedly.

"That suits me."

"You talk big, but without your little buddy Sado around you I doubt you are as tough as they say!" cried Hashimoto. "I'll make name for myself by beating the legendary Kurosaki! This is what you get for trying to act…." Hashimoto was silence by a quick jab to the mouth. The force of Ichigo's punch was so great that the bleach haired punk was knocked off his feet. Teeth flew in the air. Dazed Hashimoto came crashing back down to the earth on his back. The remaining four trembled in fear.

"H-he took down Hashimoto-san in a single punch….."

"Even without Sado he is that strong."

"Keep it together. He is still only one guy! We can take him if we jump him!"

"Yeah you are right."

The group ran at Ichigo hoping to take him down. Things did not go as they desired. Ichigo made short work of them. Two of the thugs had received broken noses. The remaining two had black eyes and bloody lips. All six of them twitched on the ground and moaned in agony. The freshman was dumbfounded by what he just witnessed. One guy, one lone guy took down an entire group made up of six people without letting a single finger touch him.

"Yo, kid," he heard his rescuer say. "Are you alright?" Unable to speak he just nodded. "Good. Hey do me a favor." He gulped. Here it was. There had to be a price to pay. Nobody just swooped in like a hero to save someone without expecting something in return. "Please don't report this to anyone. If you did it would cause problems for me."

"That's all? You don't want me to pay you or anything?"

Ichigo frowned at him. Insulted by what this kid was implying he settled with the infamous scowl. "Don't lump me in with punks like these. I didn't help you because I wanted anything from you. I just can't stand guys who puff up their chest and jump people to make themselves feel strong." He walked away from the freshman.

"Please wait."

Ichigo stopped. "What is it?"

"Do you mind if I ask you your name and your grade?" he asked timidly. He suspected this guy was a higher classmen, but was unable to tell if he was a junior or senior.

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo and I am junior."

"Kurosaki-senpai," the boy stated. The first time since Ichigo laid eyes on him he smiled. "Thank you for your help Kurosaki-senpai." He bowed to his senpai.

Ichigo widened his eyes in surprise at being referred to as a senpai. "Senpai…. You don't have to call me that."

"I am running late. I don't know what class I am in yet either." He took off in a run, passing Keigo and Mizuiro. "Take care, Kurosaki-senpai!"

"Kurosaki-senpai," Keigo repeated teasingly to Ichigo. The ex-substitute rejoined them. Mizuiro returned his bag. "Looks like you have a new admirer among the freshmen."

"Don't start," he warned Keigo with a glare. Keigo backed down with a nervous laugh. He being called a senpai was unexpected. It rubbed him the wrong way.

"Picking fights on the first day of the new school year," spoke a condescending and familiar voice. Ichigo froze up when his ear picked up the voice. "School rules mean little to you as it is, but the least you can do is try to follow on the first day. Instead you prove to be delinquent to all those who saw you and create more trouble for yourself with teachers. Don't you think of the consequences of your actions even once, Kurosaki?"

Fuck he didn't need another lecture, especially from him. "Get off my back already."

"As the student council president it is my responsibility to report this in," the voice said.

"It isn't my fault. If you watched the whole thing you know that those guys were the ones trying to start something with that freshman. I stepped in and stopped them."

"Which is the only reason I am not going to report it. However, don't misunderstand me. This will not be a regular occurrence. If I catch you in another fight I will definitely have to report it." He fixed his glasses. "It is my obligation."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Nobody is asking you any favors, Ishida."

"Are you saying you want me to report this in then?"

Ichigo turned around to give Ishida another verbal assault. "Like I…." He lost the words he was about to speak as soon as his gaze went to Ishida. "What the hell?" Ishida was in his gray school uniform just as they were. Unlike Keigo and Ichigo his coat was zipped up. His bag was on his shoulder. What had captured Ichigo's eye was the raven hair. He pushed away the hair that was on the left side of his face and put it behind his ear, revealing more of his cheek. The right side looked mostly the same. The black hair covered the side of his face. It might have been straighter than before.

"What?" Uryu noticed the strange look Kurosaki was giving him.

Ichigo pointed at Ishida's hair. "What happened to your hair?"

An arrogant smirk formed on his lips. He knew someone would notice the debut of his new hairstyle. Even Kurosaki was left in awe.

"Why is it uneven? Did you get a bad haircut or something?"

Bad haircut, bad haircut, bad haircut, BAD HAIRCUT! What the hell was wrong with Kurosaki's eyes? Couldn't he tell style when he saw it? On the other hand this was the same man who criticized the proud traditional Quincy uniform. The man wouldn't know style if it bit him right on the ass. "No it is not a bad haircut! I choose to do this myself!" he screamed.

"Oh," replied the former vizard.

"What is with that oh?" Uryu questioned. The anger in his tone was almost accusing.

"It means exactly how it sounds." Ichigo's voice rose with irritation.

The two rivals shot death casting glares at one another. Both were trying to will the other one to the icy grips of death.

"It sounds like you dislike my new hair style!"

"Quit being paranoid!" he exclaimed. "I never said I disliked it."

"There is an implication to it," Uryu reasoned.

"Four eyed bastard just shut the hell up and think!" Ichigo screamed.

Uryu refused to back down. "You are the one who needs to shut up and think!" They growled trying to see who would back off first.

Mizuiro shook his head at the sight. "One thing is still the same."

"Ichigo and Ishida bicker like children you mean." Very few things could drain the overenthusiasm out of Keigo. Ichigo and Ishida's back and forth was one of those few things. "Are they ever going to stop it? We are juniors now. It is time to mature a little."

"Well said, but should Asano-san really be the one to say such things." Right on cue the breakdown.

"Mizuiro, why do you always have to make fun of me? I was trying to be profound!" The cellphone obsessed friend closed his eyes and chuckled, but that only made him feel worse. Couldn't he get some respect when he said something relevant at least? The argument between the ex-substitute shinigami and the Quincy continued.

"I didn't insult you! I was just asking you a question. You don't seem like the type of guy who changes his hair style!"

"It is the start of new school year. I thought a change was in order to signify that!"

Ichigo had to hold back a groan. "You are in to this too?" He pointed his thumb to Keigo behind him without turning away from Ishida. "Keigo changed his hair for the new year too." He witnessed the blue eyed man's face shaken in disbelief. The brunet waved at Ishida with a smile then gave him the thumbs up to approve. "I never knew you would be so shallow," Ichigo finished.

"My reasoning is completely different from Asano's!" he protested.

Unconvinced Ichigo's eyes still contained doubt. "Different how?"

"I for one thing changed my hair in order to celebrate and usher in the new school year. Change a little so as not to stay the same and become dull." He pushed up his slipping glasses. "A little change is good."

"Yaahh!" Uryu looked up to see Kurosaki yawning. His temper was set off by the coarse man's rudeness. "It sounds the same as Keigo's reasoning if you ask me."

"Idiot! I knew you wouldn't understand the subtle differences between my reasoning and Asano's reasoning!"

"Idiot? I am not the one who looks for little loop holes to get away with stuff! First there was how you went against your father's wishes by twisting things around so you could accompany me and Chad to Hueco Mundo and now this! The truth is you are just a conniving guy!"

"I am not conniving! I don't have time for this. I have to find out what class I have been assigned too. Unlike you I do not make it a practice to be late."

"Hmm, I don't make it a practice to be late. All that hollow business is what killed my attendance. Ever since my powers disappeared I have been punctual."

"Whatever. I need to get going."

"We have to find out our classes too," Mizuiro reminded them. He checked his cellphone for the time. "If we get going now we should still have plenty of time to find out our assigned classes and make it to class on time."

They set off leaving their unconscious schoolmates on the ground. The whole way there Keigo talked non-stop about being in put in a class with a lot of hot girls. He threw in he wouldn't mind if Ichigo and Mizuiro were in his class. He admitted that it wouldn't be horrible to be in the same class as Ishida again an honor the Quincy not so graciously returned. Mizuiro and Ishida had no real preference for being in the same class with anyone from their freshmen class the previous year. Neither of them was against reuniting with former classmates. Both of them just seemed too indifferent to either outcome. Ichigo would have joined them, but deep down he was hoping that he could get in the same class as Orihime. It wouldn't matter much considering junior classes would share the same lunch period and thus he would see her then, but the idea of seeing her in class all day had a certain appeal. On their way to the courtyard they ran into Chad. He was one of the few of friends Ichigo had who still looked the same as he did the last time he saw him. He was glad to know not everyone was changing themselves for their junior year. The not so talkative giant joined them.

"Crap," Ichigo muttered. "It looks like there is still a crowd around the class postings." The swarm of students was shoving each other out of the way in order to get a glimpse of the room assignments.

"Oh great now we have to wait," Keigo complained. His frown turned into a wide sneaking grin. Ichigo never did like that grin. "Hey, Chad. If you go walking over there and look menacing you will scare everyone out of line. You can get all of our assigned classes." If Chad heard him he made no indication that he did. The dark brown haired man stood there wearing the same blank expression he always did. Keigo sighed in exhaustion. "I guess that is a no."

"Asano, you shouldn't try to make Sado-kun your muscle," Uryu warned. "It is really unbecoming of you."

Their hyperactive friend pouted and turned a cheek to Ishida. His classic move for when he was upset. Ichigo rolled his eyes mentally. Keigo was such a child. With no other options they waited in line. Minutes passed and they had only moved up a foot. He hated waiting. The universe gave him some good fortune. Orihime and Tatsuki were heading their way, having seen the posting.

"It is about time you guys got here," Tatsuki said. Orihime gravitated towards her boyfriend. "What took you so long?"

Ichigo answered, "Things came up."

The black belt narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Knowing you, that's an understatement. I hope this time you come up with a better excuse for picking a fight than last year."

She knew him too well. The woman could see right through him and it was annoying. "It doesn't concern you. Mind your own business," he complained.

"Can't start off the year without everyone thinking you are a delinquent?"

"You sound like Ishida." He didn't hide his disdain. Ishida was bad enough. He didn't need Tatsuki's input on not picking fights. "It was just some punks terrorizing some freshman, so I got involved. Would you rather I let them take advantage of that kid and make him their whipping boy for the next two years?" Silence was a wonderful thing. Tatsuki had to hold her tongue. She could not scold him for fighting to protect someone. He got to bask in a victory over his old friend.

"Kurosaki-kun, you aren't hurt are you?"

He responded with a head shake. "I am fine. Those guys were mostly just talk." He felt her watchful eye scan every inch of his body doing her own investigation. His Hime was very protective of him, just as much as he was of her. No wonder they worked so well.

Orihime finished her inspection. Thankfully he was perfectly well. Nothing was out of place. She knew even without his powers that he was skilled fighter. She heard all the rumors of his success in conquering various gangs and other punks who were well known for fighting. When it came to Ichigo's wellbeing she couldn't help herself. She had to make sure beyond a reason of a doubt that there were no injuries. She just wanted her beloved to be well. Now that she knew he was she could tell him the great news. "Something really great happened!"

He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what her great news was, but considering this was Inoue it would be better not to take any chances. "What is your news?" The healer wrapped her fingers around his arm and tugged it. He could see her body quiver from excitement.

"We are in the same class!" she nearly screamed.

Before he could stop himself Ichigo's lips curved into a large grin (for him). "That's great!" He was a bit anxious than he wanted to be. His cheeks ignited. Who was he and what did he do with Kurosaki Ichigo? Ichigo didn't get excited over getting in the same class as friends. Well granted this wasn't just a friend. It was Orihime here, the woman he was in love with. His subconscious told him it was perfectly reasonable for him to become excited at being in the same room as her. Why shouldn't he be? He was entitled to a few emotional outbursts. "What class are we in?"

"We are in 2-C along with Ishida-kun."

The protector and the healer both turned to the archer to see his response. The perfect model of restraint Ishida gave them a nod.

"How lucky are you to be in the same class as your girlfriend?" Keigo asked. "At least you and Ishida know what room you are in. I guess that just leaves us." He pointed to Mizuiro and Chad.

"Actually Kojima and I are both in 2-A," Tatsuki revealed. "I think I saw Sado was assigned to 2-D."

Panic set in on Keigo's face. His mouth fell wide open. His hands roughly thrashed his hair. "I am the only one who does not know where my class is?"

"Yep," Tatsuki replied dully.

"Why didn't you look at mine too?"

"Slipped my mind I guess," Tatsuki said in the same uncaring manner as before.

"You are all awful!" He shot off from the group, bravely thrusting into the sea of students.

"What are you doing?" asked a confused Tatsuki.

"Isn't it obvious? I am going to fight my way through and get my classroom assignment!"

He disappeared from sight. His friends saw the spot his head was in previously.

"How long do you think it will take him to fight his way through that?" Sado asked.

"No idea," Tatsuki answered truthfully. "Ichigo, Chizuru is in your class too. Keep an eye on her, got it? Since Orihime and I are not in the same class this year she will use that as an excuse to try to do all sorts of perverted stuff to her."

"Like I need you to tell me that," Ichigo said almost bitterly. Chizuru and he were never particularly close. They were acquaintances at best and even that was loose. She didn't care for him much and he disapproved of her jumping and groping Orihime well before his romantic feelings for her emerged. It obviously bothered Orihime, so he didn't understand why she did it. He never said anything because Tatsuki had a hand on the situation and short of beating Chizuru up there wasn't anything he could do. He didn't fight women. Where there was once a mild friction between Ichigo and Chizuru was now a strong, intense almost hate. Chizuru was obsessed with Orihime. She was essentially a horny old man who wanted to get Orihime alone in the back of a room. Ichigo being Orihime's boyfriend meant he was an obstacle in her goal of making Orihime hers. At first he didn't think much of it until the stunts she pulled. They were creative such as the time she snuck catnip in his pocket and sent a horde of cats after him. Then there was the time she stole his bag at lunch left it on the roof and when he went to get it she locked him outside. He was locked out there for an hour! If it weren't for the fact that Mizuiro always checked his cellphone when it went off who knew how long he would have been up there for. Thank god for texting. It saved his ass. Of course he couldn't touch her no matter how much he wanted to beat her face in. If she was a guy he wouldn't have put up with her crap. Tatsuki lent him a hand and delivered a nice beating to Chizuru for him and the not so subtle advance she made on Orihime while he was away. Out of all his romantic rivals for the kind hearted healer Chizuru was by far the most vicious and the most unrelenting. They would be in the same class along with Orihime. This year was going to be fun.

While he seethed he felt something take hold of his hand. The former vizard saw a small hand was entwined with his. He looked up to see Orihime's apologetic expression. His anger slowly dissipated.

"I am sure Chizuru-chan's antics will die down. She is a nice person when you get to know her. You make me happy, so she will accept you." Orihime sounded unsure about what she was saying. Chizuru's crush on her was very powerful. She wondered if the fiery red head would ever forgive Ichigo for dating her.

"I am so sure," Ichigo said sarcastically.

"Ichi….Kurosaki-kun," she sang.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I won't start anything with Honsho, but if she tries to grope you though I am not going to be so forgiving."

Realizing that was the best she could get from him Orihime silently agreed to his terms. Ichigo wouldn't harm Chizuru even if the red head provoked him. The worst he would do was verbal abuse. Her faith in her other half was unwavering.

* * *

Silva sat in the white sands lounging. She despised this dead world she inhabited, but it was times like these when she could sit and reflect on her thoughts. The silence made it the ideal place to reflection. Their plans were in motion. There had been some setbacks. The loss of Salvador was something she had not anticipated. The humans were stronger than she thought. Salvador was killed and Gild's dense Hierro had been broken. Even Joaquin did not return without a wound. He was one of their strongest warriors. They were not without their victories. The humans were dealt a major blow as well. According to her comrades reports each of the opponents they fought had suffered from serious wounds themselves. The Quincy was completely outmatched by Joaquin. The latter did not even need to resort to releasing his zanpakuto to defeat him. Calputto intervened in Salvador's fight to claim his prize. He stopped the woman Aizen was interested in. He almost avenged Salvador or so he said. From everything Silva knew of the human, Inoue Orihime she was not a woman who would kill in cold blood even her enemies. Silva wouldn't put it past Calputto though. That smiling bastard always had his own agenda. Damn, she had already given him permission to enact his own plans. There was no need to be sneaky.

Her lips fell into an upside down U-shape. Calputto could always be counted on for his treacherous and self-serving manipulations. That was fine with her though. Let Calputto do whatever he liked, as long it did not conflict with their plans. She wasn't a fool. Her eye was on Calputto even now. The fear of her choosing to annihilate him whenever she pleased kept him from taking bold risks. His power was still needed for their purposes. However, she was angry that he killed Salvador. They were comrades. For a being, human, shinigami, or even hollow to kill their comrades was despicable. When Calputto told her that the woman killed Salvador with false sadness she nearly impaled him in the heart. She had seen so many precious comrades fall in battle to shinigami. No matter how many battles she was in or how many times she nearly faced death she never died, while her comrades did. Bonds she created with her brethren time and time again was shattered in pieces. She was so tired of seeing all the bonds she created get destroyed by the shinigami or other hollows. That is why she grew stronger. She needed power to protect those bonds, those comrades she made. She kept moving forward and consumed as many souls as she could until she developed a taste for other hollows. Her will was so strong that she gained control of the massive form of Gillian when she evolved. It was why she kept consuming more Menos Grande and evolved into an Adjuchas. It was her motivation for protecting her comrades was a primary reason for becoming an arrancar when Aizen took an interest in her power. Now she had power to protect her comrades. Aizen had given it to her and she would use every ounce of it to keep them safe.

If Calputto endangered anymore of the others' lives again she would not hesitate to end him. What would be the point in escaping the darkness if there was no one to enjoy it? When Spirit Keystones were destroyed and the two worlds became one they would never have to thrive in the darkness ever again. "Escaping this darkness is what I desire most of all." The golden orbs went up to the dull moon. She wondered when her eyes would be able to enjoy the celestial moon in the Human World once more. Enjoy it without the fear of being hunted down by a shinigami. "What is it?" The presence of two arrancar came into her sixth sense's range. Without turning around she already knew who had disturbed her. Recognizing their reiatsu at this point was child's play.

Gild and Calputto appeared before their mistress. Neither was surprised that she had already identified them. She wouldn't be the former prima if she couldn't do that.

"Yo, Silva," Gild said. "When are we going back to the Human World? It has been weeks since our invasion. I am bored sitting on my ass here."

Silva closed her eyes and scoffed. "How many times do I have to tell you Gild? We still need to gather more allies before we can move on."

The giant arrancar crossed his arms and snorted at her. "Eh, you keep saying that, but just how many more hollows are you expecting Joaquin to gather? We already got a lot, enough if you ask me," he complained.

"I did not request your opinion," she said coldly. "This is much more than a simple battle. We cannot just go to the Human World and start a fight without a strategy."

"Bah, you are being too cautious. Where is the Silva who wasn't afraid of anything? The one who cut down her enemies without a second thought? Don't tell me ya getting soft."

"We cannot afford to have youthful and naïve ideals. In order to escape this world of death and shadows we must look at the bigger picture here. We cannot conqueror the forces of the Soul Society with mere hollows. In terms of raw power we cannot hope to defeat the Soul Society. Their captains were powerful enough to battle head to head with the Espada that replaced us. Our greatest advantage is our numbers. We are far more numerous than the shinigami. We will need that in order to win this. Joaquin is gathering the Gillians and Adjuchas as we speak in order to ready us for the coming battle."

"I don't like it," Gild stated. "I want to go out and fight them already!"

"Hmm, you are so transparent, Gild," Calputto mused.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean you pansy?"

"You simply wish to battle that human again." Calputto's grin widened. "Your battle was interrupted before a conclusion could be reached. It is such a shame."

"Piss off! I'll finish my fight with Sado Yasutora soon." He balled his hands into fists. A large blood thirsty teeth revealing grin formed. "This time I'll kill him. There is nothing more invigorating than killing a worthy foe!"

"You will get your chance, Gild. I need you to remain here. With the Soul Society's forces hunting for us now it is imperative that we continue to lay low. Our dreams will die here if we are discovered."

Calputto continued Silva's train of thought. "That is why we wear our reiatsu concealing cloaks and move around always. Covert operations are our best options."

"Calputto is correct. Until the right moment we will not move out to the Human World." She got off the ground and stood her full length. "Two unknown factors have entered the equation, the elder Quincy that Joaquin spoke of and the shinigami that Calputto encountered. Urahara Kisuke will not be an enemy that can be dealt with easily."

"Ya giving that guy too much credit. I still think I could have taken him," Gild argued. Silva glared at him as if she had never seen him before in her entire life.

"Urahara Kisuke was someone that Aizen-sama himself was concerned with. If I had not called you back when I did you would have most certainly been killed. Be patient. The time for us to strike is coming. We have another advantage."

"Another advantage?" repeated the giant arrancar.

"The human who defeated Aizen-sama will not interfere."

Calputto raised an eyebrow at the cryptic woman. "What do you mean by that, Silva-sama?"

"I am unsure of the exact reason, but the human has not appeared once since I've been sending hollows to the Human World. Despite three powerful arrancar appearing in Karakura Town he did not make an appearance to stop any of you. This leads me to conclude that the human has exhausted his powers during his battle with Aizen-sama. I would speculate that he is recovering his powers and the reason he has not battled any hollows or arrancar is because his abilities have weakened so much that he cannot fight them. He will most likely not be an obstacle."

"Now that is valuable information." Calputto smirk grew ever so slightly.

She kept her gaze locked on to Calputto. No doubt he was devising something in that devious mind of his. "Calputto," she summoned him. Once he gave her his full attention she started to speak again. "This goes without saying, but I do not want you to go to the Human World either. I cannot have your actions jeopardize our designs. The woman can wait. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Silva-sama," he replied immediately. He knew it was dangerous to cross Silva. Playing more games would not be wise when she was like this. Unfortunately that meant he would have wait longer until he could retrieve his prize. The longer the wait the more delicious the reward would be. _'Orihime-chan,' _was his single thought.

* * *

"Hey are you ready to get going?" Ichigo questioned. He was standing by Orihime's desk. School had ended. Most students had already rushed out of class. Only a few stayed behind.

"Just let me put away this book and I we can get going." Orihime put her new Chemistry book inside of her bag. She made sure everything was in order then got out of her seat. He asked her if she was ready with a look. When she nodded they were off. "Bye, Ishida-kun!" The Quincy remained behind. He put his stuff away late because he did not pack up until their teacher finish his lecture which just happened to be the very last second of class.

"Goodbye, Inoue-san, Kurosaki."

"See ya, Ishida."

The first day back to school and things were just as Ichigo predicted, pretty much the same thing. Their teacher introduced himself at the start of class and took attendance. He told them what he expected of junior class. He did beat them over the head with the fact that next year they would be seniors and urged them to start considering future careers they had an interest in. His words hit Ichigo a bit closer to home than the normally scowling young man would have liked. Ichigo never really considered what type of career he was interested in. His plan was to get through high school then to college, but he never thought of what to do after college. But he still had two years before college and before he needed to decide on a career. There was plenty of time. The morning had been uneventful. They started with Math and History. In the afternoon they studied English. It was strange to start English without hearing Keigo complain about having to learn a language he had no intention of using after school. Never mind English was perhaps the most used language in the world and most jobs this day in age required one to know some English. After English they had their lunch period. A reunion was held on the roof. The seven friends traded stories on their first day so far. Surprisingly Keigo did not complain despite not having any of his friends in his class. Mizuiro guessed (correctly) that Keigo's class had many attractive girls. Class resumed and they finished off their English lesson. The next subject was Chemistry which lasted for the remainder of day.

The day was pretty uneventful. Yes, it was nice and quiet. His quarrel with those thugs had not been reported, so he was essentially in the clear. He was glad the day was over though. A small break in the hustle of everyday life was halted for a moment. He could just pause and enjoy the simple things, such as walking with Orihime. The strawberry and meadow scent she gave off relaxed him. It also lured him into a trance that commanded his body to stay close to the healer. The command was something he had no problem obeying. He had no desire to part from her. Call it his teenage naivety, but if he could he would stay in her presence all day.

"Kurosaki-senpai!"

A boy ran up to the couple. Ichigo recognized him from earlier that morning. "Oh hey it is you."

"You know him?" Orihime ventured.

"Not really. That was the kid I helped this morning," he explained. The freshman caught his breath. "What's up, kid? Did you need something?"

"No. I just wanted to thank you again. It is scary starting a new school and having a lot of your friends go to different schools. I was more than freaked out today. When those guys jumped me I thought I was going to have a horrible year, but then you showed up and saved me. Afterwards I met up with friends that ended up going here. I don't feel so out of place. You made me think that this place might not be so bad and for that I really want to thank you again, Kurosaki-senpai."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head in modesty. "I don't think I did all of that for you. You can cut out the senpai stuff."

"Kurosaki-senpai is so modest as well."

"Knock it off with the senpai stuff already."

The freshman was not paying him any attention. He noticed Orihime for the first time. "Please do not think me too forward about this, but are you Kurosaki-senpai's girlfriend?"

"Yes, I am," she stated rather proudly. "I am Inoue Orihime." She held out her hand for him to shake. "What is your name?"

"I am Haga Izo." He took her hand and shook it. "You are very pretty, Inoue-senpai."

"Why thank you, Izo-kun."

"It was nice to meet you, Inoue-senpai. Thank you again, Kurosaki-senpai." Izo ran off before Ichigo could correct him.

"That kid seems like an entirely different person from the one I met earlier today."

"That is because you saved him." Her grip tightened on his hand. She moved closer to him. "You really helped turn his day around. This is what I a meant. You are someone who protects people even without your shinigami powers. That is one part of you that won't ever change. It is one of your best qualities. It is one of the reasons I love you."

He slipped an arm around her waist. A half smirk had materialized and replaced the frown that had previously occupied his lips. "I'll take my other half's word for it." That earned him a kiss on the cheek. "We better hurry. We have to get to work."

"Today it is my turn to pull the bread cart. I might be able to come by the store to visit you if I sale some bread there."

"That's fine with me. I like when you visit me at work. It makes time go by faster."

"I am happy. I was afraid I might be bothering you when I visit."

"You don't bother me when you visit. I love when you are around me."

"Ichigo-kun."

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"That is the situation," Kisuke explained. In the alleyway of neighboring town the former 12th division captain stood. It was shady part of the town that normal people rarely visited. It was perfect for his purposes.

"The Spirit Keystones, wow you weren't kidding when you said it was big."

"Captain Commander Yamamoto will have his hands full trying to protect the other Spirit Keystones. This may be out of line, me asking you this. You have no obligation to help the Soul Society not after what they did to you, trying to hunt you down for being who you are." He paused to wait for a snippy comeback, yet one never came. At least Kisuke knew he was taking this serious. "You understand what the destruction of the Keystones means though. This is not just about saving the Soul Society, but the Human World as well as Hueco Mundo. The balance cannot be broken. The enemy is recruiting more allies."

"And you thought you would do the same thing, eh Urahara?"

The light blond allowed a short laugh escape his lips. "Something like that. Their numbers will be greater than ours. The need for more people with power will bolster our forces."

"Huh, it sounds like a lot of work to be honest. I mean I can't speak for the others, but I was hoping not fight for a while. I planned on sitting on my ass for the rest of my days and live the rest of my life in peace."

"Hmm, you are a terrible liar," Kisuke blurted out.

"Yeah, you are right. Sitting on my ass and getting fat for the rest of days sure as hell don't appeal to me. I was going out my mind here actually. Hate to say this with the situation looking all bleak and what not, but ya brought me good news. Count us in. Don't going getting the wrong idea though. This isn't really for the Soul Society. We still haven't forgiven them yet, but we do owe someone a favor."

The shopkeeper took off his hat and bowed before the man standing in the shadows. "Thank you for lending us your power."

"Ya ain't got to get all formal you know. You always took things too seriously. Hey before you go tell me how is Ichigo."

"He's doing well, Hirako-san."

The man walked out of the shadows, revealing himself to be the unofficial leader of the vizards wearing his wide grin.

**Urahara makes an alliance with the Vizards!**

* * *

**I wasn't kidding when I said this was a long chapter. I incorporated some more post timeskip hair changes with Keigo and Uryu. I already established that Tatsuki was starting to grow her hair out. Yuzu is not in pig tails yet, but her hair is growing too. I am aware Ichigo is becoming more open and less conservative. It may come off as out of character and maybe it is, but I am trying to do is show how Orihime and Ichigo are rubbing off on each other. He's a bit happier and she's a little more down to earth, but keeping their core personalities intact. Back on Ichigo have you ever been happy, so happy that you sort of change a bit and it is so gradual or small that you don't notice it until your friends point it out? That is what is happening to Ichigo. He will never be declaring his love from a loud speaker I promise you, but a peck on the lips before she leaves in front of Mizuiro isn't outrageously out of character.**

**No worries the vizards won't steal spotlight from Uryu and the others. I have a plan for how to use them. Please review. **


	38. My Secret Admirer From Afar

**Here is the next chapter. If you were one of the readers that liked the Uryu/Tatsuki angle this chapter will probably be a little treat for you. It is another school life chapter, but it does officially introduce the last members of the Privaron Espada. It is more comical chapter with a bits of fluff mixed into it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in anyway. All the characters belong to Tite Kubo except for a few that are of my creation.**

* * *

"Good morning, Kurosaki-senpai!" a group of five girls sang in unison. They were huddled together, supporting each other. Afraid that they would lose their courage and runaway at the sight of him that hands clenched on to arms tightly, shoving each other to the front to prevent any last minute cowardliness from taking hold, leaning on bodies behind them to keep themselves up, and whispers of encouragement into their ears. They were bashful and crimson cheeked. Jittering arose from their bellies into the rest of their bodies caused them to tremble. The group did their best to conceal all of this from him. If only they could keep it together in his presence just so they would not look like mindless school girls. He turned his head in their direction. They almost squealed when his chocolate laced eyes blessed them by falling on them. His gaze was so hardened that it told a tale of what he had seen in his young life. It must have been intense for a mere sixteen year old to have the look of a veteran soldier. Speaking of intense, the brown eyes also burned with a passion that contrasted the usual scowl they saw him wear. His face was so lean. There was no baby fat present at all. His hair it was just so wild and rugged. It overflowed, going passed his neck. The color was so hot. It was a light orange that was almost golden. The best part was it was his natural hair color. The rest of his body was so yummy. Even if gray uniform coat hid his bare arms they saw the muscles he had harvested when he took it off at times. Sexy thou name was Kurosaki Ichigo.

When he heard his name he automatically turned his head into the direction he heard it from. He wasn't surprised when he saw a group of nervous girls. This sight had become common to him. Their withdrawal when he looked at them had also become mundane to him. He could see how eager they were for his response, ears strained to detect any utterance he gave. Taking sorrow on them and not wishing to be rude he raised his right hand and gave them a light wave. "Um, hi," Ichigo muttered. They broke out into bubbly giggles. Some of their faces were covered by their hands, while the others hastily turned away. Their blushes radiated even more. They resembled tomatoes more than girls at this point. Unsure what to do Ichigo stood there uneasy. Their courage must have been used up because they quickly, but calm retreated backwards.

"Oh my god! Kurosaki-senpai actually said something to us!" one girl said in a hushed tone.

A second girl added, "I know it is unreal! Did you see him? He is so hot! I am so glad we came to this school!"

"Ai!" squealed a third girl. "Kurosaki-senpai is right out of my dreams!"

A chorus of giggles rang throughout the hall. Ichigo blinked dumbly at the direction the girls raced off too. "Phew," he sighed tiredly. A minute ago he was well rested and prepared to face another challenging day of school. Encountering all these girls had sapped the strength right out of his body. Those girls were not the first ones he had encountered this morning. As soon as he set foot in the schoolyard he had been subjected with hungry gazes of many freshmen girls. It was enough to make even Ichigo feel self-conscious. When he passed them he could hear them whispering very inappropriate things. Here were some of the things he heard: He has a great ass or they wondered if the hidden parts were as impressive as the rest of him. Ichigo face brightened into such a red that Mizuiro thought he was running a fever. When the hell did he become an exhibit? Did he miss some kind of announcement or what? It happened so sudden as well. He went from a guy who people were so scared shitless of that they did not dare look him in the eye to a guy that was ogled by a bunch of hormonal teenage girls. Something did not sit right here. He wanted accuse Urahara of drugging him with one of his crazy inventions to torture him by drawing all these female lurkers; if not him than Yoruichi. This would be something she would do to get a cheap laugh out of his misfortune.

"Ah!" a high pitched almost girlish voice screamed.

There was another headache just waiting around the corner. He took a deep breath before turning around. Keigo and Mizuiro walked up to him. Keigo had a smile so big that it hurt Ichigo just to look at him. He could clearly see and count every one of his teeth. Mizuiro was no better, although he was not wearing such a powerful smile as Keigo he still wore his all knowing I told you so small smirk. Without warning an arm slung itself over his shoulder. The carrot haired man cringed. One glance was enough to tell him the owner of the arm was Keigo. Personal boundaries meant nothing to him.

"Oh, look at you." Ichigo noticed that Keigo's voice had a hum in it. He narrowed his eyes accordingly, not trusting this chipper Keigo. The loud-mouth he for some reason called friend failed to sense his apprehension. His chipper exterior continued to shine through. "My, my, you have become such c-h-i-c-k m-a-g-n-e-t!"

Ichigo was stupefied. That was the only way he could describe what he was feeling. It was a feat for him to be able to keep his mouth closed and not leave his jaw fallen. "What the hell are you talking about?" He practically screamed, but was somehow able to control his tone. His voice did not go beyond their group of three.

"Now, now there is no need to hide it," Keigo said. His smile widened. Ichigo's stomach sunk in disgust at that lechery smile. The ex-substitute was familiar with that smile and he never liked it. When Keigo wore it that meant he was thinking something perverted that usually ended with the brunet getting slapped or beaten by the victim of his perversions. The dreaded Kurosaki scowl fell on Ichigo's face. Again Keigo was too involved with his own thoughts that he missed Ichigo's unpleasant reaction. "It is has become quite obvious that you have drawn in girls left and right since school started last mouth." Keigo's expression shifted into a lecherous mask. He was channeling the spirit of an old lecher whose lust had not been quenched even in death. "All the freshmen girls have been drooling over you. Word is you have quite the following among them. Your reputation has changed from what it was last year."

Ichigo said nothing. He refused to indulge Keigo. He turned his cheek to him.

"Don't be that way, Ichigo. This is something to celebrate. You are living every guy's fantasy, being a desirable hunk that every girl wants. Isn't it just great?" Tears of pure happiness streamed from his eyes. You would have thought this was happening to him and not Ichigo from the way he was carrying on. "It is not just freshmen girls. There are juniors interested in you as well. Rumor says there are even a few seniors. Senior girls interested in you! Isn't that…." Ichigo elbowed Keigo in the face, having grown tired of his rant and wishing to escape his grasp. Immediately his hands went to his sore nose. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," he whimpered. "Why did you do that?"

"Oi, you were being annoying," Ichigo answered.

Outraged by his friend's lack of empathy and cruelty Keigo flung his arms wildly in protest. "What kind of answer is that? You just can't go around hitting people because they annoy you! You are nothing more than a bully! How does someone as mean as you get so many girls drooling over you?"

Ichigo growled. His frustrations were growing. "Yo, shut up, will you. All your shouting is hurting my ears." Miraculously he had talked over Keigo's insistent prattling. "I really don't need a headache this morning." A second miracle occurred. Keigo stopped whining. Instead he frowned and glared at him. Surprised by this sudden change Ichigo was a little taken aback. Keigo left him with little time to adjust to this change. The energetic teen looked over Ichigo, making the scowling teen more than a little uncomfortable. Keigo's eyes went to his feet and carried themselves upward; taking in his legs, torso, and finished up on his face. Ichigo felt almost exposed before Keigo. It was a feeling he could live without. Fed up with those watchful brown orbs' unending stare Ichigo blurted out, "What?"

"I am trying to see what changed," Keigo stated.

Perplexed with his friend's answer Ichigo wrinkled up his nose. "What?" he repeated. Keigo rolled his eyes as though he was talking to a child who could not grasp a simple concept. That pissed Ichigo off.

"I am trying to see what it is that changed about you that got all these girls so interested in you. You have always been considered one of the best looking guys of our class, but at the end of last term no girl would really look at you because they thought you were a delinquent. Now all of that seems to have been forgotten. Something must have changed about you that made all the girls forget about their original opinion of you," he explained.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me," he muttered. He had been wondering what had caused this change himself. This behavior that the girls had been exhibiting was most disconcerting. What could have happened last month that apparently erased the Kurosaki reputation from the opposite sex's minds?

Mizuiro watched and took great enjoyment out of Ichigo and Keigo racking their brains trying to figure out the sudden change. He was tempted to stay silent and watch them struggle with the question Keigo posed. Knowing them though Keigo would yield no reasonable results and Ichigo would give up on trying find out something he saw as stupid. "The answer is simple," he spoke up. Both boys turned to his direction. Their stares both urged and challenged him to provide this simple answer. Mizuiro was all too happy to provide it. "On the first day of the new school year Ichigo beat up Hashimoto and his crew. They were notorious last year as being thugs who picked fights and started trouble with other schools." He focused his gaze on Ichigo specifically. "They aren't like you and Chad. They relished their bad reputation. Last year they got into all kinds of trouble even though they were freshmen. Most of the junior highs around here heard of them, so when you beat them up a month ago the new freshmen class spread the tale. Last term you were a model student, Ichigo. Once all the absences stopped and your grades improved you didn't really have anything negative to follow you around. People still remember your reputation, but saving a freshman from a bunch of punks really swayed a lot of people, especially the freshmen into thinking you are not as bad as you used to be or trying to change. It appeals to a lot of the girls. The freshmen girls think you are this brooding bad boy trying to change, while girls in our year think you are hero for stopping Hashimoto. Basically your delinquent reputation has fallen by the waste side."

"Oh, that makes perfect sense!" exclaimed Keigo. "Ichigo, you are so lucky!"

Ichigo thought Keigo couldn't have been more wrong. He snorted. "This is just troublesome. I preferred when the girls just ignored me."

Insane. He was totally and completely insane. That was the only possible way to explain why Ichigo would think being a chick magnet was troublesome. Damn it. He couldn't even appreciate his gift. "How can you think all these girls being into you are troublesome? You are such a freak!" he accused.

Being an expert in ignoring Keigo by this point the ex-substitute paid him no mind. "Wait a minute. How did people find out about me beating Hagiwara guy."

A drop of sweat fell from the back of Mizuiro's head. He shot Ichigo a forced smile. "Actually his name is Hashimoto."

"Hmm, did you say something, Mizuiro?" His face exerted genuine puzzlement.

Ichigo was always horrible with names. Mizuiro knew when to give up on a doomed battle. It was best to answer Ichigo's original question. "The freshman you saved probably told his friends and they probably told other people."

"Damn it. I told that kid not to say anything."

"Lighten up, Ichigo." Keigo fanned his hand at Ichigo in an attempt to literally cool him down. "So what if that kid said something. Nobody reported you so it is all good. Besides you got a whole lot of female admirers as a bonus."

"In case you forgot I have a girlfriend. The whole female admirers' thing doesn't appeal to me."

"You are such a lucky bastard," Keigo said. "You have the hottest girl in this school as your girlfriend and all these other girls ogling you." He pouted his bottom lip out. "Ah! You are living my dream!" he whined.

Keigo's antics caused a smile to breakout on Mizuiro's face. Asano Keigo was never dull that was one thing. "Speaking of Inoue how is she taking all this new attention you are getting from girls?"

"She doesn't appear to be upset. To tell you the truth I think she finds it funny."

The short young man blinked in confusion. Unsure if he heard Ichigo right he decided to ask Ichigo to clarify. "She finds it funny?"

"Well she says since she has all these male admirers that it is only fair I have female admirers. She says we are even now with a really happy expression." Mizuiro faded away from sight as his mind brought out the image of an ecstatic Orihime telling him how they are an even stronger couple now that they both had admirers. He laughed along with her nervously back then. In the present his face was masked with pessimism. _'The more I think about it the less sense it makes. The girl is so backwards sometimes,' _he thought.

"Inoue is an odd girl, isn't she?" Mizuiro voiced Ichigo's thoughts aloud.

"Yeah, she is, but it makes things interesting. It is kind of cool that she is not freaking out by all these girls."

"Ai, you two seem like a bad couple on paper due to your contrasting personalities, but you are very solid."

Ichigo's face fell in annoyance. "Geez you don't have to sound so surprised." The cellphone obsessed boy instantly became apologetic and silently wished him his apologies. "Besides we have a lot in common. She is the only one I know that likes Z the King of Tamers. We have the same tastes in movies for the most part."

"So you two haven't had any awkward pauses trying to think of things to talk about?"

Ichigo didn't answer right away. He thought back to all the conversations he had with the pure hearted healer over the year. "Sure at first we were awkward around each other when we were getting to know each other. It is just as time went on we got more comfortable around each other. There isn't much that we do not talk about."

"Man, you sound almost like a different person with Inoue," Keigo said.

Not willing to give Keigo the satisfaction of acknowledging what he said Ichigo started to walk away. "Class is going to start soon. I see you guys at lunch."

"See you later," Keigo called back.

"Until lunch then," Mizuiro replied.

* * *

They went off to their own classrooms. On the path to his own class Ichigo couldn't help, but think about Keigo's words. He seemed like a different person with Orihime. That did not sound as absurd as it sounded. Clearly there were some changes in his usual behavior. He had already known he had become more open with the flawless beauty. Sharing with her seemed to have an unforeseen effect that he had not been expecting. He was becoming more open with his other friends. He was kissing Orihime in front of them now, well pecks on the lips not like the intense kissing session Tatsuki and Ishida had caught them doing on the roof in March. He didn't feel so uncomfortable giving her light kiss in front of their friends. They for the most part didn't make fun of him. Tatsuki and even Ishida held their tongues. He talked about his relationship with the goddess of Karakura High with them. His lips curved into a content smile. His thoughts went to Orihime. Earlier that morning she had eaten breakfast at his house as per morning ritual. She did not walk with him to school. Tatsuki had called her on her phone to ask Orihime if she could use her apartment to store something she had to pick up for her mother that morning. Apparently Tatsuki did not feel up to walking all the way back to her home nor did she wish to carry it with her to school. They went their separate ways. He was looking forward to seeing her in class. That was sad or heartwarming. Ichigo hadn't exactly made up his mind on what it was yet. It was amazing to him that despite being with Orihime for two months going on his third month now that they were still at the stage where they went out of their way to be around each other. Secretly he liked they were still at that stage. He was sure it would wear off eventually, but maybe just maybe it would linger for a while longer.

Ichigo found himself outside of his classroom. His ears picked up the unmistakable sound of girlish giggles. Soon hashed whispering followed it. "Huh," he let out an exhausted breath. More of his admirers spotted him. Pushing all the fan girls out of his mind Ichigo opened the door and walked through it. Already his eyes searched for the vibrant red-orange strands that belonged to his goddess alone. They locked on to her almost instantly. There she was chatting away with a girl he didn't really know. He knew she had been in the same classroom Ishida, Orihime, and he was in last year. However, he never got the chance to talk to her. This term had rectified itself this time. He talked to her through Orihime of course. He still did not know her name. She told him a million times too. When he shut the door the auburn goddess shot her head towards his direction. The enchanting smile receded it had become thrice as powerful. That smile belonged to him and him alone. God, she was so ravishing. She had succeeded in keeping his attention on her and nothing else. He watched her tell her friend something and she nodded and their conversation ended.

"Kurosaki-kun!" the healer exclaimed. She stuck her hand in the air to wave him down, like he could not see her otherwise.

He returned her wave and slowly made his way to her desk. Orihime got out of her seat to meet him. Unbeknown to her someone was lurking behind her. It traveled in the shadows, escaping from the sight of most people. The mysterious figure did not elude Ichigo's eyesight. He tried to make out what it could be when it pounced. It grabbed Orihime causing her to squeak fearfully. Her body was bonded by what felt like a serpent. Hot breath tickled against the back of her neck. Her first thought was that a hollow had somehow escaped her noticed and attacked her. Her mind had already processed one of her incantations to strike. Just as she opened her mouth her nostrils detected the scent of melons. Instantly her defenses went down. She was in no danger, not from any hollows anyway. Her brain was very unusual. Despite being in the grasp of someone it did not set off any alarms. When hands traced over her curves she did not make a peep. Fingers crawled up her body gracefully slow. The melon scent increased in power alerting Orihime that her captor had leaned in closer to her. Out of the corner of her eye she was able to capture a glimpse of dark red strands. The hot breath blew on her ear, sending shivers down the healer's spine.

"Hello my lovely, Hime," whispered a low seductive tone. "How are you doing today?" Not waiting for a reply her grabby hands reached their destination, taking hold of Orihime's chest. "As always you are so adorable that I can't control myself! No normal person could even hope to channel half of your cuteness and feminine charm." She moaned excitedly into her precious Hime's ear. "My glorious, Hime you have stolen my heart! But I don't mind it being held captive by your radiant self!" In her glee she fondled Orihime's bountiful breasts.

"Chizuru-chan!" cried Orihime. Her cheeks became flushed red with embarrassment. She could easily get out of this hold using what she learned from Tatsuki. Her brain just did not register Chizuru as a threat. She couldn't bring herself to cause harm to the overzealous girl.

Chizuru inhaled Orihime's fragrant scent and became drunk on her passionate strawberry and meadow aroma. If she were a cartoon character her eyes would have transformed into two giant hearts. She had died and gone to heaven. Orihime was most definitely an angel, her angel. "You smell so wonderful that I just want to eat you up! Perhaps later you will let me do just that." Her tone became much lower as she said the last part. "I wish to sample the meal you have to offer, Hime."

Naïve to Chizuru's innuendo the auburn woman became mystified. "I don't understand what you mean, Chizuru-chan. Do you want me to make you a lunch or something?"

Chizuru let out a cheery laugh then nuzzled Orihime's neck not caring that she was doing this in front of their entire class. "My innocent Hime you are so cute!" she cheered. Her personality took another shift. She narrowed her eyes longingly. "I look forward to corrupting you and teaching you the ways…" She yelped as she was hastily pulled off of her love. Who would be so brazen to disturb her time with her Hime? Did they not know of her wrath? Only Tatsuki was able to stand up to her in all things relating to Orihime.

"Hey."

That voice was easily recognizable to the passionate girl. She let out a low dangerous growl. She should have guessed. Her most hated enemy, the sole reason for leading Hime down the incorrect path, deterring destiny due to his ignorance, the person she despised. He may have saved all of them from that crazy guy that threatened to destroy their town, but that did not give him the right to her Hime! To think that she started to think he was a decent guy months ago. That was before he showed his true colors. "What do you want?" she spat out. The venom in her words was obvious. If it had been real he would certainly be poisoned by now and on his knees as he succumbed to its effects.

His lips fell into an upside down U shape. He held her by her collar. The only reason he had not released her was because he knew she would jump on Orihime again if he did. "Quit doing inappropriate things to, Inoue." It wasn't a threat or even a warning. His words were not harsh. His tone was however free from any of the happiness that had infected him weeks ago.

"Hmph," she growled. Chizuru shot an equally vicious glare. "Quit inferring with my relationship with Hime. She is none of your concern."

Eye twitching the short tempered boy was already trying to put out the lit fuse on the bomb that was his anger. "None of my concern you say. She is my damn girlfriend. It is my concern when you make her feel uncomfortable."

"Hime, what do you see in this vulgar man? He is not worthy of you. Can't you see he is only serving as a distraction from our love?"

"Vulgar!" he screamed. The vein on his forehead throbbed. His face reddened with rage. "You just groped Inoue in a classroom full of people and you are calling me vulgar!"

"Don't compare me to you!" Chizuru shout back. "My affections for Hime are too pure and powerful to be constrained by foolish preconceived notions of perversion. You on the other hand do nothing, but defile her!"

"You are delusional! How can you not see how uncomfortable you make Inoue? She always freezes up every time you touch her! You know she is too nice to tell you how much it bothers her!"

"Lies! You speak nothing but hateful and malicious lies! You are just jealous of our love!"

"Are you serious? You are completely insane!" he hollered. They glared daggers at each other. Each one of them tried to erase the other one from existence with a thought. All the while Orihime stood in the background. She watched in stun silence as her boyfriend and her biggest admirer hurled insults at one another. It was a shame that this was a daily occurrence. Tatsuki's prediction had been correct. Chizuru had taken advantage of Tatsuki's absence. Without her self-proclaimed caretaker around Chizuru lost no time in getting her hands on Orihime. Ichigo had taken up Tatsuki's role just as the raven haired woman had hoped for. He would drag Chizuru off of her without causing her any bodily harm. Aside from verbal battles that they partook in he did not fight with her. His chivalrous nature prevented him for doing that.

"They are at it again."

Her crafts club member entered the classroom. He made his way to her desk. Like everyone else in the class he had taken an interest in the fight between Ichigo and Chizuru. Unlike the others who watched with amusement or shock he frowned, obviously disapproving of their petty squabble. "Ishida-kun," Orihime called in surprise. Her entire focus had been on Ichigo and Chizuru that she failed to notice his reiatsu or his arrival.

"I could hear them out in the hall. They need to settle down." He turned to Inoue. "I feel sorry for you, Inoue-san. Having to put up with this every morning must be strenuous."

The Shun Shun Rikka wielder only laughed at his assessment. He couldn't be more right and more wrong at the same time. It was tiring to have Chizuru-chan always catch her by surprise and touch her where even Ichigo did not dare to touch, but she had gotten so used to it that it hardly registered as a bleep anymore on her radar. She could never get tired of her beloved Kurosaki-kun defending her honor. "Not really, I am used to it by now." She beamed up at him.

His lips spread up weakly. He gave her a fragile smile. _'Inoue-san that is nothing to smile about,' _Uryu thought.

"Ishida-kun, you got here later than usual," she pointed out. By the time she got to the classroom he was already settled in and waiting for class to start. Orihime often wondered if the Quincy was the very first person to arrive in class.

Uryu straightened his face back into its stoic mask. "I had some business to take care of this morning."

"Did you fight a hollow?" She had felt the presence of a hollow earlier that morning, but it disappeared a moment later. She assumed Ishida-kun had taken care of it like he did the other hollows, but that could not be right. The hollow she sensed was during her breakfast at the clinic. That was almost an hour ago. There was no way it would have taken Ishida-kun that long to take care of a common hollow.

The raven haired man shook his head no. "Ever since that night the hollows have not been coming in groups. Urahara-san has not called me since. Kurumadani should be able to handle this much on his own I suppose."

If he wasn't taking care of a hollow what else could he have been doing that prevented him from being the first in the classroom? Did he have a meeting with the principal? No, that couldn't be it. He just had one yesterday to discuss the junior class' budget for clubs and teams. It couldn't be crafts club related because she would have certainly been told along with the other members. He wasn't the type of person who would go to the library to finish up last night's homework in the morning. Despite all the hollow hunting the glasses cladded man was on top of his classwork and homework. That left her with he stopped to talk to someone. The question was who could hold Ishida-kun up for such a long time. A light bulb turned on in her mind. Her face lit up with it. A broad smile formed and she closed her eyes knowingly. She wasn't aware that Ishida-kun was giving her a very concerned look. "Ishida-kun, you were visiting Tatsuki-chan weren't you?"

"Wah!" Uryu's eyes widened while his shoulder sank. A nervous sweat came out of his pours. "What makes you say that?"

Orihime continued to smile, but opened her eyes. She saw the patches of crimson that decorated his cheeks, the inkling drips of sweat on his forehead, the nervousness that radiated within his light blue eyes. Bingo, she had hit the nail on the head. Her intuition had been correct. It seemed to be developing nicely. "I have noticed that you have been spending more time with her. I thought you went to visit her this morning."

He pushed his glasses up. "I am afraid you are mistaken. I did not visit Arisawa-san. I merely ran into her on my way here."

She couldn't stop herself from giggling. _'That isn't much better,' _she thought amusingly.

"She was telling me that she was having some difficulty in Chemistry and asked if I could help her. We went to her classroom and I showed her a few things that could help her grasp a better understanding of it. I lost track of time."

"That was very nice of you. I know Tatsuki-chan really appreciated it." Her smile did not lose any strength, much to Uryu's annoyance. It was a rare case that the Quincy would be annoyed with her. "Tatsuki-chan has karate practice today after school and it gets off the same time our crafts club does. You could meet her and go to the library and offer her more help," she suggested. So she wasn't being very subtle, but there no way she could miss this chance. Orihime had noticed that Ishida-kun and Tatsuki had formed some kind of connection. The romantic in her said they would make a cute couple. She told her suspiciousness to only two people, Kuchiki-san and Ichigo. The ice elemental shinigami did not pay it any mind and focused on talking to Inoue about the scars left on the healer after the war. Ichigo laughed at the notion, which she found very rude. Her intuition told her that her raven haired friends had an attraction towards each other. True she had been wrong about Ishida-kun liking Kuchiki-san, but now that it had developed more there was no way she was wrong. A woman's intuition was a very powerful thing. And she did owe Tatsuki for her part in getting her together with her beloved Kurosaki-kun. If Tatsuki did get together with Ishida-kun they could go on double dates!

Why did he get the feeling that Inoue-san had ulterior motives for him other than helping Arisawa-san? She still wore her innocent child-like joyful expression and he did not sense any deceit from her. He mentally berated himself for even suspecting that Inoue-san had some underhanded motive in her suggestion. "I suppose I could if she needs more help. However, I believe she has to go to the dojo after her practice to give her karate classes."

Unwilling to accept defeat Orihime tried to push harder. "I don't think Tatsuki-chan is working today," she spat out in a rush. Almost immediately she regretted it. She could see the fright in his eye from behind his glasses. "I mean I think today is one of her off days. She got her hours on the weekdays cut back some in order to work longer hours on the weekend that way she has more time for school. You could ask her today at lunch just to be sure. I know she has an exam in Chemistry coming up soon, so it would be better to help her out as soon as possible."

"If that is the case I could work with her at lunch period today."

"That's great!" She bowed to him. "Thank you for helping Tatsuki-chan!"

He allowed his lips to curve into a half smile momentarily. "It is no trouble at all."

Perfect! She had just set up two of her good friends without her observant and calculating friend being any wiser. The shouting had ended abruptly. Ichigo released Chizuru. He still looked crossed. He had been victorious for Chizuru went to her seat. She also seemed to be in a very bad mood.

"Hmm, it is unsightly of you to get into such heated arguments with a woman, Kurosaki." He glared darkly at him. Uryu was very protective of women. He felt it was unbecoming for a man to harm a woman. It wasn't from some outdated preconceived notion that women were inferior to men or that they needed to be protected. If he thought such things Arisawa-san would have punched his lights out every time she saw him. He doubted he would be friends with Inoue-san. He did believe that women were graceful creatures that should be respected. It was the upmost form of disrespect for a man to strike a woman. Like every rule there were some exceptions. Cirucci Sanderwicci the Privaron Espada he battled in Hueco Mundo for instance had been an enemy who would kill him if he did not fight back. He knew Kurosaki was not the type of man who would lay a finger on a woman even Honsho-san. It still rubbed him the wrong way to see him get into such heated confrontations with her.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Do you have to oppose everything I do? She shouldn't be touching Inoue like that at all, much less in front of people. I won't lay a finger on Honsho. I just won't let her do whatever she likes to Inoue anymore." He left no room for discussion. He would not be persuaded into anything else. When he vowed to protect something he kept it the best way he could. Keeping Chizuru from molesting **his** Hime was one of those things he had to do.

Kurosaki had a point. Uryu didn't approve of Honsho-san's behavior towards their resident healer either. Arisawa-san had always kept her at bay. He supposed that with her being absent from their class that the duty to defend Inoue-san's honor should fall to Kurosaki seeing as he was her boyfriend. Uryu said nothing knowing that Kurosaki would take his silence as his admission of his way of dealing with Honsho-san being the only correct way to deal with her.

"Anyway you are coming in pretty late. Don't tell me a bunch of hollows gave you trouble." He casted a mocking stare.

Offended by the mere suggestion that a lowly hollow could give him any trouble the Quincy scoffed. "Ridiculous. To think that I would ever find myself in such a situation where a common hollow would give me trouble is absurd."

"So why are you late?" Ichigo challenged.

Uryu brushed him off as an annoyance. "It is none of your concern." With that he turned his back to the orange haired couple. He walked to his desk. Uryu could not see him, but he felt Kurosaki's glare on his back as though it were branding him.

"That guy really pisses me off," he muttered.

"Please don't be too angry with Ishida-kun."

Disbelief took hold of him. He made it known to the goddess. "Why the hell not?" he asked.

Orihime looked to her left then to her right. She pulled him close to her. He was a bit irritated by the covert stuff, but complied with it anyway. When he felt her breath on his ear he felt his cheeks burn. He was reminded at how close she was to him. The strawberry scent that she gave off lulled him into a daze. "Ishida-kun was late because he was helping Tatsuki-chan with Chemistry," she whispered.

God she smelled so good. His entire body began to hunger for her. If they weren't in class right now he would be kissing her to quench this strengthening hunger. Wait did Orihime say something? He should be paying attention to her. He needed to get a grip over his body. He shook his head of the haze he was in. "I'm sorry, but could you repeat that?"

"Ishida-kun arrived to class later today because he ran into Tatsuki-chan and he helped her with Chemistry."

"Hmm, Ishida helped out Tatsuki. That's why he is late?" The surprise spilled out of his voice. Orihime nodded her head. To Ichigo it looked like she was about to burst into a song and dance. He had no idea why she would be so happy about Ishida helping Tatsuki. "He told you that, but not me." He didn't see why the Quincy would keep this from him, but tell Orihime except for being vindictive.

"Well not really. I guessed it and he had no choice, but to tell me. Isn't it exciting though?"

"Not really," he stated truthfully. What was so exciting about Ishida helping out Tatsuki with school work? He would do the same for any of them, the exception maybe being with Keigo or himself. His cherished one did share his sentiments. She scowled at him as if to scold him. Randomly and inappropriately he thought she looked cute with that scowl.

"How can you say that? Ishida-kun went out of his way to go to Tatsuki-chan's classroom just to help her. When I figured out that he was with her he got all flustered. He may have feelings for Tatsuki-chan!"

"Ha," Ichigo sighed. "This again. Orihime, I think you are making too much of this."

She shook her head vigorously. "But my intuition tells me there is something going on with them. A woman's intuition is never wrong," she stated proudly.

Ichigo continued to look doubtful at her claim. He loved Orihime, but her track record when it came to her intuition was not great. She told him once she thought Ishida had a crush on Rukia based on him making the midget shinigami a dress. She took small gestures of kindness and blew them out of proportion. Ishida helping Tatsuki was very similar to the dress incident. "He was probably just embarrassed because he assumed people would think something was going on between them if he said anything. Keigo used to badger him about Tatsuki all the time last year."

"Asano-kun thinks something is going on too! That proves it!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes into a rectangular shape. "Keigo isn't the best person to base that off of. He also thought Rukia and I was a couple until a few months ago you know."

"Ichigo-kun, you just have no eye for romance."

"That's not true."

"How long did it take you before you realized I like you?" she asked. In a rare moment of smugness she enjoyed the stunned silence and begrudging mutterings of her having a point.

"I think I might be rubbing off on you," he muttered to himself. That shot was something he would have thrown at someone not something Orihime would do.

"Hmm, did you say something?"

"Never mind. Hey look class is going to start soon, so I am going to my desk. Talk to you at lunch."

"Ok. I can't wait until you try this new dish I made for our lunch!" Ever since her bento lunch she made for him on her first day at the bakery he allowed her to make more lunches for the two of them to share. To show her gratitude she prepared food that suited his tastes. She did sneak a couple of her favorite meals in there for her enjoyment and tempt him to try one for himself. He was still unwilling to brave her customized meals.

"Sounds….interesting." He hoped that her new dish was something Yuzu showed her to cook and not one of her own creations. He planned on trying a meal made with Orihime's uniqueness. Really he would, he just needed to prepare himself for it. "Talk to you at lunch, babe." He walked to his seat in the middle row right next to the window. Their teacher walked in and wasted no time starting the class. He pulled out his book and readied himself for the day.

* * *

He was late. She furrowed her brow. She hated waiting on him. She didn't mind tardiness so long as it was not a regular habit. He however made it a habit. Couldn't he follow her orders completely for once? She wondered what his excuse for being late this time would be. There were so many and each one was more aggravating than the last. Silva rubbed her temple. The last thing she needed was a headache because of his nonsense. If he wasn't here in the next five minutes she would leave. She still had to meet Joaquin and inspect the hollows he had gathered for their attack force. They were almost ready to enact the next phase of her plan. There was simply no time to wait for him. It hit her. There was a disruption in the atmosphere as a new spiritual power entered the area. Silva gritted her teeth. "About damn time," she muttered. He was behind her, but she refused to turn around. She put off by his careless behavior.

"Silva, how I longed to be in your presence once more," he said.

She heard his footsteps on the grains of sand. Still unwilling to forgive him she kept her back to him.

"Please do not be upset my lovely, Silva. I understand that I am late, but I had to stop to give you these."

She rolled her golden eyes. He was such a pain in her ass, but it was childish to continue to give him the silent treatment. Silva met his face. It was lean with a defined chin. His face was clean shaven, free from any facial hair. He was blessed for his face was free from any scars whatsoever. He was quite the Adonis. It was no wonder he bedded many women. Even the remnants of his hollow mask did not plague his face. Instead the pieces of his broken mask resided on the lower half of the back of his head. His hair was in a flame like shape with the spikes sticking up. Its shade was a midnight black so dark that it could probably swallow light whole. She looked into his glimmering emerald eyes and saw them beg her for forgiveness. He wouldn't get off that easy. She noticed he was down on one knee. His hand was out in front of her. She moved her sights to what was in his hand. He held what looked to be flowers. The stems were covered in violet petals. A groan fought its way out. This was the reason he was late. He stopped to get her flowers. No, she wouldn't get upset. The golden eyed arrancar counted to ten and took a small breath.

Sensing his love was not in the best moods he sought to win her forgiveness through other means. He grabbed her hand and planted a light kiss on it. "I know these flowers pale in comparison to your beauty, but when I saw them I could not help, but think of you."

"I do not require these tokens, Esteban," she stated coldly.

"But Silva these are tokens of my love. After all this time do you still not understand the depths of my affections for you?"

"Your affections are even less desired than your tokens." She pulled her hand free of his grasp.

"Do not say such callous words." He stood up to his full height. He was taller than her by two feet. A hand gently stroked her jet black hair. His fingertips tingled from the softness she possessed. "Tell what it is I need to do to win your heart and I shall do it."

"I would have thought you would have given up on me long ago. You have so many women at your feet. Surely I cannot be worth all this trouble."

"You underestimate yourself, Silva. You are worth all this trouble and more. You are the only woman to capture my heart."

Again she rolled her eyes. Fifty years and he would not be deterred. She removed his hand from her hair. "You say that, yet bed every woman you come across or is that also the depth of your love for me?"

Esteban merely chuckled. "Are you jealous?" he asked hopefully.

"Hardly. I will be glad when you get over this lust for me. Did you do what I asked?"

"But of course I did my love." He ignored her groan at being referred to as his love. "My reconnaissance in the Human World was uneventful. I was not detected by the shinigami at all. The cloaks are useful."

"If that is true why did you take yours off when you approached me?"

"I did not wish to startle you."

"Hmm, do not overestimate yourself. You cannot startle me," she said arrogantly.

"I will remember that for next time." She could hear the mirth in his tone. No doubt he would plan to test her on that. "From what I can gather the shinigami have already mobilized their forces to the Spirit Keystones' locations."

A knowing half smirk materialized on her face. "Just as I expected," Silva said.

"Oh so your big plan involves those bastard shinigami to defend the Spirit Keystones, the very thing your plan hinges on?"

The two arrancar quickly turned to the direction of the new voice. Leaning against barren tree was another of their comrades; the short tempered one of their group. Even though he was leaning it was easy to see that he exceeded Silva in height, but was shorter than Esteban. He wore the standard arrancar uniform with some minor alterations. His sleeves were short, revealing his muscular arms. His jacket was opened up revealing his six packs and tight pectorals. He was bald with a strip of bone like substance that was once his mask ran down the middle of his face starting at his forehead and ending at his top lip. He possessed blue eyes. His face was locked into a mean expression. It was common for him.

"Tell me, Silva what makes you think this is going to work?" he snarled. "We already lost one of our own."

Esteban gave a snarl of his own. He couldn't stand how that spiteful bastard talked to Silva. He needed to be taught respect and fast. "I told you never to speak to Silva in such a manner!"

"And I told you I would speak to her any way I please. Stop acting tough in front of her, Esteban. I would hate to have to humiliate you in front of her," he taunted.

"Tff, Antonio!" His body shook with fury. He had never desired to strike down someone as much as did Antonio right now. He felt an arm on his shoulder. "Silva," he uttered. The woman he desired was not upset. She still smirked as broadly as she did minutes ago.

"I assure you, Antonio that Salvador's death will not be in vain. We shall escape this world and get out into the light."

Antonio kept his glare up. He never liked Silva. She was always such an obedient little doll who followed Aizen's every whim. He thought she lacked pride of a true arrancar. He resented having to follow her command. He despised himself for submitting to her command again after months of being on his own. She made big promises, but he had his doubts on her making them into reality. "You think you can merge Hueco Mundo with the Human World. How do you plan to achieve that if the shinigami are guarding the Spirit Keystones?"

"That is a simple answer," she replied, pausing long enough to hear Antonio's hum. "There is a reason why I had Joaquin gather allies." She strolled away. The other two arrancar followed after her.

"And you think that the hollows Joaquin collected is going to be enough to enact your plan?" Antonio questioned.

"I do. However, I must inspect them first. We nearly have enough to start the next phase of my plan."

"Which is what my love?"

She did not answer him. It was payback for forcing her to wait unnecessarily for him. Now she would enjoy keeping him waiting for a change.

* * *

Students ran rampant. They were grateful to have a break from their lessons. Friends met up with friends to travel to their lunch spots to discuss their plans for after school or talk about television shows they saw the previous night. Others would talk about their social lives, looking forward to enjoying the warm May weather. It was such a peaceful setting. The biggest concerns they all had was surviving the school day and the homework load they would receive when the day ended. It seemed like a bad joke that almost seven months ago all of this would have simply ceased to be when the rogue shinigami, Aizen almost annihilated the entire town. It was even more humorous that the majority of the people down there were completely ignorant to that fact. But that was how it should be in Ichigo's opinion.

He and Orihime strolled down the hallways of Karakura High at their leisure. Ichigo carried their lunch contained in the bento box. Neither of them was in a hurry. Lunch was an hour, so they had plenty of time. They thought to have a little alone time before they went up to the roof to join the rest of their friends. That was the plan, but they did receive some stares from more of his new fan base. Keigo wasn't lying. His new popularity did not simply extend to the freshmen, but to girls from his own year. He fidgeted at the unwelcomed attention. Orihime seemed to have found it funny. At least when he looked at her he saw that she was on the verge of laughing.

"It is not funny," he stated out loud.

Orihime fainted ignorance. "I did not say anything."

"I can tell by that look on your face that you want to laugh. It is not funny."

"It is a little. The face you are making is funny."

He scowled. "Shouldn't you be offended by all these girls openly flirting with me?"

This time the healer let a laugh escape her lips. She quickly put her hands over her mouth to hide her blunder. Of course she knew it was too late for that.

"What's so funny?" he asked clearly offended by her actions.

"Please forgive me. I wasn't laughing at you just the fact that I have no problems with them flirting with you."

"You lost me. You are laughed at the fact that you are not bothered by these girls flirting and ogling me?"

"It is not that exactly. It is just that I used to be so bothered by Masaoka-chan flirting with you and got so jealous. Even though I see all of these girls staring at you and flirting with you I don't feel anything. I feel secure enough about us not to be worried. They can't take my place in your heart."

"Damn right," he agreed. Ichigo smiled at her. He was proud that she had such conviction. She was his strength. When he had doubts about anything she was the one who made him pick himself up again. On whim he decided to steal a glance at her. In doing this he spotted the freshman he had helped a month ago. Mizuiro's words echoed in his mind. This kid was the reason for his unwanted admirers. "Hey, kid!" The freshman froze. When he saw Ichigo a smile broke out on his face. If the kid new what he was thinking Ichigo doubted he would be smiling.

"Hello, Kurosaki-senpai," he greeted. "Hello as well, Inoue-senpai." His elder classmates walked up to him. The gorgeous woman graced him with a lovely smile that made his heart race. He waved at her awkwardly. His rescuer did not greet him with the same smile. In fact he seemed upset. Perhaps he shouldn't have smiled at Inoue-senpai. "Is there something wrong, Kurosaki-senpai?"

"Did you blab about me fighting those guys?"

"No! I didn't report you at all!" His eyes filled with worry. He couldn't betray his senpai after he had rescued him from the grips of those delinquents.

Ichigo could sense the boy was telling him the truth. He already knew the boy didn't report him. He wasn't called into the office of an instructor or the principal. That did not mean he kept silent though. "Oi, did you tell anyone though, like your friends?" The boy's face became guilt ridden. The ex-substitute had his answer already. "Damn it. You did tell someone!"

"I only told two of my friends, but I made them promise not report you."

"Dumbass!" shouted Ichigo. The freshman shrunk in his shadow. "They obviously told people! Now it is all over the school. That's why I've got all these eyes watching me," he complained.

"Eh, you mean the entire school knows about what you did. That was not my intention. I only told my friends because I was so ecstatic about being rescued." He put his hands together to appeal for his rescuer's forgiveness.

Taking pity on him Orihime tugged on Ichigo's arm. She too pleaded for him to forgive their underclassmen. He couldn't have possibly foreseen that telling his friends would lead to this. She went as far as to use his personal smile. His resolve weakened. He could not resist her for much longer and he completely caved in. He told her with a look that he had forgiven the kid to her joy. "Izo-kun, you can stop now. Kurosaki-kun has forgiven you."

He braved a peak. It was as Inoue-senpai said. The orange haired man seemed to have let go of his anger. Izo was relieved although his senpai still looked irritated. "I am sorry about all of this," he tried again.

"It is not big deal, kid. Just remember this for next time."

"Izo-kun, do you also have lunch period this time as well?" Orihime questioned.

"Yes I do. I am afraid I will not get to eat though."

"Why is that?" Orihime posed another question.

"I am in the baseball club. You see one of our members got injured last meeting, so now we are down one third basemen. I am looking for a replacement, but so far I have had no luck. Everyone is already settled into their clubs and teams." He sighed. "I may have to return to the club with my head down in shame for failing them."

"That is too bad to hear," Orihime said. She genuinely felt sorry for Izo-kun. He seemed like such a nice boy. It would be a shame for him to have to return to his club and tell them he nobody to replace their fallen member.

"You two wouldn't happen to know anybody would you?"

Both could hear the desperation leaking out of his words. Ichigo shook his head. "Sorry can't help you." The freshman was staring at him with some strange fascination. His eyes bugged out. It gave Ichigo the creeps.

"Senpai, you are athletic. I bet you have played baseball at least once in Physical Education…."

Realizing what Izo was suggesting Ichigo was already shaking his head. "No, no way am I going to replace your injured member."

"Please, Kurosaki-senpai. I would be eternally thankful to you for helping me in this time of need."

The scowling young man folded his arms in protest. "No and that is final. I have no interest in playing baseball and even if I did I have a job afterschool."

Orihime blinked at Ichigo's last statement. "But isn't today one of your off days?"

He slumped down a bit. His girlfriend had sold him out! He couldn't believe it. "Today I am off, but that isn't a regular thing. There is just no way I can even be at the practices."

"You don't have to come to all the practices just today," Izo got on his knees and begged as though his life dependent on it. In a strange way it was. "You aren't in any other clubs right? It is only for today. I would even be willing to pay you."

At the promise of monetary gain he instantly perked up. "You would pay me to play baseball?"

"Not just me, but the whole team. If we pull all our money together and work something out. We could probably give you 4000 yen."

"4000 yen just to play one day of baseball," Ichigo said in disbelief. "Geez you really are desperate."

"We are very, very desperate!"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "I still don't know. Baseball is kind of boring."

"Kurosaki-kun, you should do it. Today I have crafts club and afterwards I have to go to my job. Sado-kun and the others already have their own plans afterschool. You don't have anyone to do anything with you today after school. Playing baseball would help pass time for today." Her face lit up with a sudden realization. "Besides if you do it that means we would get out of our clubs at the same time and we could walk to my job together!"

He had planned on waiting on Orihime's crafts club meeting to end to walk with her to her job. She offered for him to come to a meeting with her, so he wouldn't have to wait so long, but he declined. He had no desire to learn how to sew. If did do the baseball thing he would at least be doing something athletic to pass the time to wait for Orihime. He was still not fully convinced about joining the baseball club even if it was for one day.

"Before you answer let me tell you that we may be willing to go up as far as 5000 or 6000 yen."

'_Shit! They are offering to pay me 5000 or 6000 yen just to play a game of baseball. I guess I could use the extra money. Playing baseball for an hour does beat walking home and walking back to school to pick up Orihime. I mean 5000 yen for just one game of baseball. That is hard to pass up. What the hell.' _"Kid, I'll do it, but just this once." Izo hopped up and hugged Ichigo, making the ex-substitute feel very anxious.

"This is great! Thank you for helping me out, Kurosaki-senpai! You have no idea just how much this is helping me out! Now I can go to the club with my head held out high!"

"Yeah, that's great. Can you stop hugging me now," he whispered in a hush. He rejoiced when he felt the scrawny arms release him from their hold.

"We meet at the baseball pitch afterschool. Just show up there and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Do I need to bring any equipment?"

"No. We will have everything you need at the pitch waiting for you. We even have old jerseys to wear so we don't get our clothes dirty. Eh, don't worry they get washed so they are clean."

"Yeah, I'll take your word for it."

"Remember to meet us at the baseball pitch afterschool, Senpai." Izo ran off excitedly. No doubt he was going to tell his manager that he had found a suitable replacement.

"This should be fun," Orihime spoke up. "I remember watching you play baseball in Gym. You were always so good!"

He raised a curious eyebrow at her. "You watched me in Gym?"

She became withdrawn. A blush appeared on her face. "I sort of…used to…watch you in Gym sometimes when the girls were running." Unable to meet his eyes she found her gaze on to his shoes.

'_Oh my God, Orihime watched me in Gym! Judging by how embarrassed she is that means it wasn't entirely innocent.' _The revelation was world shattering. His innocent and pure girlfriend had a curiosity for the male physique. He never would have guessed she of all people watched him in Gym class for less than noble intentions. She found him attractive, but he was ignorant to the fact that her attraction led her to check him out. "How often did you watch me in Gym?"

"It wasn't all the time! If we were on break or not doing anything yet I would look to see what you were doing and I kind of watched you for a little bit." This was so humiliating! How could she let it out that she used to watch him during Gym class? Now she looked like a creepy stalker. That wasn't the case. She just had a healthy curiosity of the male body. Ichigo in that tight shirt that complimented his body and the shorts that revealed is calves were fetching. She had to admit a bit arousing. She wondered if he would be dressed in similar attire. Perhaps she would ask Ishida-kun if she could leave a little early to witness Ichigo's performance.

"It is not anything to be embarrassed about you know," he said. His tone contrasted his words. It was shaky almost as if he was asking her rather than telling her. "It isn't like I haven't done the same thing."

Her embarrassment was forgotten, having been swept away by weight of her surprise. "You looked at me during Gym?"

"No! I mean not intentionally. There was this one time, but it wasn't anything planned. I am not a pervert!" He rambled on and on. He heard himself talk and paint himself in a worse light, but he couldn't stop himself. He felt like such an idiot. What did she see in him again? This was fixable. All he needed to do was calm down and explain the situation to her. That was simple, right? "Look there was this one time. It was right after we came back from the Soul Society and returned to school, before the arrancar started to invade the town. During Gym the boys were running laps when the girls were playing basketball. Keigo was drooling over the girls. He tried to get me to join in. I refused and he called me a wet blanket. I pretty much ignored him until I heard him mention your name. He was staring at you with this big stupid grin. I didn't think you would appreciate him gawking at you, so I told him to stop. I heard you yell. I thought something happened so I checked to make sure you were alright. I guess you made a basket because you were jumping up and down. Well you weren't wearing a sports bra and your um… breasts were jiggling up and down…kind of just stood there and um watched for a little bit until Tatsuki scolded you for forgetting to wear a sports bra and stopped you from jumping. I felt bad afterwards. I couldn't even look you in the eye for the rest of the day!"

She knew what day he was talking about exactly. She had paid for forgetting her sports bra that day. Her breasts kept moving with every little exercise she did. It was so uncomfortable, plus because they were so heavy it became painful experience because they kept hitting things. She immediately regretted jumping up for victory after she made the game winning shot. Orihime never forgot to bring her sports bra ever again. Tatsuki worried about the boys trying to steal glances at her chest than her health however. Apparently the second strongest woman in Japan had been right to worry, but to think one of the boys leering at her was Ichigo. Even back than before he developed romantic feelings for her he was not completely immune to her feminine charms so to speak. "I won't get upset if you won't get upset about me watching you."

"Deal," Ichigo quickly agreed, just happy he had not gotten on the healer's bad side.

"Where you really surprised?" Orihime asked him.

"Well yeah. I mean I never expected you to you know check guys out." He heard her laugh. She went in front of him. She gave him this odd look. Her eyes narrowed a bit her posture was relaxed and she smirked at him. She wasn't smiling. This was an actual smirk. It reminded him of how she tried to be flirty on White Day, but this was less awkward and more refined, more natural.

"Everyone expects me to be this really innocent girl who doesn't look at guys or is curious about sex. I am just like everyone else. I wonder about that type of stuff sometimes. I just don't talk about freely that people just assume…."

"….That you aren't interested or that you are a prude," he finished. "Keigo says the same thing about me. So um how many guys do you check out?" Did he sound as insecure as he thought he did when he asked that question?

"I've noticed some boys around here before, but you are the only one I have ever kept my attention."

A sense of pride washed over him. "Really?" She just nodded. "I wish I could say you are the only girl I have noticed, but I can tell you that I fell in love with you because of all those little things like how excited you get over stuff, how nurturing you are, and your smile. What I am saying is you are the only girl I've ever felt this way about."

Touched by his words the healer radiated. "That's so sweet. So many girls have you checked out?"

"A few girls here and there," he answered.

"Would you mind if I left a crafts club a little early to watch you play baseball?"

"No," he replied.

"Do you think you will wear the jersey?"

"Probably, I mean I don't want to mess up my uniform."

The image of Ichigo in his baseball wear appeared before her eyes. It was such a juicy image that a little drool fell on her bottom lip. "Do you think you would get to keep the jersey?"

What was up with her interest in baseball jersey? He noticed the hungry sparkle in her hazel eyes, the eagerness that pulsated from her body, and the heat on her cheeks. It all came together. "Orihime!" he cried in surprise. She turned from him in shame. Clearly his girlfriend was not the prude people thought her to be.

"Do you think you would keep it though?" she ventured again.

* * *

**Ichigo turned seven different shades of red lol. The baseball jersey and Orihime liking it because it was tight on Ichigo just came to me when I was writing this. I thought it was worth a laugh. No, Ichigo's new admirers will not cause any problems for Ichigo and Orihime. Ichigo is good looking and saving a freshman would probably erase some of those rumors of him being a delinquent. I figure people would start thinking Kurosaki is not so bad and since Ichigo is good looking it would lead to gaining a few female admirers, especially among the younger students. I like to give Keigo and the others more material to make fun of him for. **

**If you are wondering what Silva's plan is you will probably find out next chapter. That will be more aimed towards the Privaron Espada plot. I am trying to balance the story out so that one plot doesn't become the sole focus and edges out the other one. **


	39. The Next Phase

**The next chapter is here. As I promised this one involves the Privaron Espada more. It moves the plot along. I want to warn people there is a heated scene between Ichigo and Orihime, but it is no lemon. It is nothing that a PG-13 movie couldn't show you or television show. It is essential to the plot though. If you are offended by that stuff please do skip over it and do not yell at me for it. **

**Sorry if there are more mistakes than usual. I'll try to fix it later. I am anxious to get this chapter up. Sorry for my impatience. **

**Edit: I fixed some of the more obvious mistakes. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Wish I did because in addition to being rich Ichigo and Orihime would be together.**

* * *

"Haaaaaahhhh," Gild let out an ear shattering yawn. He was bored out of his skull. It had been weeks since he got an assignment from Silva and even longer since he had a good fight. The injuries he had obtained during his battle in the Human World had left him out of commission for a good two weeks. If they still had Las Noches his injuries wouldn't have needed so long to heal. One of the healers would have been able to mend his arm in a few hours. That was just yet another luxury that they had lost. His anger rose from the depths of his soul. They had fallen so far from the days when Aizen led them. They were once a powerful force to be reckoned with. They dominated all of Hueco Mundo. All hollows submitted to them and longed to be chosen by the god of Hueco Mundo, Aizen-sama to break their masks and obtain the coveted power of the arrancar. Those were the glorious days. Gild remembered when he first became an arrancar. On that day Aizen had bestowed upon the position among his most powerful and greatest warriors, an exclusive group that only ten arrancar were ever allowed to be a part of at any given time. That was a glorious day indeed. It was the day he had become an Espada.

Gild was cocky in those days. He had sworn his loyalty to Aizen, but he felt his rank as six had been a mistake, surely with his overwhelming strength and unmatched durability that there was no arrancar who could best him? The first thing he did was challenge Aizen's supposed strongest arrancar for the title of primera. The first time he met Silva she was completely unimpressed by his brazen attitude. She refused to fight him. She said it was a waste of time for them to battle among each other and that it was their mission to serve Aizen the man who had rescued them from the fate many Menos type hollows faced of devolving into mindless beasts. He refused to accept her answer and continued to demand a battle from her. He was brash and conceited with his power. In those days Gild was positive that he was the strongest and that there was no arrancar who could compete. He was a stupid kid. Joaquin and Dordoni berated him for trying to entice Silva into a fight. Calputto was amused by his eagerness. Gild didn't care about them though. His goal was to prove to Aizen that he was in fact stronger than Silva. Every day since his appointment to the Espada he challenged Silva. Every day she turned him down. It irked him to no end. He took it as a sign of her inferiority to him. She knew it, so she avoided fighting him. In his mind it made perfect sense. No matter what he thought, no matter what taunt he threw at Silva she would not budge. He could not understand her. How could she not crave for a worthy battle, a battle that would push one to their limits, where their life could be snuffed out by a single wrong move? How could Aizen wish to have such arrancar as his number one?

The days turned into months, and the months passed into a year. After a year since he had become an Espada Silva refused to accept any of his challenges. It was not a wasted year. Gild learned everything he could about the woman. He learned the areas of Hueco Mundo she traveled in, the places in the Human World she hunted, and the comrades she had made along the way. He learned that all of her former comrades from before she became an arrancar had been killed. The reasons for their death varied, some were killed by shinigami, others eaten by other hollows. The woman's past was polluted with death. There was no one left in her past. From what he learned from Silva during that year was that she protected her comrades. Missions he had accompanied her on she was always the first one to his aid and anyone else's. He never understood why that was. He thought it weakness to care for those who were too weak to take care of themselves, but it gave him the perfect opportunity to provoke Silva into fight. There was one Silva was very protective of, her fraccion, Bronza. One day he challenged her like he always did and like always she refused. However, when he mentioned how Bronza would be disappointed her demeanor had changed completely. No longer was she passive warrior she prized herself being. He saw terror in her golden eyes for the first time ever. Who would have known all it took was to threaten her fraccion to produce this reaction from her. He told her if she refused he would take his frustrations out on the fraccion. Every time she refused he would beat Bronza until she could no longer move then he would throw her broken body in front of Silva. Another new emotion that he had not seen from Silva emerged, rage. He still remembered how frightening her aura was. The glare she had casted on him suffocated him. She accepted his challenge. At long last he had gotten the long desired battle with his rival. It ended as soon as it started. Without even realizing it Silva had reached behind him and cut him. He fell to his knees, breathless and powerless. In seconds he had been defeated by Silva. He hadn't just lost. He had been crushed by a simple gesture from her. Only in that moment did he realize the difference in their strength and how much greater she was to him. She told him if he ever even thought of laying a hand on her fraccion she would not kill him. She would utterly destroy him. He knew her words rang true. This was just a warning for him. He never forgot the words she said.

"_Those who would kill their own comrades are despicable. I won't allow filth like that to exist in my presence."_

Those words are what made him realize that to Silva comrades were to be cherished above all else. It was why she refused to battle him and why she did not kill him on that day. He understood why she was the primera. Her devotion to protect her comrade is what fueled her incredible strength. It was why she was above all of them. Unlike he who fought for the joy of it Silva had a much more noble purpose. He would never be like her. He couldn't fight solely for others. He still longed for worthy fights, but he had to respect Silva for the path she walked. He never challenged her again. He knew he could never surpass her and why Joaquin and Dordoni respected her so much. Even when they were all replaced by stronger arrancar that Aizen had gathered and lost their place among the Espada she still carried on with her mission to gain strength to protect all of them. His admiration for her only grew. He never respected any of the other arrancar including the newer generations of Espada as much as he did Silva. Even with her power surpassed by many she continued to grow stronger not to regain her place by Aizen's side, but to protect her comrades. That is why Gild was here now. Silva's vision of the future for them was something he was willing to fight for. It was more than just getting a good fight or action this time for him. He wanted to help Silva create a world where they could walk into the light. He would lend her his strength for this purpose. He obeyed Silva's commands even if he was restless to finish his fight with that human.

After these long weeks she had called for a full meeting at their latest location. He wondered what the next phase of Silva's plan was. He knew Joaquin had taken his original task of gathering allies. Esteban had been scouting the Human World for the locations of the Spirit Stones. The rest of them had been given free rein to do anything except travel to the Human World. Life had been extremely dull. Now things were finally about to liven up around here. He looked around to see that they were all present. Esteban stood close to Silva as he could, predictable. Antonio stood apart from the group sulking or whatever he did. Calputto was by his side looking as relaxed and content as always. Joaquin stood in between Calputto and Silva. Once they were ten and now they were six. Dordoni and Cirucci had been killed in the humans' invasion of Las Noches. Gantenbainne did not wish to return. Salvador had met his end on the night of their invasion into the Human World. Gild could only venture a guess as to how Silva felt seeing their dwindled ranks.

"What the hell is this all about, Silva?" Antonio questioned. His words were wrapped in defiance and resentment. He was such a kid to Gild.

Calputto chuckled at the outburst. "As always Antonio is still straight to the point."

"Fuck off, Calputto. I don't have to take your shit!" Antonio snarled back. Not surprisingly Calputto did not look displeased in the slightest. Instead he just chuckled more. The bald arrancar growled more letting his anger get the best of him. "You…."

Calputto shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I do not understand why you are so quick to anger. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you are the youngest among us? Please be patient and give Silva-sama time to explain. There is no point in condemning her before you hear her out."

"Don't lecture me! You all have always looked down on me for being the youngest. But as far as I am concerned Silva hasn't done anything to earn my respect. Because we followed her stupid plan Salvador is dead. Have all of you forgotten that? Or are you so desperate to have someone replace Aizen that you will listen to anyone?"

"Mind your tongue," Joaquin warned. The violet spheres shimmered with fury not usually associated with the respectful warrior.

Antonio spat at this though. "Joaquin, you don't control me. Aizen is gone so this whole hierarchy shit is over! Just because you rank higher than me doesn't mean I have to submit to you, not anymore."

"So why are you here?" Gild questioned. The ill-mannered arrancar appeared to be surprised by this question. "You made it quite clear that you don't have faith in Silva. Why are you here? Nobody is forcing you to stay. You could leave anytime you want, after all Gantenbainne didn't accept my invitation, but you did. Frankly you are not all that necessary. You speak as though you are one of the strongest when the truth is you are one of the weakest."

He glared at the giant arrancar. His gaze held hatred so strong that it would send lesser beings to their deaths. "Are you calling me weak, Gild?"

"In comparison to me you are."

"You…."

"Silence!"

Everyone was silent. Gild and Antonio's bickering had been dropped the instant they heard that tone. Silva was not pleased. All of them had seen what she was like when she was unpleased. None, not even that upstart Antonio had the courage to stand up to her when she was like that.

She crossed her arms. She wasn't angry. Her tone was not that of anger, but of disappointment. They should not be fighting among themselves. They had to band together if they were ever going to leave the darkness. Didn't they understand that they were all valuable? Each of them had part to play to achieve their dream. She wasn't heartless. She still mourned Salvador's death. But if they let it consume them it would only hinder their plans. In order to honor his sacrifice they needed to destroy the Spirit Keystones. "Arguing amongst ourselves does nothing to aid our goal. The time to bicker like children is over. We cannot afford to be in disharmony. Hueco Mundo has been invaded by the shinigami. If we are to have any chance of success we must act as one." She turned to Antonio. "I understand your displeasure in my methods. I cannot guarantee that you will all make it alive. I can promise you that I will never abandon any of you. If you are unfortunate to fall in battle I will fight on for your sake. We are comrades and I will protect you all to the best of my ability, but I cannot watch over all of you as I once did. I have faith in your strength. I have faith that you can win. I would never give you an order that I myself was unwilling to do myself. If you do not believe me Antonio you can leave any time you wish just as Gild has said. I need your power though. Please lend me your strength. Now that Salvador is gone I need it more than ever." She bowed before the rash arrancar to the object of many.

"Silva, there is no need to go that far!" Gild screamed. He hated to see her bow to such ungrateful upstart.

"I concur with Gild, my love." Esteban glared at Antonio.

"That is enough you two." They both turned their attention to Joaquin. He stood there not fazed by Silva's act of humility. "Senpai is not looking to replace Aizen-sama. She does not need servants. She does not see us as beneath her at all. To her we stand as equals. She has no qualms of bowing before any of us. She wants all of us to leave this world that we all despise so much. We are all her precious comrades. Senpai values us more than her own life. She is truly Aizen-sama's angel."

Calputto smiled. "Joaquin is always so articulate. Silva-sama is however, interesting one. She leads, but doesn't rule. She has no desire to rule. She is more interesting than Aizen."

Gild looked at Antonio with disgust. "She may see us all as equal, but that little shit needs to learn his place. No one here is Silva's equal by far, especially not Antonio."

"I do not mind him at all," Calputto revealed to the group. "He reminds me of how you were originally, Gild."

Outraged by his comrade's accusation the giant crushed his hands into fists and roared. "I was not as arrogant as that brat! No! There is absolutely no way I was like that!"

"My, my, it seems I touched a sore spot with you."

Esteban put his hands on his hips and huffed. "I agree with Gild. My beloved shouldn't have to go this far for someone as disrespectful as him."

It wasn't that Joaquin did not share their dissatisfaction with Antonio's constant demeaning nature, but he wasn't Silva. This was exactly why he acknowledged her as his senpai. She cherished all of them in her own way. Although Antonio did not know it yet it is the reason he followed Gild when the latter recruited the Privaron Espada members.

What was with this woman? She actually bowed down to him. It was pitiful. How could he be expected to follow her?

"_If you feel this way why do you not leave?"_

His subconscious asked him. He had no answer for it. He hated Silva for being Aizen's pet. Despite this he could never find it within him to abandon her or defy her. Was it cowardliness that kept him there? No, she told him he could leave. Unlike Aizen her words held truth in them. If he chose to walk away now she would make no move against him. It was deeper than primal fear. What kept him was her sincerity. Silva believed that she could destroy the Spirit Keystones and merge the worlds. She believed she could liberate them from this darkness that they were cruelly tossed into. More importantly she held all of them in such high regard. He must have been a fool to believe her, but he did. He despised himself more than Silva for not being able to pull away from her. She had him on a leash and what was more sickening was that it was not even her desire to do such. "Doing unnecessary things like that in order to win my loyalty is shameless. I am not leaving yet though. Your plan has some promise at least." He did not dare look her in the eye lest he reveal how moved by her words he actually was.

"Thank you, Antonio." Silva returned to her full height. "I know that some of you have become impatient with me. I assure you that this time was necessary for the next phase of my plan. Joaquin has amassed a grand army. Our greatest advantage is our numbers. I believe we have gathered enough to overwhelm our enemy."

"Enough to overwhelm the shinigami?" asked an intrigued Antonio.

"Enough for the next phase," Silva answered cryptically.

"Hmph, now you are speaking in riddles," complained the younger arrancar.

Silva elaborated, "The shinigami are divided. They know of our mass numbers, but do not know where it is we will strike. It makes it impossible to concentrate all of their forces in one place. Instead they must divide their forces in the areas where the Spirit Keystones are located in. This suits our purposes better. Defeating all the shinigami captains at once would be difficult for us. Now that they are split are chances of victory are much higher."

Gild nodded along understanding her words. "You plan on having us attack one locations with all our forces to overwhelm them then destroy one of the keystones."

"As expected from you my love," Esteban complimented her.

Silva merely smirked. "Our target will not be one of the locations guarded by the captains." Mentally she grinned as she heard the confused gasps and breaths. "We will go to Karakura Town first."

"Fuck yeah!" Gild cheered. He threw his right arm into the air. He felt like a child that had been told he was going to his favorite amusement park. "I get the chance to get my rematch then."

"How surprising," said a devious Calputto. His chance to grab his prize was well underway. He could hardly wait to see her gorgeous face again.

"Do not get ahead of yourselves. Only three of you will be leading the attack. I will need two more with me on another mission."

"What? Come on, Silva!" shouted Gild. He shook his fist threateningly at her. It was more for show than anything else. Both he and Silva knew he could not threaten her in anyway. "I want to get to fight that guy again! I am getting sick of waiting!"

"Gild," Joaquin warned.

The former primera shook her head at the red haired arrancar. "It is fine, Joaquin. Since you are so eager to fight that human of yours I shall ask you to lead the attack."

"Yes, now that is what I am talking about." A twisted grin materialized on his face. _'I finally get to finish our fight. Do you hear me, Sado Yasutora? The time for us to finish our battle has finally arrived. I am invigorated just thinking about.'_

"Gild."

Brought out of his thoughts by their leader Gild gave her his full attention.

"This is not a stealth mission. I want you to go wild. Do not concern yourself with holding back. I want you to cause as much chaos as you can."

"You got be kidding me. If it is chaos you want it is chaos you will get." His bloodthirsty wide smile formed.

"Who are the other two to go with Gild?" Calputto voiced his concern. If she put Gild in charge that would mean she would send no warriors ranked higher than him to the mission. Why else would she select Gild to lead? Damn it. He wanted to go.

"Esteban and Antonio you will also accompany Gild."

The short tempered arrancar snorted. "I have to follow that idiot's orders? How absurd."

Gild laughed. It was going to be fun to have Antonio as a subordinate.

Having his worst fears confirmed Calputto had to hold back a frustrated growl. "But Silva-sama…."

Silva interrupted him before he could start. "I need your services with me, Calputto. Both you and Joaquin are needed for the mission I have in mind."

"But you promised me the woman," he argued.

"And you can have her, but it as I said. I require your services. Our needs come before your own." She could see the resentment he felt for her at the present radiate from the turquoise eyes he possessed. She considered this a bit of a punishment for staining his hands in Salvador's blood. The truth was she might have been able to carry out her mission with just Joaquin by her side. What was a more fitting punishment than to deny him the chance at obtaining that human woman he desired? Still his help would greatly aid in their task. Her decision was not without reason completely. "Do not fear. The woman Aizen-sama held captive here, Inoue Orihime is not to be harmed if it is avoidable. Do not kill her. Is that understood, Antonio, Esteban?"

Antonio crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Puff, what the hell is so special about her anyway? I thought she was just bait for Aizen. What is your interest in her, Calputto?"

"She is my goddess," he replied with the same disarming smile he always wore.

What type of answer was that? Calputto was always a freak show, but this was redefining things. His question wasn't even answered. He at least wanted an answer for why they could not harm the woman responsible for Salvador's death. Antonio was never into that whole bond thing, but even he had something of a code. Salvador was one of them. His death should be avenged.

"Antonio," Calputto summoned. "I would be most grateful if you allow me to punish Orihime-chan for her transgressions." He watched as Antonio's expression of irritation changed into shock. He must have been wondering if Calputto could read minds. "That is what you are concerned about is it not? Salvador's death will not go unanswered. Allow me to handle, Orihime-chan."

The Adonis arrancar was possessed by merry himself. "Calputto has an interest in this woman has he? I suppose since Silva does not want us to harm her I shall not. I must say I am interested in what you have in store for this gorgeous woman."

Calputto continued to smile back at the handsome arrancar. "Well you may find out."

She noticed that Antonio had become silent. She could sense the uneasiness in the young man's reiatsu. "Antonio, do you understand? If it is avoidable do not kill this woman," she said sternly.

"Yeah, I got it. Do not kill that woman. You owe me, Calputto." The snowy blond responded with a merry head nod. "When do we head out?"

Silva replied, "In 24 hours. We shall move out and invade Karakura Town."

* * *

It was times like this when Ichigo wondered if he was a bad person. He knew he wasn't a saint. There was no debate on his short temper and how easily he was irritated. He liked to think in general that he was a good person. He was a good person right? He did save countless people from hollows back in his old substitute shinigami days. Did he not fight in the Arrancar War with everything he possessed to keep his friends, family, and his home town safe? If he was a bad person he wouldn't have done all that. No there was no doubt that he was indeed a good person. Why did he feel devious then?

"_Genius the answer to that is simple," _his subconscious chided. For such a tiny voice it was such a pain in the ass. _"I might be a pain in your ass, but it doesn't change the fact that you are feeling guilty. You should be ashamed of yourself, looking at her like a piece of meat."_

'_Shut the hell up!' _Ichigo mentally shouted back at the inner voice. He thought the hollow was aggravating. All his conscious did was to criticize him. He already knew why he felt so bad. Ichigo was in his room with his amazing girlfriend. They were supposed to be studying and doing their homework together. For a time they were doing just that. He walked into his room to find Orihime there already at work. She had gotten off earlier than he did that day. They had already decided to study together earlier that morning when they got off work, so he gave her permission to go into his room when she got off. It was no big deal. She did share his room for three months. When he got to his room and saw her sitting on his bed, biting her pencil eraser he curved his lips upwards. She didn't notice him right away. He thought to use it to his advantage and just admire her. Life had become a bit of a hustle. School and their part time jobs not mention their obligations to their friends made the ex-substitute and the healer's times together fewer than they would have liked. They still had dates, but the little things seemed to be falling by the waste side. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten to take a whiff of her hair or when she rested her head on his shoulder. He knew his second year of high school would be more challenging, but he did not expect work to pile on so quickly. How Ishida found time to keep up with all his school work, his duties as president of the student council, run the crafts club, hunt hollows, and occasionally hang out with them was beyond Ichigo's comprehension. He was struggling with his job and school work. He wasn't sure how he would fair if he still had to deal with hollows.

Orihime seemed to be handling everything, job, school, spending time with Tatsuki, her dates with him, helping his sisters as well perfectly. He wished he knew how she did. Whenever he brought it up she would just shrug and say she did everything she was supposed to. Hopefully their time together would mean that was one quality that would rub on to him. Even then when he watched her she seemed perfectly in control. Aside from her biting the eraser she had no tell for her frustrations. She was sensational in every sense of the word. It was rare nowadays for him to just stop and admire her beauty. The unearthly glow still flowed from her sulk orange hair. It framed her face now and drew all attention to it, like a beacon. Her cheeks swelled slightly making them full yet lean as well. Her white milk like skin illuminated itself even in the artificial light of his lamp. He then set his sights on her brilliant light brown hazel eyes. They had this bright enchanting yet life like shine that that just popped out in front of you. Her lips were plush as always shaded in a beautiful pink. She was breath taking. It was a crime to say anything less.

You would never know that most of it was her natural beauty. He continued to admire her and noticed that she was up against the wall by his bed. Her legs were stretched out. She still wore the white stockings that covered most of her legs, stopping at about the lower end of her thighs. When she started wearing those he was happy at first. He thought it would detract from her legs. He was wrong. It seemed to attract more attention to her legs. He caught so many guys leering. Even with his death glare it seemed like more people continue to stare. He hated to admit it he also fell into the category. Orihime had great legs and he was male, he would have to be gay not to notice them. He knew she was uncomfortable with stares she got, so he tried to respect that, but it was getting so hard. He had said this many times before, but it was still very much true. Their uniforms left nothing to the imagination. It was easier to ignore when they were just friends. Not so much now. He felt like such a perv standing there taking in her legs then landing on her curvy plump thighs. He felt even worse when Orihime adjusted her legs, parting them slightly at the angle she was at gave him full view inside her skirt. Anyone who knew Ichigo would have expected him to shut his eyes immediately. Those same people would be shocked to see Ichigo did not shy away. His eyes were fixed in that spot. He saw her panties! He had been hanging around Keigo and Kon too much obviously. He had unintentionally picked up those damn leering eyes they possessed. His decency made its triumphed return and he tore his eyes away. He spoke up drawing her attention. She greeted him and changed position making the forbidden fruit out of sight. What a relief.

He tried to sit at his desk, but Orihime insisted that he sit with her on the bed. Naturally he ended up on the bed with her. Ichigo did his best to push all earlier thoughts away to concentrate on their homework. He managed to do that. Thankfully they had so much work that it left little time for his mind to wander. He had gotten through Math homework when a shoulder brushed against him. Always considerate she gave her apologies. He muttered a no problem as the healer brushed her hair. The ex-substitute's nose detected a faint trace of the strawberry meadow scent. Thoughts of homework were all but absorbed by the haze. The carrot top boy had foolishly allowed himself to be held captive by his teenage hormones. His gaze had been of astonishment and appreciation before was now marred by hunger akin to animal's. The prey he was stalking was Orihime herself. He could not tear his eyes away from her. How many curves could a girl have? She was a paradox. She was so innocent and pure, but her body did not match it. It was designed to evoke carnal lust from men and women alike. It was doing just that. Ichigo should have felt ashamed of himself and he did, yet he kept his gaze on her. The reasonable part of him told him to not do what he was thinking. Had he been thinking clearly he would have heeded the reasonable part. His mind wasn't clear though. It was clouded. Reason gone the usually reserved young man stared at her chest.

"_Yeah that is going to end well for you," _his subconscious said snidely.

'_Shut up!' _he thought. _'I get it. I shouldn't be staring at Orihime like this. I know she gets bothered by it since it happens so much. Now I am going to stop staring at her chest.' _Summoning every shred of willpower he had Ichigo moved his eyes to her face. That was better. Looking at her face was not perverted per say. He was just admiring her beauty as he originally did. He wasn't focused on her lips. Just like he wasn't remembering how they tasted or how addictive they were. He disgusted himself.

"Ichigo-kun," Orihime said in obvious concern. She had felt his gaze on her so she looked up. Her beloved was staring at her. His face was flushed. His mouth was opened slightly. Could he be ill? "Are you alright?" She tired keep her worry out of her tone, but it leaked out anyway. Orihime put the book down and put a hand on Ichigo's forehead. He didn't feel unnaturally warm. She felt her forehead to make the comparison. She had been correct. Their temperatures did not feel that different. He wasn't ill. Relieved she released the breath she had been holding in.

He flinched the moment he felt the palm of her hand against his forehead. Slowly embarrassment set in. Flinching from a little touch was pitiful. He was very thankful Orihime did not notice. He gently removed her hand. "I am fine. I am not ill."

Hearing his confirmation sent another wave of relief through her heart. Ichigo was in perfect health. The cause of his predicament was still unknown. Her curiosity had been piqued. "Why are you so red though?"

He rubbed the back of his head. Unable to look her in the eyes he opted to look downward, this was a horrible mistake. Now he was staring at her chest again. The redness in his cheeks worsened. The healer took notice of this as well. "I would rather not say." His voice was barely above a whisper. He shied away from her instinctively.

Confused by his behavior the goddess of Karakura High stared at him blankly. She was an expert on feeling awkward and she knew Ichigo long enough to learn how to decipher his facial expressions. He was embarrassed about something. She had felt him staring at her before. Strangely he seemed withdrawn from her. There guilt in those chocolate eyes she loved so much. Of course! He must have been checking her out. Ghost of a smile materialized for a second before falling back down. They had been together for a while now and whenever she caught him looking at her intently she still got this satisfaction. She couldn't help it. She liked the fact that he found her physical appearance pleasing. The feeling was mutual. He was cute when he was embarrassed. His cheeks got all red like a strawberry he was often associated with. Those scrumptious lips curved downward slightly. It wasn't a frown, but more twitching thing. The realization hit her. She was now admiring his physical features. A burning came from her cheeks. One good deed deserved another. She indulged herself studied him. The universe in an uncharacteristic act blessed her. The former vizard was wearing a short sleeved black shirt. Once again she was drawn to his arms. Muscles had swollen again. His shinigami training might have been over, but he still kept his body conditioned. Black was indeed his color. If only his shirt had tighter almost like the baseball jersey he wore when he did Izo-kun a favor. No. She shouldn't be thinking such thoughts while they were studying. No matter how sexy he looked. The rumbling in her stomach was for a different type of hunger. "Do you want to take a break?"

That was probably for the best. He wasn't going to be able to focus on his work right now anyway. Perhaps a little break would help him reel in his baser instincts. "Sounds like a good idea." He closed his book. "We just jumped right into studying when I got here that I forgot to ask you how your day at work was."

"It was good. I worked the counter for most of the day and…." Again her wandering eyes went back to his arms. She wanted to lick her lips. For obvious reasons she reframed from doing so. "….I helped stock the shelves up with bread." Mesmerized by the rhythm of his chest going in and out the red-orange haired woman found it very hard to form words. "Um…we got a few customers and Ryo-chan came in today. You remember her right?" When he shook his head no she knew she would have to explain. "Ryo-chan was in our class last year. She was ranked second in our freshmen class as well and she went to nationals for track and field. She would have lunch with Tatsuki-chan and I along with some of the other girls."

"You mean Kunieda. I remember her now. I think she is in Keigo's class this year."

"Yes she is. We talked for a bit and got caught up with each other. I was glad about that. It is hard keeping up with everyone now that most of us are in different classes."

He just nodded half paying attention. To his dismay the lust induced haze was still keeping him blind. The normally scowling teen wanted to listen to Orihime's story, but his attention was elsewhere. To be more precise his attention was on those taunting lips. _'Damn it! Get your mind out of the gutter and pay attention to Orihime!' _Ichigo forced himself to listen to Orihime.

"….so that was pretty much it for my day," she finished up. This was driving her crazy. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't stop ogling him. Inside she was jumping up and down exasperation. The sexual tension was so thick that she could cut it with a knife. She couldn't stand it anymore. "Ichigo-kun." Just as he was responding she leaned forward and planted her lips on his. She heard him muffle. That did not discourage her though. The kiss intensified as she allowed her attraction towards him take hold of her. After what seemed like an eternity he returned her kiss. Not surprisingly his kiss was eager and forceful. He was stirring things within her that were normally under control. The kiss ended when their need for oxygen overpowered their need to kiss. A bit out of breath the two orange haired teens sat there in the afterglow.

"That was unexpected," Ichigo told her.

"I…." This time he leaned in to kiss her. He took charge and that excited her. He hummed inside of her mouth causing a tickling sensation that was absolutely fantastic.

He didn't really know what he was doing. For all intents and purposes his body was acting on its own. His lips were feasting on hers. His fingers stroked sulky luscious strands of hair. Inhaling more of her scent lulled him further and further into the lust filled haze. He wasn't sure exactly when he and Orihime were laying on top of his bed nor was he sure his hands moved from her hair to her waist. He did his best not to rest his full weight on her for fear of crushing her. She seemed to have been busy with her own explorations. Her small hands cupped his cheeks and made tiny circles with her fingers. This went on until she dragged her hands to his broad shoulders. Finally she pulled away, while he was breathless and stupor. "Orihime," he uttered in his drunken state. He had taken more than his fair sure of her he still yearned for more. Impossible, it was impossible to have his fill of his Hime. She just smiled. He was unsure why. The next thing he knew Orihime planted more kisses this time on his throat. She left a trail of love bites to the side of his neck. Experience had taught her his weak points. Their lips met for another of their famous fervent unions. The ex-substitute's hands left her waist some time ago. His left hand was stationed on her thigh. It did not stay stationary for long. It started to journey upwards, inching closer to the hem of her skirt until it stopped. A break in the fog occurred. Ichigo realized just exactly what he was doing. He was in his bed with Orihime participating in a make out session that could have very easily turned into something more.

'_What the hell am I doing? If I kept this up I would have…' _His heart stopped. He had almost lost it. He almost lost total control of himself. Something that had not happened since the days his hollow would take control of his body. He was aware of the differences between then and now. Today he nearly lost control to his hormones not a blood thirsty alter ego. He had never been so close to edge before. He had always been able to stop himself before things got too heated between them. However, he had let things progress very far this time. God he had been so selfish. He didn't even consider Orihime's feelings. He just powered on through, doing whatever felt good. He loathed himself. In that split second he had done what he despised Yanagawa Ryunosuke for doing. He looked at Orihime as a means of pleasure. The bred protector found his actions as unforgivable. She was so much more than that. He promised himself that he would never forget that she was his sun. Ichigo abruptly ended the kiss. He was so involved with his own self-loathing that he was blinded to the surprise in Orihime's eyes or the small frown that formed.

She pushed her disappointment down her throat and asked, "What is wrong?" He avoided her gaze. The guilt she felt earlier was nothing compared to what she felt now. It smothered her more than his weight did.

"Nothing. We have so much work to do that we should get back to it," he reasoned. Ichigo lifted his body off of her.

What he said was half true, but it was also hollow. Orihime felt him pull back there and it wasn't because they had work to do. It was too sudden to be that. It was as if he had awakened. She wasn't ignorant. She could feel his hand on her leg and its movement towards there. The mutant butterflies in her stomach raged war within her insides her nerves went into overdrive. His hand was on her thigh! Although she been a nervous wreck a part of her felt some sense of yearning. She was so incredibly nervous she was certain her heart would explode, but she never felt the urge to stop. That confused her. Before when things had gotten heavy either she or he would stop before things progressed too far. A warning light always went on to warn her to stop. It did not go off this time. That begged the question: Where they ready for sex? They had built this strong emotional connection that was beyond a simple physical attraction. This warranted some discussion at the very least to find out where they both were at. "Ichigo-kun, about…."

"Hey, do you mind if I get some air, before we start?" He asked he had already gotten off the bed.

Staring dumbly at her boyfriend Orihime could sense he was in no mood to talk about what just happened. Irritated she muttered typical under her breath and out of his earshot. "Go ahead," she said with a false smile.

He recognized something was wrong with her smile. A wave of panic rippled through his heart. Orihime was upset about something. No. It wasn't something. He had gone too far. If it weren't for some biological problems he would stay and talk to her. He doubted his words would carry any weight as he was now. The fresh air would unwind his body. "I won't be too long." With the swiftness of a gazelle he departed the room before she could notice anything was off about him.

When the door closed she pouted her bottom lip out and groaned. "Ichigo-kun I wanted to talk. I don't like when you shut me out. You promised to try to keep me in more." Upset with her savior the healer thought it was indeed for the best to have him away from her until she was in a better mood. He was trying to be a gentleman and she loved him for that, but he should be more open for discussion. They didn't necessarily have to make love that day. She just wanted to talk and see where he was at. She wanted to discuss how that warning light didn't go off and how that affected them. Oh well. There was no point in dwelling on something that passed. Ichigo was bond to stumble backwards a few times just as she did. She was not completely innocent either. She still kept the Privaron Espada threat a secret from him. It was a bit hypocritically to be angry with Ichigo for not talking to her when she kept him in the dark about what was going on. He would come around. He just needed time until he was ready to talk about taking their relationship to the next level. It was up to her to have patience. There was no rush. They would get there when they were ready.

* * *

"Ishida!"

He stopped. The voice was unmistakable. Uryu turned around and found the second strongest woman in Japan coming down the hallway. She was alone. Her usual companion Inoue-san was in a different class from her after all. Whenever they head out to lunch the two best friends were always separated. Inoue-san had started to walk to lunch with Kurosaki nowadays. He thought it odd that she wasn't walking with Kojima-kun though. When they appeared on the roof they were together and they were in the same class. Being the well-mannered young man he was Uryu waited for her to catch up to him. While she was running he happened to notice that her growing hair had reached passed her shoulders. Both sides of her were covered by raven hair. He did not have a long wait. She caught up to him within seconds. "Hello, Arisawa-san."

"Hey," she replied. "What are you still doing here? Aren't you usually on the roof by now?" she asked. The raven haired man fixed his glasses before he spoke. She noticed that the bags that once plagued his eyes months ago. Her lips curved into a U shape smile. Good. He was finally getting some rest. He needed it with all the activities he did in school and his work outside of it. She did feel a bad for taking up more of his time to ask him to help her with Chemistry. She was worried that their time together was taking away from his slumber period. If he didn't get his sleep he could make a mistake and get injured by some hollow or worse. She would never forgive herself if that happened.

"Yes, but I had to go to the library to return a book."

"Why didn't you just return it afterschool?" she questioned further. They started to journey to their lunch spot.

"Today I am busy. I have no time afterschool, so I decided to do it now while I have some free time."

Tatsuki widened her eyes in mystification. "Really? I thought you were free today though. Crafts club and student council aren't meeting today, are they?" He answered her with a simple head shake. "So what are you doing?"

He was going to his father's hospital afterschool. These days whatever free time he had to himself he used it to train with his father. An increase in his extracurricular activities left him with less time to himself. The student council's meeting became more frequent due to trying to create budge for all the clubs and teams. The football (soccer/futbol) team had petitioned for more money for balls and uniforms. The baseball club put in a request for more bats. They had little luck in creating a budge to accommodate everyone's needs. The crafts club saw an increase in new members now that freshmen were coming into their own. No longer afraid to branch out more the new students were joining in clubs they had taken an interest in. Running that club was becoming a hassle as well. The influx required him to get more materials for them to use. He didn't want to request more money to the student council. Many people would question if such a request was fair considering he was the president of both crafts club and the student council. Fortunately many older and younger members alike were willing to bring cloth from home. There was still the matter of needing to spend time to do all of the homework they were given. The workload had been greater than last year and school had not been in for two full months yet.

The Quincy would take any time he could get to train at this point. Despite all of Ryuken's jabs about his infrequent time schedule for training he always seemed to make time to train him. Ryuken said it was because Uryu had so much to work on and that leaving him to his own devices would yield poor results. He was often irked by his father's sharp words. However, he could not deny the results. It pained him to admit this, but he was seeing noticeable improvement in his abilities. The real test would be when he met that arrancar again. "I am working with my father at the hospital today. The work is very time consuming," he explained.

"Things between you two are improving then?"

A frown appeared on his lips. His eyes were clouded by bitterness. Tatsuki was alarmed by the sudden change. "Not exactly." He offered no more than that.

Aware of the change in atmosphere the black belt thought it wise to change the subject. "Thank you." She witnessed his expression change from dark to one of bafflement. "For helping me in Chemistry, I mean," she answered the question before he could ask it.

"There is no need to thank me. I am trying to be patient with people more. I was not approachable last year. Inoue-san was the first person who interacted with me beyond school. It is good to know I am more accessible."

"I know you say that, but I still want to thank you. I'll treat you to a meal."

"That really isn't necessary, Arisawa-san."

She disagreed strongly, turning her head left to right in a head shake. "I insist. You helped me and I want to repay you."

Still uneasy about his friend's generous offer the blue eyed man was still riddled with uncertainty and his face showed it. "I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting your offer."

She put her hands on her hip and exhaled in exhaustion. Clearly this would be more difficult than she had imagined. Were all guys this stubborn or just the ones she knew? "Ishida let me do this for you. We are friends. It is only natural to do something nice for each other. I am not going to stop bugging you until you accept," she said defiantly. Her lips fell into an unwelcoming frown and her stare was penetrating just as mother's was.

He squirmed at her hard stare. Uryu had no choice but to agree to Arisawa-san's insistent offer. She wasn't the type of woman you would want upset with you. He heard what she did to Kurosaki when he kept Inoue-san's abduction from her. He knew there was a reason he liked her. Besides when she wore that I dare you to cross me expression she looked endearing. "Hmm, it would appear I have no choice. I will accept your offer." The emotional controlled mask was broken. He gave her a modest smile.

The minute that Tatsuki saw the expression Ishida as making she felt her stomach drop. For some unknown reason she felt a strange warmth on her face. Was she blushing? No, that couldn't be it. She did not blush. It was too girly for her taste. "G-Great. Tell me what day is good for you and where you want to eat at and we'll go." Her tone was soft and unlike her. This was embarrassing. God he was looking right at her as though she was some loony girl. "What?" she blurted out.

Taken aback by her new disposition the Quincy said nothing. He waved her an apology for his rudeness. "I did not wish to offend you."

"No!" It wasn't his fault that she was acting weird. She couldn't take it out on him. "I was just being sensitive." Wishing to not focus anymore on her odd behavior she continued with her treat. "So when is good for you?"

"I am afraid I will be busy for a while. How about I call you to make further arrangements?" He pulled out the cellphone that Urahara-san had given him for his services in exterminating hollows. "Give me your number."

She silently agreed. They traded numbers. Tatsuki furrowed her eyebrows as her memory had been jogged. She had seen this cellphone before and she knew where. Hat and sandals had given it to him. "Hey," she called him with edge in her voice. It was not directed at him, but at the headache of a shopkeeper. "Are you sure something like that even works with normal phones?"

"Of course it does! I have talked to Sado-kun on it before!" he shouted.

"Geez I get it. There is no need to get so worked up about it." Secretly she found his outburst funny. "You'll call me and pick a day. Remember it is my treat."

"I will remember." Uryu smirked. Their conversation stopped when they reached the door to the roof. He invited her to go first. The two raven haired teens went through the door and found their friends eating. Greetings were exchange. Tatsuki went to her spot next to Orihime, while Uryu went to his spot by Sado. Neither Uryu nor Tatsuki said anything more about their meeting.

* * *

Afternoon was reaching its last moments. School had let out and the mass rush of students had on cue sprinted for the closest exit twenty minutes ago. The only ones remaining were those in clubs/teams or those he were using the library to study just as Ichigo and Orihime were. Both carrot tops did not need to go in to work until later. Orihime suggested that they used the time to finish their homework. After what had happened the other day both thought it was wiser to study in a setting where there was less temptation. To the kind hearted girl's credit they did get through two subjects already. It was funny how much easier it was to read when you were not gawking at your girlfriend. Ichigo was extremely thankful that Orihime agreed to go to the library today instead of the clinic or her apartment. He was a little untrusting of his body and how it would respond if he was alone with Orihime. Another thing he was thankful of was Orihime did not bring up what happened yesterday.

"I think that is enough," Orihime stated.

Perplexed by what his love meant he uttered, "Excuse me?"

She closed her book and turned her gaze to him. "Studying. Remember we still have to go into to work today." She pulled out her cellphone to show him the time. "If we leave now we still have time to go home and get ready before we have to go in."

Closing his own book he started to pack up his bag. "Yeah, working the late shift is such a drag," he complained. "I won't get off until 9 now. That leaves me enough time to finish up my homework and get something to eat."

Orihime had finished putting her own stuff away. Once she was satisfied that everything was secure she got up. "I feel bad that I get off at 7 while you have two more hours."

"It is not your fault. Things are getting hectic down there with only me and Masaoka working there. Nakamura-san has been sick lately and hasn't been able to come in as much as he used to, so me and Masaoka have been picking up the slack lately. He is trying to hire more people, so hopefully we will get so more people down there. This is starting to cut into my school time. I already have to stay up late just finish my homework. We have barely gotten any time to ourselves." They left the library and walked down the hallways of Karakura High.

He sounded so tired. She hated to see him suffer. Orihime wrapped her arm around his. She did something she had not done in a while and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him flinch in surprise. "Things will get better." She knew there was no way of knowing that, but that was what she believed. Things had to get better.

Feeling her body so close to his, her head on his shoulder made his heart lighter. All his worries seemed so small. "Thanks."

"Hmm?" Her eyes widened a bit. "What for?"

"For just listening," Ichigo said simply.

She closed her eyes and smiled brightly. "It is no problem at all." She missed tender moments like this. His work schedule did make their times together faint. The goddess would be glad when things would slow down again. "I could come to the electronics store when you get off so we could walk together," she suggested.

"I don't like you walking out that late alone."

Protector mode had activated she thought. "The electronics store isn't in a bad neighborhood though. If I leave from the clinic I shouldn't run into anything."

That was true. His neighborhood and the electronic store did not have any crime related issues. They were quite peaceful especially when it was compared to her neighborhood. He still couldn't help, but think about some creep sneaking up on his Hime to take advantage of her. "I am not sure," he said doubtfully. "Could you get someone like Chad or Ishida to walk with you?" She did not reply right away. Instead she put an index finger on her chin to ponder his words.

"Sado-kun gets off around the same time. I could probably get him to walk me there."

"If you call Chad right now you could probably catch him before he goes to work. I think he is working construction today." Chad's job at as a loader at a store had fallen through. The store had lost some money and as a result some jobs had to be cut. Chad was unfortunately one of the workers to lose their job. Ichigo was surprised when Chad started doing odd jobs around town. His large size made it easy for him to get work in construction.

"That is good idea," she reiterated her beloved's idea. Orihime pulled out her cellphone. Sado-kun had entered the new age of technology by purchasing a cellphone last month. She looked up his name in her phone when her best friend spotted them.

"I didn't know you two were both off today," Tatsuki said, joining her two best friends.

Ichigo said, "We aren't. Both of us just have to go in later. We were at the library to get homework done, so we wouldn't have so much when we got off. You are not working at the dojo today?"

"I head karate practice today. The meet was short today and I don't have to go in until 5." A yawn escaped her mouth. "This homework is killing me," she revealed.

"I know it is hard on Kurosaki-kun and I as well." The healer brightened when Sado-kun's name came up on her screen. She pushed it and it began dialing him.

"Who are you calling?" Tatsuki voiced her curiosity.

"I am calling Sado-kun to ask if he can walk with me to Kurosaki-kun's job when he gets off at 9."

"I see. It is better for you to go out with someone like Sado or Ichigo when it is that late."

Her boyfriend and best friend were overprotective of her, but Orihime could only laugh. The ringing stopped. Sado-kun's voice came through she started to converse with him. The silent giant gladly agreed to come over to the clinic when he got off to walk her to Ichigo's job. "That is great! Thank you very much, Sado-kun!"

"Don't mention it, Inoue. I'll see you around 8: 30."

"Ai, I'll bring you some bread from the bakery as a thank you."

He shook his head at his friend's energetic nature. "Goodbye, Inoue."

"Goodbye, Sado-kun." Orihime hung up her cellphone. "He said yes," she told them. She failed to realize that Ichigo and Tatsuki already knew that from her conversation, but neither had the heart to tell her. The trio made their way through the school to reach to the cool air that belonged to the outside. "It is so nice outside."

Ichigo agreed with their resident healer. "Yeah."

Tatsuki added, "Spring is still in the air. We should enjoy it while we can. Next month it will get hotter as summer approaches."

"Don't remind me," Ichigo said. "Summers here always get so hot." Last year had been the worse. It reached into the hundreds in July. The heat wasn't nearly as bad as Keigo's constant comments on how hot it was. He didn't whine. He just pointed out how hot it was and how he wanted to see if he could cook an egg on the sidewalk. He just kept reminding them how hot it was and it annoyed Ichigo to no end. At least last August he was spared since he was busy training and going to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia. He had a strong feeling he would have no such luck this summer though.

"Maybe this summer we can all go to the beach," Orihime wondered aloud.

Tatsuki liked that idea. "That sounds like fun. You, Ichigo, me, Ishida, Sado, Kojima, and Asano," she listed off making sure not forget anyone. A mischievous smirk materialized on her face. "Ichigo, won't it be fun, swimming, volleyball, Orihime in a bikini, and lounging around on the beach."

Orihime in a bikini. Oh god he hadn't even considered that. His girlfriend wearing a two piece suit made out of thin material that would hug her body so tightly that it would reveal everything. God he hated Tatsuki for putting that image in his head. The last thing he needed was to think about sex! The image of Orihime in a pink two piece, the bikini top being stretched to its limit hugging her breasts hardly leaving anything to the imagination, running towards him and waving freely appeared right before his eyes. She would smile away.

"_Hi, Kurosaki-kun! Come swimming with me!"_

Immediately he shuddered at such an image. He really, really hated Tatsuki. _'I'll get her back for this!' _he promised himself.

"Kurosaki-kun."

Orihime's voice brought him out of his vengeful thoughts.

"Are you alright? Your face is very red." She pointed at his face.

"Yeah, Ichigo," Tatsuki said, taking far too much joy in this. "What is wrong?" she taunted.

The ex-substitute shot Tatsuki his most menacing glare. It was about as effective as throwing yearn at her. The second strongest woman in Japan continued to smirk teasingly. Unable to provoke his eldest friend Ichigo ignored her mocking eyes and turned to his Hime. Judging by the observant gleam in her eye she was interested in his answer. Her naivety worked to his advantage this time. "I am just flushed thinking about summer." He was proud that he managed to tell her the truth without revealing that she was the cause. She accepted his answer.

"Thinking about summer made you hot. Sometimes…." Orihime stopped midsentence. Something heavy and thick overwhelmed her senses. The atmosphere was distorted and made her skin crawl. How could anyone stand it? She tightened the grip on her bag. She knew what this was. It could only be one thing.

Sweat fell from Sado's forehead. He looked up into the sky. His body was frozen in place. Everyone around him walked around as though everything was normal. They were ignorant of the coming danger. "This feels different from a normal hollow. There is more than just one and something else…. What is going on?"

Uryu and Ryuken stopped moving. Both Quincy had their bows out having participated in a training session. Uryu was breathing heavily his left shoulder was bleeding. Ryuken appeared to have no visible scars. His breathing was not erratic. They remained silent as they sought to understand the emptiness that washed over Karakura.

"Have they finally returned?" Uryu wondered.

"It is not just Privaron Espada." Uryu told his father to explain himself with an expression. "They have brought allies with them. The real attack has begun at last."

"Damn it! This is the worst possible time!" He squeezed his bow so tightly that the reiatsu would probably burn into his skin. "I have to find Inoue-san so she can heal me. I need to fight."

Elsewhere Isshin, Kisuke, Tessai, Yoruichi, and various others felt the dark reiatsu. Each one wore a solemn expression. They prepared for the storm that had hit. At the high school Orihime and Tatsuki both stood frozen. Ichigo sensing the sudden change in both girls realized something was amiss. He had only seen that look on Orihime's face when….

"Inoue!" he shouted drawing both girls' attentions. "It's a hollow isn't it?" He saw reluctance reach her face. He definitely recognized that expression. It was one he wore when he had to leave to battle a hollow. "Is it here?" Again she didn't respond. "Inoue, answer me!"

"They are not here yet," she replied.

"They?" he repeated.

Orihime nodded. "They," she repeated.

A rip in the sky opened up into an empty space. Three figures walked out of the space. Gild folded his arms and grinned. His blood lust flared the moment they arrived. "I can feel that bastard already. I am going to have fun."

"Gild, remember what Silva said," Esteban reminded.

The giant arrancar rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah I know. We get to work before anything else." He turned to his right at his other comrade. "Antonio, I want you to attack anyone with high reiatsu. Remember if you run into that woman don't kill her."

"I don't need you to tell me that. But I can mess her up a bit though? It is only fair after she killed Salvador." He smirked.

Gild cackled sadistically. "I don't give a fuck. Just don't kill her."

"Understood," Antonio said.

Gild turned to Esteban. "The same goes for you. Attack anyone and everyone except for Urahara and those other guys we were warned about. Now let's bring out the troops."

Hollows of different shapes, sizes, and appearances all emerged from the rip in space. They were numerous. To an observer it would seem as though their number was endless. They completely blanked the skies and the sun, casting a shadow over the large town. Ignorant to the fact that all those who could see them looked on in horror, none of them expected this many hollows to appear.

Sado dropped his bag. "Oh no…."

Orihime shook with terror, which only frightened Ichigo. "Ino…"

"Kurosaki-kun, Tatsuki-chan go inside!"

"Wha…"

"I said go inside now!" she screamed at him.

"What is going on?" Ichigo demanded. "Inoue, tell me what is going on. Just how many hollows are there?"

She didn't have time to argue with him. It would be simpler to answer him. "There are so many hollows that they blanketing the sky. Do you understand? You have to go inside to where it is safe."

"No way! What are you going to do? You can't hope to fight that many on your own. Let me help you!"

"Ichigo-kun, please listen to me," she pleaded. Her fear had gone so out of control she forgot to use his surname in front of Tatsuki.

He opened his mouth to argue when Tatsuki grabbed his arm. "Tatsuki…."

"What the hell are you going to do?" Tatsuki demanded.

"What do you mean? I am going to…."

"You don't have your powers! How are you going to help, Orihime?"

Ichigo eyes bulged out of their sockets. His whole body quivered. Tatsuki's words ran through his mind. It processed them. What could he do indeed? He couldn't even see a hollow much less fight one. He furrowed his brow as he gritted his teeth. This was terror, the terror of being powerless. Orihime looked on worriedly. Tatsuki gave him a look that appeared to be pity. "I…..You mean to tell me…..I am useless…."

The arrancar and hollows cluttered the sky above the human town. Gild prepared the assault.

"Attack everyone and everything that moves! Eat until your hearts' content and annihilate everything! Bring chaos!"

The hollows rained down from the sky preparing to feast as though they had never had. Gild let out a blood churning laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Go on and kill everyone!"

**Chaos Descends To Karakura Town! Madness Shatters the Peace!**

* * *

**The large scale invasion of Karakura Town begins. Yes it sounds similar to when Uryu and Ichigo had their hollow hunting contest. I admit that straight up. But a large group of hollows attacking everything at once is the only thing I can think of to keep all the fighters busy so it is believable that say Isshin just doesn't come in and help Orihime again. How was the scene with Ichigo at the end? Hope it is believable reaction. I figure when a real threat happens he would forget he was powerless until Tatsuki made it painfully obvious that he useless and that shook him to his core. Gild did cliché laugh, but he is freaking crazy so I thought it fit. Again I am sorry if there are more mistakes than usual. It was late when I wrote this and I want to upload it and get some reactions to help me with the next chapter. I will re-read it and fix mistakes later. Maybe I should get a beta. The heated scene is supposed to also connect this story to another one I did set in this universe called Flowers and Strawberry which is rated M story that depicts Ichigo and Orihime's first time. Please review, because I need some ideas on how to do this hollow attack. **


	40. My Audience of Death: MAD

**Finals are over now. To celebrate I wrote this chapter. I got it done just before Christmas too. You could consider it an early Christmas gift. I don't think this is my best work. The chapter focuses on battles with hollows, but since they are minor threats I wasn't super detailed about it because it would have been way more list like to describe those battles. I tried to put enough detail that you guys could use your own imagination without it being list like. I described how some hollows looked like and left others un-described so it wasn't overly descriptive. Remember the hollow are easy to beat the threat is their numbers which greatly exceed that of our heroes. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

_Karakura Town:_

_East District_

_4:13 PM_

A plagued was upon them. It came without warning. It came without being provoked. This bustling great town would be swallowed up by blackness. The inhabitants of this aspiring metropolis were ignorant to the fact that death was just around the corner. How many would be claimed by it? He knew one thing though. He could not stop all the hundreds of hollows that dropped from the sky. He was just one lone shinigami. He was meant to battle hollows to protect humanity, but even he could not stop an army. He needed back up. He swiftly pulled out his communicator and radioed the Soul Society. He ignored all the proper channels and used the emergence channel.

"Communication Technology Research Department, state your name and emergence," said the serene voice that completely contrasted what he was feeling.

"Kurumadani Zennosuke, the shinigami assigned to the Human World, Karakura Town. A massive force of hollows have invaded this area, I repeat a massive force of hollows have invaded this area." He was pleased that he was able to keep himself composed considering the situation.

"Are you able to give as an estimate?"

"From what I can tell there are at least a hundred, probably more than that though."

"We contact the Captain Commander right now."

The voice said no more. Zennosuke tapped his foot impatiently. Shit this was an emergence. If he wanted to wait long he would have gone through the proper channels that took hours to do! The hollows already made their way into the town. The screams started. He rushed off the edge of the building he was on top of. One of those metal carriages that the humans called cars had been flipped over by a behemoth of a hollow. A panic in the streets had already begun. They were unable to see the hollow they did see the car get flipped over. Just as luck would have it five more hollows descended. Like their brother they wreaked havoc. One grabbed two children, snatching them up from their mother. The others went after anything that moved. The fear in the atmosphere became incredibly thick that it was a wonder the people didn't choke on it.

"Damn it! I can't wait." The afro shinigami took his trusty zanpakuto out and dived down. The first order of business was to rescue the children. He marched in front of the hollow. "Good morning, Tsuchinamazu!" In a flash of red light the katana was transformed into a wind and fire wheel. With all of his strength he slammed the wheel into the street. The crimson spiritual energy surged from the blade into the asphalt. The reiatsu spread it, creating a fissure that tore up the ground into large shard-like fragments of earth. The shards came together to form into a human sized spike. The spike shot through the air into it impaled the hollow in its torso.

"RRRRRRAAAHHHHH!" it howled the most inhuman wail that the shinigami had ever heard. Too consumed by the excruciating pain it was in that it released the children. They were caught by two adults that he assumed were their parents. The hollow still agony fell to its knees. "Aaaahhh!" it cried. The afro haired shinigami super sped to it. He turned his entire body into a circular motion, slashing its short thick neck when the blade from his Shikai sliced through its flesh, the spinning pushed the blade onward until it went right through the neck. The masked head was parted from the body.

Not satisfied with merely killing the hollow he did a flip before he his feet hit the ground. Feeling fuller of himself he stroked a pose despite the fact that common humans could not see him. "I really am super elite." The head rolled passed him as he got up and dusted himself off. Zennosuke returned his zanpakuto to its sealed state just when his communicator went off. "It is about damn time!" he complained. He pulled it out and answered it hurriedly. They could have called back before he had to go into action. Now he had to run from the hollows, while he was talking to them. "You guys sure took your sweet time!" he screamed as he dodged a claw sweep.

"Your request for backup has been denied," the voice said in the same serene tone as before.

"Wha….WHAT?" If anyone saw the expression he was wearing now they would have thought him a clown not a shinigami. It wasn't his fault mind you. He would challenge anyone to keep their cool after being told they would not receive backup from the Gotei 13 to deal with hundreds of hollows. "Are you serious? The Captain Commander won't send in reinforcements?"

"Yes," the really fucking annoying voice said. He was going to find it who belonged to and kill them once he got back to the Soul Society.

"You can't be serious? Did you tell him the situation? Surely if he knew how many hollows were here he would…."

"Captain Commander Yamamoto says he cannot spare any troops at present."

"You mean to tell me that over 3,000 shinigami that he cannot spare on unit? That is bullshit! Do you get it? This isn't just about me! If I do not get any reinforcements this town will be destroyed! I can't fight all of them myself! We are supposed to protect humans! How the hell can we as shinigami abandon one human town! Are all these lives meaningless? Get me some help, so that these people aren't all killed!"

"Captain Commander Yamamoto's orders were explicit. He cannot spare any troops."

Livid with rage the shinigami reprehensive yelled, "Why the hell not?"

"Currently there are three divisions stationed in Hueco Mundo trying take quell the Arrancar Civil War. Other divisions are stationed at strategic locations in the Human World that are in danger of being attacked by the traitor, Aizen Sosuke's soldiers. We simply do not have the man power to answer your request. I am sorry."

There wasn't a shred of genuine sorrow in that stupid voice. He wanted to argue with them more, but the communication ceased. Tempted to call them back he knew it was useless. The Captain Commander was not a man who could be swayed when his mind was set on something. Instead he put the communicator away. He stopped running from the hollows that were on his tail. He initiated his Shikai. If this human town was to fall then that was its fate, but it will not fall without a fight. He would give everything he had to defend Karakura Town. To protect humanity and guide lost souls to the afterlife that is what it meant to be a shinigami.

* * *

_The Kurosaki Clinic_

_4:13 PM_

She was suffocating. The oxygen was roughly torn out of her lungs. Breathing wasn't a challenge. It was now a impossibility. If that were her only problem she could deal with it, but her body was being drowned in an ocean that could only be described as utter despair. It sucked every ounce of happiness from her. That wasn't it. Happiness became a foreign concept that she had never heard of. She doubted she could ever comprehend it or recognize it if she felt it. Her bones felt so frail that if someone were to look at her the wrong way they would snap. She couldn't stop trembling. Her body was shaking so much that her thoughts were being drowned out by the jittering of her teeth. This was so unlike her. She was usually brave, almost fearless. If her friends could only see her now, quivering like a frightened little child.

"Karin," called a worried Yuzu. Despite her concern there was a certain warmth that was reassuring still clinging to her words. She approached her twin cautiously. When she was sure that Karin would not freak out she gently put her hand on her shoulder then rubbed it. "What is wrong?" Karin shot her head around at alarming speeds that Yuzu feared Karin would snap her neck. Again she was unprepared for the fear that reeked from her dark haired counterpart. The brown eyes were polluted with fear and that roused Yuzu's own fear. "Karin," she uttered.

"Where is dad?" Karin blurted out not caring if she sounded rude.

"Huh?" She wasn't expecting that response. It took her brain a few seconds before it could comprehend what Karin had said. It took even more time to process an answer. Their father told her where he was going to be. It was just a matter of remembering. However, Karin was not in a patient mood. She scowled at her, not in the usually annoyance, but of frustration.

"Yuzu!" she shouted.

"In the living room!" answered the Kurosaki caretaker in a panic. "He just left the clinic and told me he was going to the living room to read the paper." Karin seemed to calm if only a little. She didn't understand what had gotten Karin so bewildered or what their dad had to do with it. "Wha…." Before Yuzu could finish Karin shot across to the living room like a pistol.

"Yuzu, stay inside!" Karin ordered her.

Confused Yuzu could only watch as her sister raced out of the kitchen. "What is going on?" she asked the empty room as if expecting an answer to come out of thin air.

Karin's feet pushed against the surface of the floor so hard that you could hear her feet stomping. She hardly noticed. She had to get to her dad and warn him not to leave the house. He was like Yuzu. He couldn't see spirits like she could. If he went out then something terrible would happen. She just knew it. He had to stay put for his own safety. The house was still littered with all Urahara's products. They could ward off those monsters, those hollows. She knew that these feelings of despair were being caused by those things. If they all stayed in the house they would be safe. No matter what she had to get her dad to stay put or else he could. She didn't even want to think such thoughts. They already lost mom. There was no way they could lose dad. She would do everything within her power to keep him here. Karin rushed into the living room. Her dad was standing there, paper abandoned. He looked like he was prepared to depart to somewhere. "Dad!" she shouted.

He looked at her with mild surprise. "Karin," he muttered. His daughter came up to him. He observed that she was out of breath, much too out of breath from a simple jog to the living room from the kitchen. She was spiritually aware as he was. She must have sensed the presence of all the hollows descending to the town. All of that dark reiatsu must be sapping her strength.

"Don't…..leave…..the house…." Karin managed to breathe out. She put a hand over her heart. Damn her lungs were not working properly. They refused to absorb any oxygen. It was making her damn head dizzy. "You….can't l-leave….." she tried to say again.

Isshin blinked a few times. She was afraid. No, she was terrified. This was new to him. He had dealt with Karin being afraid when she was a little girl or when she hid it beyond a mask of sarcasm and disinterest, but this was entirely different. Karin had never allowed him to see her terrified and that made the father's heart ache.

"Something bad is happening. I can't really explain, but something really, really bad is happening. You need to stay inside." It was meant to sound like a command it was too smothered in fear to be anything but a plea.

He let out a small breath. God he was going to hate himself for doing this, but there was no choice. "Karin, I have to go somewhere."

"You can't!" she interrupted in a puff. Karin closed her hands into fists. "I am being serious! Something bad is happening outside. You have to stay in here, dad!" He planted his big hand on top of her head. He ruffled the dark locks up just to annoy her and bring back the Karin that criticized him for his playful behavior. This seemed to work because she brushed his hand aside and shot him an annoyed expression. All Isshin did was smile down at her. It was small modest and warm smile unlike his cheesy large grins.

"I know you are being serious," he told her. "I heard sirens going by." No doubt she was too engrossed with the negative feelings to have heard them. "Something bad is happening. I have to go because I am a doctor. People could be hurt. It is my duty to help them anyway I can."

"But what if you get hurt!" argued the midnight haired girl.

"Hey it is me here. You know how careful I am when I am in these situations. It is just like I would tell you and your sister when you were little. I won't do anything stupid because I have you kids waiting for me at home, but you have to remember there are other kids out there that could lose their dads or moms unless they get immediate help. I make sure I can do everything I can until they can get to the hospital."

Karin shook her head in objection. "This is different though. Dad, you can't….We need you here. Please just stay put." She mustered every ounce of charm and persuasion she could to get him to stay. She had to succeed. She just had to. "Dad, this isn't natural. It is ghost related. You can't do anything to stop it, so please just be selfish this once and stay here."

What was he going to do? He couldn't stay there. There were too many hollows for him not to get involved. How could he make Karin understand without being a terrible father? If Masaki was here she would know just what to say to put Karin at ease. He cursed himself for not having her silver tongue. "Karin," he said gently. He leaned down until they were eye level. He looked her straight in the eye. They were clear as a crystal and just as beautiful. "I promise you that nothing bad will happen to me. I wish I could stay here with you girls, but if I turned my back on people who could need help I wouldn't be fit to be your father. You are worried something will happen to me like mom right?" She didn't answer. He didn't need it. "You are too young to remember this, but when you and Yuzu were practically babies there was a bad fire happened not too far from here. I was getting ready to leave when Ichigo begged me not to go. He was afraid I would get hurt. When I saw how afraid he was for me I made up my mind to stay, but your mom said something I will never forget. "Dad can't stay here, because he has to make sure everyone else is alright. Your dad isn't the type of man who abandons people. Think about all the other boys and girls who are out there that just as afraid as you are for their dads and moms. If your dad doesn't go they may never see them again. That bad feeling won't ever go away then. That is why your dad is an amazing person. He has to make sure all the children's smiles return." These situations aren't common, but when they do occur I know you kids worry. I won't ask you to forgive me, if you hate me I understand that, but know I am not leaving because of some stupid reason like obligation. If that's all there was to it I wouldn't be a doctor. I am leaving because that fear you are feeling now is how other people are feeling. I would hate if someone let you or Yuzu or Ichigo die if they could have done something. I do everything in my power to make sure other parents or kids don't feel that way." He ruffled her hair again. "I'll be extra careful out there. I wouldn't be much of a dad if I couldn't at least do that much." To show her that everything was ok he let out the largest most overly cheery smile he could produce out. She huffed at it. Isshin stood up. He walked away when.

"Dad!"

"Yeah." He turned around to face her.

"I understand. I don't hate you, but be really careful."

"Will do," he said, giving her the thumps up. She rolled her eyes, probably thinking he was so lame. "Make sure you and your sister stay inside. I don't know what is going on exactly, so it would be wiser to stay put. I am sure Ichigo and Orihime are alright. If something happened they will stay at the school. If I can swing over there I'll check on them."

"Right," she muttered. Karin saw her father leave for his office to fetch his supplies. She had no idea that he planned to help people not as a doctor. She was ignorant to the fact that he would leave the clinic as a shinigami to face the coming danger.

Isshin was now in his shinigami attire, having escaped his gigai. He had to make sure to control his reiatsu, so Karin could not sense him. He was not ready for Karin or Yuzu to know of his shinigami origin, not yet. He made sure his Engetsu was secured to his hip. "Kon, I know you are here." He didn't have long wait. The possessed lion plushie came out on his desk.

"Yeah, what is it?" he answered. He put his small adorable paws on his hips.

Even Isshin had to admit he looked cute. "I need you to do me a favor and watch the girls. Urahara's charms and stuff are all over the house, but that won't be enough to stop the stronger hollows. To be safe I am going to cast a Bakudo Kido to conceal any reiatsu and keep any hollows out, but in case that fails you are going to have to watch them. Use my body and get them out of here and take them to Urahara's shop. You shouldn't worry though. That is only if the worst happens. I'll make sure to cast a powerful Kido to keep them out. Do you understand?"

"Right, I'll keep the girls safe, but…."

"But what?" the shinigami said almost taken offense. He didn't want to be short with him, but now was not the time to get held up. Every second mattered.

"What about Ichigo? He is not here." In rare moment the mod soul allowed his affections for the boy he once shared a body with flow out. Ichigo was such a hot head. With his powers now gone that did not make for a good combination. The orange bastard could not afford to do anything stupid.

Isshin became more forgiving of Kon after he let him know his concern for Ichigo. He rubbed the back of his head and wore an exhausted expression. "Yeah that idiot is bond to do something stupid. I would rush over to him normal if Orihime wasn't with him. She'll make sure he stays out of trouble. I'll have to clear all these hollows here first. Don't worry too much, alright." He leap into the air and flew through the ceiling. His ghostly body successful flew passed the physical material of the roof. Soon he was in the breezy blue skies. He erected a powerful reiatsu concealing barrier and a powerful protection barrier. He flew off into the thick of things. Hollows of all shapes and sizes rained from the sky, going in any and every direction. Free from the confinements of his gigai with the wind in his hair felt so rejuvenating. He couldn't enjoy it for long. His ears picked up frighten screams from clueless bystanders. He looked below him. What he saw made him gasp in horror. Their little proud town was in utter chaos. Buildings were torn asunder, power lines were ripped off their posts and spraying electrical sparks, some causing fires to nearby buildings that fire departments were battling to contain. Human bodies littered the ground so far beneath him. Only God knew if they were still alive. The father in him wanted to go to Karakura High and cheek on Ichigo and Orihime, but the people down there needed him more than them, besides Orihime could at least defend them. These poor people needed him more they did. Isshin started his descent. He flew to the nearest person and hollow. However, his thoughts were still on the orange pair. _'I say Orihime can handle it, but can Ichigo? In this type of situation where he is powerless what will he do?' _he thought. His hand went to the hilt of his sword. He braced himself for the battle. He could see the blacks of the hollow's eyes. "No time to worry about them." Isshin unsheathed his zanpakuto and with one sweep cut through the bone material of the hollow's mask, killing it instantly.

* * *

_Karakura General Hospital_

_4: 13 PM_

The sharp sting in his left shoulder was irritating to say the least. He bandaged it up, putting as much pressure as he could so as to stop the bleeding. He needed to make sure he didn't lose too much blood before he met Inoue-san. There were an immense number of hollows out there he would not be able to move without struggle. He was a Quincy. It was his duty to take out as many hollows as possible and to protect all those who inhabited this town, his town. He could not duck and hide from hollows until he got to the healer. It would be cowardly to do so. It would tarnish the Quincy name.

"You are idiot."

Uryu narrowed his light blue eyes darkly. A growl came from his throat. There was no need to turn around. He knew the identity of his insulter. He would not give him the satisfaction of responding to that comment. Instead he continued to bandage his wound.

Ryuken shook his head at his hot headed son. He was too emotional for his own good. This rash behavior is what caused him to use the Quincy Final Form and burn away all of his Quincy powers when he was in the middle of enemy territory and on his own. Uryu had to learn to control his emotions and think of strategically. His son was ruled by reason most of the time, but even anger or pride could affect his better judgment. "In your condition you will not be any use out there." He took a few steps towards his son. "Think of this logically. Your shoulder is injured rather seriously. The rest of your body is worn out. Your reiatsu is exhausted as well. In the shape you are in you will only cause your friends to worry about you and they need their concentration on the enemy. Don't let your pride bring about your downfall." He stopped a few feet away from Uryu. His raven haired son did not look at him. Ryuken glared the way only a father could at their offspring's poor decisions. "Orihime-chan is at your school." Uryu did not look at him, but he saw his shoulders move. He at least knew his young Quincy son was listening to him now. "I shouldn't have to tell you how far that is from here. Even if you jump from roof top to roof top it will be taxing on you as you are now and that is if your reiatsu doesn't attract hollows for you to fight. It will take you even longer if you hide and run all the way there."

"I have no intention of hiding from hollows!" exclaimed Uryu. He could hear the absolute disgust in his son's voice. The mere idea offended him. The white haired man could only muse that Uryu was definitely a Quincy.

"Has spending all this time with Ichigo affected how you think?" He knew mentioning Kurosaki's son would infuriate him as well as cause him to take a long hard look at his actions.

"Kurosaki has nothing to do with this." Uryu's blue eyes fell on his father's dispassionate and unemotional mask. They flared with an intense blaze that threatened to swallow Ryuken up and burn away at his flesh. "Someone like you probably wouldn't understand. My Quincy pride would never allow for me to run from mere hollows! It is my duty to stop them with everything that I am." He closed his hands into fists and clenched them so tightly that his finger nails tore through his skin. "I….I simply refuse to stand down to hollows!" His father closed his eyes and sighed. Of course he didn't understand the pride that Uryu felt, the same pride that his grandfather, Ryuken's father felt. He never wanted to be a Quincy. He could never feel the pride that came with it.

"So you would throw your life away meaninglessly. Uryu you are still a hundred years too early to able to say something as stupidly noble as that." He walked past his son with his gaze locked onto the wall as if he could see the hollows outside of the building. "This is a battle. Noble sentiments like that are unnecessary. The only thing that matters is your ability to fight and win. If you must hide and kill your enemies then do it. Strike fast and do not seek long glorious battles. If you are unsure you can win a battle avoid it. Is this a cowardly approach? I suppose that is one way to look at it, but these battles are not meant for honor. If you want to protect people stay alive long enough to protect them. Do not be a burden in battle to your allies for battles are meant to ensure victory. If victory was not important there would be no meaning to battle. Do you understand Uryu? You are not powerful enough to change this simple fact. If you enter the battle now you will be a burden and you will die. Your death will only serve to anger your comrades and in turn make them sloppy. Sado-kun and Orihime-chan do not need that in this battle."

"Are you telling me to stay here and do nothing? You want me to just leave them to manage on their own?" he screamed at the man he was ashamed to call father.

"That is exactly what I am saying." Uryu opened his mouth to protest, but Ryuken silenced him. "I will go out there and aid them." He wanted to smirk when he heard the hitch in Uryu's breath. His son was too green for these types of battles. "I am in peak condition. I will be more useful than you. Stay here and recuperate." Ryuken faced his son. He stared into his son's light blue eyes. They exchanged looks, conversing mentally rather than with words. Uryu would not thank him for what he was going to do. Ryuken would not wish him to. For all their differences and arguments they were still father and son. The elder man would like to think his son had enough sense to know that he did not wish him any harm and would listen to him for once. True to form Uryu darted away from his hard gaze, avoiding any sign or hint that his father was not the monster he made him out to be. Ryuken closed his eyes. His feet took him to the door. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. The time for him to return to battle had come. He could already feel Kurosaki was moving out. Damn this sense of nostalgia that was setting in. He was getting old. The elder Quincy opened his blue orbs. They hardened with resolve, ready for the coming battle.

* * *

_Karakura High School_

_4:13 PM_

Useless, was he really useless? That was absurd. How could he, Kurosaki Ichigo be useless? Hadn't he always been able to fight no matter how outclassed he was? Didn't he fight shinigami captains even when their reiatsu overshadowed his? Wasn't he the person who fought Espada that were his superior in battle? Did he not challenge Aizen himself when he could not be considered his equal? He found a way to defeat all of those opponents even with so much against him. Now here he stood. Tatsuki had called him useless. How could she fathom what they had been through, what he had been through? Useless to help his friends, useless to help Orihime, the woman he loved? No he couldn't accept that reality. He could not accept any part of this. "I am not useless," he said more to himself than the girls. "I can do something."

Orihime wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to injury Ichigo's ego. He wasn't a person who was used to being powerless. He had always been able to fight, to defend the people he cherished. It was who he was. She had no idea how to get him to go to safety without completely trampling over that. "Kurosaki-kun, please go inside," she tried again. It was all she could really do. "The hollows are going to be here any moment now," she warned.

Orihime wasn't going to be able to say what needed to be said. She was too concerned with Ichigo's feelings. They did not have the luxury to walk on eggshells now. Hollows were on the move and they were going to attack now! Tatsuki would take the fury Ichigo would unleash, but Orihime would be spared and they would get somewhere. "Ichigo, we don't have time for this. We need to get inside and let Orihime handle this." He looked at her as though she was mad. It wasn't that she didn't understand what Ichigo was feeling. Tatsuki didn't like the idea of leaving Orihime alone either, but she also knew that she and Ichigo were about as useful as a broken leg. They would slow Orihime down when she would need to focus. "Be reasonable! If you can't see them how can you help?"

"I'll find a way to manage like always." Again Ichigo talked to himself rather than Tatsuki. "I'll manage," he said with more confidence than before. "I can't abandon Inoue though. I can't do something like that."

Tatsuki frowned at him. He was being so stubborn like always. Just once she was hoping he would listen to her. If there was any time that she needed Ichigo to listen to her it was now. "Ichigo…."

"Don't ask me to leave, Tatsuki!" His tone was low yet defiant. The second strongest girl in Japan was a victim of his powerful iron willed gaze, the same one he wore when he went against any adversary. "I cannot leave Inoue," he reiterated.

"Ichigo-kun," Orihime whispered. Her heart ached with guilt. If she had gone with them he would be safe. If she left things to Ishida-kun and Sado-kun he would be safe, but could she just turn her back on them? No more than Ichigo could turn his back on her right now. She wiped off the pitiful me expression and straightened her face. Her light brown eyes had escaped worry and fear. Her beloved's determination had infected her. She charged her reiatsu up. She couldn't be weak or Ichigo would always worry about her. If she showed him that she could handle this without his assistance than he would be able to leave her on her own and get to safety. The goddess wasn't a helpless! She had already proven to Ishida-kun and Sado-kun that she could do this when she defeated Salvador nearly two months ago. She had been training all this time. She would show the ex-substitute the results of that training.

Orihime would get that chance soon. A group of five hollows came crashing to the earth, causing it to shake. She would not be moved from her ground. The Shun Shun Rikka wielder turned to face them unafraid. Their reiatsu was not much to speak of. They were small fires. She could handle this lot on her own no problem. She wouldn't even know to consider them a threat if apprehension had not taken her pseudo sister's face. They were feral. They all stood on four legs. Their bodies varied. One had a long almost snake like body complete with what appeared to be a rattle on its tail. Another one a round plump body with head to match. Only its mask protected his no doubt swollen cheeks from being in sight. The other three lean slightly muscular built. Their hollow holes were located in the center of their chests of course. Their hungry eyes were located directly at her. Again the healer was unsurprised. Her reiatsu was so high that of course they would be drawn to her. This was good. That meant Ichigo and Tatsuki were safe from harm's way. They let out glass shattering roars that would put the mightiest predators in the animal kingdom to shame.

"Shit," she heard Tatsuki curse.

"What's going on?" Ichigo questioned her best friend.

Orihime did not wait to hear the raven haired woman's response. She dived towards the heartless fiends. Her ears could detect her friends' protests. She did not have the time to answer them. She had to lead the hollows away from them. Her plan proved to be a success. The hollows ran after their so called prey. When Orihime deemed herself far enough from Ichigo and Tatsuki she stopped running and stood her ground. They stalked her with glee of starved men about to consume their first piece of food. Considering the hollows' nature the analogy was fitting. Her hands went to her hairpins on her gray uniform coat. The hollows roared once more. She was ready. "Koten Zanshun, I reject!" She threw Tsubaki. He manifested himself. The golden aura emerged from his body. He was gone in the blink of an eye leaving only a golden streak in his wake. Tsubaki burrowed into their skulls going from one hollow to the other until he had gone through all five. He activated the shields he left behind. They expanded and repelled both sides of his shields, cutting through the hollows heads, ending their lives. They fell while Tsubaki returned to his mistress. Orihime stood there unfazed.

"Amazing," Tatsuki said astonishment. This was the first time she had seen Orihime use her powers. Who knew the goddess was so graceful on the battle field? It was such a departure from how clumsy she was the rest of the time. She was just as coordinated as she was during her training with Tatsuki at the dojo. _'It is good to know that all that training I gave her is going to use,' _Tatsuki thought proudly.

"Tatsuki, what just happened?" Ichigo despised that he was blind. Unable to see a hollow he could not tell how Orihime was doing. He heard her chant her offensive power and heard Tatsuki give the red-orange haired beauty praise. That had to be a good sign he hoped.

"Orihime just took all of them out with one attack. She was amazing."

What a relief. If the opponents were just hollows she should be able to handle it. The problem was their number. Orihime said there were so many that they blanketed the sky. This battle was far from being over. To prove him right he ground quaked again. He may have been unable to see or hear them, but Ichigo could feel the effects of a hollow such as when they caused the ground it to rumble. He scowled. "Damn," he muttered. "Now how many are there?" he asked.

Tatsuki was quick to respond, "Eleven. They look mean." Immediately she regretted saying that. Already she could feel Ichigo tense up. "Orihime can handle this," she threw in quickly. She looked sideways to find Ichigo gritting his teeth. The chocolate orbs were swirling with a great anxiety that just did not belong on the face of a young man. It was anxiety that one would expect a soldier to have, but in a way Ichigo had been a soldier of sorts to this mysterious Soul Society she still knew little about. The black belt returned her sight to Orihime. Tatsuki was impressed by her performance. Orihime was nimble on her feet. She avoided all the attacks the hollows threw at her. She expertly evaded them, making sure to get the advantage over them by flanking them. It was more thrilling then any match she fought. Orihime wasn't as skilled as she was or the material artists Tatsuki had fought against in the nationals, but her movements were superhuman. That was the only way to describe them. She could barely capture the kind hearted girl's movements. The speed she was moving at simply too much for Tatsuki to completely see. One moment Orihime was standing there and the next she was behind one of the hollows dancing away from it, almost like some orange phantom. The golden streak shot off from her hand and cut down the beasts where they stood. In a minute they were all gone. What made Tatsuki smile even more was that her best friend did not rest on her laurels. She prepared for the next wave. That naïve girl she had to take care of had been replaced by this confident woman who was ready to face anything.

They were still standing there much to her dismay. She had hoped that after this display that Tatsuki would relay her progress to Ichigo and he would feel comfortable at leaving her to fight on her own. She couldn't dwell on it. The next wave surrounded her in minutes. She glared at them. One hollow swept at her hoping to dig its claws into her supple flesh. The gorgeous woman jumped upward, using her spiritual energy to supplement her leg strength, allowing her to achieve heights that were not possible for normal humans. When she landed on the school grounds another hollow stretched its long neck out (Sorry for not describing how all the hollows, but there are going to be a lot of these things. It is going to be tedious if explain everyone looks like.) and opened its mouth wide, revealing its shark-like teeth. She was ready. "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" The golden triangular shield made its way between Orihime and the hollow. It crashed face first into the shield, while Orihime made her way behind it. The goddess unleashed Tsubaki and took out another one. She called back her Shun Shun Rikka. The hope consuming dread strengthened. More were coming. She had to finish these foes off quickly or else.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

The screech rang through the courtyard alarming Orihime, Tatsuki, and Ichigo. Three sets of eyes searched for the producer of the haunting scream. It was Ichigo who spotted her and called attention to Tatsuki and Orihime. Twenty feet away from them there was a girl who looked to be about their age or a year older, wearing their uniform on the ground, face in the dirt. A misshapen hollows with disproportionate arms that were wider than its thin torso. It stood on two legs, although it was crotched down to get near its latest victim. Its portly fingers were stained with a bright crimson liquid. The fish-like bone mask made it stand out. Its mouth wide opened and its tongue thrashed about as if it was sampling the latent spiritual energy its victim possessed. The girl was stricken with trepidation. Her cheeks were stained; one side with stream salty discharge from her dark brown eyes, the other side was masked with the same crimson streaks that were on her attacker's fingers. The true tragedy was her left eye. It had been completely ripped out of its eye socket. The blood came gushing out with no end in sight. Seeing the now empty socket where her eye used to reside made Ichigo seethed and he was used to such sights. Who knew how Tatsuki would take it. He heard her gag, fighting the urge to throw up. Seeing the results of a true battle was very different from television or movies. No matter how real they depicted it on screen that just could not capture the stench of blood or the unique disgust that came from your heart at seeing a human body mutilated up close. He could only imagine the hollow responsible for this held her eye in its mouth like some sick trophy. Right now he was willing to bet Tatsuki envied his blindness to hollows.

The girl reached out to them with her hand. She desperately wanted to grab on to something, to rescue her from the nightmare that had befallen her. Ichigo had to fight back the fury building up as he saw how utterly broken the girl was. "Help me….P-please, I don't know what's going on….my eye….it hurts so bad" How would she take it when she found out her eye was gone? "I…something is on my back, but I can't see it….Help me," she cried hopelessly.

Not thinking Ichigo ran to the girl. He couldn't leave her like that. He told Rukia he wasn't a person who was noble enough to want to save the whole world, but he wasn't an asshole who could let an innocent person die before his very eyes either. The ex-substitute ran as fast as his legs could go. He had to save that girl. Orihime was busy dealing with the hollows around her. She would worry herself over this girl's condition and she didn't need that. She had to stay focus on the battle at hand. He would rescue this girl, so that his love would not be distracted. He had to save both girls.

"Ichigo!" Tatsuki shouted after him. Damn it! That idiot was rushing right into harm's way. What an idiot. He was honestly going to try and act on his own. Why didn't he ask her for help? She could at least see the damn thing and help him avoid it. "Fucking dumbass!" she exclaimed. Against good sense the raven haired girl went after he idiot friend.

A sharp pang hit her stomach when she saw her friends heading straight in the direction of a hollow. "Tatsuki-chan, Kurosaki-kun!" They did not hear her or ignored her. The healer turned her attention to the hollow they were pursuing. If she took it out now they would not be in any danger. Right, if she took the hollow out before they got there would be no need for them to stop. Orihime charged her reiatsu then readied Tsubaki when a strong force knocked her off her feet and on to her shoulder. Yoruichi-san's scolding was already playing in her mind. Never let yourself get distracted. Thankfully the former shinigami captain was not present or she would give Orihime a very stern lecture. The soul devourer attempted to sink its teeth into her. The healer responded to this by summoning her shield to defend herself. Quick to get on her feet Orihime put distance between herself and the rabid hollows. It would seem she would have to deal with them before she could aid either Tatsuki or Ichigo. She really hoped that Sado-kun and Ishida-kun were not having such a difficult time as she was.

* * *

_Downtown: Construction Site_

_4:13 PM_

Steel beams were being tossed all over the place. The construction workers had never seen such a sight before. It would have been one thing if they had just fallen from overhead while they were moving them, but it was an entirely different matter when steel beams that were resting perfectly on the ground to be lifted into the air and thrown. It defied the laws of physics. No one knew what to do. They never experienced this insanity before. When the cries at steel beams being tossed around first started many laughed at the claim. It wasn't until one of their own was hit with a steel beam on the tenth level; fell to his death that the laughter stopped. It wasn't just contained to the construction site. The beams were thrown out to the streets. Cries and shouts reached their ears, car horns honking wildly, and mothers harshly ordering their children to not move were heard. It was anarchy out there. All the work they had done was coming undone. The structure was being torn down, the beams that had fallen were littered all over the site along with the motionless bodies of friends, the workers themselves hid anywhere they could to escape this invisible menace. Two such workers hid inside crane, waiting for the storm to end.

"What the hell is going on?" one worker screamed. Any courage that he possessed had been snuffed out by the supernatural occurrence.

His co-worker/friend was trying to slow his breathing, which had become erratic. His eyes shone with disbelief. He wasn't in denial that this was happening. He accepted that, but he just could not understand why it was happening. For the love of god he just saw a man he had worked with for four years impaled with a god damn steel beam! When he tried to make his way over there he was almost hit with one of those beams himself. In order to save his own life he had to run away. He had to leave his friend behind. He was a coward!

"What are we going to do?" the first man yelled. He had lost control of his volume. Fear had shattered that control and now every time he opened his mouth he would shout. "What the fuck are we going to do?"

"How the hell should I know?" the second worker screamed back. His breathing had slowed some, allowing him to speak. "I don't even know what the fuck is going on out there and you expect me to know what we are going to do?" He looked out of the window to see what was going on. "We are going to die," he said in realization.

"Are you serious?" The first worker roughly pulled the second worker by the scruff of his collar. All the rage at his own powerlessness was directed on the pathetic fool. "Think positively! We are not going to die here! Don't joke around!"

"You are the one joking around! If you honestly think we are going to walk away from this! We don't know what is going on or how many people have escaped or if everyone is dead!" He thrown against the window so hard a loud ring could be heard.

"Give up if you want to, but I am going to live!" He kept his spiteful glare up. "I am…." The crane was quivered, throwing both men against the doors. Soon the crane was on its side, throwing both of them around as a dryer did to clothes. Large cracks appeared on the window, but the crane and its passengers were no worse for wear. The second worker's forehead had a small cut on it. He was more fortunate and remained uninjured. That didn't stop the ringing in his head. "Shit. I am going to be feeling this for a week," he muttered. Thanks to gravity and their crane resting on its sides his co-worker was laying right on top of him. He would much rather have a hot girl on top of him, but life didn't always give you what you wanted. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"My head is killing me. God you think I had a hangover."

"No such luck. I guess…." The metal vehicle that could easily turn into their graves was shaken once more. Sparks appeared as though something was cutting through the cold hard metal, something very sharp, judging by all the sparks that were flying from it. Neither man spoke another word. If they both realized that whatever was happening was beyond the realm of man. There was nothing they could do except sit there and wait for the door to give out and for whatever was clawing its way in there to get them. It seemed his negative co-worker was correct. They were going to die. "This is really the end."

The cat-like hollow slashed away at the metal construct. Its efforts were not in vain. Its claws dug into the metal, going deeper and deeper with each slash. It would not be long until it dug a hole in it and could reach the humans inside. (It is a one of those mindless hollows, so that's why it won't ghost through it. Lame excuse I know.) "Raaaaaaaahhhhh!" it sang to the heavens as if to announce that it was about to fest. However, its cry was only answered by a burst of white energy that went right through its head. It never saw it coming. The body dissolved into nothingness, freeing the workers inside.

Standing from a short distance away from the downed crane, a giant of man with armor on his right arm stood with his arm outstretched. He wore the same blank expression he was known for. "That makes seventeen," he said to himself. For some reason the hollows had swarmed the construction site. By the time he had gotten there it was being destroyed by a group of hollows. They looked to have had their fill of human souls from the construction workers he had gotten to know. If only he had gotten there quicker. No time to feel sorry for himself or the men who had died Sado manifested his Brazo Derecha de Gigante and took vengeance. He made quick work of the hollows. To his delight he even saved some lives. The men who had been saved had run off so fast that they did not question his black and magenta armored right arm. Sado did not worry about it. No doubt someone from the Soul Society would alter their memories. "That was the last one." He closed his eyes to put his concentration on his sixth sense. The unique dreadful reiatsu that was hollows still radiated strongly all over the town.

'_This appears to be the real invasion. Does that mean they are going to go for the Spirit Keystone located here? If that is the case then these hollows could just be a distraction.' _He started his journey to the next group of hollows. _'Those three with monstrous reiatsu are still not in the town yet. What is their strategy?'_ A spider hollow stood between him and his next location. It pounced on him hoping to make him its next meal. He didn't have the time. His shoulder opened up and released it signature white reiatsu stream. "El Directo!" He rammed his fist straight into the hollow's face. The white burst of spirit energy consumed its head. The silent giant did not slow his pace and continued to run as if nothing had inferred with him at all.

* * *

Isshin lopped off another head. He watched as the hollow disintegrated. He disappeared from sight, riding on Shunpo. He reappeared in front of a lizard hollow. The elder man brought his zanpakuto onto its head, and cut it in half. Four hollows hoped to take him by surprise from behind he felt their presence. Without turning around he swung his Engetsu, gaining another victory for the shinigami. A proud smirk materialized on his lips. "Looks like I am still true to form." The proud man sheathed his sword.

"T-Thank you," said a shaky voice.

Isshin turned around to smile at the little boy who had given him thanks. He had short jet black hair, chocolate colored eyes, and a small nose that was almost like a blemish on his face. He wore dark red shorts along with a white tee shirt. The boy looked to be between the ages eight and nine. Unlike most children he had a chain sticking out of center of his chest. "It is no problem kid, but you know things will get messy here. I am going to have to send you off to somewhere that is a little more peaceful."

"Do you mean I am going to some place like heaven?"

"Something like that," Isshin chuckled. He patted the boy on his head. Normally he would take some time to explain about the Soul Society. Given the hectic situation they were in he just needed to perform the Konso. The middle-aged man put the hilt of his zanpakuto on the boy's forehead. The boy had not time to say anything else as he disappeared to the Soul Society. "Sorry, kid, but I am busy." With that he threw his blade in front of him. More of the heartless creatures appeared. "You guys are easy to kill, but your large numbers just makes you annoying," he complained. Isshin went through the motions, cutting down the almost endless supply of hollows. It seemed for every two he cut down four more took their places. His god like speed prevented them from even being able to lay a finger on him. To an outside observer it would appear as though there was thirty Isshins. The shinigami carelessly finished the last monster entity, just as he was ready to relax the damn buzzards circled around him from above. The right side of his lip curved upwards. "So you bastards don't intend to give me a break huh? That is fine with me. If I didn't give you some kind of handicap it would be dull as hell," he joked.

They dived for him. He readied his sword for another battle. Once they were earthbound Isshin renewed his dance. He soared through them, becoming a black blur. The legions were falling by the waste side. His mind was free from any distractions. His entire being was fixated on the annihilation of the hollow menaces. The elder Kurosaki had achieved a state of mind were everything felt surreal. The hollows were no more threatening to him as the phantoms that haunted his nightmares. Their power if you could call it that was so limited that it was laughable that they attempted to challenge him. They were not the predators, but the prey, his prey. He hacked away at them, making precise slashes, only going after their heads to insure a quick and painless death to send them to their journey to the afterlife that they made for themselves during their life. Life's little ironic sense of humor made this battle more dreamlike by having more of the masked foes emerge from the sky. Now he was in the dead center of the hollow infestation. Rather than attack him as they were they circled him as a shark, perhaps hoping to inspire fear from him. If that was their intention they were going to be sorely disappointed. He was unafraid. All they did was ensure that he would take a little longer to be rid of them.

'_If I used Getsuga Tensho I could clear all these guys away with a simple swing. But if I unleashed that here I would cause a lot of damage to the town. There is no telling how many people would get caught in the crossfire either. Guess I'll just have to do this the old fashion way.' _The cocky half smirk that his son was known for emerged from his lips. "No point in waiting." The black clothed man was about to jump into battle until the hollows closest to him dropped dead. "Huh?" He blinked in confusion at this unexpected development. Woeful wails attacked his eardrums, forcing him to cover his ear. In a matter of seconds all the hollows that surrounded Isshin died. Like before Isshin had not even so much as swung his blade.

"Sloppy as usual," said a mocking voice.

The midnight haired man widened his eyes in surprise. He should have known. He would recognize that reiatsu from anywhere.

"In your zealous you allowed the enemy to completely surround you. If you had taken to the air you could have easily used your Getsuga Tensho to clear them all away without fear of the destruction it would cause. Pitiful, Kurosaki," Ryuken berated his old associate. He looked down on Isshin from above the roof he was at, smirking. The white metallic bow in his hand still smoking from the arrow he had just fired.

He matched the Quincy's smirk. Isshin leap to the rooftop to join his ally. "It is easy to say that when you were out of sight and could pick them off before they even realized you were here," he quipped.

Ryuken made no outburst at his claims. "We do not have that luxury of one on one battles with honor."

"True enough," Isshin agreed with him. "I am a little surprised you showed up. You usually avoid battles."

"You are one to talk."

"Ouch, your tongue is sharper than usual. Sticking to the rooftops to avoid being seen by onlookers is cautious of you."

"Unlike you I am visible to mortal eyes. To avoid a lot of unwanted questions on why a grown man such as myself is running around town like a manic firing an imaginary bow and arrow I make sure to stay out of sight."

"You know all their memories will probably just be modified," Isshin pointed out.

"That would mean I would have to depend on the Soul Society. That is absurd." The white haired man walked away from him. "On my way here I ran into that woman."

Confusion overtook his brown eyes. Isshin blinked blankly. What woman was Ishida referring to? Wait that woman. Could he be talking about? "Do you mean Yoruichi?" He received an answer with a simple look that said of course you idiot. "Did she say anything?"

"It would appear that Urahara will be joining the battle soon."

Baffled by the Quincy's words Isshin continued to stare dumbly at him. "Urahara still isn't on the frontlines? What the hell is taking him so long?"

"Apparently he and his assistants are activating a Kido that will transport all the people of Karakura into a safe zone underneath his shop. As usual that man had scheme up his sleeve." He could just see Kurosaki's big dopey smile so clearly that there was no need to turn around to look at him. "The process takes some time. For the time being the only ones battling are Yoruichi, Sado-kun, Orihime-chan, you, and myself."

"Why isn't Uryu battling?"

"He was injured during our training session, although I imagine he will not heed my words and join the battle anyway despite his injuries." He frowned at his son's idiotic sense of righteousness. He told Uryu that he would go. On cue he felt the reiatsu belonging to his son moving out towards the healer. "There he goes."

"Yeah, but they are just small time hollows. Even wounded Uryu should be able to handle himself," Isshin remarked. Ishida would never admit this to anyone least of all him, but he worried about his only son when he flew off into danger.

"Hollows are not my concern. Those arrancar, the Privaron Espada are still looming. In his current condition he will not able to fight them off."

He couldn't lie to Ishida. They both knew the Privaron Espada was still roaming around. They organize this attack. "Are you going to go to his aid?"

"I have no intentions on cleaning up his mess. I warned him of the dangers. He must suffer the consequences of his own actions," he lectured.

Translation, yes I am going to rescue my son. Isshin rolled his eyes. Ishida always had to put up an act. He planned on calling him on out.

Ryuken continued, "We have our own concerns." The pests sniffing out a good meal in the shinigami and Quincy returned. "They are weak, but numerous. We'll have to handle them before we can do anything else."

Isshin nodded in agreement. "The kids are going to have to wait."

* * *

"Ichigo, wait up!" Tatsuki still lagged behind the carrot top. She conditioned her body for karate yet she still found it challenging to keep up with Ichigo. Even if she accounted for the head start he got his speed was still surprising. "Yo, I know you hear me! Slow down!" If anything Ichigo increased his speed. She wondered if he even heard her. That idiot! Sure he rushing off to play hero, but he didn't even take into account that the oversized monster was still hovering over that girl. At this rate he would reach them before she did. Her blood was actually boiling. "Fucking idiot! Ichigo go to your left!" she screamed. "Do you hear me? Go to your left to avoid that thing!"

"What?"

Thanking whatever deity that gave her this gift Tatsuki repeated herself. "Go to your left to avoid the hollow!" Ichigo dashed left unknowingly evading the hollow's stubby hand. "Good now duck!" Ichigo immediately went to the ground evading another strike. "Now is your chance. Go for her!"

"Got it!" Ichigo darted past his invisible assailant. He lifted the girl upwards, but he was not fast enough. The hollow struck him in the shoulder knocking both teenagers down. He fell hard on his shoulder. He let out a pained cry. It would bruise. He did manage to shield the girl from the blow. He rolled over just in time. The spot he was in was impaled by the hollow. Fighting blind was not an enjoyable experience. He had no idea where that masked bastard was and that limited his movements.

"Keep moving right!" commanded Tatsuki. She stopped to direct him.

The former vizard rolled over a second time with his fellow student. He relied on Tatsuki's directions. Thanks to his eldest friend he had missed another attack that tore through earth. He pushed himself and the girl up. From there it was a simple case of running as fast as his legs could care him. He put the girl over his shoulder so they would not lose speed. "Run!" he told Tatsuki the obvious. If it were not for the situation he was sure she would have had some snappy comeback. They urged their legs and feet to go as fast as they could. Tatsuki voluntarily fell back a decision he was against, but she reasoned she could see the hollow and he couldn't. So reluctantly he let her fall back some to guide them away from the hollow. Ichigo mused how running from a hollow had his heart racing and his legs burning. Half year ago he would have been able to cut this hollow down with a swing of Zangetsu. It was different. He didn't expect the rescue to be easy without his powers. He wasn't stupid. Despite feeling overwhelmed the sense that everything would work out didn't come. The need to succeed was still there, but for once his body was not responding. There was no surge of strength that took hold of him and allowed him to continue. There was no miracle that allowed him to defeat the hollow. He was just a normal human running for his life, trying to desperately save one life. He felt like if he could do this. If he could save this girl's life that he could still be useful. He felt like he could still protect them, protect her. If he could save one life he could protect Orihime. "I can do this," he whispered to himself. "I can do this!" He pushed back the pain he felt in his legs. Shinigami powers or not his will would not be broken. It wasn't a question if he could save this girl it was question of how long was he going to keep feeling bitching about how much easier this would be with his shinigami powers and do what had to do. "Tatsuki where is it?"

"It is right behind me. That thing is getting faster," she warned.

"I am going to pass you the girl and am going to keep that thing busy." She shot him the oddest look he had ever seen on her face. It was disbelief and admiration.

"What are you going to do?"

"Let me worry about that!" Ichigo pulled back and handed the girl to Tatsuki. Once he made sure that Tatsuki had the girl on her back he stopped running. This was brilliant plan right? Forsaking reason Ichigo clenched his right hand into a fist. He spun around and charged forward blindly. "Aaaahh!" He threw a punch at what appeared to be thin air. It came into contact with something. He didn't stop there. He threw one wild punch after another taking the fact that he was still standing as assurance that his punches had some effect. _'I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!' _he chanted. He summoned all of his strength, all of his power and channeled it into his fist. Letting out a battle cry slammed one last punch with everything he had on to the hollow. Victory, his heart told him that he had succeeded. He had pushed the hollow back. A wide grin appeared. "I did it."

Wham!

It slapped him across the cheek. His head almost snapped from the near whiplash he experienced. Everything was quiet. He couldn't hear Tatsuki's terrified shouts; even his heart's beating was deaf to him. The wind caressed his skin. The wind couldn't have picked up. He was sent flying through the air. He remembered this feeling. He remembered how it felt to be a slave to gravity, being unable to correct his course. The ground made contact with his body. He skidded twice scrapping his right side then falling on his back. His body screamed at him for doing such reckless act. The brain rebooted. The ex-substitute urged his body to get up. His body had other plans. It refused to move. When the reboot finished he could know register the pain in his right side. His ribs were probably broken. It was only through past experiences that he was able to choke back the wail of agony. _'Get up,' _Ichigo ordered. His body would obey. _'Get up! Come on! I have to get up and fight!' _He managed to get on his knees he could not move without holding his sides to relieve some of the stinging. _'Get up now! I have to get up! I have to fight! I have to win! I need to win! Get the hell up already!' _He tried to stand, but wobbled. However, his body refused to carry the weight and he collapsed. In frustration he hit the dirt field as hard as he could. "Shit! Is this my limit! Are you telling me my body can't do more than this?" He closed his eyelids tightly. Images of his past battles played before him. All the times he had fallen and gotten up were vibrant. Being impaled by swords, having his body burned by pure spiritual energy, thrown into mountains, all of that was much worse than what he was feeling now, but he couldn't get up. How could he not find the strength to stand after getting knocked on his ass? So he broke a rib, big deal. He had a hole in his chest and lived to tell about it! He could beat this. Ichigo forced back the pain to the deepest recesses of his mind. He pushed his hands against the dirt and forced his body up. He returned to his knees. Next he got on to his feet albeit his body trembled from the strain. His hand still rested on his injured ribs. "I won't fall." He shook his head. "No. I can't fall, not here. I have to stand up. I have to fight."

The brown orbs moved from left to right, searching for something that they could not see. This did not stop Ichigo. His damn body wasn't even trying to be cooperative. He ignored it and continued his fruitless search. He was shoved back to the ground alerting him to the hollow's current position. The orange haired man chuckled to himself. The hollow was going to be sorry for that. Ichigo picked his body up. He swung at the hollow wherever it was. It was him who ended up on the ground. He repeated the process and each time he landed on the ground until his body was unresponsive. "G….Get up," he breathed out. _'In the end is this all I can do without my power? Am I really unable to save one single life as I am now? Am I unable to protect all of them?' _Images of his sisters, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro, the freshman Izo, Chad, Uryu, Rukia, and finally Orihime flew by. She appeared. His greatest failure the one person he regretted being unable to save more than anyone, the woman who had given him everything, including her own life. _'You are telling me that I am going to let them all down like I did you mom? Is this all I am good for?' _"I am powerless to do anything." The determination died. He gave in to his body's bitching. He laid there waiting for death.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

It was her. Life returned to his eyes. The former vizard moved his head to see his goddess. She moved at speeds he had never seen her run before. Instantly she was at his side. Her flawless face plagued with fear. Her brow furrowed. The hazel eyes that he loved glistened as she fought back tears of sadness or frustration. He felt like a real heel for reducing her to this. "Soten Kisshun, I reject!" He was encased in a golden dome.

He felt the pain disappearing. Strength and energy poured into his body. Her healing power was simply out of this world. It felt different from how Rukia used to heal him with Kido during his early days. The sun itself became his strength. "Orihime." It was the only word he found the strength to say. That was enough for her. The creases on her face lessened. She lit up like a 100 watt light bulb.

"Ichigo," she said breathlessly. "Thank goodness you are alright." She let go of the breath that she had been holding. She wasn't too late. Dark memories of his nearly permanent death at the hands of her old capture, Ulquiorra made themselves known before she shook them away.

"How is he, Orihime?" Tatsuki with the unknown girl on her back came into view. The girl was unconscious perhaps the excitement getting the best of her.

"He'll be fine." She let her fears get the best of her. These wounds were not life threatening. They were easily mended with such weak reiatsu infecting the wounds. In a minute she was done. Ichigo was as good as new. Ayame and Shun'o dropped the dome and returned to the hairpins. Ichigo got up slowly. Unable to control herself she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "I am so happy you are alive!"

"What happened? Weren't you fighting?" he asked trying to catch the breath Orihime was squeezing out of him.

"Ai, I defeated the hollows. When I was done I saw that you were on the ground and Tatsuki-chan was rushing to aid you. I used Tsubaki to destroy the hollow and rushed over to heal you as quickly as I could," she explained.

She saved him. He was helpless and she was the one to save him. Their positions had reversed. He did everything he could to prove that he could still protect her and in the end he needed her to save him. All his heroics did was worry her, distract her from the fight at hand. His actions actually put her in more danger than it did to take her out of it. Shame infected his heart. It told tales of his stupidity costing his Hime. Protecting her, ha that was a laugh. He had burdened her. Yet another thing this situation had in common with his mother. He tried to save a girl that turned out to be the Grand Fisher's lure. He should have been killed, but his mother saved him at the sacrifice of her own life. What if he had put Orihime in a similar situation? If his action caused Orihime her death he could never forgive himself.

He tensed up. She let go of him. She looked into his eyes she did not see the spark that was normally there. The chocolate shaded eyes were almost dead. This made her heart weep for this wasn't her Kurosaki-kun. "Ichigo," she said loud enough for only him to hear. He didn't respond. That scared her. Pride had been injured after being bested by a simple hollow, but she did not expect him to take it this hard. Did her saving him worsen his mood? Should she be around him right now? This situation was new for her. She wanted to give him some space, so as not to emasculate him, but she wanted comfort him as well. Which was the correct action to take?

"I am sorry."

Her mouth fell open. Of all the things she expected to hear him say sorry was not one of them.

"I put you in danger didn't I?"

Put her in danger? What was he talking about? How did he put her in danger?

"I bet you were worried about me. I took your mind off of the battle. That could have cost you your life. I almost….I could have gotten you killed."

"Don't say that. You could never put me in danger," she insisted.

Ichigo shook his head. That was a bold face lie and she knew it. He had put her in danger. His powerlessness endangered both of their lives just as Tatsuki had predicted. He couldn't stand to be in his own skin. If he could he would rip the flesh off him and be anyone else. Shame was numb when a much stronger sense of self-loathing wrapped around him.

The small hands rested themselves on his cheeks. She drew his face towards hers. Their brown eyes met each other. Her lips curled into a warm smile. "Please do not be hard on yourself. Look I am perfectly fine. You didn't put me in anymore danger."

He wanted to believe her, but he couldn't. That wasn't the truth.

The healer took a deep breath. "Ichigo…."

"Orihime, more of them are coming!" warned Tatsuki.

She took her eyes away from Ichigo. The hollows had destroyed the gates in their journey. It looked like her heart to heart with her beloved would have to wait. She released his face. Their numbers were even greater than before. Orihime stood to her full height. Ichigo followed suit.

"We have to get this girl some help," Tatsuki revealed. "There is no telling how long she can hold out."

"Put her down," Orihime instructed. Tatsuki did just that. She called on Ayame and Shun'o. They formed the golden dome around her. The girl was healed as good as new, her eye full restored thanks to her ability to reject events. She remained unconscious. "We have to get her to the school before more hollows attack." She turned to a forlorn Ichigo. "Kurosaki-kun, do you think you could get her to the school building?" She hoped if he had a task his mind would not be on his failed rescue attempt. "You are faster than Tatsuki-chan and we need to get her out of here a quickly as possible," she reasoned.

Pity, did she pity him? The last thing he needed was her to feel sorry for him. He hadn't fallen that far that he needed to be given little assignments just to feel important. He would have thought she knew him better than that. "Don't patronize me, Inoue. Say what you mean. I am in the way right? You need me to get out of your way. At least be honest with me!" he screamed causing her to jump. That hurt look appeared on her face. His conscious made him feel guilty, but the rage boiling up inside of his heart was overpowering it. "I don't need your pity! I sure as hell don't need you to make up something just so I can feel like I am important! I am not a child, so don't treat me like one!"

"I didn't…..I was just trying…."

"Help!" he finished her sentence for her. The healer shook her head, but he didn't believe her. "If you want to help me don't lie to me! The least you can do is be honest with me! I deserve that much!"

"I am sorry. I didn't mean any harm…."

He cut her off, "Of course not! You just thought you could make up something and that I would jump at the chance to do it. Are you that naïve?"

She didn't know what to do. He had never been so angry at her before. He never screamed at her. This was the first argument that had one of them just shouted at the other one since they became a couple. She just wanted to keep him from picking himself apart. Now he was doing that to her. He chipped away at her. She felt like such a horrible person. He was right. He had never tried to give her some meaningless job to make her feel useful. He respected her more than that. It seemed that respect was not mutual. She hugged herself. The lump formed in her throat. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't a baby. It didn't mean his words hurt any less. "I am sorry," she whispered again. "I was…."

"Stop making excuses!" Orihime flinched.

Having heard enough of this Tatsuki grabbed Ichigo by the collar. No one, no one, not even Ichigo could make Orihime feel two inches tall and get away with it. Big sister mode activated. Her brown eyes radiated with a dragon like wrath. "Stop it already! Can't you see she feels bad?"

"Stay out of this, Tatsuki."

"So you can keep yelling at Orihime? I thought you had more sense than that? Don't go taking your anger out on her! She was just trying to help you without hurting your pride! But you have your head so far up your ass that you can't even see that! She apologized to you. It is over now, but you kept picking at her! What kind of man are you? Huh? Answer me, Ichigo! What is it? You can protect everyone else, but when they can't protect you? Are you that arrogant? I thought your need to protect people was nobler than that, but you are acting like a spoiled brat!"

"Don't presume you know how I feel! The truth is you don't know how I am feeling at all right now! But as usually you have to stick your big damn nose in it!"

"Kurosaki-kun," the healer started.

"Like always you try to do everything on your own like ego centric asshole!"

"Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said.

"Now apologize to Orihime this instant. She didn't deserve that and you know it, Ichigo." He turned his cheek to her. He succeeded in pissing her off even more. "Ichigo!" she started again. If looks could kill Tatsuki's would have ended Ichigo's life minutes ago. The ex-substitute managed to rival it. Orihime watched from the sidelines, unsure of how to resolve the conflict between the two people she loved most. She tried to form words. The pressure around her increased tenfold. A near bottomless ocean of misery washed over not just her, but everything. Tatsuki hands went to her head. The raven haired girl fell to her knees.

"Tatsuki-chan!"

"Tatsuki!"

The skies cracked opened again another dimensional rift opened up. Creatures clawed their way out of there to get to the other side. Ten black shapes emerged from the rift. Their height exceeded the height of most buildings in Karakura. They stood six stories tall. Their skin was as black as night. They sprouted holes in the center of their chests. Spikes went around the collar of their necks. The arms were long, with thin long nail like fingernails that were sharper than any nail. Their faces were covered with white masks with elongated noses on it.

Orihime couldn't believe her eyes. Surely this was a trick or some kind of hallucination. She shook her head to rid herself of this vision, but it was to no avail. There they still were.

Tatsuki had given into pure terror when her eyes fell on that….abomination. "What is that thing? It is huge! I mean it is Godzilla huge!"

Orihime replied, "Menos Grande."

Ichigo furrowed his brow. His old friend surprise visited his face. "Menos Grande are here too! They only show up here unless someone was controlling them. This is a coordinated attack," he said in realization. Did this have to do with what his father was keeping secret from him? "What type are they?" he asked her.

"Gillians," she answered.

An army of hollows with ten Gillians and all of them were heading here. What the hell was going on? Ichigo pondered that, but one thing came in mind. _'If I only had my powers…'_

Uryu jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The Gillians appeared he stopped in his tracks. He was stunned by their enemy's tactics. "Is their goal the utter destruction of Karakura? All these people are in danger. How can we battle them if all these people are caught in the middle?"

"Tessai-san, how is it coming?" Kisuke asked his old friend. He watched the former Kido Corps captain place one pillar on the hand drawn pentagon that was in the middle of the shop.

Tessai wiped his brow admiring his hard work. "Boss, this is the last one. You can finish it."

"Thank you for all your hard work." Tessai as usual brushed it off. Kisuke clapped his hands together. The palms of his hands were covered in bright green energy. The pentagon and the five pillars glowed in the same bright green. "With this everything is complete."

**Urahara enacts his plan! The battle shifts to the next level.**

* * *

**It is not the best battle sequence I admit. I focus more on relationships and how people were dealing with this like Isshin and Karin or Ryuken and Uryu and of course Ichigo and Orihime. I think this is the first real major argument they have had since becoming a couple. The irony is chapter 7 Orihime who yelled at Ichigo for not understanding how she felt powerless. Gild, Antonio, and Esteban are there, but they haven't entered the battle yet. They are just trying to cause as much anarchy as they can before the fight, which is why they brought in some Gillians at the end. Next chapter I think they will enter the battle themselves. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it. If you want to give me a gift please review. **


	41. The Next Phase 2

**It has been forever since I updated this story. This chapter took me a while to make. I haven't forgotten about it. Sorry for the month of no new chapters. I have been meaning to update this, but other things got involved including writers block. No major battles in this chapter yet. It is more of a set up for the major battles. Once again this chapter revolves around multiple characters. There are more mistakes than usual. I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. I'll fix it up later. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

Everything started just like any other day. Things were slow, a bit dull. Adults marched to work. Teenagers and kids went to school. Nothing unusual had happened. He fully expected nothing of any real importance to happen. The day was that perfect mix of spring and summer weather. It was warm, but not hot. There was a light breeze that kept things cool and refreshing. All in all he expected the day to be extremely ordinary. That annoyed him somewhat. He hoped for something exciting to happen to shake up this little slump he felt they were in. Well he got his wish. There was nothing dull about running for your life while huge monsters that came right out of nightmares chased after you. Those dull days he complained about looked far better by comparison. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, dodging the panicking crowds that ran rampant in the streets. If that was not the least of his worries he had to make sure he stayed together with his much too short for this mob. That was easier said than done.

"Mizuiro, are you still with me?" Keigo shouted, hoping his voice had gone over the frightened screams of the people around them. A man nearly blitzed him forcing Keigo to jump out of the way. That was unfortunately not the only person to collide with him. Onslaught of people continued to push him further away. The brunet bravely fought his way through. "Mizuiro! Can you hear me, Mizuiro?" The wave of people impeded his progress.

"Keigo!" called back the dark haired young man.

Relief crept on his face. Mizuiro was safe. He had no idea just how fast his heart raced when he realized the sarcastic cell phone enthusiast was out of his sight. If those monsters, hollows had gotten a hold of him there was no telling what would have happened to Mizuiro. According to what hat and sandals guy hollows ate souls. The imagery of that made him cringe.

"Where are you?" Keigo called back. He threw himself in between two large men. One of them gave him a frightening glare, but did not stop running. Luckily for Keigo the man valued his life more than settling a score.

"I am back here!"

Great what did here mean? Mizuiro was too damn short to be seen over this crowd of giants. When people get so tall anyway? "Keep talking to me, so I can follow your voice!"

"Can you still hear me?" Mizuiro asked. He had been knocked down by heavy set person who despite his girth ran surprisingly fast. Mizuiro was stepped on by the distressed and chaotic people. He was just happy there was a break in feet that allowed him to get back up. By the time he had returned to his feet Keigo was out of sight. He ran with the wave of people and hoped that he could find his loud mouth friend. His strategy was successful because now Keigo was calling him. All he had to do was keep shouting until they reunited. "Keigo, can you hear me?" he tried again.

"Yeah! Just stay put! I am coming!"

He heard the unmistakable grunts of a struggling Keigo doing his best to go against the flow of people. "Keigo, just stay where you are and I'll get to you! It is easier for me to get to you since I am running with everybody else than it is for you to run against them!" he reasoned.

It made sense Keigo's stubborn nature prevented him from staying put. Arisawa told him to run from that incarnation of fear itself, Aizen and he did, leaving her at his mercy. He was too afraid to argue with her to stay and ran. He wasn't going to do that this time. "No way! I am coming over there to get you!"

"Don't be difficult, Keigo! I am still moving towards you!" Mizuiro could not stop even if he wanted to. He felt someone or rather a large number of people shoving him forward.

"Dumbass, I told you to stay put!"

Mizuiro scuffed at such a claim. Who the hell did Keigo think he was, Ichigo? "That is my line. Stop trying to act all cool Asano-san!" He added the last part just to tick off his oversensitive friend. On cue he heard a giant huff. No matter what the situation it seemed that Mizuiro could still annoy Keigo with the minimum of effort.

"Stop ruining my moment here! I am just trying to help you! But no you have to crap all of over my moment and make fun of me! I should leave you here to rot in this coward of giants you shrimp!" Tears of frustration poured out of his eyes. Keigo blindly rushed the people threatening to keep him apart from his friend. With a surprising strength he broke through the sea of people. Mizuiro was such a damn brat! He was going to give him a piece of his mind. He squeezed himself through one more person before running straight into the dark haired boy. The impact caused both boys to land on their backsides. Both were forced to evade the deadly shoes that beat on the concrete. Keigo's hands went to his nose. How his nose got injured when Mizuiro only came up to his shoulder was unknown to him. He just knew his poor nose was aching. Mizuiro rubbed his forehead, which had suffered a blow from their collision. "Mizuiro!" cheered Keigo completely forgetting his anger. He hopped back to his feet instantaneously. He offered a hand to Mizuiro, who accepted it. He lifted him back up, a task that was quite difficult thanks to scrambling people. "I finally found you!" he continued. He wrapped his arms around Mizuiro in glee.

Mizuiro squirmed at Asano's unwanted touch. Keigo did not understand personal boundaries. He already had his personal space taken away by the terrified crowd. "Keigo, let go of me!" The brown haired boy's grip strengthened to Mizuiro's dismay. "Keigo!" he yelled. At last he had gotten Keigo's attention. "Please let me go," he came close to whining. For once Keigo did what he was asked. A sigh of relief came over Mizuiro. One trouble was resolved at least. If only that was the worst problem they had. "Most of these people can't even see where the hollow is," he remarked. "They are just running out of fear and have no idea where to go."

"Yeah, I know." Keigo's eyes followed the blur of people racing for their lives. Fear was a powerful force, an entity even. There was no rationality for these people. They shoved each other out of the way, not caring of age. The elderly and even the children were forced aside by grown man. Morality was a lost concept. Chaos now ruled the land. "The entire town has gone crazy. I wanted to try to call my sister and my parents to see if they were alright, but my phone got knocked out of my hand a ways back. It probably got crushed by someone," he mused.

"You can use my phone to call them if you want." Mizuiro offered his most prized possession. Keigo blinked in astonishment. Mizuiro offered him his phone. He lent Ichigo or Chad his phone, but never Keigo because he claimed Keigo was too reckless.

"For you to offer me your phone is something else. It must be an emergence," he joked, but accepted the phone none the less. "But shouldn't you call your parents first?"

Mizuiro smiled and shook his head. The smile was strained. Keigo had seen it many times whenever the topic of Mizuiro's parents came around. "I will talk to them later. If they did call me then I would know something is wrong."

Keigo frowned. He gave his friend a pensive stare. "Mizuiro…."

"It is fine, Keigo. I received a call from my father. He ensured me that my mother was fine and was checking on me. I am just happy he remembered."

Sensing that something was wrong Keigo kept staring at the dark haired young man. He wanted to question Mizuiro more, but the nagging feeling in the back of his head reminded him that his parents would be worried sick about him by now. He would assure them that he was alive and well then talk to Mizuiro. He dialed his mother's cell phone. He could hear both the fear and relief in her voice. She was just happy to hear from him. They made small talk. His sister and father were fine. He promised his mother he would be safe and she did the same. The conversation ended. "Everyone is good," he told Mizuiro.

Mizuiro gave a silent nod. Keigo returned his phone to him. "Do you think we should call the others and see how they are doing?"

"I don't know. Those guys all have these crazy powers. They are going to be fighting right?"

Understanding what Keigo was saying the cellphone enthusiast nodded along. "We don't want to distract them if they are fighting these things. What about Ichigo though?"

"What about him?" Keigo asked. He wasn't sure what Mizuiro meant.

Mizuiro wanted slap his forehead. How could Keigo be so thick? "Ichigo might be in trouble. Remember he doesn't have his powers anymore. We should check on him."

Keigo's clueless expression vanished with his confusion. "That makes sense. Ichigo will probably go to his sisters or wherever Inoue is to….." A barren heaviness fell upon them. Keigo's body trembled uncontrollably. His knees wobbled as if they were made of jelly. The chill crawled up his spine only encouraged him to fall on one knee. Mizuiro was quick to his aid. Like him the dark haired boy was experiencing his own bodily problems. His face became as white as a ghost. For once the air of relaxation was stolen from him. He seemed to have aged several years at once. "You feel it too then?" Keigo was glad that he was not the only one to feel that emptiness.

Color continued to evaporate from Mizuiro's face. "It is different from before." His bones felt frozen. His bones actually felt frozen. "What could cause this?" He looked over to Keigo, but found him frozen in terror at its purest form. His now silent friend's fear was so dense that he could taste it. He always took solace when Keigo was left speechless. This was not one of those times. His stomach felt very uneasy. He watched as Keigo opened his mouth, trying to form words. The only thing that came out was wordless noises that no human could comprehend. "What is it?" he asked in rush. Unable to answer Keigo merely pointed to a distance. He followed Keigo's finger. He wished that hadn't done that. What he saw pushed away any lingering tranquility. In the distance was a monstrous figure that towered over local homes and stores in the neighborhood. It was like a skyscraper. It was devoid of any color, leaving it lifeless black, with a large hole in the center of its chest. The white bone like mask was visible on its face. "T-that's a…that's a…..a h-hollow?" Mizuiro managed to mutter quietly.

Still speechless Keigo just nodded his head while jittering. _'We are so screwed. The whole town is going to get destroyed! What are we going to do! Ichigo how could you fight such monsters?' _Keigo shut his eyes. Maybe if he counted to ten he would wake up and find out that all of this was a dream. He opened his eyes, but the Godzilla sized hollow was still present. Running seemed like such a useless gesture now, neither of them moved an inch. They were too terrified to do anything, but watch as the hollow moved closer and closer into their home town. One thought formed in each of their minds. Who would save everyone with Ichigo gone?

* * *

Isshin drove his sword straight into the head of another hollow. He quickly pulled it out just in time to cut through another hollow they tried to attack him from behind. The shinigami jumped into the air evading two more hollows that rushed to tackle him. They prepared to pursue him when two blue arrows made of energy pierced their heads. They died before they even knew their attacker. The lone figure of Ryuken stood on a roof of building. His face was hardened. The blue eyes held not sympathy or remorse. Instead they were focused on completing the task at hand. He disappeared from sight and reappeared several yards back on a new roof. He took aim then fired off several arrows, instantly killing multiple hollows. He did not stop there the Quincy fired another round of arrows. The creatures of despair were obliterated from across the skies.

Isshin had achieved his desired height. He levitated in several miles from the air. He expelled his reiatsu hoping to bait his prey. He did not have a long wait. Hollows rushed at him from all sides, their desire to consume his soul drove their actions. A proud smirk materialized on Isshin's face. He raised his zanpakuto above his head. He channeled his reiatsu into his blade. White energy engulfed his blade completely immersing it. "Getsuga…." He swung his blade with all of his strength. "….Tensho!" A large wave of reiatsu blanketed the sky. It washed over the hollows, incinerating them, their whole bodies into ash. The white energy dispersed revealing no trace of the hollows consumed by it. Things were going much faster with Ishida aiding him. He thought that they would be able to settle things quickly after all, until the Gillians appeared. The enemy was using their large numbers to their advantage, but Isshin never thought they would send Gillians to the Human World. It was such a bold move. Did they not fear retaliation from the Soul Society or did they deduce that their forces would be so spread out that an all attack would be effective? The enemy's covert missions seemed to be over. If they were moving towards the Spirit Keystone they needed to stop them. There was also the town to consider. They couldn't exactly abandon it to go to the Keystone's location. All of Karakura Town's inhabitants would be at mercy of the infestation of hollows. With Gillians descending from the sky that option was even less favorable than before.

"Ishida!" he shouted. Isshin landed beside the Quincy. Ishida finished firing an arrow through another hollow over 50 yards away. He graced Isshin with a glance that could be described as annoyance.

"I already know. I am not oblivious. I sensed Gillian class Menos Grandes that have appeared," Ryuken blurted out before Kurosaki could start telling him useless thing. He prepared another arrow. "I am also aware that the enemy could be using this attack as a distraction, while they locate the Spirit Keystone. The three arrancar that I have sensed earlier have still not moved yet. They sent for back up, which is why the Gillians are here now. In the ensuing chaos they will start to move out. Is that about what you wanted to tell me?"

Isshin couldn't help, but chuckle. Damn know it all. He just loved to hear his own voice. "Ha, I didn't want tell you anything like that at all. I was going to ask if you could handle these guys alone. We have to take care of the Gillians before they actually set foot in Karakura or else there is not telling how many casualties they will cause. A lot of people have already lost their lives. We need to finish this fast."

"Hmph," he heard Ishida scoff. He turned around to see a clearly irritated white haired man glaring at him. "That is what you wanted to ask? You wasted your time and mine. Can I handle these hollows?" He enlarged his bow to its full size. He grasped the bowstring, drawing in the spirit particles in the atmosphere forming a new arrow. "Do you think I need a shinigami to help me? Allow me to free you from such thoughts." Ryuken finished drawing in all the spiritual particles he needed. He added his own innate reiatsu to the arrow to increase its power. He took aim then released the bowstring. Hundreds of arrows were seen racing through the air. They swarmed over the hollows, ripping through their bodies. Within seconds all of the hollows that had been present in the area were gone, without a single arrow going stray or harming any innocent bystanders. Isshin looked on with obvious admiration. He had forgotten just whom he was talking to. "I don't need your help, Kurosaki," he said with contempt. "In fact I think it is time for us to go our separate ways." Ryuken turned his back to the shinigami and walked away. "Of course knowing you, you probably have some delusion of taking out all the Gillians yourself so that the kids will not have to. Ignoring the fact that they are at the level where they can face Gillian level arrancar that they can obviously handle Gillian level hollows. There are ten in total and they are spread out through the town. It would be wiser to take out the Gillians closest to you then worry about the other ones. For the kids they can take out any Gillian that heads their way. After all they have been fighting all this time, haven't they?" Ryuken rode away on Hirenkyaku leaving Kurosaki to ponder his words.

"Always have to get the last word in eh, Ishida?" he said to no one. "You are already going into the direction of one of the Gillians instead of to where Uryu is. Even in the condition he is in you have faith he can fight on his own. I guess I should have faith in them as well." The shinigami used his form high speed movement, Shunpo. He flew off to the Gillian closest to him.

* * *

She didn't understand what was going on. How could Gillians be here in the Human World? Did their enemy really have that much power that they could gather Gillians and send them to the Human World? Normal hollows were already flooding the city, hurting innocent people. They found it necessary to bring in these giant monsters of despair. Normal humans would be devoured if they so much a breathed. Tatsuki was crippled by feeling their reiatsu. Tatsuki was not a person who was easily overwhelmed. Despite being around hundreds of hollows she was able to perceive their spiritual power without taxing her body. Ten, only ten Gillians and she were using every ounce of her mental and physical strength to get back to her feet. Most of the people in Karakura had no spiritual awareness, so they were spared from this side effect, but she was willing to bet that the evolved hollows possessed enough spiritual power that if a normal human were to come to contact with them that they would suffer from some ill effect. Her gaze went to her beloved. His handsome face was ravaged by terror and frustration. A simple gaze and she could comprehend the emotions that were rushing through him.

He wanted to fight. He needed to fight to protect them from the plague that had befallen them, yet he knew he could not do that. His sword had long since fallen. Now he was defenseless, powerless and nobody knew that better than he did. Orihime could understand him though. She knew exactly how it felt to be powerless to do anything. She could understand the self-loathing of being in such a position where you had to completely rely on someone else to fight, someone you that you love. Her heart longed for her to go over there to comfort him, but she still feared he was reeling from her unintentional patronizing of him. She shouldn't be thinking about that in the first place. She had to keep her mind focused on the hollows. If she didn't then people would lose their lives. Tatsuki and Ichigo could lose their lives just because of her need to make Ichigo feel better about himself. There would be time for that when everything was done. The healer had promised herself that she would protect him this time. She had been doing everything within her power to keep Ichigo out of the battle with the Privaron Espada. She could not let all of that hard work go to waste. He wouldn't like it, but in his current state he was too vulnerable.

"Kurosaki-kun, please take Tatsuki-chan and the girl to the school."

"Ori…..Inoue You can't go out there!"

Orihime closed her eyes and shook her head. She could not back down this time simply to spare his pride. She had to make him understand that he had to let her go on her own. "Please listen to me. I know you do not want me to be in danger, but you have to let me go. Ishida-kun and Sado-kun will need my help. They are out there fighting to protect everyone. I have to do the same."

What was she thinking? How could she forget how dangerous and terrible that Gillians were? Ever since he saw his first Gillian when he and Ishida had their duel he had not forgotten that sense of hopelessness it created when it ripped opened the sky. She expected him to just let her go alone. It was utter madness. Ten Gillians were a tall order for her even with Ishida and Chad helping. So many things could happen. What if her Santen Kesshun was broken in the middle of a fight? She could be seriously injured or even…. No he couldn't even think of that. That option wasn't even something he wanted to imagine. But that was the point she couldn't go fighting all these hollows. This wasn't a world she should be in. She only got involved because of him. He couldn't let her go into battle. If he could protect her from battle with a sword anymore perhaps he could convince her with his words. "Inoue, I can't let you go into battle on your own. Ishida and Chad are out there. They can handle it. If things get too out of hand I am sure that Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san will help out. You are a person who hates fighting. I can't watch you go into battle because of me. If I hadn't gotten you involved with any of this you would be a normal girl who wouldn't have to worry about this abnormal world." He balled a hand into a fist, clenched it tightly cursing himself for being so weak. "Because you got involved with me that you had to watch all of these battles you despise so much first the Soul Society then Hueco Mundo. Now even here you are still forced to watch and now participate in these battles. I can't even protect you from any of this. I….Inoue you can't go out there. You shouldn't have to put yourself in danger. I should be able to at least protect you from that! Ino…." He lowered his voice so that Tatsuki could not hear. "Orihime please be selfish just this once and stay out of this battle."

The ex-substitute pushed aside all his feelings of helplessness and his anger at himself. The desire to keep her safe overrode everything else. The steely chocolate eyes radiated with that desire and turned it on his Hime. If he had his powers he would be out there fighting, while she would stay here safe. But because they were gone she had to fight to try and replace him. It was his fault again. He loved her, but he kept putting her in harm's way. That wasn't what a boyfriend did. He was supposed to keep her safe no matter what the cost not hide behind her. He was pathetic. "Stay…Just stay," he said in a low almost dead tone.

He was attacking himself for things that were beyond his control. None of this was his fault. How could Orihime get him to see that though? He didn't throw her into this world. She made the choice to step into this bizarre world a year ago when she developed her powers. Urahara-san made it perfectly clear that she could have turned her head away that day Ichigo and Ishida-kun had their duel. Instead she chose to go into that world, to help Ichigo the best way she could with her powers. It wasn't just Ichigo, but all of her friends like Tatsuki-chan or Kuchiki-san then Ishida-kun and Sado-kun were added. More people were added on like Asano-kun and Kojima-kun. There was denying that in the past she did not carry her own weight and made things more difficult for the others by her lack of resolve or unwillingness to fight. There was a reason she went to the Soul Society to train with Kuchiki-san and why she had been training with Sado-kun now. They all helped to build her power. The goddess would use that very power to stand her ground. She would hold her head up high as an equal as she defended Karakura Town alongside her allies. This time she would protect everything she cherished.

He felt her grab his hand. She lightly stroked it, bringing him an unexpected peace. "Don't blame yourself. This is not your fault."

"But…." Orihime put her finger on his mouth to silence him. He respected her and ceased to speak.

"I chose to be involved in all of this. Like you I wanted the power to help everyone around me. I wanted to fight, so that I could help protect everyone. I have to help Ishida-kun and Sado-kun fight. I couldn't forgive myself if I did not use my power when it is needed. I have to do this just like you, Kuchiki-san, Ishida-kun, and Sado-kun had to come to Hueco Mundo to rescue me." She could see the uncertainty in plastered on his face. She cupped his cheeks and started to massage them with her thumbs, hoping to erase his misgivings. "I am not helpless."

"I know you aren't helpless, but…" He was interrupted by her bubbly giggle.

"I wasn't talking to you. That was directed at me. It was to remind me that no matter how tough things get that I can handle it. I won't be a burden anymore."

"You weren't ever a burden." This time he interrupted her. Ichigo placed his hands over hers that still rested on his cheeks. "I told you before that you are one of the strongest people I know. If you are doing this because you think you need to prove yourself."

Orihime shook her head at his suggestion. "No. I am not doing this to prove myself to anyone. I know I can help. I have this power for a reason. I want to be like Ichigo-kun." This seemed to baffle him. "You taught me how to keep going when everything seemed hopeless. You inspired me to trust in my own strength and the strength of my bonds with everyone." Mental images of Rukia, Renji, Sado, and Uryu ran through her mind. "The time has come for me to stop doubting myself has come. I'll fight with everything that I have and I will not give up no matter how hopeless it seems." The horrid memory of his lifeless eyes as her captor stole the life out of them with a simple gesture. "I won't give in this time." Those words were more for her than to him at this point. "Do you remember when we were on top of the dome when Ulquiorra died?" Not waiting for a reply the healer continued. "You promised me that you would end all of the fighting. I wish that I could make that same promise to you, but I am not nearly as strong as you. I can only promise you that I won't die. I'll come back to you. Please believe in me, believe in my strength."

He was speechless. One or two times he tried to form words, but he could not. Ichigo just stood there staring at the glimmering light brown eyes that had captured his heart. They shined with so much hope. No. He was misinterpreted it. It wasn't so much as hope as it was determination. That glow was from a fierce flame burning brightly. Ichigo knew in that instant that no matter how much he protested that she would not be deterred. He didn't see the fear that he saw in Hueco Mundo seven months ago. She wasn't that scared girl who desired to help, but filled with so much uncertainty that it nearly paralyzed her. The goddess stood before him reborn into a woman that reeked with confidence, one that knew exactly what she had to do. The strength he knew she possessed was being wielded to its full extent. The light orange haired boy could not look away from her nor could he shake the words she spoke. Believe, believe in her strength. Is that all it took? Didn't he owe her that much for giving him the same thing? He could already hear Rukia reprimand him for coddling Orihime with his overbearing protective nature. The raven haired shinigami was the one who told him that his friends were not helpless children that always needed him to protect them. Was this one of those times his protective nature was blinding him to her strength?

"I do believe in your strength, Orihime." He really did. It wasn't that he thought she lacked the strength to win. It was hard to explain. He couldn't lose her though. It was so hard to just let her go off to battle on her own. He would never be ok with letting her go, but he did have faith in her. "You mean so much to me. I….You know that I want to keep you safe. I can't do that. For once I can't protect you from any of this. I hate it. I took out my anger on you. I shouldn't have. I am not mad at you. Tatsuki is right. I am sorry for being such an idiot."

"It is alright. I understand."

Ichigo frowned at her. "No it is not alright! I shouldn't have taken out my frustrations out on you. You didn't deserve that. I hurt you." He trailed off remembering how much pain his words inflicted. He was so blinded by rage that he had missed it the first time he saw it. He felt like such an asshole. He moved her hands away from his face, but continued to hold them. "I have faith in you. But just be careful." He should have said something more encouraging words to her, but it was hard when he still did not fully support her decision to fight alone. He wanted to fight beside her, but he knew that was impossible. He couldn't even defeat a simple hollow. She had to save him. If he went out there with her he would split her focus on to him and fighting. Split focus in fights of life and death could end up getting her killed. It pained him to say this, but the best way he could protect her was to do as she asked and gotten to safety so she wouldn't worry about him. He gave her hands a loving squeeze hoping it was enough to show her what he could not say aloud. That beautiful sun inducing smile widened. With just a look she conveyed that she understood what he was trying to tell her. She promised to be safe and thanked him for knowing to let her go despite not wishing to do so. The almost golden orange haired man let go of her hands and turned to Tatsuki. He helped her by taking the girl before Tatsuki could. This freed her up to just worry about keeping her own body steady. She looked to be adjusting well. Her body was not shaking uncontrollably anymore. "Let's get going Tatsuki," he told her.

She was still pissed at him for yelling at Orihime, but judging by what she saw the two of them patched things up. She would demand an answer from either Ichigo or Orihime that he had apologized, but there were bigger matters to worry about such as this Menos Grande thing. For now she would let Ichigo pass just this once until the danger passed. Ichigo put the newly unknown girl on his back. "We have to head to the school and warn everyone still in there to stay inside."

Ichigo scoffed. "That will be easier said than done. How are we going to convince people to stay inside without sounding crazy?"

"It shouldn't be that hard. This craziness is happening all over town now right? Some parents have probably called their kids and warned them about it, so there should be people there willing to listen to us," Tatsuki pointed out.

Unable to find any flaw into her logic the former vizard nodded along with her. "Sounds logical enough," he stated, officially giving his approval. He turned to his Hime. Exchanging looks that were both affectionate and profound the carrot topped couple said nothing.

Feeling out of place Tatsuki ruffled the back of her hair uncomfortably. She gave them what she thought was long enough time before she interrupted them by clearing her throat. Immediately they broke eye contact. "Come on, Ichigo," Tatsuki said.

"Yeah, let's get going." With on last stolen glance Ichigo moved his legs towards the school building with Tatsuki in front of him.

Orihime watched as her two best friends run towards the building. Now that they were going to safety she could deal with the hollows that were coming there. The Gillians would go for the beings with the highest concentrated spiritual powers. There was a good chance that one of them would go for her. She could feel Isshin-san and Ishida-san were out there battling as well, so they would attract some of them. Sado-kun and Yoruichi-san were spread out in different places as well. She could not feel Urahara-san anywhere in the city, which she found odd. He must have had his reason for not fighting. Between the five of them they should gather at least five or six of the Gillians there. The other hollows were still swarming around. She couldn't afford to chase after any of the Gillians for fear of hollows attacking the school. They would be defenseless with her gone. "There are too many of them," she whined. What was she to do? As if to answer her question a bright green light washed over the ground. The healer jumped at the unnatural event. The bright greenness went beneath her feet. Her hand went to her hairpins to undo whatever it was that it was supposed to do, but no harm came to her. This only furthered to baffle her. A high pitched scream shot had the red haired princess shot her head to her back. The hazel eyes bulged out of their sockets. The green wave of energy had swallowed up Ichigo and the girl he was carrying, while it left Tatsuki untouched. Ichigo frantically looked over to Tatsuki. He opened his mouth probably to ask her what was wrong, but his words never came out. Instead he disappeared right before the two girls' eyes.

Tatsuki shouted, "Ichigo!"

A equally horrified Orihime screamed, "ICHIGO-KUN!" She felt something puncture her heart. Air rushed out of her lungs as she found breathing difficult. So many questions raced into her mind. What happened? Why did Ichigo disappear? What of his wellbeing? What if he was…. No that thought was absurd! The goddess wiped her mind of such thoughts. _'This is Ichigo-kun I am talking about. He would not die like that. I know he wouldn't die so easily. The only reason I can't sense him is because he does not have reiatsu for me to sense anymore. I know he is ok. I have to calm down. I have to calm down and think things through.' _She repeated those words to herself over and over it did little to relive her of any fear. The back of her mind there was still a nagging thought that she refused to acknowledge; an option that she continued to deny the right to exist. He wasn't dead she told herself again. She believed that with all of her heart. Doubt was not something she was willing to have.

* * *

The green wave of energy did not stop with Ichigo. It covered the entire school, causing the number of people to disappear without a trace. Its reach went all over Karakura Town. The majority of the population was blind to the wave's presence. They were taken away without even realizing it. The odd pair of best friends, Keigo and Mizuiro witnessed the green wave with their own eyes, but it did not move to consume them as it did the people around them. Both boys were wide eyed and slacked jawed (well in Keigo's case anyway). They were elbow to elbow with a restless and impatient crowd mere moments ago. Now they stood there alone.

"W-Wh-What happened?" stuttered a frightened Keigo. He could not stand still anymore, so he had taken to run around in circles with his hands over his head. "What the hell is going on here? Where did everyone go? Are we the last people alive? That would suck! There is so much that I wanted to do. If I had to be one of the last people alive I would have preferred to have my companion be a hot girl, so we could repopulate the species!"

Mizuiro ignored Keigo's ramblings. He was much better at controlling his outbursts than his panicking friend who had lost any sense of the word composure. Like Keigo he had many questions. He just was not sure they would all be answered. "Keigo calm down!" The words failed to go through. The brunet continued to run like a chick with his head cut off. The stress of being around a totally out of control Keigo was bringing on a headache. He was forced to message his temples. "Keigo!" he called out again. The result proved the same as before. "KEGIO!" screamed Mizuiro at the top of his lungs. The loud mouth heard him that time. Much to the cell phone enthusiast's joy he stopped yelling and running around. He looked Mizuiro straight in the eye. 'That is much better,' Mizuiro thought. "We can't panic. Remember those hollow monsters are still out there." He pointed at the behind him at the giant sized hollow strolling around from the distance. "If we are the only people left that means they will be coming for us. We have to get it together."

He knew Mizuiro was right. He took a few deep breathes. The fear that was bursting from him was pushed back into a container. The more ration part of his mind emerged. They needed to get out of the open foremost. They would be easy to spot. The question was where did they go? It wasn't like there a place they could hide out from hollows. Or was there? "Hat and sandals!" he exclaimed.

Mizuiro's face became puzzled. "What?"

"Hat and sandals' place, it has that underground bunker. I bet it is a place that hollows can't get to. If we go to his shop then we he will probably hide us down there."

Confusion evaporated and left happiness behind. "That makes perfect sense. If we use the alley ways we can get there without being spotted." Keigo gave his seal of approval with a thumb up. Quickly they raced towards the nearest alley. Fate was not on their side though. Three inhuman hollows dropped right in front of them. Both boys stopped in their tracks. Neither of them screamed. There wasn't enough time to. One of the hollows took a swipe at them. Frozen by their own primal fear the two young men couldn't even think. Their lives were about to end. Just as the sharp claw was about to come into contact with their skin it was stopped. The hollow let out a blood churning wail before it died right in front of them. In the center of its head was what looked to be an arrow made of blue energy. Soon the other two hollows were exterminated with two more of the mystery arrows. The hulking bodies disintegrated. Keigo and Mizuiro looked on, still frozen in place, but this time by shock rather than fear.

"Asano, Kojima-kun, are you two injured?"

Both of their heads went into the direction of the familiar voice. Ishida was standing there carrying the most unusual bow they had ever seen. Keigo couldn't help, but think of a spider's web. What had Mizuiro's interest was the fact that it was made of the same blue energy as the arrows were.

"I-Ishida!" Keigo said the name hesitantly. Unsure that if he spoke the name that the class president would fade away. Cool was a word not associated with Ishida. He was one of the biggest nerds at their school in Keigo's opinion. His eyes were focused on Ishida who had his bow outstretched before his body, taking the pose of a experienced archer, with that too focused gleam in his blue eyes, and he couldn't help, but think that Ishida was the definition of cool.

"Ishida! What happened to your shoulder?" question Mizuiro. After his eyes left the bow they traveled to the red spot on the right shoulder of the raven haired young man.

Hearing Mizuiro's words Keigo instantly realized what the short young man was talking about. "Are you alright? You should get that looked at!" As soon as the words left his mouth he felt stupid. Duh, of course he had to get that looked at.

Ishida did not display any concern for their inquiries. He remained stern as always. "Do not worry about this. You didn't answer my question. Are you two injured?"

Mizuiro answered for them, "No."

The glasses cladded man's face loosened a bit. "Good. You two better stick close to me. There are still many hollows hovering around."

"Um do you know what that green light was all about?" Mizuiro continued to question.

Uryu replied, "Judging by the fact that you two are still here, while the majority of everyone else has vanished I can only guess that Urahara-san has done something that has transported people with no spiritual power to a safe location to allow us to fight the hollow invasion without having to worry about innocent bystanders. I assume that the two of you are still here because you posse some spiritual power that allowed you to remain unaffected."

"We aren't the only people alive then?" Keigo blurted out. Ishida shot him a look that said he was an idiot. Keigo has enough sense to feel embarrassed.

"Doubtful. Urahara-san always has a trick or two up his sleeve. I wouldn't put it passed him to do something like this without telling us." He chuckled at the former shinigami captain's smiling face flashing before his memory. "He really is an unpleasant man." The half smirk on his lips contrasted his words. Just as soon as the smirk appeared it disappeared. The Quincy's business like demeanor returned. "We have to move."

Keigo and Mizuiro blinked at the Quincy's declaration. Neither knew exactly where they were going. It was Mizuiro who voiced their confusion aloud. "Where are we going?"

Uryu walked passed his two friends. "To the school," he replied.

"The school," both of them repeated.

"But why are we going to the school and not hat and sandals shop?" Keigo asked.

"Truthfully I would like to take you two there and go to the school on my own, but my injuries are more of a hindrance than I anticipated. They have started to bleed through my bandages. I am not confident that I could lead you two to Urahara-san's shop and head back to the school."

"Why do you need to go to the school at all?" Keigo continued to question.

"Inoue-san is there. She can heal me, so that I can fight." He started to walk off again.

Not wanting to be left behind Mizuiro and Keigo followed closely behind him. "Are you sure you are up to the trip?" Mizuiro inquired. "It is a good distance from here."

"I will be fine. We just need to keep moving." His grip on his bow tightened. The pain in his shoulder was burning anew. Pain was something he was use to with all the battles he had been, but it did not make it any easier to ignore. Uryu's plan was to get to the school as fast as he could. With Kojima-kun and Asano with him now he would have to slow down his pace considerably. He couldn't just leave them to fend for themselves. With their spiritual power they would attract hollows. They needed someone with them who could exterminate any hollow that developed a taste for their flesh. "We are going to have to pick up the pace." Uryu jogged off. He neglected to use his full speed so that they could keep up. Keigo and Mizuiro jogged after them. He expected to hear Asano overdramatic protests about why they needed to run. Asano remained quiet. Instead he followed him without making a peep. The archer could not help, but muse that Asano's silence was long desired, but when it happened nothing good came of it. The trio race off to their high school not suspecting the danger that loomed over them.

* * *

"El Directo!" Sado unleashed another powerful burst of reiatsu. The white discharge crashed straight through a hollow, ending its life. The silent giant journeyed from downtown to mid-town. Along the way he had dispatched as many hollows as he could. He even rescued the shinigami assigned to Karakura Town. To the afro shinigami's credit he had taken out a good number of hollows, but he was simply overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. In no time Sado had eliminated all of them. The shinigami gave his thanks. They parted instantaneously. The shinigami had the same idea as he had to battle more hollows to defend the citizens of the Human World town.

He used the roof tops to avoid as many people as he could to keep his power hidden. An unknown green energy swept across the town. Sado watched as all the people below vanished. Alarmed at first he had no time to question it when the hollows surrounded him. With no more food supply other than himself it was easy to see why he was their new target. The tanned skinned man easily plowed through them. The small fry hollows were of no concern. They had bigger problems with the Menos Grande that appeared on the outskirts of town. They were making their way to Karakura. They had to be disposed of before they caused any extensive damage.

"I don't have time for small fries. I won't hold anything back so I can rush through all of you." The hollow powered human dashed forward at super human speeds. The towering figure of the Gillian class Menos became bigger and bigger. Finally he had gotten close to it. _'There are ten in total. I have to kill it quickly before it notices me and can counter. I'll have to use my right arms true form and attack its head to kill it. That should be enough to finish it without having to use more power than I have to.' _The plan was formulated. His brain quickly analyzed it for any gaping holes that could cost him. When he found no large flaw he jumped off the ground, taking to the sky like a rocket. His right armored hand clenched into a tight fist he dug deep within him to draw his true power. The shift between his current arm and the shielded version was about to take place when a giant figure cut Sado off, forcing him to use his reiatsu to push on thin air to avoid it. The first thing his eyes saw was a large toothy grin that was as twisted as it was large. His brow furrowed as he gritted his teeth. The two giants fell to the ground across from each other. Both of their gazes were locked on straight at each other. They did not blink. They did not move. They were essentially statues, frozen in a pose.

"Found you, Sado Yasutora," barked the arrancar.

"Gild," growled Sado.

"Don't sound so surprised. I told you we would settle things. This time there won't be anyone interfering." He took a battle pose and revved up his reiatsu. The human's collected expression was not broken. He looked unimpressed by Gild's display of power. The jubilation coursing through his veins made the demented grin widen more. "That's what I like about ya! Ya keep a cool head. This is the battle I have longed for all these months! My strength against your strength! Which one will prevail?"

The 106th arrancar was just as talkative as he remembered. The Gillian would have to wait. He had bigger things to concern himself with. The last time he saw the dark skinned arrancar he was barely able to stand. He had been training for almost two months since his last disastrous battle. Now was the time see if all of his hard work bore any fruit. The black armor encasing his right arm transformed into its shielded form.

"Oh. I see ya are starting off at full power."

"There is no point in holding back at this point. You want to finish our battle that is fine with me."

"Hmm, that does make a lot of sense. No need to hold back since we are familiar with each other now." He freed his zanpakuto from its sheath. He ran the blade down his chest. "Break and build Mayor Poder!"Crimson energy erupted from his body. The former Espada underwent his dramatic transformation. His human opponent stood there still unfazed. He charged his reiatsu to brace himself from Gild's resurreccion. The energy dissipated leaving the massive muscle bonded arrancar. Once more he towered over the giant that was Sado, making the human look short in comparison. Blood lust had overtaken him. Gild could hardly contain himself. He slammed his overgrown fist together. It was as if thunder had crashed down to the earth. "Let's go wild!"

Sado put his right arm out in front of him. "I'll show you how much I have changed in the last two months."

"Well it looks like we came here just in time," said nonchalant voice.

"It is your damn fault!" accused another rougher voice. "I knew we should have left sooner, but you had to pick out a stupid tie to wear. You are such a loser baldy!"

The first voice moaned in dissatisfaction. However, he chose to ignore his hackler. "Kisuke did something about all the humans."

"It looks there are only beings with more than a significant amount of reiatsu are left down there," said a third more poetic voice. He brushed his overflowing golden locks.

"So we only got fighters and some spiritual aware humans down there. That shouldn't be…." He silence by a kick to the face. He let out a woeful moan.

"Dumbass! Who do you think you are ignoring people like that?" the second voice screamed.

"You are the dumbass! We got more important stuff to worry about you know!" the first voice screamed.

"There they go again."

"Yes. They really can be exhausting."

"Yo, we don't have time for this."

The two enraged people stopped their quarrelling. Despite their inability to get along for more than five minutes they knew how to put aside their differences to come together. All the murmuring stopped. The group of eight readied their swords. Hovering in the sky was the most mismatched group of people that most had ever seen. On the far left stood a very round man with pink hair and mustache, to his right stood a young woman wearing a sailor school uniform. In front of the girl stood the golden haired man with flowing hair, to his right stood a taller man who wore sun glasses and has an afro. On the far right there was a light gray haired man in cargo pants with his hands in his pockets. Right beside him was a green haired girl with a bubbly almost ditz like expression on her face. There was a little girl in pig tails carrying a sword on her back. In the center of the group was a blond haired man. He wore a gray suit with a black necktie. He smirked.

"Well this should be fun," Shinji muttered.

**Reinforcements arrive! The Vizards join the battle.**

* * *

**The vizards have entered the story at last. The rematch between Sado and Gild has started. The other fights with the Privaron Espada should start next chapter. If everything goes as planned I think I can move the fights along without having to take up a lot of chapters. I was planning on having Ichigo apologize after the battle ended, but it felt more natural to have him say it now. I think the last thing he would want is to have Orihime go into battle believing he was angry at her. **

**Sorry for the long wait. I hope to get the next chapter up sooner. Sucks my hiatus started around Bleach's holiday breaks and three week break. That was bad timing lol. I hope you enjoyed it. **


	42. The Masked Soldiers

**I haven't forgotten about this story. I had a lot on my plate and took me a while before I could finish this chapter. This chapter actually has the Vizards in it. I hope that makes up for taking so long to update this. Good news is I have a clear picture of how I want to end this story. I have the major events planned now. Sometimes those are subject to change as I see fit. I think you guys will enjoy what is to come. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own some of the characters like Antonio.**

* * *

"This is getting tiresome!" screamed an infuriated Isshin. He had found himself surrounded by yet another mismatched group of hollows. How many more of them were left at this point? All he had been doing since he jumped in was cut down the devourers of souls. He had lost count of how many hollows his sword had sliced through by now. Surely he had to have cut down a hundred at least. If that was true though there would not be so many remaining hollows. The shinigami huffed. "Let's get this over with already!" he demanded. The masked menaces did as asked. They charged at him in blood thirsty glee. In a fluid motion Isshin unsheathed his zanpakuto and cut them all down. Cries of agony sung through the crisp afternoon air, but he did not stay there to hear them. He flew off into the direction of the ever closer Gillian. "Shit. These guys are taking up too much of my time. I have to kill that Gillian before he reaches the city. If it gets here it will cause a whole lot of destruction. " It was fortunate that he city had become deserted, curtsey of Urahara and one of his crazy inventions. The flash of green light that had taken all of the residents below could have only been his doing. After all, their enemy had no use for humans in their plan to destroy the Spirit Keystones. With the innocent bystanders out of the way he and all of his allies were free to cut loose. That was one blessing, but every blessing had strings attached to it.

His many years of experience taught him that. He could still sense smaller groups of spiritual power spread out across Karakura. Whatever Urahara did it only took away people with average amount of reiatsu or lower. Anyone who could see spirits would have an unusual high amount by human standards. Those people were the small spiritual powers he sensed now. With all their prey all but gone the hollows would target those people specifically. The Gillians starved for souls would head to where the hollows went, seeking to fest on both hollow and human alike. Isshin suspected that in their rush they would cause a great deal of destruction along the way. "Was it too much to hope that he would switch Karakura Town with another replica?" The midnight haired mid-aged man soared through the blue skies at speeds rivaling bullets. It looked like Ishida was right. He would have to leave the other Gillians to them and focus on this one. Not bothering to put his blade away Isshin tightened his grip on the handle. If he planned this just right he could defeat the hollow in one blow. The symbol of dread came into view. Its giant form overshadowed the streets of their fair town. With every step it took it caused the earth beneath its feet to quake. Immediately the Gillian set its sights on him. It sensed his reiatsu and deemed him a suitable meal for it to consume.

The oversized hollow opened its large mouth and unleashed a beastly roar that would strike fear within even the most vicious of predators' hearts. The roar held no power over the shinigami. To Isshin the roar was no more frightening than a baby's cries. A boastful half smirk found its place on his lips. "Roar all you like. It won't make a difference." He zipped across the sky, rapidly closing the distance between both himself and the Gillian. Perhaps sensing the battle that would ensue it the Menos promptly opened its mouth. Isshin expected it to try to intimidate him with another roar. He expelled such foolish thoughts when he saw a crimson sphere slowly materialize in its mouth. "Cero," he muttered. However, he did not stop. Instead Isshin kept his steady pace. He would not be scared away by something like a Cero. He knew exactly how to deal with it.

The Menos Grande fully charged its most infamous technique. A red beam cut through the skies at alarming speeds. It quickly came upon the black clothed swordsman. Fear eluded him completely. Isshin swung his Engetsu. The cold steel sliced through the redness of the beam of spiritual energy as though it were butter. Had his opponent had been aware it would have uttered surprise at his rather impressive feat if he said so himself anyway. "Hmm, Cero is nothing to someone who is at a captain's level." The attack fizzed out of existence entirely, while he closed the gap between the hollow. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play around with you today." He put both hands on his handle then swung his blade over his head. "I am going to have to finish this in one blow!" Before the masked fiend could even growl the zanpakuto had already gone through the bone like material of its mask in a flash. The Gillian's head was split in two. Still in middle air Isshin observed his foe's descent into the cold embrace of death. Having seen this sight countless times before he floated unfazed, by the end of would be predator. Engetsu once again rested on his hip. "That is one down, nine more to go." He could still feel the pressure of the other Gillians still about. Ishida was still racing towards the one he had chosen for himself. He must have been delayed by a group of hollows. They were easy to kill, but their numbers were truly becoming problematic. They were worse than cockroaches. When they killed one of them ten more appeared to take their place.

Their numbers should have dwindled by now. The only conceivable explanation for these large numbers he could come up with is if more hollows were flooding into the Human World. The thought of such an event rubbed him the wrong way, although he could not deny it was plausible. If the arrancar sent Gillians for back up than they would have no qualms of sending more hollows just to keep them busy. Isshin gritted his teeth in frustration. _'Shit! To think that the enemy would continue to send reinforcements like this. With our small numbers we'll have a difficult time just trying to keep them at bay, let alone fighting the arrancar.' _He launched himself into the direction that Ryuken was. He knew that the Quincy would object to his interfering, but they had to finish these hollows off as quickly as possible. The best way to do that was to move in pairs. He could only hope that his old comrade in arms would not let his pride blind him to the situation.

* * *

His stomach was at war with itself. He felt so nauseated that he assumed his cheeks were a shade of sickly green. Was he going to throw up? Damn, he hoped not. He was still carrying his unknown schoolmate on his back. Maybe he should give her to Tatsuki until this sickness passed. When he turned around he found his eldest friend was nowhere to be seen. Confused Ichigo sought Orihime for answers, but she too had disappeared. Panic slowly crept its way into his heart. The chocolate eyes darted back and forth. He found that he was not on the school grounds at all. He was in a rocky, desert terrain. He was not the only one there.

A sea of unconscious people was littered all over the terrain. Ichigo could not believe his own eyes. "What the hell is going on here?" There had to be hundreds of people. Obviously they were all residents of his hometown. What could have happened to them? Did the hollows somehow transport them somewhere else? If so why would they do such a thing? They would not taste any different if they were moved to a new area would they? How could they obtain such a power? Hollows could only open a gate way to Hueco Mundo and the Human World. He had never heard of a hollow with the power to teleport a large mass of people to another location. This was the type of power that an arrancar would have whether than a common hollow. Where were Orihime and Tatsuki? Did something happen to them? How did he get separated from them? In desperation Ichigo searched for any signs of the girls. No matter how many times he searched he could not find either of them. He could feel his stomach sink. Loud thump that deafened out everything else around him. He worried that this was something to do with a hollow, until he felt his heart racing. He realized the loud thumping he heard was coming from his heart's accelerated beating. His fear was running away with him. Multiple scenarios played in his mind, each one were worse than the last. Orihime could have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers of the hollows. She could have exhausted her power. She may have even sacrificed herself to protect him. That would be just like Orihime to sacrifice herself for someone else's sake. She willingly went to Hueco Mundo to spare her friends from Aizen's wrath. God he wanted to so desperately to sense her reiatsu. If only he had his powers he would know her condition then go straight to where she was.

'_No stop it! It is pointless to keep wishing I had my shinigami powers. No matter how much I wish it they won't come back. Why? Why do I keep dwelling on it? I need to know what is going on at least. Is even that not within my power? I hate being powerless to do anything!' _Anxiety transformed into anger. He needed to find out answers now. He just had to know what happened to Orihime. He carefully put the girl down. The ex-substitute shinigami jogged off. With no destination in mind he could only sprint around aimlessly. No matter how far he went he could not find one hide or hair of either the raven haired tomboy or his sweet auburn haired girlfriend. Ichigo could just hear his fear snickering at his frantic running around, as though it manifested on his shoulder. They weren't there. They weren't anywhere. God help him no matter how hard he searched or how desperately he wanted to find them the cold hard truth was that they weren't there. "What the hell happened!" he screamed, so loudly that he could hear the echo ringing. No one answered him. Not that he was expecting them to. Everyone was unconscious. Of course they would not be able to answer him. Thin air didn't exactly have lips to communicate with. Fatigue set in. The back of his legs burned forcing Ichigo to stop to catch his breath.

He did not know how long he had been running or how far he had actually gone. The only real indication of the distance he had gone was the fact that the girl he had rescued was nowhere in sight. Still he was up to his feet in motionless bodies. The former vizard was truly at a lost as to what was going on right in front of him. He had no idea what he should do. If there was ever a time he needed Orihime to lull him back into a peace it was now. He scrunched his eyes just he did when he was a child, wearing that same expression of utter helplessness.

"Kurosaki-san!"

Instantly he recognized that voice. Normally it would send a shiver down his spine or cause a sigh to escape his lips. Today however it was a cause for rejoice. The carrot top boy turned around faster than rocket. The snow blond shopkeeper jumped slightly, taken aback by his reaction. True to form the former shinigami captain regained his composure just as fast. "Urahara-san!" exclaimed Ichigo feeling some form of relief. The questions swelled up inside of him became too much to contain. They exploded out of him. "What is going on? Where are we? What happened to everyone? Is the battle still going on?"

"Easy, easy," Kisuke urged. He beckoned for the young man to calm down. "Slow down. I will answer all of your questions." He was not expecting to see Kurosaki-san so distraught. He had once declared that he was fought to kill Ichigo during the period he trained the strawberry named boy. Kurosaki-san had been terrified back then he still had not seen him as white he as saw him now. The former 12th Division captain suspected that he would not shake off his fear as easily as he did almost a year ago. Kisuke waited for the hero to relax a little before he continued. It seemed like a fruitless endeavor. Kurosaki-san did not become any more composed as the seconds died. It was all he could do from bombarding Kisuke with more questions. Those questions were on the tip of his tongue. Realizing this Kisuke thought it would be more productive to answer Ichigo's questions.

"I am sure you know by now that Karakura Town is under attack." He paused to get Kurosaki-san's response. When the orange haired man nodded along he continued, "The situation is critical. At least 200 hollows have invaded with 10 Gillians. They have flooded the entire town. Karakura has become a warzone."

"Why? Why have so many hollows come to attack Karakura Town? Someone would have to be directing them. Aizen is gone. Who could be doing this?"

Impressed by Ichigo's deductive reasoning Kisuke smiled. He debated with himself on telling Kurosaki-san the full situation. The reason they kept the Privaron Espada threat from him was, so he would not try to do anything stupid. It seemed crueler to lie to his face given what he had experienced. Keeping him in the dark would possibly do more harm than good at this point. How much of the truth that Kurosaki-san needed to know was something else entirely. "A group of arrancar that were once members of the Espada is behind this attack." Horror exploded from the chocolate eyes. "You have at least fought one of their numbers I am told. They are known as the Privaron Espada."

Despite his reputation for having a terrible memory Ichigo instantly recalled the wind user arrancar. The battle if he could even call it that was completely one sided. Try as he might he was just no match for that man with only his Shikai. In the end he won, but only after using his Bankai and don his mask. He had forgotten about that man and the other former Espada when he was next challenged by the current generation of Espada in the forms of Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Ulquiorra. The fact that there were at least nine other ex-members had completely slipped his mind. With the current Espada and Aizen gone they would be the logical perpetrators of such a massive invasion.

"We are still not sure what their objective is, but I suspect it has something to do with objects known as the Spirit Keystones. They are responsible for keeping the worlds, such as the Human World, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo separated from each other."

"Why would they care about that?" Ichigo questioned.

"I suspect they wish to merge the worlds together."

"Merge the worlds," Ichigo repeated dumbly. This was going over his head. What could they accomplish by merging the worlds together? A unified world could be easier for conquest or make it easier for them to hunt humans he supposed, but it did not completely synch up.

He could sense Kurosaki-san's mystification. He shared his view. He had not entirely deciphered the enemy's reason for attempting to merge the worlds. Such an event was chaotic, so chaotic that even Aizen did not attempt to do so in order to get to the Spirit King's realm. In order for them to follow through on this plan they had to have felt there was no other way to achieve their goal. "I should tell you that if the worlds are merged together there is a possibility that an event will occur that could eradicate all life within the worlds." Kurosaki-san let out a disgruntled gasp.

"Are you serious? Merging the worlds could really cause such an event!" He closed his hand into a fist. He squeezed it so tightly that his finger nails ate into his skin. This couldn't be happening. He defeated Aizen to prevent such a catastrophe. The peace that they had worked so long and hard for had been shattered. Seven months of tranquility and normality had been incinerated. Suddenly all of his effort seemed to have been for not. "We have to do something! We can't let them get away with this!"

"We are. As we speak right now everyone else is fighting to protect Karakura Town to put a stop to the enemies' plan. Ishida-san, Sado-san, even Inoue-san are fighting with everything they have in order to stop such a horrible event. They are not alone. Yoruichi-san, Isshin-san, and even Ryuken-san are out there battling."

This had to be serious for his father and even Ishida's father to actually do battle. He only knew bits of information about Ishida's father he was informed by Chad that Ryuken was responsible for restoring Ishida's Quincy powers. Ichigo reasoned that Ishida's father was also a Quincy if he knew how to restore Ishida's power. He had never met the man himself and had no idea how strong he was. Would he be strong enough to aid them? "Why aren't you out there helping them?"

"Tessai-san and I were working on a Kido that would transport all of the people without high spiritual power to my underground training ground."

That explained where he was and how he got there. Damn he felt like an idiot. He had spent so much time down here that he should have recognized it instantly. Adrenaline pumping through his brain must have blinded him to his location. Orihime wouldn't be here since her reiatsu level far exceeding the normal amount a human was supposed to have. Tatsuki to a lesser extent must have possessed too much for the spell not to transport her either. That wasn't good. Tatsuki would be in the thick of things. Orihime would be forced to defend her. Both girls were in danger. Orihime needed to concentrate and not have to worry about having to protect anyone. That was the reason why he and Tatsuki were heading to the school building. God he hoped that Tatsuki would follow through with their original plan.

"Now if I have answered all of your questions I must leave. It is time I enter the battlefield myself."

Ichigo could only stare in at Urahara's back as he walked away. The ex-substitute was frozen in astonishment or admiration. Maybe it was the words or the confident tone he used that affected him so. He couldn't help, but think that Urahara looked heroic. If the shopkeeper knew what he was thinking he would laugh aloud. He shook such thoughts out of his head. This was no time to be amazed. He had to join his old master. He had to fight. "Urahara-san!" The genius stopped, waiting for him to continue. "I have to fight too! I can't just stand here and do nothing. As I am now there is no way I can do anything. I need you to…." The words refused to leave his throat. His original desire was to not see ghosts, yet here he was longing to have that power he cursed so many times in the past. He felt like such a hypocrite to be asking this. His conscious told him that this request was not selfish or wrong. He needed to fight alongside his friends. He needed the power to protect them all. No longer riddled with doubt he spoke the words, "I need you to help restore my shinigami powers!" He had succeeded in captivating Urahara's full attention, because the man's gaze was locked on to him. Ichigo couldn't help but feel inadequate under the hardened gray eyes. There was just something about Urahara that could make him regress to the clueless eleven-year old he used to be. "After listening to everything you said there is no way I can do nothing, especially with everyone else out there fighting. Dad, Chad, Ishida, Yoruichi-san, Ishida's father, and Inoue are all out there risking their lives to protect all of Karakura Town, to protect all of the Human World. I need my power back to protect everyone."

"I was wondering when you would ask me that," Kisuke said. Ichigo thought his mentor was talking more to himself than to him. The exceptional shinigami's lips curved upward, giving him a serene expression. "I expected you ask me to restore your powers sooner than this to be honest. I was impressed by your willingness to accept a normal life. Given current circumstances I understand your need to fight against this new threat. However, I am afraid that I cannot restore your shinigami powers."

His heart stopped. That emptiness that he tried so hard to ignore, the very same emptiness that had gotten fuller these last few months enlarged. It swallowed everything inside of him. Hope, resolve, even his courage had been swallowed up whole. There was nothing left except for a dreadful coldness that froze his bones. Surely he must have heard him wrong. This was Urahara after all. He always had a plan or strategy in play that could solve any and all problems. He had set up a seal to imprison Aizen knowing that merging with the Hogyoku would make the shinigami with the god complex the size of the sun immortal. He had to have devised some way to restore his shinigami powers. He had to have prepared for another threat and that Ichigo would have to fight again. That was just how things worked out.

"That can't be. I know you. Urahara-san, you would have been thinking of some way to restore my powers just in case. You always think of every possible situation and plan accordingly. You took us to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia. When Inoue was kidnapped you opened up portal to Hueco Mundo for us to use to rescue her. You switched Karakura Town with a fake one and placed the real one in the Soul Society, so Aizen wouldn't get to it. Even when the impossible happened and Aizen kept transforming because of the Hogyoku you were prepared for it, by placing a seal on him when he was still vulnerable. Don't tell me that all this time that you haven't been thinking of some way to restore my powers!" The anger he felt earlier had returned, eating away at his restraint and rationality. "How can you just stand here and tell me that you haven't thought of a way to restore my shinigami powers!" Urahara said nothing. The gray spheres were contaminated with nothing but pity. It made him sick to his stomach. He didn't need pity. Why did no one understand that? "Don't look at me like that. If you look at me like that it is like you are saying it is impossible to restore my power." He refused to look into those gray eyes any longer. He refused to accept what Urahara was telling him. "It's not true. It is not impossible to restore my shinigami powers! When Byakuya destroyed my powers before; you were able to restore them. Can't you just do the same thing you did last time?" Again his master remained mute. Silence was killing him. "Urahara-san….."

"It is not possible." He had broken the awkward silence that he had place upon himself. "I cannot restore your shinigami powers using the same method as before."

"Why is that?" Ichigo demanded. He reprimanded himself for snapping at Urahara. He did not mean to be so loud.

"The way you lost your shinigami powers the first time is quite different from how you lost them this time. Last time Kuchiki Byakuya wounded you, causing all of the shinigami powers you had to bleed out. However, the shinigami powers you lost back then were merely the powers Kuchiki-san gave you. Your own innate shinigami powers were safe inside of you, untouched. I trained you to awaken your own power last time. I cannot do that again. The Final Getsuga Tensho is a technique that transformed you into the Getsuga itself. Your spirit body, which is made of reishi, was converted into pure reiatsu by completely fusing with your zanpakuto to reach a level of power that was impossible for you to achieve on your own. However, such a transformation is so radical and unstable that it puts a great strain on your spirit body, so great that you can only maintain the form for a brief amount of time. Once the transformation ended your body became unable to hold your reiatsu anymore. It is better to say your body became so unstable that your very reiatsu was destroying the reishi it was composed of. In order to protect itself your body immediately started to expel your reiatsu. That is why your shinigami powers started disappear as soon as the transformation ended. I am sure you know this by now."

Ichigo recalled the feeling of his reiatsu vanishing as he prepared to finish a weakened Aizen off. He had been caught unaware by how sudden it was. He always wondered why his powers started to leave him so quickly. He had his answer at last.

"I told Kuchiki-san and the others. In the first stage you lost consciousness, accompanied by an intense pain. Well that pain was caused because the reishi your spirit body is made up of was literally dying. Of course when we put you back into your physical body the effects transferred to it, causing your cells to break down. The process is very lengthy. Depending on the amount of reiatsu you have the longer it takes for your body to stabilize. For example it took you a month before your body had successfully expelled all of your reiatsu. Once your reiatsu levels become lower your body's rate of deterioration slowed down, until it finally stopped altogether. Your body reversed the damage you sustained or any changes made to your spirit body in that time. In the second stage remaining reiatsu stabilized and you awakened. Shortly after that you lost your remaining reiatsu and with it the remainder of your shinigami powers. What you have to understand is that you just did not lose your reiatsu. If it was as simple as that Inoue-san or even Unohana-san could have replenished the reiatsu you lost. The most devastating effect is that your body lost its ability to produce and contain reiatsu."

Confused by this revelation Ichigo widened his eyes, clearly baffled. "I lost my ability to produce and contain reiatsu?"

Kisuke gave him a firm nod. "Your body was in such a fragile state that your reiatsu would start to deteriorate your reishi in your spirit body or the cells of your physical body until there was nothing left. To protect itself your body stopped producing spiritual energy all together. This is the very reason why even though it has been seven months you are still powerless."

"What does that have to do with you being unable to restore my powers?"

"It is as I said before the first time I was able to help you restore them because you just lost Kuchiki-san's power, while yours remained intact. However, this time you lost your own power. Even if we used the same method as last time you could not become a shinigami again, because there is no trace of your power remaining. I have experimented with other methods, but I am afraid that none of those have been successful. Not only has your body stopped producing spiritual energy needed for reiatsu it will just reject it. Because of these two things I cannot restore your shinigami powers."

He heard Urahara, but at the same time he didn't hear him. The voice was sounded so far off. He couldn't hear anything anymore; even his own thoughts were silent. Numbness took hold of every inch of his body. It was over. His life as a shinigami was truly over. Not even the brilliant mind of Urahara Kisuke could undo the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. Anger and fear that had run rampant only a little while ago was nowhere to be found. He felt absolutely nothing at all. _'My shinigami powers are gone for good then. I really can't do anything. I can't do anything at all without my powers!' _Emotions rushed through him. He was angry at himself for not realizing that Urahara would have told him if there was a way to revive his power if there was one. Despair whispered its poisonous words into his heart. It told him that he was completely worthless, just as he was worthless to save his mother from the Grand Fisher. Displaced at what his role was now Ichigo was at a loss for words. Fear set in. What would become of his friends without his help? It was a curse. He knew they were in danger, but he could not do anything to help them at all.

Kisuke was always good at reading people's emotions. Kurosaki-san wore his on his shoulder that even if he wasn't he could tell what he was feeling. Comforting people was never one of his best traits. There was no time for it. He had to join the battle now. It would appear heartless the former shinigami captain made his leave. "Kurosaki-san, please remain here. I understand that you are worried about the others, particularly Inoue-san, but you will only get in our way if you go out there."

He didn't need to be told that. He had experienced that earlier.

"Do not despair. We have powerful allies backing us up. Old friends that feel indebted to you have agreed to take up their swords."

At this Ichigo was drawn from his internal strife. Old friends, he couldn't be talking about the Soul Society. If that was the case Urahara would have said so. The only group of people that would feel indebted to him would be. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He meant them.

Ghost of a grin materialized on the brilliant scientist's lips. "We are not overwhelmed just yet."

* * *

A group of hunger crazed hollows had imprisoned a lone plus boy up against the wall. Tears streaming from his eyes and chattering teeth exposed how frightened he was. He put up a meek defense by throwing his arms in front of him. "S-Stay a-away!" he stuttered out. His plea was just a meek as his defense. The first hollow pounced on him. Instantly the boy shut his eyes. He prayed that his father would save him, but knew that was a impossibility. He expected to feel razor sharp teeth to tear into his flesh, but it never came.

"Open your eyes, kid," a rugged stern voice commanded.

Still frightened the boy nervously opened his eyes. The monsters that had him cornered were all gone. Only a man with light gray hair, wearing a dark purple shirt and cargo pants stood in front of him. The man's eyebrow furrowed, while his lips were curved in a upside down U-shape. In the boy's opinion he looked very mean. His fear did not evaporate at all. If anything it worsened. The man started to growl.

"What the hell kind of reaction is that? I just saved your life. You should be smiling, not crying. Dry up those tears now!" Kensei failed to realize that his deep voice made him sound angry. The boy cried harder, annoying him more. "Kid, stop crying! You should be smiling!" He demonstrated this, but forcing a large toothy smile. It was unnatural and forced that the boy continued to cry his eyes out. He was no good with kids at all. No matter what he did all he did was scare them. Kensei groaned in response.

"Kensei really sucks with kids."

Hearing her voice alone was enough to make his blood boil. To have her insult him only strengthened his already considerable rage. His green haired former vice captain stood behind him looking as clueless as ever. Why did she have to follow him everywhere he went?

"You made that kid cry even harder than the hollows. You must be really stupid to scare him even more," Mashiro stated.

"Shut the hell up!" He glared daggers at her. If she weren't a woman he would have thrashed her. If it weren't for the others reminding him of his ethics he would have probably hurt her by now. The Spirit King help him to remember his ethics on his own. She looked upon him with curiosity of a child.

"You are really unpleasant to be around, Kensei. That is why you always scare kids."

Restraint, he needed to have restraint. He had to remember she was a idiot and a woman. He was not the type of man to lay a finger on a woman. No matter how much she infuriated him or how tempting it was. "For once can't you say something that does not piss me off?"

Mashiro shook her head back and forth. "Kensei is such a hot headed jerk that it makes it hard not to anger you when I say something."

"I will kill you!" Kensei declared.

Hiyori and Lisa levitated in the air. They were in a heat argument of their own.

"I am going to kill it!" Hiyori yelled. Anger having flared up as usual the pint sized girl glared at her companion. Lisa on the other looked as though she could not careless. That only pissed Hiyori off more.

Lisa rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Fine you can take out the Gillian. I only suggested I do it. There is no need to argue over something so trivial."

"Don't talk down to me!" Hiyori continued to shriek. "I see what you are doing. You think that if you say I can kill it that I'll give it to you. I am not an idiot you know."

The taller girl let out a indignant huff. "I am not trying to use reverse psychology on you. I really don't care which one of us kills it."

The blonde crossed her arms. "I am not buying it. Give it up already, Lisa."

Knowing Hiyori this disagreement would not resolve itself anytime soon Lisa pushed off against the air, going after the smaller hollows trying to escape the Menos' hungry reach. Hiyori blinked a few times not exactly sure what had happened. She suspected that she had won. A triumphant smirk emerged from her. "Alright!" she cheered. The former vice captain faced the gigantic hollow. She positioned her hand over her face. "This is the end of the line for you." Hiyori rushed her hand over her face. A white mask formed on her face. A violent outburst of reiatsu had overtaken her completely overshadowing the Gillian class Menos' reiatsu. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" screamed a hollowfied Hiyori. The shockwave her battle cry created was enough to force the Gillian back.

She charged straight for the hollow. In seconds she was right in front of it. She threw her legs into a kick. The sheer force of the impact ripped apart the black skin. The vizard went right through its body. Her opponent reeling from excruciating pain cried. It started to tumble backwards. Hiyori shot off into the sky. Her fingers dug into the beast's neck. She summoned all of her strength to pull on it. With herculean strength the tiny girl was able to rip off the head from the massive body. Blood started gushing out of the now headless torso. The Gillian fell to its knees. Its head was carelessly tossed aside by Hiyori. She watched as the dead Gillian completely collapsed onto the ground.

Not far away the jet black haired vizard unsheathed her zanpakuto. She rode her Shunpo to the bizarre masked creatures. Skillfully her steel blade sliced through the hollows precisely, ending their reign of terror. She caught a glimpse of Hiyori's battle. Lisa frowned at the younger girl's display. "She is making too much of a fuss. We should finish this as quickly as possible." The glasses cladded woman sped away striking down hollow after hollow, eating away at their numbers. The tide of the battle had finally turned in their favor.

* * *

Orihime and Tatsuki both stared at the spot Ichigo was standing in. Neither girl had spoken since their initial outburst. However, their reactions could not be more different. Tatsuki was choking on fear. It was all she could do just to keep herself together. Fear was something she was not accustomed to dealing with. She had just seen her oldest friend disappear in a flash of green light. For once she was having a hard time putting a good spin on the situation. Ichigo was gone, just gone. She had no idea where he was or even if he was still alive. She hated herself for even thinking he might be dead. She was completely unlike Orihime.

The auburn princess looked devastated when Ichigo disappeared. Tatsuki thought she would have to get her act together to reassure Orihime that things would be ok, but she could not be more wrong. Orihime took deep breaths. She regained control of the fear Tatsuki knew she had. The overly cheery or bubbly expression that she was known for had disappeared. The goddess hardened her gaze. The hazel eyes were steely. When Tatsuki looked into them she saw no trace of fear or doubt as she expected Orihime to have. It was like she knew she could not have fear or doubt. The raven haired girl wondered when Orihime grow up on her.

"Tatsuki-chan." Her eyes fell on her best friend. Tatsuki was looking right back at her. "You need to go to the school building. You'll be safe there. I am going to stay out here and fight the hollows coming here. They'll naturally be drawn to us because of the spiritual power we possess. If you any hollows come after you run. I'll sense if anything has happened to you and try to get to you as quickly as I can." Orihime took hold of her hairpins, preparing for battle. "Please hurry. Those hollows are almost here. There are too many of them for to be able to watch you over you and fight off."

The black belt responded with a simple yeah. She lingered a moment longer to take in the sight of her courageous pseudo-sister. An inkling of pride creaked through the shell of fear. "You better come back in one piece or else." She ran off, leaving the healer to herself.

Orange haired goddess was startled by how even her tone was. It contrasted how she felt on the inside. Anxiety over Ichigo's whereabouts still chained her down. The only thing keeping her together was the belief that Ichigo would keep fighting. Her friends needed her. As much as she wanted to go search for her beloved she had to do what needed to be done. Deep down in her heart she just knew Ichigo was alive. She couldn't explain it exactly, but she knew that if Ichigo was really dead she would know it. Their bond had this type of power, a power that somehow transcended space maybe even dimensions. Despite no longer having reiatsu for her to sense she could still feel he was out there. Armed with this knowledge Orihime was ready to face the enemy.

They rained down from the skies. Attracted to her spiritual power like a moth to a flame they swarmed her. However, they did not move in to attack her. Perplexed by their abnormal behavior Orihime tightened her grip on her hairpins. She could sense they were circling her like sharks circling around an injured prey.

"They aren't going to attack you," a smug unknown voice.

At sound of this new voice Orihime spun around. She found a bald man who exceeded her height. He wore the standard arrancar uniform. The remains of his mask ran down the middle of his face. He had brilliant pair of blue eyes. Her attention was not on the arrancar, but on the raven haired girl he held by her neck. "Tatsuki-chan!" she cried out.

The arrancar smirked at her, taking some sick satisfaction at Orihime's plight. The blue eyes twinkled. "You know this girl. I grabbed her thinking you would react if I had some innocent bystander. This works out even better." The woman glared at him.

"Let her go this instant!" The arrancar became the living embodiment of smugness. He strangled the helpless girl in his grasp. His victim tried desperately take in oxygen he deprived her of. The healer was swift. Moving at lightning like speeds Orihime overtook him from behind. The golden reiatsu surrounded the petals of hairpins. "Koten….."

"I would stop if I were you. By the time you launch your attack I will have killed this woman."

Not wanting to jeopardize her best friend's life Orihime de-charged her attack and lowered her arm. She managed to cast a look of absolute disgust. The arrancar only take twisted delight in from it. He was scoundrel in every sense of the word. Tatsuki still struggling against his iron grip attempted to speak to her, but failed miserably. If she didn't think of something soon Tatsuki could suffocate.

The arrancar said, "That's a good girl. Stay right where you are and I won't kill your friend." The woman was obedient. She was as unmoving as a statue. He took the time to take in her appearance. He had never gotten the chance to see this woman for himself when she came to Las Noches. She was gorgeous. It was a good thing he met with her and not Esteban. That smoothing talking lecher would have tried to seduce her and not avenge their fallen comrade. Antonio had the perfect punishment in store. "Put the source of your power away. Don't try anything or else," he warned. The woman put her hairpins onto her chest then put her arms down. Satisfied that she had obeyed all of his commands the bald arrancar strolled up to her without a care. He made sure to go as slow as he possibly could just to irk her. He could see loathing in her eyes. She would not act though; for fear that he would harm the woman whose neck was in his grasp. "I am in control now. If you follow my commands and stay still like a good girl I won't let crush her throat in." If she had any objections she did not show it on her face. The livid mask remained unchanged. The distance between them was little more than foot. Being so close to him she did not show any signs of fear. A part of him was upset at her glaring at him. With his free hand threw his arm, slapping her in the face. The blow forced her to turn her cheek to him.

"Mmmm," the black haired woman fruitlessly protested. He just squeezed down on her throat harder, ending her breathless gasps.

Salvador's killer recovered. She continued to beam him with her defiant brown orbs. Offended by what he could only describe as arrogant. Antonio rammed his knee in the center of her stomach, enticing another cry from her. The air knocked out of her, she hugged her abdomen and leaned forward. To her credit she did not fall to her knees. The arrancar followed up with a round kick to the cheek. This time she was knocked off her feet.

Orihime hit the unforgiving concrete hard. The side of her face stung. That paled in comparison to the intense burning in her chest. The goddess was still fighting just to grab hold of some oxygen when he kicked her. Her enemy had no attentions on showing her any mercy.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. She did not respond with any words. She refused to even grace him with a look. Had she been looking she would have seen him kick her side. Hime went rolling across the yard. "You can take this much, right? I heard you refused to lift a finger against anyone. Two whores blabbed about beating you and how you never did anything to retaliate." He shoved his foot into her side. Again the woman went rolling off. "Don't know my own strength, huh?" he sneered. The hollow-shinigami hybrid took steps forward. His pace was leisurely, but the way he his heel pushed against the ground sluggishly felt menacingly. "I was surprised to hear a pacifist like you defeated Salvador. I hated that guy you know. He always talked big and tried to lecture the rest of us, even though he was the weakest of us. He annoyed the hell out of me, but he was still a comrade. I don't know if it is because Aizen enforced his will on us to keep us from killing each other or if I feel some actual sense of comradeship, but him just getting killed doesn't sit right with me. The least I can do, is avenge him." He rubbed the back of his heel on the fallen goddess' chest. He made sure to bury it in deep and hard. "Did you think you could kill one of us? Did you think there wouldn't be consequences?"

The red-orange haired woman whimpered something out. No doubt they were pitiful pleas for mercy. As if he would show her mercy. He relished the chance to humiliate her further by making cry out again. "What was that? I couldn't hear you." He moved his foot to her blemish free cheek he left untouched. He stomped right down.

"Ah!" Orihime accidently whined. She didn't mean to. She did not want him to have power over her. She would keep it all in. No matter how much pain she was in. When he kicked her in the ribs she was silent. When he grinded her head against the pavement she was silent. When grabbed her by the hair, forcing her up, just to knock her back down she was silent. Crying would not solve anything. She took it all.

Tatsuki witnessed the abuse Orihime was forced to endure for her sake. Outraged she swung her legs just hoping that her foot would connect with something. The bastard saw her attempt and made sure to weaken her strikes by adding more pressure on her throat. This severely sapped her strength, making her kicks little more than a baby tap.

"Struggle all you want, woman. You are like an insect. An ant can't harm a beast." The feisty raven head wished his death as hard she could, but he knew it was futile. "Glaring what help you either." Ignoring the insect in his clutches Antonio put his focus back to the healer. They exchanged animosity filled stares. He hated the way she looked at him as though he were some lowly mutt. "That look in your eyes I can't stand it. You are a hundred years too early to look down on me!" He summoned all of his strength to launch another kick. He hurled her away several feet, causing her to skid across the pavement before finally falling.

"Mmmm!" Tatsuki hopelessly lashed out at him. She kicked and swatted her hands against him. Orihime needed her! She didn't give a damn about the bald piece of shit being a monster or whatever. She would claw his eyes out if she had to. Getting nowhere made her realize she needed a new tactic. The second strongest woman in Japan bit down on his hands as hard as she could.

"Damn you are annoying!" he exclaimed. The hollow-shinigami hybrid punched her in the abdomen. The insect was overtaken by pain she did not cease her biting. "Stupid girl," he muttered. Enough was enough. He threw her to the ground. Before she could retaliate he drew a trench knife that rested on his hip. When her eyes fell to his weapon she froze. "I wanted to hurt your friend. You must be someone special for her to take all that abuse without hesitation. It will inflict more damage by killing you in front of her." He raised his arm, preparing to strike her down. Antonio swung down at a still frozen Tatsuki.

His speed was too great for to react. The black belt wondered if this was the last moment of her life. The blade was inches away from her face when a golden triangular wall formed between her and the knife. Tatsuki breathed out a great sigh of relief. Her attacker was puzzled. He dashed around along with Tatsuki. Orihime stood to her full length with only a scrap on her cheek.

Antonio frowned. _'She recovered so fast. Did none of those attacks affect her?' _He pondered hiss next move when his foe shot towards him. Golden energy encased the frilly hair piece. "Shit she is going….." He never finished his sentence. The woman had already launched her attack. A golden streak of energy flew at him. In haste he drew spirit energy to his feet, initiating Sonido. Luck was with him. He just narrowly evaded her technique. The arrancar reached his desired destination, he could not resist smirking. "Sorry not…." His breath was stolen. The woman was already on him. This time he could not speed away. She was a blur. The next thing he knew she had thrown four quick jabs, two in his stomach, one on the right side of his face, and the final one on his nose. Disoriented from her attacks she pushed her advantage and kicked him square in his chest. The former Espada stumbled backwards as a result. She did not end it there though. She swept at his legs to break his already weak footing, causing him to fall. The red orange haired goddess used the momentum of his fall to flip him. His back crashed into pavement. The atmosphere echoed with his cries of agony.

Orihime rushed over to Tatsuki before the arrancar could counter. "Tatsuki-chan! Are you injured?" Ayame and Shun'o were already on standby. They awaited their mistress' command to reject the damage inflicted to Tatsuki.

"It is nothing serious." She could not even recognize her own voice. It was so hoarse. The arrancar's death grip was going to leave bruises. If that weren't enough she had to fight back a series of coughs that were overwhelming her. Tatsuki had to admit defeat and coughed.

"Hold on. I will heal you."

"No. I am fine. My throat is just a little sore, but I will live."

"Tatsuki-chan."

"Really I am going to be fine, Orihime." To emphasis her point her classic cocky half grin manifested itself. Orihime easily saw through the thin veil she humored her with a small smile. She appreciated Orihime for doing that for her. "Stop worrying about me. I can't believe you got up after enduring all of that."

The healer brushed off Tatsuki's astonishment. "I am fine. It does not really hurt that much."

"You still take things to lightly." Her lips curved upwards into a subtle smile. _'Is this really Orihime? She is so confident, fearless even. Before she was always questioning herself and claiming she was weak. Compared to who she was back then and what I am seeing now it is almost like two different people. When did you grow up Orihime? How could I have missed it?' _

"Tatsuki-chan, stay close to me." The hollows took an aggressive stance. No longer content with sitting back to observe, they bore their teeth. Universe being its normally jerky-self had decided to make things even more difficult for her. Their numbers were greater; maybe double what they were before. She heard Tatsuki curse under her breath.

"Do they multiple or what? Why are there so many?"

"There were 200 hollows in the first wave." Both girls turned into the direction of their hated enemy. He stood centerfold in the massive group. There appeared to be no physical damage, yet his jacket was ruffled. "The second wave that sent in was made up of another 100. When we called for the Gillians to reinforce our troops we got an additional 50 hollows. The total is 350, well 360 if you count the Gillians. I thought Silva was going overboard when she gathered such a large army for this invasion, but these hollows are going down like flies."

This Silva he referred to must have been their leader or at least a higher up in their nit group of arrancar. Urahara-san and the others would need to know this. Minuscule or not every little bit of information helped, right? Antonio continued his bragging. He wasn't even paying her in heed. The common trait of overbearing arrogance was present in, yet another arrancar. Of course with so many hollows backing him up his arrogance was not completely unfounded.

"Our numbers are going to overwhelm you. You humans don't stand a chance. We are going to crushing you utterly!"

"That won't happen!" Orihime exclaimed. "Do not underestimate Sado-kun and Ishida-kun. They are strong. There is Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, Isshin-san, and Ishida-san out there too. If we combined our strength we will be able to win." As if to respond to her declaration a giant figure came crashing to the earth, creating seismic event that terrified both women. Behind them stood a Menos Grande in all its glory, casting both Tatsuki and Orihime in its shadow.

"What were you saying?" the arrancar mocked.

It created a void that sucked away all happiness away. It left Tatsuki a husk devoid of any emotion except for anguish. Her legs gave out. She never felt like such a helpless fool in her life. For god's sake she had fallen to the ground again! She had even lost track of how many times that happened. Her head was killing her. It was like it was getting torn into two.

"Tatsuki-chan!"

"That one is tough. I was controlling my reiatsu, but that stupid Gillian does not have a ounce of self-control. Being surrounded by these other hollows does not help matters. She'll be completely swallowed up by this group. So do you think you can beat all of us before your friend suffocates in our very presence?"

Frantically she searched her mind for any idea. Why did she have to be drawing a blank now? Tatsuki was shivering uncontrollably as if she were naked and buried in snow. Color had stolen from her cheeks, leaving her a deathly pale. She had to think of something fast or her pseudo-sister would be gone. A Gillian to her back, cutting off any chance of escape and hollows and the arrancar to her front she had little options. It would take time for her to destroy all of the hollows and there was no telling when the Gillian would attempt to consume them. Tatsuki would be easy prey sad to say. No. She would protect Tatsuki, just as Tatsuki protected her throughout the years. Failure was not a option. "Soten Kisshun, I reject." The golden orange dome formed around Tatsuki, effectively cutting her off from the poisonous effect of the hollows' dark reiatsu. It was her hope that it would shield her until the battle ended.

"I won't let anyone harm Tatsuki-chan," she promised herself.

"You are completely out numbered, woman. You aren't going to win this. Or do you honestly believe you are powerful enough to fight me and a Gillian at once along with a bunch of rowdy hollows?"

"It does not matter how many people I have to fight. The fact is I have to win here to save Tatsuki-chan, so I'll win." Ichigo would have said the same thing. He went up against worse odds than this and never gave up. If she really wanted to protect him she would also have to do the same thing.

"Tch, don't give me that bullshit! You can't fight all of us on your own! If you think you can come on. I am going to break your body and your spirit into there is nothing left, but a pitiful husk! Salvador will be avenged!" He threw his arm forward. "It is time to fest!"

The hunger ruled monsters charged toward her. Orihime prepared Tsubaki when they were stopped dead in their tracks. The masked beings were imprisoned blue rectangular barrier. Shocked at this unexpected development Orihime and the former Espada were trapped within shock's grasp. Barriers disappeared just as quickly as they appear, obliterating the hollows within them.

Antonio's first thought was the woman did this. He quickly ruled that out. His reasoning for doing so was the fact that she was just as shocked as he was. The barriers looked different from the ones she created. Hers were a golden coloring, while the ones that annihilated the hollows were blue. It looked like Kido. That would mean a shinigami was there. Could it be that the Soul Society sent back up after all?

"I abhor meaningless fighting." A man descended to the earth, appearing right beside the woman. He was large and round. The man was well off or very well fed. His appearance was odd even by Antonio's standards. He wore a olive green tux and a yellow bowtie. His upper lip was covered in by a pink mustache that matched his hair color. "I wish to end this as soon as possible," the odd man said.

Child-like wonder planted itself on Orihime's face. "Hachi-san!"

Hachi paid the healer a light smile of his own. "It is good to see you again, Orihime-san. Forgive me for intruding on your battle. You appeared to be outnumbered."

She rubbed the back of her head and chuckled at the vizard's politeness. "I do not mind at all. I tried to sound cool, by saying I would win. I guess I did bite off more than I could chew though." A question formed inside her head. "Are Hirako-kun and others with you?"

"Yes. Urahara-san contacted us to ask us for help to defend Karakura Town from the remnants of Aizen's army, the Privaron Espada. We all feel indebted to Ichigo for defeating Aizen. We all agreed that we would help him by protecting this town that he loves. Urahara-san wanted me to tell you that he transported all the humans with average or low spiritual power to a safe location, so that we can battle without restraint. Ichigo was among the group taken. He is perfectly fine." He could sense a huge shift in her reiatsu. It became unbelievably bright and warm. "Ichigo may have lost his powers, but he is still one of us in spirit. We'll join our powers together with yours."

"You are allies then?" Antonio said, connecting the dots. "Who the hell are you? That was Kido, but you aren't dressed like a shinigami. Don't tell me you are human?"

"I am neither shinigami nor human," Hachi replied.

Puzzled by this new foe's response the bald arrancar frowned. "Neither shinigami nor human, you say. What kind of reply is that? Are you trying to tell me you are some kind of hollow?" He snickered. The man remained neutral.

Hachi noticed the human girl within Orihime's own barrier. The girl was recovering from the effects of the hollows' negative reiatsu. Orihime's powers were indeed similar to his own. He could tell from a glance that the barrier sealed off anyone inside of from the world. It was almost as if it was in a dimension of its own. Rose did say that the human woman was like a long lost relative to him. Those words proved to truer every time he saw her abilities in action. "Orihime-san, we must get her out of here quickly."

Orihime's face straightened, abandoning her ditzy attitude. "I know."

"Aaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhh!" the Menos' battle cry alerted the two god powered beings. It swept its clawed hand wildly, trying to assault them. Both were quick to act. Hachi erected a large circular shield made of green reiatsu, while Orihime summoned her Santen Kesshun formation. The two shields stopped the Godzilla-sized hollow's arm in mid-swing.

The Shun Shun Rikka wielder pushed her heels off the ground, breaking into a run. She left the protection of the shields. The path she ran was a straight shot to the Gillian. It caught her movement. It smashed its massive hand into the pavement, attempting to crush her. The goddess was faster. She had already jumped into the air by the time the hand came down. The triangular barrier formed in mid-air giving her a platform to stand on. The hollow's head was in clear view. Tsubaki rushed out eager to battle. She took aim. The most rebellious of her fairies shot right through its head. Gillian fell, dying. The arrancar took advantage of its fallen comrade's death to get behind Orihime. Caught with her guard down he swung his small blade at her before she could summon her shield. The circular shield reappeared in front of her, stopping his attack. Hachi was in the air with his right arm pointed at Antonio.

Infuriated at the tub of lard's interference he growled at him. The pink mustached man face did not betray any emotion. "Damn you for getting in my way."

Hachi narrowed his eyes slightly. "This is a battle after all. Just as you used the Gillian's defeat as an opening for an attack I used it to mount a defense."

"Huh, you are pissing me off. I think I'll kill you," he declared. Hachi was still unfazed.

"Orihime-san, now is the time to rescue your friend. I will keep the arrancar busy."

Normally she would insist on staying to continue to battle, but Tatsuki's wellbeing was more important. Orihime would get her into the school then come back to help Hachi fight. She acknowledged him with a nod. Orihime went to Tatsuki, who was still inside her Soten Kisshun. The barrier fell the two best friends broke into a mad dash toward the school building.

He let the girls go. Antonio's interest was on the man in front of him. He couldn't kill that woman, but he could kill this guy. "Who are you exactly?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My full name is Ushoda Hachigen. I am called Hachi. To clarify my earlier reply, I am neither shinigami nor human. I am a vizard. "

"A vizard? I don't know what the hell that is. Frankly I don't really care. I am arrancar number 108, Antonio-Mariano. When I was with the Espada I was octava." He reached for his other trench knife. He got into a battle pose. "But I suppose you have no idea what that means do you."

"On the contrary, I have only met a few I have knowledge on the Espada. You were demoted in favor of stronger arrancar emerging."

"Bastard, don't think you have this won just because you know some things about me. I was replaced by a stronger generation, but I am still one of the strongest arrancar." He super sped to Hachi.

Thanks to his old shinigami training he used Shunpo as a reflex, escaping the arrancar's reach. Unfortunately the arrancar increased his speed and caught up to him. "This is the extent of your Shunpo? You are slow," Antonio smirked.

"Bakudo #62 Hyapporankan!" he chanted. In the palm of his hand a bluish white energy generated from his hand. It formed into a rod. The vizard threw it directly at him. The rod multiplied into hundreds. The close distance made it impossible for him to dodge. Antonio was hit by the spells full fury. They punctured his arms, legs, shoulders, and knees. He crashed into the ground, the rods pinned him down. The former Kido Corps vice-captain counted his blessing at getting off the Kido before he was attacked. "My Shunpo is not the fastest, but my mastery of Kido exceeds most."

"Damn you, shinigami…."

"Please listen to me this time. I am not a shinigami. I am a vizard." He clapped his hands together. "I am the one who will defeat you."

* * *

**That's it for now. I'll try to put up the next chapter quicker. I am sorry for any of the mistakes I missed when reading this over. I want to make it clear that explanation of how the Final Getsuga Tensho works is my own theory. It wasn't said in the manga, so don't hold me to it. I came up with the theory to explain why Ichigo lost his shinigami powers and explain why Urahara has been trying to keep Ichigo in the dark about the Privaron Espada instead of just restoring his powers right away. Pay close attention to Urahara's wording. I had him use specific wording for why he can't restore Ichigo's powers right now. Next chapter I should get more of the serious battles in. We'll see the rematch between Gild and Chad. Hachi's battle with Antonio will get focus. Esteban will also get into his battle. Sorry for the long delay. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. **


	43. United Front

**The next chapter is here. The fights with the Privaron Espada start here. Don't worry the battles are nearing the end. I try not to go beyond five chapters of straight battles unless absolutely necessary. I want to give you a break from reading fights and so they don't get too boring and see to the characters interact with each other again. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own Gild, Antonio, and Esteban though.**

* * *

Uryu fired off his arrow hastily. He narrowly made it in time, killing a hollow that was seconds away from biting off Asano's head. The loud mouth annoyance jumped for cover not realizing that Uryu had taken care of the hollow chasing him. Once he hit the hard pavement of the road he finally looked up to see that he was out of danger. Asano laughed nervously. The brunet produced a smile that was just as weak and awkward as the laugh. Uryu rolled his eyes at Asano's antics. The Quincy did not have time to deal with Asano's idiocy. He was after all up to his neck in hollows.

The archer moved with an incredible burst of speed. He was out of the masked vermin's sight only to reappear in front of them. Surprised by his near instantaneous reemergence the hollows were stun. Blue arrows shot through their heads, stealing their lives. Uryu gathered spirit particles onto the soles of his feet and accelerated beyond human's normal speed to the next enemy. They scurried about following the spiritual power that radiated from his core. He had to keep moving in order to lure them away from Kojima-kun and Asano.

Their journey to Karakura High was filled with nothing, but woes and dangers. Karakura Town had been emptied of nearly all of its population. Only a few inhabitants remaining the trio of boys stuck out like a sore thumb. A rabid group of starved hollows found them almost instantly. They sought to consume their souls. Uryu would not allow such a thing. He pulled out his bow and with just a pull of a string the fierce predators became prey. He wasted no time in exterminating every hollow his eyes laid on. The battles were short, but numerous. He would kill whole sets of hollows just for more groups to descend upon him much to his frustration.

The stinging in his right shoulder nagged him for his exerting himself. Damn it all. These were common hollows, small fries. They were nothing. He could eliminate them without a second thought. This would have been the case of it were not for his injury. Ryuken's warnings were not unfounded after all. If his father could see him now he just knew he would sneer at him for his rash behavior. The raven haired man growled. Ryuken's condescending half smirk was as visible as the bone like exterior of the hollow's mask in front of his eyes. It thrashed around, attempting to claw at him, but it might as well have been standing still. Uryu sprinted sideways. He escaped the hollows reach. The Quincy retaliated with arrow of blue energy. The arrow flew right through its head. The misshapen creature fell to the ground, causing the earth to shake under its weight.

"Ishida!" cried a terrified Mizuiro. He pointed in Uryu's direction. "Behind you!" he cried a second time.

Uryu followed the warning and turned around. A muscular figure that was twice his height stood over him menacingly. Its razor sharp claws posed to dig into his chest. Its face was canine like and possessed the breath to match it. The canine hollow snarled as if it were an actual dog. Unacceptable, this was simply unacceptable. Getting caught off guard and having a hollow actually sneak up behind him. Thank god his grandfather was not alive to see this humiliation. How could he become such a stain to the proud Quincy legacy? The hollow opened its mouth to let out a mighty roar that forced the earth itself to quiver in fear and submit to it.

"Ishida!" yelled Keigo. He watched as the horror show that was a hollow pounced forward to sink its teeth into his uptight friend. His heart was on the verge of jumping out of his chest when Ishida shimmered out of existence. The breath that he had been holding had been released in a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God. A few years have probably been shaved off of my life after that," he complained. Keigo put a hand over his heart. It was still racing against his chest. If he did not want to discard any more years of his life span he was going to have to relax. The irony of those words was not lost on him. Ichigo and Mizuiro had been telling to relax for years now. His endeavor was doomed from the start. The hideous beast let out terror induced roar. He would be damn if it did not frighten the color out of his skin. His body responded to one of its most primal urges by shutting its eyes tightly. "Why does this have to happen to us?"

Keigo kept muttering halfhearted words of self-assurances that they would all make it out of this alive. "He made it!" he heard Mizuiro shout in glee. Keigo opened his eyes. He was greeted with the image of a large white body, lying on the road. It was unmoving like a statue. Standing feet away from the most likely dead monster, Ishida with his reiatsu designed bow outstretched. Keigo looked into those blue eyes hidden behind the glasses. They were focused and frozen. That glare brought a chill from the deepest part of his soul out. His bones felt frozen over, goose bumps formed. He had never seen Ishida with this look in his eyes. It denied any who suffered it gaze the very right to exist. He realized that gravity of the situations that Ichigo, Ishida, Chad, and Inoue had been in. Those four fought demons like these so many times. It was maddening to think about it.

He saw them all the time at school. They acted completely the same. Ichigo was still a short tempered punk. Ishida was stuck up nerd. Chad was silent with Inoue being a sunny babe that ruled the hearts of men everywhere. How could they act so….so normal? Why weren't they different? They walked around like everything was normal, as if they did not fight these things on a daily basis. It was second nature to them. Keigo was afraid. He wasn't afraid because of the hollows, although his fear of them was fully intact. He was afraid because his friends had gotten used to this. They had fought battles like these so often that it had become normal to them. It was not right. No one should have to fight these hollows, let alone fight them on a regular routine.

'_I have been complaining about stupid stuff, like Ichigo ignoring me or Mizuiro teasing me. But all this time Ichigo and the others have been fighting these things….. Everything I have been whining about seems so shallow in comparison to this. They don't complain. Not even once. I could never hope to have their strength. Ishida you are out of this world,' _Keigo dwelled on new found respect for the Quincy, ignorant to the unusual look Mizuiro was giving him.

He approached Keigo tentatively. The height challenged young man did not know what to make of Keigo's haunting silence. The only time he heard Keigo quiet for this long is when he was sulking. Even when he was afraid he would still talk up a storm to keep his mind off of his fear usually. "Keigo," he called out. Uncertainty attached itself onto his words. Keigo was unresponsive. Mizuiro's concerns only grew more. "Asano-san," he tried again. He was acquainted with silence. Now he knew this was serious. For Keigo to ignore his hated nick name something serious was going on. Ishida had just killed the last of the hollows. Shouldn't Keigo have been feeling relief not whatever it was he was feeling now? Careful not to startle his shocked friend Mizuiro tapped onto his shoulder lightly. His touch was so light that he questioned if Keigo felt it. While he contemplated touching him again Keigo looked at him. Still he was not his normal self. One look into his eyes told him just how shaken up Keigo was. His mouth was dry. It was so un-Keigo like.

"Mizuiro…..what is it?"

"Are you ok?"

The brunet shut his eyes brushed his face as if to wipe away some unknown filth that was invisible to Mizuiro's sight. He inhaled a deeply before finally exhaling. Perhaps he could exhale this anxiety that had built up. Mizuiro was staring at him like he was some kind of nut. No, not the usual stares he got either. Keigo could tell there was a difference in this one. "I am ok, Mizuiro. It is just the weight of everything you know." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the cellphone enthusiast give a simple nod. "Until today I never really realized just what Ichigo and Chad were up against. They along with Inoue and Ishida fight monsters like these. It is crazy." He hugged himself. "They really are strong, huh?" A smile escaped the once dejected masked that set itself on his face. Unlike his usual overly large and wide grins this smile was small and sincere. It was more infectious at least it seemed to have infected Mizuiro. The shorter boy was also smiling happily.

"Yes. They are strong." They both decided that their friends were strong indeed, stronger than the people of their fair town would ever realize. Ishida walked over to them. His expression betrayed no sign of emotion. Stoic as always, Ishida put away his bow. "Ishida…."

Uryu cut him off, "I am fine, Kojima-kun." The impassive mask broke to reveal a reassuring half smile. He knew that Asano and Kojima-kun had not seen these types of battles often. It was to be expected that they would be worried about him. Under the circumstances they were both holding up well. He had to give them credit for that. It was for that reason he did not wish to worry them with his shoulder. All the moving around had caused it bleed out even more. It was soaking his bandages. The mild stinging had transformed itself into strong burning sensation. It pained him to move it. He needed to find Inoue-san quickly.

Keigo noticed the red stained bandage had gotten worse. He furrowed his brow. "Ishida how is your shoulder?"

Damn. Asano was not as oblivious as he would have liked him to be. Kojima-kun's curiosity had been roused. "I can endure this much. These hollows are nothing. I can easily exterminate them even with these injuries."

"Is that so?" an unknown voice spoke. All three of them turned to their sides. A man dressed in white with flame like hair as black as the midnight sky appeared. He wore an amused, but taunting smirk, with his arms crossed. The air around him was smothering. The aura he gave off drew them all in just to smother them. It was as if this man refused to be ignored. His aura screamed for everyone to acknowledge him. The glasses cladded man's lips fell into a frown. "How about I, be your opponent then, Quincy?" He revved his reiatsu to intimidate the humans.

Keigo and Mizuiro collapsed to their knees. The pressure the man's spiritual power created grabbed ahold of their bodies and squeezed them as tightly as it could. Both could feel their bones bucking under the force emitted from the man. Neither of them could even open their mouths to speak. Uryu threw his body in front of them as a makeshift shield. Anger ravaged his face. "Arrancar!" he screamed. "Stop this now! Your battle is with me! Leave these two out of it!" Blue energy consumed the Quincy Cross strapped onto his wrist. The spider web like bow formed. He took aim at the Adonis arrancar. His enemy continued to smirk broadly. He despised the sight.

The human was sure of himself that much was certain. Everything that Joaquin had told them about the young Quincy was true. The icy cold glare devoid of any sympathy, the impassive and stern expression, and the way he carried himself was all as Joaquin had said. The only thing that contrasted the assessment was the dark red patch staining his right shoulder. Luck had smiled on him. To think that the Quincy would be wounded by the time they met. This would be an easy kill for him. Joaquin said the Quincy was strong, a claim he had taken to heart. This was the man who defeated one of their comrades, Cirucci. She did out rank him. He expected to have to fall back on his Resurreccion. _'This will be child's play,' _the arrancar thought. Esteban suppressed his reiatsu, much to the two humans on the ground's relief.

Keigo and Mizuiro greedily took oxygen into their burning lungs. Feeling light headed the pair had not recovered enough strength to stand yet. They lied on their knees with their ragged breath. The important thing was that they were safe, for the moment. He had to take out the arrancar as soon as possible. In order to do that he would have to ignore the raging burning in his shoulder.

"I have done what you asked. Does that give you some comfort?" Esteban asked. His tone was haughty. It rubbed the Quincy the wrong way. "I do hope to accommodate you before you die."

"Hmm, I take it that you intend to kill me then?" The arrancar let his proud smirk speak for him. However, this time it was Uryu's turn to smirk. The arrancar did not know who he was dealing with. Shinigami were not who hollows should be afraid of. "I see you are ignorant just whom you are facing." He chuckled arrogantly.

"It is you who are ignorant to whom you are facing. I am Esteban Murillo. I am arrancar number 109. When I was among the Espada I was known as novena. However, do not let my rank fool you. I am maybe one of the weakest of the Privaron Espada, but my technique allows me to defeat even the strongest enemies."

He narrowed his blue eyes at the arrancar. His foe did not lack confidence in his ability to fight. Were his claims about his technique true? Arrogance was a common trait among the arrancar. His battles with them had at least taught him that much. The arrancar's technique may not have been as deadly as he boasted. On the other hand it would be wiser to defeat him before he used said technique just in case. The arrancar continued his ramblings. God, how long winded was he?

"I came here specifically to kill you. We cannot allow you and your allies to interfere with our plans."

"The Spirit Keystones," Uryu interrupted.

Surprised the emerald eyed arrancar broadened his eyes in astonishment. "How do you know of the Spirit Keystones?"

'_Urahara-san was correct then.' _Uryu continued, "I know that they keep the worlds in place. If they are destroyed then the worlds would collide with each other, such an event could be devastating to all life in the worlds."

"That is your view. However, in our view the worlds would combine into one new world where we will all live. Hueco Mundo would cease to exist. It would be a part of the Human World. We arrancar and hollows would be able to roam free without fear of shinigami. The entire Human World would be our hunting grounds, our paradise. At last you humans won't be the only ones who enjoy this world of light."

"You are truly ignorant, Esteban Murillo. You think it is the shinigami you should be afraid of…." His finger curled around the bowstring then pulled it back. The trade mark blue spiritual arrow manifested itself into reality. "….when in actuality it is the Quincy you should be afraid of!" He released the string and watched the arrow fly off.

He scoffed at the human's actions. Did he really expect Esteban to fear him with such a slow arrow streaking towards him? The human had much to learn. The handsome dark haired man jumped into the air. The arrow missed him by a mile. Satisfied he opened his mouth to gloat when the raven haired teen disappeared from his eye sight. His eyes moved left to right frantically trying to search for his opponent. Shit. He had been careless. His ears picked up a swish sound. Fear crept into his heart as the realization set in. The Quincy had gotten behind him and he had been unable to follow his movements at all. It can't be over. How could he meet such a pathetic end? In the end he had completely failed his beautiful Silva. A loud buzzing indicating an arrow was born. Preparing for the worst he closed his eyelids. Instead of feeling an arrow impaling his back he heard a pained groan. The sound made him turn around. Luck was still favoring him. The human grasped his injured shoulder. The newly formed arrow dispersed. Esteban's lips curled into a U shape that displayed his joy. Without warning he rammed his left hand into his bloody shoulder, worsening the injury.

"Ah!" cried out the archer.

He shoved the heel of his foot onto the shoulder. The glasses wearing man was forced down into the earth. As soon as the body hit the pavement a small quake rang. Small hairline cracks opened up beneath the human. Sonido allowed him to materialize right next to the fallen human just as he was struggling to get up. "The terrifying Quincy that I am supposed to be afraid of has fallen," he jested. He did not need to look into his eyes to know that the human was grimacing. He reached for sheath on his hip. He freed not a sword, but a staff. With a simple twist the staff extended, reaching his height. On the end on the staff was a blade. The Adonis arrancar twirled the spear once. "Hehe, you were arrogant to challenge me with your shoulder so badly wounded. If it weren't for that you would have been able to shot your arrow and killed me from behind." The blade was lined up inches away from his wounded foe's face. Loathing exuded from the cold steely blue spheres.

"Ishida!" Keigo shouted. He and Mizuiro had recovered and returned to their feet. The pair raced to their friend's aid. The unknown man barely speared them a glance. Pressure forced them to submit to his will. They collapsed again. Breathing had become a difficult task for them. "I…..I….ca…..n't…..bre….ath," he barely choked out.

Mizuiro trembled uncontrollably. His mind attempted to force his body to stop shaking, but it was to no avail. "This…gu…..y."

"Don't bother trying to get up. Your reiatsu is insignificant in comparison to mine. By merely exerting a small percent of it I can stop you right in your tracks. Neither of you can hope to stand as my equal." Feeling he had graced those insects with enough of his time he turned his attentions back to the Quincy. "Watch as I finish him off." The blade moved to his enemy's neck. In one motion the near extinct Quincy clan would be down to just one member. Just as he was about to slit his throat a great force emerged to battle the force his reiatsu produced, disrupting the flow. This could only signify the arrival of someone with great spiritual power. He ignored his defeated enemy. He looked up to find what appeared to be a teenage girl in a school uniform. She wore glasses and possessed raven hair just as the Quincy. The glint from the sword she carried in her hands caught his emerald eyes. He thought the sight was odd. However, he still thought the girl was attractive. The uniform she wore supplemented her body perfectly. A lecherous half smirk formed. He wouldn't mind a night with her. "Who might you be?" He went default mode, lowering his voice and narrowing his eyes hungrily. He had melted many hearts with just a look. He knew he could do it again.

Not far from the new girl Keigo and Mizuiro shared the same question the arrancar had. That girl was unfamiliar to either of them. Was she an ally to Ishida?

Lisa scanned her new surroundings. Three humans were there. The brunet and the dark haired guy next to him had more reiatsu than average human, but were still weak. The last one held a great amount. No doubt he was one of Ichigo's friends. A closer inspection revealed the silver pentacle cross. This was the Quincy then. Urahara told them about this one. After Ichigo he was supposed to be the strongest of their group. How did he wind up in this position? Oh well. She would question him later. The goal had to be defeating the arrancar. "The arrancar have finally come out to fight. I was wondering how many more hollows we would have to kill before you emerged."

It didn't surprise him that she had participated in killing the hollows. If she had enough reiatsu to disrupt his own she should be able to easily cut down common hollows. "Are you carrying a zanpakuto?" he asked.

"Yes. I am."

"You are a shinigami then."

Lisa turned her cheek catching him by surprise. "I do not wish to be associated with shinigami. Although, it seems I have no choice," she mused.

"Oh!" Esteban whistled wolfishly. "You are odd, woman. Perhaps you can tell me your name then?"

Seeing no harm she decided to comply. "Yadomaru Lisa," she replied. The former vice captain could feel the arrancar's lingering gaze. He stared at her more than he needed to. She raised an eyebrow. Interestingly enough it appeared even arrancar could succumb to lust.

"Allow me to return the favor. I am Esteban Murillo, arrancar number 109. I…."

"I don't need your life story," Lisa cut off. She expected him to be upset. He was the opposite and chuckled.

"A feisty one, you remind me of my love. Tell me Lisa, would you consider putting your sword away, so that we may get to know each other?"

"Sounds like a date to me." He did not deny nor confirm what she said. "Forget it. I have no desire to date a guy like you."

"What is wrong with me?" he asked clearly offended.

"I don't like guys too into their own looks. I can tell just by looking at you that you are in love with yourself." She stuck her zanpakuto out in front of her. "Sorry, but you aren't my type."

Following suit Esteban took a battle stance. "Don't say that. I would much rather go out with you then fight you. I prefer not to kill beautiful young women. I can think of much more enjoyable activities the two of us can partake in," he said suggestively.

"No," she reiterated her position.

"Such a shame," he said sadly. He sighed. There seemed to be nothing he could do to deter her. "Killing one as lovely as you brings me no joy."

"Do not concern yourself. I won't be the one who dies here," she declared. They both exchanged looks. Auras mixed as they both puffed their reiatsu out.

Reeling from agonizing pain Uryu could only bear witness to the battle that would ensue. Several questions raced through his mind. The foremost of these questions being the identity of the girl who had rescued him. _'She carries a zanpakuto, but she does not wear the shinigami robes, similar to Urahara-san. Are these his allies?' _

The young woman jumped toward the arrancar. Once she reached her destination she swept her sword at him. The arrancar stopped it with his spear. He pushed her back. Lisa did not go far, which worked into Esteban's plans. He stabbed at her chest. She hopped and successful dodged his strike. She leveled herself on the spear by placing her hand on the staff part of the spear. She could read the shock in the arrancar's eyes. The vizard delivered roundhouse kick to his cheek. The impact of her strike was enough to throw him a good 20 feet. The glasses cladded girl fixed herself back to the ground. Drawing reiatsu to the soles of her feet Lisa shot off like a rocket, riding on Shunpo. The arrancar picked himself up just when Lisa closed the gap.

Shocked the 109th arrancar stood there frozen. _'Fast…..'_ was the only thought he managed to get out. Swiftly she swung her blade against the spear, causing the pretty boy as she deemed him to stumble a bit. She then started to swing and jab her sword at him. Esteban was finding great difficulty in keeping up with her fluent and swift strikes. To an outside observer it would appear that Lisa was performing an eloquent dance. Her zanpakuto twirled and swung about almost as if it were ten swords. The spear successful met each strike though it was apparent that its owner was barely keeping up. In need of a new strategy he retreated backwards in hopes of putting distance between them. However, Lisa chased him down. The tip of his spear crossed with her sword. They each exerted force to push the other one back. Neither was successful and achieved a stalemate. The face he prided himself on was riddled with creases as he strained to push her back. She looked bored.

"Your strength is surprising, for someone of your body structure."

"I can't say the same for you. I didn't expect you to be this weak."

"Do not make baseless assumptions. I have yet to reveal my true strength," Esteban revealed.

Lisa's eyebrows raised slightly in interest. "You are holding back your strength then?"

"Naturally, we may be enemies, but you are still a woman. I do not wish to strike down lovely woman with my strength. It is uncouth." Her lips curved right. The half smirk was sexy in his opinion.

"Shall I show you a reason to stop holding back?" She did not wait for him to reply. A hand hovered over her face. The confusion on his face made her grin wider. Hand washed over her face. A white diamond shaped mask materialized onto her face. For the first time she laid eyes on the blazing green eyes they were coated in fear. Lisa flicked her wrists. Her enhanced hollow strength she was able to easily push back. The arrancar caught completely unaware tried his hardest to stand his ground, but no matter how hard he pushed back on the air the woman dominated him.

"Impossible….What is this power? That mask…" She swung her zanpakuto wildly and pushed away. He did his best to gather spiritual energy to form a platform to slow himself down, but when he tried to shape his spiritual energy it disbursed. The poor arrancar flying at uncontrollable lightning speeds until he crashed into a nearby building. Sore from neck down Esteban let out a small groan. Debris had soiled his crisp clean white uniform. Breath taking pitch black hair had small patches of gray rubble in it. His back was killing him. "Ha….ha….such strength, no it is not just her strength. Her reiatsu is completely different. It is vicious and destructive, feral even. It is almost exactly like a hollow's. How can this be? That mask and that reiatsu are all hollow characteristics."

"You can't figure it out." The masked woman came out of thin air, hovering above him. He could hear what sounded like two different voices coming from her. One was her normal calm and authoritative tone. The second one was low and raspy. "Arrancar are born when hollows remove their masks and break the barrier separating hollow and shinigami, to gain shinigami like powers. Hollows are not the only ones who can obtain this power. Shinigami can also break the barrier and gain hollow powers." She pointed to her mask. "This mask is a representation of the power we vizards control."

"Vizards?" he muttered.

Uryu managed to carry his worn out body to the new battle ground. He had no idea who the woman was. She had his thanks for taking the battle away from Asano and Kojima-kun. They would recover faster now that the arrancar's reiatsu was further away. He could not in good conscious leave her to battle him the arrancar alone after that. It would be cowardly to do such a thing. Besides for a Quincy to run away from a hollow was beyond shameful. He followed them he felt the unknown woman's reiatsu transform. Not only was it more enormous it became feral and dark, just like a hollow's. He increased his speed. Now that he had caught up to them he saw the woman was wearing a white mask. Realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. The dark reiatsu, the human clothing as opposed to shinigami attire, and now the mask, this woman was the same as Kurosaki. She was a shinigami who also possessed hollow powers. She had to be one of those vizards that he heard about, the ones who taught Kurosaki how to control his hollow powers. These people were there to back them up, outcasts among shinigami and no longer saw themselves as shinigami. In a strange way he could almost see them as akin to the Quincy. The hollow nature prevented him from calling them allies. He watched as the vizard spoke to their common enemy.

"Unlike you I will not hesitate to use my strength and crush you." Lisa removed her mask, ending her hollowfication.

"Why did you remove your mask? It contradicts your words," he pointed out.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "The only reason I removed my mask was because I can defeat you soundly without it."

"What?"

"You are weak." She tightened her grip on the handle of her sword. The former vice captain prepared to finish this battle. However, the arrancar did not look worried in the slightest. If anything he looked happy. Why would he be happy though?

"I will make you regret those words." He got back up then twirled around his spear. Little by little the twirling became faster and faster until it was a circle. The no nonsense girl remained unimpressed. Despite he could find no openings in her defense. She was a true warrior if nothing else. It only added to her appeal in his book. "Gaze, Medusa." Emerald green glow took hold of the spinning spear. Eventually the glow inched itself onto the wielder and the spear faded into nothingness. Three rings encircled different positions of his body. One appeared near his feet. The second one manifested around the torso. The last one surrounded his head. Burst of emerald light shot up into the sky. The vizard and the Quincy both stared at the awesome display. The energy dispersed just as quickly as it appeared. The arrancar emerged in a new form.

He wore a long white sleeveless robe that went all the way down to his legs. On the bottom of the robe was black trimming. White scales had decorated every inch of his arms. The breathing taking midnight locks had vanished. They were replaced several long serpents flowed from his head. They were numerous and completely covered his scalp. The deadly serpents slithered around, hissing away. Emerald orbs had become more reptilian, while fangs sprouted from his mouth. Unlike the rest of his horrifying features Esteban's handsome face was not ravaged by the release of his hollow form. This new form was met with the same apathetic expression.

'_Is this all? His reiatsu may have increased, but compared to mine it is still weak. Is he so arrogant that he is blind or does he have something else?' _She readied herself for the next clash.

Suspicious of the arrancar's Resurreccion Uryu's eyes contracted. The form the arrancar took was familiar. He knew he had seen it. The name also rang a bell. Medusa was supposed to be a Greek myth. He studied it in ancient world study in history. She had the ability to turn anyone who looked into her eyes would be turned to…. _'Stone!' _Was that this arrancar's ability as well? He had to warn this woman or else. "Watch out!" The vizard cast her gaze on to him. "His technique could be dangerous. He told me it makes up for lack of strength!"

"So that is his game, huh?" she whispered to herself.

"His technique may….."

"Meet my gaze and remain beautiful, Lisa!" The serpent heads focused onto her. The raven haired girl made the deadly mistake of looking him in the eye. It was over.

"No don't look him in the eyes or…."

Instantly she shut her eyelids, but the damage had been done. Lisa felt numbness in her left arm before feeling completely abandoned her arm. Forcing her eyes open she chanced a glance at her arm. "WHA!" Her heart jumped and stomach dropped. Grayness contaminated her entire sleeve and arm. It was stiff and dense. No matter how much she willed it she could not get her arm to budge even an inch. The Quincy below them was just as horrified as she was. "It's stone," they both said in unison.

"My technique transforms all living beings into stone. It is because of this ability that I am known as the ultimate shield of the arrancar. No enemy can oppose me without falling prey to my technique. However, you were able to avoid being completely transformed it seems. I praise your quick reflexes."

"It is just like the Greek myth. Everything that looks him in the eye will be turned into stone. Fighting him in close range is impossible. I understand why he was confident in his technique now." This was supposed to be one of their weakest members, yet he had such a powerful technique. Privaron Espada was more deadly than Uryu originally thought they were.

Esteban smiled charmingly at his latest victim. "Thank me for allowing you to remain your beautiful self without me having to harm you."

"I should thank you for turning my left arm to stone. You have an unusual sense of gratitude," she quipped, trying to ignore her now dead arm. "I'll have to do is avoid looking into your eyes and I can fight you." She closed her eyelids and tuned her sixth sense to his unique reiatsu. This type of fight would be hard for her. She had never trained herself to fight by solely relying on her sixth sense. Her ears picked up the unmistakable laughter of the 109th arrancar. He laughed carelessly without a care in the world. It really pissed her off.

"If it was as simple as that do you think it would be known as the ultimate shield? Anything my eyes lay upon shall meet the same fate regardless of whether they see it with their own eyes." To prove his point Esteban locked his gaze onto Lisa's left leg. The stone transformation began.

Shit! Now her thigh felt numb and it was getting worse. She vanished using Shunpo to the earth below. She landed closely to a fellow raven haired. Most of her leg had already become stone. "Is it spreading any further?" he asked her.

Lisa replied, "No it stopped at my leg. I don't understand how he is doing this though."

"It seems his technique can really turn anything into stone just by looking at it. Close range is completely out of the question at this point. It would be wiser to fight him form a distance." He activated his bow. "I will handle this. You…."

"Are you stupid?"

The question caused him to nearly fall to the ground. Anger coursed through his veins. His eyebrows twitched and glasses fogged. He hated, absolutely hated when people insulted his intelligence, especially someone who did not even know him. "WHAT ABSURD QUESTION IS THAT? OF COURSE I AM NOT STUPID!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. The girl covered her ears and frowned. "It is obvious that if you fight him up close that he will just turn more parts of your body into stone! I can attack him from a safe distance out of his range. I can also cover a wide range as well as fire multiple arrows at once. I am better choice to fight someone of his abilities."

"You are analytical. Everything you said is true, but there are things you have no considered."

Still sore from her insulting question Uryu turned his cheek to her. "Such as," he challenged.

"We are unaware of how far his range reaches. For all we know he could cover 50 feet. The serpents also focus on whatever he wants to turn to stone. It is possible he can see through their eyes as well. That makes up for any blind spot he has. If he sees you he will just use Sonido to close the range between you and put you within his range of attack. You are also wounded. The reason he defeated you before was because he attacked your shoulder right?" She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. "He will target you there. Leaving things to you alone is too risky. If he turns your other arm into stone you will be unable to fight at all."

He hated to admit this, but she brought good points. A revision to his plan was in order.

"It would be better to let me fight him and you back me up. His technique still relies on catching someone within his line of sight. If I can just evade him I should be good. His technique is not fast acting. I was able to avoid being transformed completely twice. It must take time for him to completely transform someone into stone."

"Are you up to it? His choice to target your left leg was not random. He knows by turning one of your legs into stone that your mobility has been compromised. Can you move fast enough to continue to avoid his technique?"

"I have no doubts. Is your shoulder going to get in the way? I am sure you have lost a good deal of blood."

"I will just have to endure."

"Are you sure about backing me up? After all you are a Quincy and I was a shinigami."

"From what I learned from Kurosaki and Urahara-san you vizards were banished from the Soul Society and made outcast by the shinigami due to your hollow powers and Aizen. You are not official shinigami and you said it yourself. You **were** a shinigami, past tense. You no longer view yourself as a shinigami anymore than I do. A team up between the two of us is possible."

She scoffed. "Your reasoning is a bit faulty. Quinces despise hollows just as much if not more than shinigami. Vizards are both shinigami and hollows. You should hate us more than either."

"You aren't a hollow. You may possess the power of one, but you do not feed on souls of the innocent do you? If I were to consider you a hollow that would mean I would have had consider him a hollow. Despite everything that happened between us…" His memory took him back to Hueco Mundo, where an out of control Kurosaki brutally attacked the Espada known as Ulquiorra. Kurosaki in his crazed state recognized Inoue-san and attempted to reach out to her, claiming he would protect her, the same Kurosaki who returned to normal and cursed himself for losing control. He saw the self-loathing in those brown eyes. That wasn't something a hollow would have. A hollow would never feel remorse from his actions. Most certainly a hollow would never protect anyone. "…he still retained his humanity. You can't be considered a shinigami at this point. It does seem odd for a Quincy to team up with shinigami or vizards. However, my sensei was the last advocate of Quinces and shinigami working together to defeat hollows. This is what I am doing right now."

"Is that why you are allies with Ichigo?"

"Are you done questioning me yet? The arrancar is done waiting for us." The reptilian arrancar flickered across from them. "If you are going to take the lead now is the time to do it."

She understood. He would probably never admit it, but the reason he allied with Ichigo was not out of sensei's plans. It was friendship. He saw past the hollow that once lived within Ichigo's soul to see the person he had always been. Vizards were a group that usually kept to themselves they had something in common with the archer. They were friends of Ichigo's.

"I have given you enough time to conspire." His tongue emerged involuntary. He could not always control his serpent impulses. "No matter what you do against me it is useless." Uryu super sped behind Esteban. Lisa raised her sword. "Are you going to take me from both sides? That is your best chance to defeat me. Come on." The vizard ran toward him at high speeds. On his back the human prepared an arrow to fire. The three way battle between the arrancar, vizard, and Quincy had commenced.

* * *

He would be defeated by that fat ass. That was laughable. There was no way he would be defeated. Let the shinigami think he had this won. He would make him realize how wrong he was when he annihilated him. He summoned his reiatsu into his muscles. Antonio pulled against the rods. Slowly they were becoming loose.

Hachi was taken aback. He did not think that the arrancar would use brute force to fight back. He had casted a number 62 Bakudo. Brute force would, should not be enough to break it. Memories of a berserk hollowfied Kensei breaking a 63 Bakudo on the night they were transformed into vizards flashed before his eyes. What was the probability of it happening a second time? This wasn't just a common hollow after all. Readying another spell would be sufficed.

The rods quivered trying to keep him pinned. His strength was too great for them to keep him down. "GAH!" The pitiful prison yielded. A shockwave vibrated from his physical strength. It broke down the rods into shreds. Ecstatic at his well-earned freedom Antonio ascended into the sky. "Don't make me laugh. You can't defeat me. Not in your wildest dreams could a fat ass like you ever hope to defeat me." The 108th arrancar went on the attack. He slashed at Hachi only to have it blocked by light green barrier. He pulled away then jabbed his blade forward. Like before it was stopped by a barrier. This one was placed in his front. Antonio hacked away, but each strike was blocked by a barrier. The short temper he was known for was in the verge of exploding. The old man was becoming a pain in his ass. "Are you just going to keep defending? Grow some balls and actually attack me!"

The warm hearted vizard zipped backward. He threw an arm forward and directed it at his hateful enemy. "Bakudo #63 Sajo Sabaku!" He closed his hand into a fist. Yellow reiatsu chains wrapped enveloped the hollow-shinigami hybrid. He mentally commanded the chain to tighten its hold to prevent anymore miraculous feats. If he had any doubt the binding was loose they left when he heard Antonio yelp. The tips of his fingers began to glow with an unearthly orange. Hachi traced large diamond shape in thin air. Next he drew a rectangle. Gently he pushed the constructs into the direction of his opponent. The shapes enlarged. First the diamond shape prison engulfed Antonio, trapping him into a cramp space. The rectangle went over the diamond forming a large barrier that was three times the size of the first. "His movement has been restricted completely. If does manage to break out of the Sajo Sabaku he will not be able to do the same with the next two."

Fucking shinigami, he was such a coward. He kept using sealing Kido to contain him, but not finish him off with attacking Kido. He would not stand for this indignity. No barrier or seal could help to contain him! He called upon all of his strength. Try as he might he just could not get the chains to budge. This binding was stronger than the rods he broke out of. Perhaps he was fighting a hopeless battle. Breaking the chains were not going to solve the problem; he would just be forced to break two more. There no other choice, but to use that.

The arrancar was trapped. This left him time to prepare for a technique that would finish him off. He preferred to use Bakudo Kido he was no stranger to Hado Kido. He could always cast one of those. Still the idea did not appeal to him. He could always use one of his unique brands of Kido to erase the arrancar. Reiatsu illuminated his hands as used them as a focal point. He clapped them together getting ready to cast the spell.

"Detonate!" Hachi's concentration was broken. Hoping to discover what the arrancar was up to he decided to watch him. "Explosions!"

BOOM!

A huge explosion swallowed up the barriers. The fires rose high into the skies attempting to burn the heavens themselves. The airwaves carried the deafening tune of the explosions that would have evoked the attention of anyone within the school had it not been emptied. Both Orihime and Tatsuki heard its roar and saw the great almost blinding flash. The red-orange haired beauty was thankful she had gotten her friend safely into the school. She prayed that Hachi was not caught in the explosion. Her prayers were answered. The round vizard was only thrown away by the combustion. Other than his heart jumping out of his chest he was no worse for wear. The shield he had created played a big part in that. Instinctively he was already creating the shield by the time the explosion happened, his training from the Kido Corps in action.

Having no further use for the shield he dissolved it. The jolly had abandoned his face leaving only a sense of foreboding in its wake. He had to be on guard. The arrancar could cause this level of destruction he could not be taken lightly. Black smoke that was the aftermath of the explosion cleared. A lone figure emerged from it. Hachi could make out who it was. The arrancar stood there nonchalantly. He noticed some changes in his appearance. Antonio now sprouted thick white armor on his chest with matching bone like knee and shin guards. Right in the center of the chest plate was teeth marking. Spikes came out of the strip that was the remnants of his mask. On his back was a tail like appendage. "He released his zanpakuto. His appearance has only changed slightly, but if he can create an explosion of that magnitude I should not take him lightly."

It felt so good to stretch his legs out and return to his hollow form. Tail that he had come to miss wagged just as happy as he was at its return. Now wasn't the time to marvel at his hollow form. Business came first. He closed his hand into a fist, determined to finish that man off. "Do you like what I did to your barriers?" Hachi did not reply. "Not talking? You said you would defeat me didn't you. You talk too big. Shinigami or vizard whatever the hell you are, you don't stand a chance against me. I'll show you just why!" The teeth markings on his chest opened up revealing it to be mouth. The Kido user watched carefully. He doubted he could see what was going on. Antonio was taking in the air and spirit particles around him. He then combined that with his reiatsu. He opened up his hands revealing holes had opened up. Dark orange ball of energy formed. The balls grew in size until they became eclipsed the size of his palms. The balls solidified, becoming a bone like substance. With everything he had seen in his many decades Hachi had to admit that this was one of the most peculiar. It only became more peculiar when a crack appeared in the middle. They opened up into two winged reptilian yet bird like creatures. Their wings were covered by combination of feathers and fur. Their necks were long and slender. They had talons, but also two shriveled hands that were as dead. Their faces were just as shriveled up, it seemed like wrinkled baby. Their eyes were black without a shred of life within them. It was a horrific sight.

He threw the demonic looking birds. They took over and began to fly of their own power. They screeched bloody murder. "Cuervos Bomba (Bomb Ravens)C rank!" he cried.

Hachi waved a hand and brought a brick wall into reality. He brought his hands together and began to chant. "The impenetrable wall that shall not yield, the impassable shield that will not fail; no sword shall cut it, no spear shall pierce it, no arrow shall break it, Renga-Dzukuri no Kabe ni Ugokanai (Unmoving Brick Wall)!" The wall expanded new stacks of bricks materialized and stacked themselves up into a grand wall that dwarfed its creator. It composed of three layers of bricks. The demonic entities crashed into the wall, exploding on impact. Neither was big enough to even cause the wall to quake.

Antonio was not deterred. He created more creatures. This batch was far large than the last pair. They were half of his size. "Cuervos Bomba B rank!" They took flight, while the arrancar created more to join them. He created ten in total. He wondered if the wall would be able to handle ten of his B rank bombs.

He created a reiatsu barrier to serve as a new layer for his wall. His original intent was to add another barrier. He decided against it. It was better to see how powerful these new bombs were so he could create future barriers accordingly. The first three collided smack head first. Unlike the first pair they caused the wall to vibrate. It was far from falling. The second wave ushered in a new explosive shockwave that destroyed the first layer and left the second one with several cracks. The third wave made up the last three flight-bound fiends destroyed the second wall. The third one though some miracle remained perfectly intact.

Foolishly he allowed himself to relax at his small triumph. He paid the price. The hollow-shinigami hybrid broke straight through the wall. With bulged eyes the vizard only let out a soundless gasp. There wasn't enough time for him to react. Antonio grabbed at his shoulder. Before he realized anything was wrong it exploded. "Ggggaaahhhh!" Hachi tended to the charred shoulder. He could feel the wetness of his blood. The arrancar put a hand over his chest.

"Boom," Antonio taunted.

Sheering pain erupted from his chest and the small explosion occurred. "Ugh!" Hachi flew backward to escape. More of his bird-like minions pursued him. He countered with a circular shield. It was successful in stopping them. "Bakudo #61 Rikujokoro." Six yellow thin beams hit Antonio's midsection; each one came from a different angle, creating a flower like pattern. His enemy just cackled. He moved his tail to the yellow bands and they were no more.

"Idiot! No matter what type of barrier or seal you create I will just destroy it. The name of my Resurreccion is Explosion. With a name like that my power is obvious. I am destruction incarnate itself. Go on and keeping using barrier and sealing Kido on me you are just wasting your reiatsu. I am Antonio-Mariano the Emperor of Destruction! I will destroy everything in my path!" He straightened out his tail. A compartment opened up. Several dark orange orbs burst forth. They covered the sky much to Hachi's dismay. In no time the arrancar had surrounded himself with more large monstrous birds. "77 Cuervo Bomba B rank, is one of my favorite techniques. I use it destroy whole armies. There isn't a barrier you can make that will stand up to so many, not at B rank."

"I see. You rank your explosions in letters. The very first ones you used were ranked C. They were relatively small and the explosions they created were proportional to their size. These are B rank and are much larger than the ones you ranked C. When they explode it is large."

"You figured that out nicely. It is just as you said. I rank all of my bombs from S to D. I used D rank bomb to on your shoulder and chest. That is why they those explosions were small."

'_C and B rank bombs were made into creatures that can move on their own. But the D rank seemed to use my body parts as the medium for the explosions, making them the bomb.' _Golden-orange energy case enveloped his shoulder and his chest. Skin regrew, while the black scorched marks erased themselves. _'Every time he creates a bomb the center of his chest opens up. He must be taking in spiritual particles and oxygen to mix it with his own reiatsu to create them. However, when he touched me that did not occur, if he uses an existing object or person as a medium he just has to transfer his own reiatsu to make it a bomb. He used that to destroy Rikujokoro by touching it with his tail.' _Wounds were healed and clothes mended.

"That is an interesting healing technique. Too bad you can't use it when you are blown to smithereens."

"Bakudo #81 Danku." A translucent rectangular wall materialized in front of him. Using high level Kido one after the other was taxing. What he needed was some time to recuperate. Danku could stop attacks with power up to level 89 Kido. If he was lucky it would hold up until he regained some strength.

A mirthful Antonio exclaimed, "That is pointless!" The ravens of death attacked.

The round vizard was not listening. His mind was only resting. The ravens crashed into the wall. An enormous boom deafened him. He felt the heat on his face despite being shielded from the explosion. Thankfully Danku was holding up brilliantly. The ravens continued to rush forward and detonating. Danku still was not weakening. The former Espada saw this with his own eyes. Perhaps it was time to up the ante.

Holes opened up chest, tail, and forearms, dark orange reiatsu race out. The rampant reiatsu formed into a huge orb above him. Next it solidified taking the form of a dragon. Its wings blanketed the sky. It arms were thin, but its claws razor sharp. Its neck as long as the eye could see. Horns came out of its head, eyes were black and lifeless, and spikes rested on its tail, back, and neck. Antonio only came up to its leg. A twisted satisfied smirk broke out on his lips. He directed his dragon to strike the unsuspecting vizard.

The ravens ceased their assault. Unsure why they would stop Hachi became bewildered. The ravens cleared out of the way of much larger and much fiercer demon. Fear crawled into his heart. "What is that?"

"Bomba de la Destruccion del Dragon rank A," he stated as if to answer Hachi's question. "You won't survive this nor will that pathetic barrier of yours! I will destroy everything!"

The dragon soared through the air. Despite its size he was almost ghostly thanks to its speed. If that exploded here it would probably take out everything within surrounding the school where Orihime and her friend were. Hachi used Shunpo to travel upward. His ploy worked, for the beast followed after. If only he had worked on his Shunpo more. He took three steps and he was only cleared ten feet and the dragon was approaching him fast. "Detonate," he heard the destruction arrancar say. The dragon radiated with the same dark orange coloring. Everything stopped. Time had slowed to a crawl. His golden eyes bulged out of their sockets. His mouth fell open. He was right at the center of the blast. The dragon's form gave away. It was a large burst of energy that inched closer to the former vice captain. It washed over him. The sky lite up as orange dome enlarged, becoming a second sun.

The windows shattered. Orihime reflexively summoned Santen Kesshun to protect them from the glass. The two best friends observed the sky being set ablaze. "Hachi-san," Orihime muttered.

"Go out there and help him." The healer was surprised by Tatsuki's outburst. "I will be fine. Go out there and help your friend fight. I swear I will be fine." She looked Orihime straight in the eye. Tatsuki willed her to believe her. The truth was she would be fine. Orihime had to go out where she was needed. She seemed to have realized that to. She returned Tatsuki's gaze, letting her know she understood her best friend's message.

"Please be safe, Tatsuki-chan."

"I will. You be careful out there."

"Yes." Orihime gave Tatsuki one last look then ran to the nearest exit. _'Hang in there Hachi-san. I will be there to help you.'_

The dome died. The debris flew about. Antonio and the ravens hovered, taking in the sight of his handy work. He was a bit out of breath, but it was not enough to damper his joy. The fat ass was finished. He had taken the blast full force. There was probably nothing left. That smile was soon turned upside down. Immense pressure rained down on him and threatened to force him down. What the hell was going on? No one could survive such an explosion at close range. Absolutely no one could survive that up closer. He was certain. Whatever this force was it could not be coming from that fat ass. The Emperor of Destruction had become as white as ghost. Ghost was appropriate word considering he was seeing one. The man stood there un-fazed and uninjured inside of golden barrier. What was more disturbing for Antonio was the fact that he now wore a mask that looked hollow-like. "What the hell do you think you are doing with that mask on? Are you trying to mock me or something? Trying to imitate us hollows won't do any good."

The golden sphere around him dropped. "I do not intend to insult you."

'_Even his reiatsu has changed. It is more like mine. This bastard possesses a hollow's reiatsu.'_

He scanned the remaining bird-like bombs. There was 34 left. It was simple enough to stop them. The Kido master snapped his fingers entrapping one of the demonic ravens into a golden orange cube. The arrancar gave it a curios look. "This won't work." His warnings were ignored. Hachi snapped his fingers several more times erecting more cubes around the hated death birds. With one last snap the final raven was trapped.

"Ha, I told you it won't work. I'll just detonate them and your….."

Clap!

Hachi slapped his hands together on cue the bombs were erased. "My, my Cuervo, they are all gone." He threw glare full of spite towards the hollow wannabe. "Fine. I will just make more." Several more ravens appeared. "Attack!" They flocked toward the bastard.

Hachi shimmered out of existence.

"Shit. He is gone." His avian creations were engulfed by the cube. They came undone. "Damn it all." He looked above to the mask foe standing there. "I will not be made a fool of! Anger the Emperor of Destruction and you will be annihilated." His tail spat out several smaller birds. Their smaller size should make it harder for him to imprison. A golden hexagon of reiatsu materialized in between the vizard and the bombs, blocking them from their intended target. The small explosions joined together into a large one. They might as well have been yearn balls for the little damage if any they inflicted.

'_So his barriers have strengthened,' _Antonio observed. C, B, and even A rank bombs were unable to destroy his shields or barriers. That left D and S rank bombs left. There was no way D rank bomb would destroy these new barriers. S rank took so much of his reiatsu that after he used it he would be exhausted. He still had to battle other opponents, like that woman who killed Salvador. Hachi pointed at him. Alarmed he drew reiatsu into his feet and ran away. _'I can't get caught in one of his barriers. If I am then I will be destroyed just like with my bombs…..' _A blue pillar stabbed him in the back. His pace slowed somewhat, but he pushed through it and continued to run. Three more pillars punctured his back. He let out pained cry. His enemy was right on his tail. Apparently his speed increased too. He launched a few more bombs for cover. Not surprisingly the hollow wannabe disposed of them. It distracted him long enough to charge Cero. He fired it by swinging his left arm. However, the masked man stopped is with his bare hand. "Shit. Shit. Shit," cursed the arrancar.

He had no choice. The only way he could possibly come out of this alive was to use S rank bombs. He failed his tail unleashing more C rank bombs to cover him. The vizard blocked them. He increased his speed and left Hachi in the dust for now anyway. Once he was sure he was clear stopped. He opened his mouth and took a huge breath, absorbing oxygen and spirit particles within his body. Orange aura manifested from his body. It was weak at first, but as he took in more spirit particles and oxygen it grew. The aura became flame like then into an oval before finally become a large sphere. That was when Hachi arrived. "Too late fat ass," he mocked. "I have already started it. My ultimate bomb, Con una Explosion (Out with a Bang) S rank. By taking in a large amount of sprit particles and oxygen I can combine it with my innate reiatsu. Instead of expelling it to create a bomb I can build it up to unleash a wave. Everything this wave touches will be turned into a bomb." He heard the Kido master hushed cry. "That's right every barrier or wall you create will be turned into a bomb. I'll turn your body into one bomb."

Antonio balled his body up. The last strike was about to be dealt. At last he would be rid of this nuisance. Across form Antonio, Hachi flared his reiatsu, allowing it to go wild for once. Already he was preparing a counter. He only hoped it was enough. The former octava uncurled his body and release the energy he had built up. "Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

The instrument of his doom as the arrancar intended it to be rippled. Fast to act Hachi summoned large golden poles. Mentally he arranged them in a triangular formation with them inside. Beams of light formed on the points and connected together, sealing the pair off from the outside world. He had insured that the attack would not go any further. Wave passed over him before being stopped by the new barrier.

"I don't know what you expected to accomplish. My technique has already infected you. Now my reiatsu is inside of you. With just one command it will explode and take you with it. Maybe if you beg I won't detonate you."

"I do not think you would stop your detonation even if I were to beg." He placed an octagonal field around himself.

This caused a small laugh from Antonio. "That won't help you. Your body has already been infected with my bombs. Putting a barrier around your after the fact is going to do nil. Detonate." The loud boom he was expecting never came. The hollow wannabe was unscathed. "I-Impossible…..You actually stopped my technique….. Your barrier stopped it, but….." He remembered the unique healing Kido the vizard used. "You healed yourself with the barrier. Of course it makes sense now. By using a healing technique he could expel alien reiatsu from his body. Healing Kido wouldn't be able undo my technique alone. My reiatsu would combine with the targets so completely that it cannot come undone so easily. Healing Kido which can expel foreign reiatsu would take time to remove it. This technique is more than just that."

"I am afraid that your techniques have no effect on me."

"Bullshit! I am the Emperor of Destruction! I destroy everything in my path. My techniques can destroy even Kido."

"My abilities are the perfect counter for yours then. Your abilities allow you to destroy mine allow for me to erase that very destruction."

"I won't accept this," he muttered. "DIE! FINAL EXPLOSION!"

"Huh?"

Reiatsu erupted from the arrancar consuming Hachi. He failed to put up a barrier in time and was thrown away in the current of reiatsu. The triangular formation ended abruptly. The blast of reiatsu was brilliant, but brief. The left part of his tux was destroyed, his shoulder scared. The injuries were minor. However, there was a huge crack right down the middle of his mask. Hachi felt blessed. Despite the name the Antonio's Final Explosion was not final at least for him anyway. Antonio was worn out. His breathing was unsteady, reiatsu low; it was all he could do to keep in the air. Fatigued the arrancar landed along with his opponent.

God he hoped to inflict more damage than this. He spent too much of his power when he used S rank bomb. The Final Explosion was weak because of it. He had one last gambit to play. He just needed to sale it. He fell to the ground feigning weakness. God help him if this failed.

Hachi removed his mask. Good thing the fight was over. He did not want to go over his time limit lest he wanted to exhaust his reiatsu and stamina past the breaking point. The arrancar was down for now. It would be unwise to leave him there. The best thing to do would be to capture him and take him to Urahara-san for interrogation. He took a step toward the arrancar when something snapped onto his foot. "Uh!" The something was cross between a bear trap and mole or what he thought was mole. The beast ignited, blowing up right in poor Hachi's face.

Scheming Antonio dropped his act. "It actually worked." He got up jubilant over a small victory.

Hachi rested on one knee. His left arm limp, patches of skin burned off with ugly scars decorating it. Red liquid trickled down the left side of his face. His breathing was shallow. He was foolish for not taking precautions when approaching an enemy. He was too lax. Damn his enemy for taking advantage of him. His left arm was useless. Without both of his arms he could not heal his body.

"Just like I thought, when your mask is on your durability and power go up, but without they aren't nearly as high. One of my bombs could injury you if you weren't wearing it." Ravens emerged from the back of his tail. "As you are now you won't be able to take any more bombs." They swarmed for at the fallen vizard. The avian terrors were about to strike a golden orange triangular shield materialized in front of jolly giant and protected him. "Her again."

Orihime arrived, out of breath. She saw that Hachi-san had been saved by her Santen Kesshun. Weight of her heart was lifted. She made it in time. Antonio she saw was glaring at her for her interference. She furrowed her brow to give him a stern and unforgiving glare. Santen Kesshun traded places with Soten Kisshun. Immediately she started to heal Hachi. "Hachi-san you will be good as new in no time."

His lips parted into a welcoming smile akin to the one a warm grandfather would give to their granddaughter. "Thank you, Orihime-san."

"You two are annoying. Every time I am about finish one of you off the other one interferes."

"We are allies. Of course we will step in to help each other if we need it," she told him sternly.

"It pisses me off." A new ball formed in the palm of his hand. "That shield of yours won't stop a B rank bomb."

"Orihime-san, he is right. Santen Kesshun won't be strong enough to stop that. Let me out now. I have recovered enough strength to mount a defense for us." She refused him. "Orihime-san!"

"Please sit there and focus on recovering. I will handle this."

"If that's what the girl wants let her do it. I won't kill her, just mess her up a bit." He prepared to throw it, but a golden streak flew through it, triggering its detonation. Orange flames engulfed Antonio incinerating his body burning away all of his feelings except for pain. He let out a blood churning scream.

Orihime could not bear to see a man burned alive. She turned her head and closed her eyelids shut as tightly as she could. The screaming still painted a vivid picture of the arrancar's fate. She never wanted so badly not to hear anything in her life. Once the screaming stopped it only filled her with a sense of dread. Orihime opened her eyes for a peak. What she saw made her want to vomit. The arrancar or what was left of him had its skin burned off. His head was gone, incinerated in the blast no doubt along with his right arm and part of his torso. Colored in nothing but red and black, it was reprehensive of death itself. The healer shrunk away. She could not believe she was the cause of this.

"You had no choice. If you had allowed him to thrown that you would have….."

"I know, Hachi-san. I know. There was no other choice," she told herself. "I will be fine." She had done the right thing. The arrancar was going to kill Hachi-san and was responsible for bringing so much destruction to Karakura. To protect everything she loved and held dear she had to stop him. If that led to his death so be it. No it wasn't that simple. She still killed someone. That realization would stay with her.

"I once said you were unsuited for battle because of your kind heart," he mused remembering their first meeting months ago. "However, I was incorrect."

"Huh?" she uttered. Inappropriately he thought she was adorable. Her eyes shimmering with curiosity, but had a afterglow of innocence in them.

"Your kind heart makes you suitable to battle. You understand how precious life is and the grief it causes to end it. Someone who understands that understands the need to protect it. Orihime-san, you did not murder the arrancar in cold blood. You killed in order to protect life. It is not wrong to what you are feeling. I understand this because you and I are similar. I went through the same thing until my former captain; Tessai-san told me the same thing."

A small smile found itself way on her lips. "Hachi-san," she called. "Thank you." He smiled back at her. The two healers healed their wounds both physical and spiritual.

* * *

Gild rammed his fists into the ground. He launched himself straight at Sado. As usual he streaked across the sky at great speeds. Having seen this move a few times by now Sado already moved out of the way by the time Gild finished ramming his fists. The hollow powered human dodged the giant arrancar. Unbeknown to Sado though Gild expected this tactic and had something in store for it. Gild drew his innate reiatsu and spirit particles in the air to create an invisible wall to stop. He then pushed off the unseen object starting a new charge. The poor bastard didn't even see it coming. By the time Sado turned around he was near him. He was like a deer caught in headlights.

"Got ya!" he hollered. He threw a punch. Not enough time for him to dodge. That left Sado with no choice, but to hide behind his shield. He braced himself for the overwhelming power. The giant fist came into contact with his shield. His eyes widened. He did not feel the overbearing power he felt when he blocked Gild's blows. His arm was not stress nor did it cry in agony. The momentum Gild built up forced him back, heels dragging on the pavement failing to keep him rooted.

'_What is going?' _Sado thought. _'His strike feels different from last time. Before it was like a locomotive, overwhelming and unmoving. Now this punch feels anything, but strong. It feels so weak, like there is no strength behind it at all.'_ They slowed down. The momentum finally died down. Eventually they came to a stop all together. The two brawlers broke apart.

"Impressive, you can take one of my weaker punches now. This will be loads more fun now."

Sado looked down at his right arm. He moved his fingers, testing to see if everything was working properly. Nothing was out of place. Nothing was injured. Confidence sprang forth. Suddenly Gild did not seem so invincible any more. White armor manifested on his left arm.

"Oh, ya getting ready to attack me. I got warn you that the strategy you pulled last time won't be so easy to pull off. I know what to expect….." He stopped in midsentence. A white fist rammed itself straight into his stomach. Breath was knocked right out of his lungs. Lungs in desperation for life sustaining oxygen tried to take it back. Sado's lips curved into a cocky half grin.

**The results of his 2 months of training, the strongest Hierro overcome? The invasion nears its end.**

* * *

**Antonio is dead, Esteban is in the middle of a fight with Lisa and Uryu, and Gild is fighting Sado. The vizards might come off as weak to some in this chapter, because Antonio and Esteban are weak members of the Privaron Espada a group inferior to the latest generation of Espada. This was not my intentions. I tried to overcome this problem by giving Antonio and Esteban powerful or unique techniques that would make up for their lack of raw power. I did try to show Hachi and Lisa can handle them easily, before they used their Resurreccion. I felt it was more believable to have vizards that were vice captains/lieutenants to have some trouble with Esteban and Antonio than the ones that were captains like Shinji or Love. **

**That brick wall Kido is totally made up with help from Google Translator. Sorry for the mistakes. Tired eyes miss things. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story. I am happy with all the interest people are showing in it. I never thought it would get this big. It is has been a long ride so far. In 17 months since I started this story (weird coincidence I assure you) I think I can safely saw the end is in sight. I have an end planned out already and know where I want to take the story. Uploads might not be as frequent anymore, but I still brainstorm lol. I don't have a number in mind, so I can't tell you. All I can say is that the Privaron Espada threat I have imagined to have three major events and we have passed one (the midnight battles in chapters 29-33) and the second one is this invasion right now. The last one will be final battle between our heroes and the antagonists. I think the third event/major battle could start in chapter 50 or sooner. After that battle happens I will show the aftermath and an epilogue that will take us to beginning of Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. Like I said I have no idea how many chapters that will be from now. This story could last for six months or three months. I wanted to tell you guys, so you have some idea when this long ass story will end. I am sure people are tired of reading 10,000 words. **

**If you are one of those people that actually like this story and are for some reason crying at this announcement. Do not worry. The sequel I keep talking about is going to happen. I really do want to write my own version of the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. I have been brain storming ideas for that story now. I really did like that arc until the ending. It had a lot of untapped potential in my opinion. When I read I had all these different ideas pop up in my head, so I thought why not make a fan fiction? I guess that is it for now. Please review and if you know a good beta who likes reading long as chapters to proof read give me a shout. **


	44. Fruition

**Yes. Yes. I have finally finished this chapter. I am ecstatic after months of trying to write this chapter. I am sorry for the long wait, but here it is. The fighting ends in this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own some of the characters in this fan fiction like Gild and Esteban.**

* * *

Sado's lips curved into a cocky half grin. He could feel his encased fist dig deep into Gild's hardened stomach. The uncompromising steel like skin that deflected his fists before were now as fragile as brittle. As he sunk in deeper and deeper into the arrancar he could taste the agony Gild was experiencing as though it were a tasty dish he had sampled. It was so delicious. Gild's entire frame vibrated from the force of his own strike. He quivered from Sado's force. He gasped for air, at a loss for both thoughts and words. Eyes had grown two times the size they were before, exceeding their sockets. Overwhelmed by the sheer strength the human had that the former Espada finally fell to his knees and keeled over.

"….Ga…aaaahh…." How was the human this strong? He managed to break through his Hierro! He had one of the strongest if not the strongest Hierro of his comrades. Only the strongest warriors could actually get by it, warriors like Silva or Joaquin. While it was true that Sado Yasutora had managed to break through his dense skin before, it took him several attacks to stress his Hierro until it got to the point where he could break it. However, the human was able to harm him with a simple punch. Two months, that was how long it had been. Sado stated that he would show him just how much he had changed in two months. It was mind baffling that the human could increase his physical strength to this level. He looked up to see the armored armed human standing above him with reiatsu venting out of the pores of his body. It pulsated violently trying to tear apart his very molecules from the inside out. Sado's reiatsu felt almost entirely different from what he felt from the human two months ago.

He could not stop quivering. Pain was not the source of it. A more primal force commanded his body. Fear ruled over him. Fear that he could possibly lose. Fear that he could possibly die. The fear of dying here on the battle field excited him. This is what he wanted. At last he would have a battle where he did not know the outcome. Sado Yasutora did not disappoint. The human always surprised him. "This is more like it. You actually hurt me." The giant arrancar slowly got back up. Sado stood his ground and remained were he stood. "This is it. This is the battle I have craved for so long, to think that you have obtained the power to oppose me…..Ha…ha….HAHAHAHAHA!" He hollered with insane laughter.

Frightened by the arrancar's unstable behavior the hollow powered human could only stare. After what felt like an eternity the laughter began to die down. His face scrunched up in obvious disdain. Of course this was still just a game to him. The arrancar only sought to fight to satisfy his battle lust. He was completely devoid of any sense of purpose. This was not a game to Sado though. Winning was not an option for him. Sado had to win in order to keep his promise to Ichigo and Inoue. The last several weeks he and Inoue had worked so hard to re-forge their power into something that could protect the peace Ichigo had given them. He would not be defeated by one who saw battle as means of amusement.

"What is with the serious face?" Gild questioned. Mirth that surged through his body also drenched his words. "Shouldn't you be happy that you are able to harm me now? I never thought a human could improve so drastically in such a short amount of time. Now our battle can be enjoyable. We can enjoy our battle to its fullest extent!"

Sado growled. "I don't care about anything like that."

A surprised Gild's mouth opened slightly in response. The human did not care about an enjoyable fight? He could not understand that. People like them, who were strong, should only be able to find no greater joy than when they clashed with equally strong opponents.

"My power is meant to protect others." His brown eyes fell onto his right arm. Once again he could not help, but think its form was appropriate. It symbolized his abuelo's soul. He was a man who used his great strength to protect others. Sado practiced his teachings to this day. "I don't seek satisfaction in battle nor do I seek to challenge my strength. I trained with everything I had in order to gain more power, so I could use it to protect the bonds I cherish, to protect my comrades."

Those words were eerily familiar. Golden orbs of the former primera materialized in front of him. He remembered she said similar words.

"Gild, this not a game to me. I will defeat you with all of my power. I suggest you do the same if you want to win." He clenched his left hand tightly into a fist. His spiritual power was bursting through it just ready to explode when Sado needed it.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? I respect your desire to use your power to protect your comrades, but do not talk as though you have won already. Your punches have some power behind them now, but don't forget about my power. One hit from me at full power was enough to send you flying last time. Do ya believe you gained enough strength to handle me going all out now?" He charged at the human with all of his speed, pulling his arm back. He prepared to punch Sado Yasutora with his full strength. "Can ya really handle this?" he shouted again.

The tanned giant stood his ground. The arrancar charged down on him like a raging bull and just like a bull he hoped to stampede all over Sado. The enormous colorless fist skirted across toward him. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Sado cried at the top of his lungs. Reiatsu sparking from his left arm now flared into an intense blaze. Sado met Gild's fist with his own. The two giant sized men collided with one another. The opposing forces exploded, ringing throughout the atmosphere, frightening any unsuspecting animals that had not fled yet. Both combatants could feel the pressure their reiatsu created push them away. Neither man would yield to it. Their fortitude saw that neither would lose this clash. Instead it ended in a stalemate.

Frozen in stunned silence the arrancar gawked at the smaller giant. "Ya…matched my…..punch….." he muttered in hushed astonishment. He did it. He had actually done it. The human matched the power of his full strengthened punch. Words escaped him. The gap between them had completely dissolved when he wasn't looking. The strength that Gild was so proud of, the very strength that had taken him years to obtain, and underwent the experimental process to become an arrancar to enhance it, had been matched by a mere human. To add insult to injury said human had only trained two months to match it. Damn it all if Sado Yasutora was not gazing up at him with the same hardened expression as before. He was neither surprised nor boastful. One look into his human's foe's eyes told him that Sado had no intentions of falling here. Sado challenged him to use all of his strength on him. Failure was not even taken into consideration, not with those eyes. Again he was reminded of her. Why did she haunt him now? The arrancar's heart was dripping in fear. This could be his final battle.

There was no telling what would happen. "Aren't ya just full of surprises?" he jested. Unsurprisingly the dark skinned human did not respond. He threw a right hook to the loud mouth arrancar's left cheek. That hit knocked the taste out of his mouth. The former Espada's head was thrown back with such force that he almost had whiplash. There was no time to for him to react. A new pain shot through his stomach. Sado's fist dug through him for a second time. All he saw was gray blur as he was being assaulted by swift blows.

They tore through his once impenetrable skin with the speed and precision as a bullet. The hurricane that was Sado became relentless. Almost no part of his body was left untouched. His torso, shoulders, arms, legs, face, and even his back were all the hollow powered human's victims. The victimized Gild could not weather the storm. Hastily he threw his arms in front of his face and chest in a weak attempt to shield himself. It did little to aid him. With every blow he felt more of his stamina whittled away. He was forced back, while his rival took advantage of this and continued to move forward. Sado connected with Gild's cheek again. The arrancar attempted to counter he merely swerved out of the way.

This was not the battle he had imagined. Gild's distress worsened. There was no doubt that he was overwhelmed completely. His speed could not hope to match his enemy's already. Now that their strengths were near equal he lost his greatest advantage. He continued to be pounded away, while his Hierro crumbled before him. He had lost. There was no way he could win. His power had been overtaken by this human. The outcome was decided as soon as the battle started. It was decided before they met. There was always a difference in their strength. It was only now that Gild became aware of it. He battled for amusement. He loved to fight. He gained as much strength as possible to fight stronger and stronger opponents. The reason he became an arrancar and joined the Espada was to continue to fight.

Silva asked for his services he saw another chance to get into great fights. He cared not for claiming rule of Hueco Mundo as the other arrancar. He hardly cared for Silva's aim at first. He would have said yes to anything, so long there was a great battle to be fought. He was hardly a team player nor was he sentimental type, but being among former comrades, all of whom stood by Aizen's side at one point as the Espada was acceptable. He started to care about Silva's vision. He started to want to see that world where humans and hollows were mingled into one. His lust for battle was more overwhelming though. The former sexta sought this battle with one he deemed worthy. This was his battle, his last great battle.

Sado Yasutora was completely opposite of him. This battle was never one for joy. As the human said many times before this battle was meant to protect the comrades he had made. His strength was for others. Victory mattered to him. It decided everything to him. Sado Yasutora would never give up, because he had a vision of his own. In many ways he was like Silva. He valued his comrades above his own self-interest. Gild had nothing to be ashamed of. He was defeated by a man such as Sado Yasutora. He would embrace death. Just as the arrancar closed his stormy gray eyes she appeared before him. Golden orbs were marred with humility. She held out her hand before speaking.

"_Please lend me your strength. If I have your strength I can make my vision a reality. We will no longer be forced to dwell in the darkness of this dead world. No longer will our fate be bond to be prey of the shinigami. We will no longer be subjected to the shinigami's rule nor will be force to live apart from the humans! I do not seek to replace Aizen-sama. I have no desire for more power for powers sake. Let Hueco Mundo fall into the hands of whatever arrancar foolishly fights to claim it. Gild, the time has come for us to break these chains we have and go into the light. I ask you again to please lend me your strength, Gild. Stand with me as my comrade once more." _

No! This could not happen. If he were defeated here not only would he lose, but Silva's dream, their shared dream would also shatter. This battle wasn't just for him. It was for all his comrades. He had strong comrades who he could aim to surpass. Never once did he use this strength for their benefit, even now. He believed in Silva's dream of the future, but a bigger part of him followed her in order to fight stronger opponents.

He was on the verge of defeat. He still found joy in the battle. A part of him was ready to accept defeat. Perhaps he had been looking for someone who would defeat him and now that he found him he was ready to just accept it. Silva would not accept that though. The woman haunted him as a specter. She shattered his delusion of his invincibility and instilled a sense of comradeship. He saw her bow to a man who was far from being her equal to request his strength for their use. She swallowed her pride for their dream. She was everything to him without even realizing it. The loyalty or admiration for her was as great as he had for Aizen. The giant arrancar had no choice, but to respect Aizen's power. The sheer volume of the renegade shinigami's power could not be anything, but respected to one such as he who placed value in strength. Silva's power could not compare to Aizen, but it was her ideals that kept him gravitating toward her.

She did not deserve to be imprisoned in the darkness. Hueco Mundo would kill such a flower as her. If he could not enjoy this world of light he would make sure that Silva and their other comrades would. Gild stopped. The human went for another attack when Gild howled, startling the human. With speed surprising himself Gild punched Sado straight in his torso and rammed him back down. The smaller giant collided with the earth with a loud crack. Sado Yasutora laid there unmoving. This was his chance. Gild hit him in his back with his massive fist. He hit him again and again and again. Each time the human's body was slammed into a growing crater. "Ya think ya are the only one fighting for someone?" He beat the human's back. "We are fighting for something to. We want to leave the darkness. My comrades want to live in this world of light that you take for granted." He stomped onto Sado, causing another loud crackle. "She….she wants to give us arrancar and hollows the chance to leave the darkness. The truth is she wants to liberate us from the shinigami that condemn us and the humans that look down on us! Today I am going to fight for her!" He lashed out at the human to no avail. His punch was stopped by his rival. All the blows he had landed did not so much as blemish Sado's dark brown skin. Damn if the human's hand wasn't steady. It just held his larger fist in place as though he was some pitiful child.

He understood Gild's heart now. He understood the arrancar's new found conviction to defeat him. No longer was Gild's fist without purpose. A fist without purpose was incapable of harming him. However, now there was a need for Gild to win. With reason and conviction to match it the 106th arrancar's strength returned in full force. The hollow powered human slowly rose never leaving his enemy's eyes once. "I won't lose," he stated. It was a fact. There was no other possibility. Sado saw the disgust on Gild's face as if he reeked of something putrid. He knew it sounded like arrogance, but it wasn't. The former Espada was not even in his sights. His vision extended beyond Gild and onto the two he swore to. They stood there waiting for him to catch up. God knew he was so damn tired of trying to catch up to him.

"Are you so arrogant as to think your victory is absolute, human?" he sneered. The child-like glee dissipated from his aura. Something darker boiled within him. It was on the verge of erupting from the massive muscle bond husk of a body.

"Arrogant, no that is not what this is. I just can't lose."

"And you do not call that arrogance!" He backhanded the human with his free arm. The force was enough to make him turn the other cheek. "What makes your comrades more important than mine?" he shrieked.

Sado could hear the aggravation spewing from his words. Blood trickled on the human's now swollen bottom lip. He wiped it away. He remained un-phased, which only infuriated the 106th arrancar, even more. "Whether your comrades are more important than mine or vice versa the only thing that matters is the strength of my conviction and my pride. The pride I have in my own skin of my proud heritage, the pride I have in my strong comrades!" He clenched his left hand into a fist. His power flared freely. It resonated with Sado's unshakable resolve.

Gild gritted his teeth. Rage threatened to overtake him there was something else lurking beneath it. This something was deadly as they come. It had the ability to bring men and women to their knees, as it predicted their downfalls, and showed them their deaths. In many ways it was even worse than fear. Gild doubted his ability to win for the first time in his life. When he looked into the human's eyes he could see they were so clear. He could see his own reflection in brown spheres. Unlike him Sado did not have any doubt behind those eyes. "No….I….I….I won't lose to someone like you! My comrades are just as important! I will win for their sakes! My strength is still greater than yours!" He unleashed a roar as great as it was terrible. He slammed his fists together as he gathered all of his reiatsu into arms. With his strength he would win. With this strength Silva and his comrades had given him he would win! For the first time ever he looked to others for strength. The comrades he had made were the source of his strength! "No more playing around! I will hit ya with everything I got, you hear!? This is everything I have on the line here!"

Sado made his arrangements. Lightning like reiatsu crackled on his armored fingertips, so loudly that it deafened Gild's booming voice. He returned his hand to a fist. Lightning instantaneously consumed it. The dark brown haired man glared at Gild. He would accept the arrancar's challenge he would win it. "Let's go, Dagoberto Gild!"

Didn't Sado ever doubt himself? He was like this the last time as well. Despite Gild's clear advantage and Sado's inability to even so much as take a punch from him he still believed he could win on that night. Pride is what the human said was the source of his strength, pride and conviction. Gild had always prided his strength. Now that he had conviction to follow Silva's dreams he should be his equal. No. He should be this human's superior. "I hate that look in your eyes now."

"Hmm," Sado replied, a little taken aback by his enemy's odd remark.

Gild continued, "Those eyes used to amuse me, because it meant I would get a good battle out of you. But now I despise those eyes. I WILL RIP THEM OUT OF YOUR HEAD!" The human flinched at his outburst. About damn time he shook up this brat a little. "You believe your strength is greater than mine now! You believe your conviction to protect your comrades and the pride you have in them makes you superior to me! I possess that same conviction and pride. Silva is greater than me. She is greater than all of us! I am proud to serve under her. Her strength will change our destiny! My belief in that is what makes me go against my own way of battling. I won't draw the battle out to enjoy it this time. I won't draw on my strength alone. I will fight to win for her. I will draw on my comrades' strength to fuel my own. And I will keep on winning, even against you or that woman or the Quincy or even the human who defeated Aizen himself!" The giant planted his massive fist into the earth and shot off for a second time. The human was quiet. He chose not run this time. He charged straight for him. The idiot was going to try to match his strength. Sado Yasutora had become full of himself. He thought he was strong enough to defeat Silva?

'_Unacceptable. He cannot defeat me or else he will defeat Silva. She should not even be touched by someone like you. I won't let your power ever reach her! I will show you that your strength isn't enough!' _

On the opposing end the giant of a man nicknamed Chad was engrossed in his own thoughts. _'I am so weak. In the Soul Society I was unable to go far enough to back up Ichigo. I was defeated so easily by one of the captains. Ichigo you were overshadowed by them too, but you found a way to surpass them and win. I couldn't stop Inoue from being abducted. I couldn't even defeat an Espada. I told you to trust in my strength, told you I could help you shoulder the burden, but in the end I couldn't do anything. I was rescued by Captain Unohana. All I could do was make a path for you to rescue Inoue. I was crushed by that Yammy guy of the Espada and had to be rescued by you again. While I was licking my wounds you defeated Aizen all by yourself and because of it you lost your powers. That shouldn't have happened. I should have been able to watch your back. I should have been able to help you. The gap between our strengths only grew wider and wider. It was impossible for me to help you at all Ichigo. Now you are powerless and I can't even help you regain your power. The very least I can do is protect Karakura Town and defeat the man before me with my own hands. I will become strong for your sake. Do you hear me Ichigo? I will become strong enough to help you no matter who you fight in the future!'_ he promised. The two hollow powered warriors prepared to strike. Two forces of nature were inches from colliding. They threw their arms forward.

"DIE!" screamed Gild.

"LA MUERTE!" Sado shouted.

The arrancar's fist connected to the frail human's soft skull (soft to him anyway). The human quivered from the sheer force of his blow he did not yield. However, the human continued with his assault and managed to land his strike directly in the center of his torso. An overwhelming jolt shot through his body. He felt like squirming, but instead his bones shattered and his skin burned. The burning became so strong that it was unbearable. Tears formed in his eyes due to this pain. It was to laugh. This wasn't pain. No. Soon he would learn what true pain was. Sado's Brazo Izquierda del Diablo tore through his dense rock like skin and went straight through his chest, accompanying it was a powerful explosion that disintegrated his massive body. Every inch of his body felt as though it was stabbed by miniature blades. How his brain was able to comprehend such excruciating pain was beyond him. He did not care at the moment. All he heard was deathly howl that he suspected came from him.

God when would this unspeakable torture end? It was enough to last several life times when in reality it only lasted seconds. The worse of it was over. However, his skin or what was left of it felt as if it had been scorched right off his bones. His bones felt as though they never existed to begin with. They weren't broken. They felt like they were a myth. The battered Gild slowly fell to his knees with his eyes unfocused. Everything was becoming a blur, except for one figure. Before his eyes as clear as a bell was Salvador in his black mask carrying on his superior demeanor. Soon he dissolved and the brash and crude Antonio rolled his eyes. He could have sworn he heard the phantom whisper a typical under his breath. An even bigger annoyance was that shrill of a woman who outranked him. He still never understood how she could be stronger than him! He could barely tolerate her even more so than that upstart Antonio, but never the less he saw Cirucci snickering at him no less. Before he could hurl an insult she had been replaced by the third strongest member of their group. The burly and dynamic, Dordoni already acting a fool with his ridiculous dancing and cheering him on, he did not miss that. Or so he told himself, yet there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. Was this how he met death? Seeing the faces of long gone comrades greeting him as death he fell into death's cold embrace was a cruel joke. Seeing those people again meant he had failed Silva.

How cruel was life's sense of humor. All this time he had fought for his own amusement and won meaningless battles. The first time he fought for others and now he was defeated. But what did he expect, some new power given to him for doing a good deed? Nonsense, he had outgrown such childish thoughts or so he thought. Didn't he make bold claims on how he was drawing strength from his comrades? They both fought for others sake, but he was still defeated. The reason he was defeated was because his human enemy had surpassed his strength. It boggled his mind that anyone least of all a human could gain such power in only two messily months. The almost downcast expression belonging to the man who he had desired to fight to bitter end stared down at him. Streaks of red flowed down his forehead, covering the skin he took pride in. A small sense of satisfaction arose. At least Sado did not escape completely unharmed. His warrior spirit could take some very small victory in this. The dark brown haired man left his side. "W-wait," he called. Gild tried to move his arm to reach him, but his arm could not move even an inch. Damn he was pathetic.

Sado halted, hearing the defeated 106th arrancar summon him. The overzealousness he despised was nowhere to be found, yet sorrow or self-pity where absent as well. What he heard was regret. Regret wasn't entirely for this battle. Sado's instincts told him it was directed somewhere else, somewhere he would never know.

"Tell me." He was forced to stop and coughed. Curse his faulty lungs. His breathing was so fucking heavy now. "Tell me how you became so strong."

When he heard the arrancar he almost chuckled aloud. "I am not strong at all."

"Don't give me that bullshit!"

Sado shook his head at the misguided arrancar. "I really am weak. In the past my strength has never been enough to go the distance. I hated my weakness, but I continue to move forward. I will get stronger and stronger until I can finally catch up, until I can finally watch his back again. You think I am strong." He almost laughed again. "This level isn't enough I am afraid. I will have to get a lot stronger than this. I'll become strong enough to fight opponents like the Espada."

"Your goal is to become as strong as the latest incarnation of the Espada?" Gild coughed out.

Sado denied this. "My goal is to become strong enough to face anything that might come in the future. I won't drag Ichigo down with me in the future, because I am one of his comrades. It is my duty to protect him and everyone else."

Stunned by the human's bold declaration Gild blinked twice, even that hurt to do. He and the human could not be more different. Sado Yasutora was a man who possessed great power, but he used it entirely for other people, his comrades. This Ichigo who he placed in high regard meant so much to him. If only he had always held such devotion to Silva, than he may not be the one experiencing defeat. They were two warriors, but they were not equal in any sense. Sado was a greater warrior than he could ever hope to be.

'_Sorry, Silva, but it looks like this is far as I can go. My power wasn't enough for you. Why the hell is it that even though I am about to die I can't stop thinking about how fun this battle was? In the end I abandoned my love for the battle to fight for others. I am such a…..'_ He let out a gentle breath. "….worthless fool," he finished. The fallen warrior's eyes fell shut.

Reiatsu no longer emitted from his body. Sado knew that could only mean two things. Gild was either near death's door or he had already crossed the threshold. They were enemies. By all reason he should not mourn his passing in anyway. No. His victory over the 106th arrancar was reason to celebrate. He had contributed to keeping Karakura safe. However, Sado felt an odd sense of admiration toward him. The arrancar understood what it meant to fight for precious comrades' sakes. Never being a sentimental man and with all the hollows roaming around Sado turned his back on Gild and headed toward the direction of the Gillian. He used his sixth sense to locate the overgrown hollow, but found nothing nearby.

This made no sense though. He wasn't terribly far from the Gillian when Gild intervened. It should have still been close unless….

"Don't worry about the Gillian. We took care of it."

Startled the dark brown haired giant jumped. He hastily threw his guard up and turned to his right. Two men stood there, completely relaxed. One man had long flowing golden blond hair. He wore a frilly shirt, which in Sado's opinion did not suit a man at all, along with a black suit. The man had an elegant atmosphere around him. The second man was taller than the first. He wore sun glasses and a green jogging suit. He possessed a spiked afro. Unlike the first man he felt more rowdy and manly to Sado. What held his eyes' interest were the two swords they carried in their hands.

'_Are they carrying zanpakuto?'_ he wondered. Both men were giving off excessive amount of spiritual power. Where they shinigami? Their attire wasn't what shinigami commonly wore, but neither Urahara-san nor Yoruichi-san wore the black robes of the traditional shinigami uniform.

"Don't worry we are allies to Ichigo and Kisuke," the afro man spoke up. The human youth who exceed his height raised an eyebrow at his claim. Love understood why he would still be wary of them. If their situations were reversed he probably would be as well. "Didn't Kisuke tell you anything about us coming to help you out?" One look form the human told him otherwise. Love ran a hand through his spiked afro in frustration. "I doubt Ichigo said anything either right?" He received the same blank stare as before. Apparently their so called allies did not see it fit to tell their comrades about them.

"Now, now, Love there is nothing to get all worked up about," Rose assured. "Neither Ichigo nor Kisuke are the type of people to share everything with people. It is not in their character to do so."

Love grumbled at his companion's prattling about artistic flare. Rose could be such a pain in the ass about that stuff. "If Kisuke is going to ask us for help you would think he would tell them about it."

Rose pushed a stray strand of hair out of his face. He had to concede to Love's point. The muscular giant continued to stare at them. The mistrustful glare he threw at them was enough to unsettle him. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. Will that put you at ease?" The silent giant gave him a nod. The golden haired vizard gestured for his old friend to go first.

"Aikawa Love," he kept it short and to the point.

"And I am Otoribashi Rojuro, but those close to me call me Rose." His manner of speech was elegant, but it also dressed up as if he was giving a presentation. "We are also known as the vizards."

Wait. He heard that name before. Inoue had told him once that Hirako who came to their school was a part of group of shinigami with hollow powers known as the vizards. She explained that Ichigo trained with them in preparation with the war with Aizen. He had met that Hirako character and the loud mouth girl who was berating him, but no one else from the group like Inoue did. Finding nothing suspicious about the two men nor sensing any deceit from them he decided to let his guard down.

Sensing the younger man's tensions melt put a smile on Rose's lips. "It would seem Ichigo did mention us."

"Actually it was Inoue," Sado corrected. Both vizards chuckled at his statement. They may have only known Ichigo for a short time they knew him well enough to realize he didn't share with people unless it was necessary.

The chuckling stopped. The one known as Love spoke, "We arrived just as your battle with the arrancar began. We were going to step in to help, but it sounded like you had personal history with him. It is not really my style to butt into other people's fights unless it is absolutely necessary." He always found people butting into his fights too be presumptuous. They usually jumped in without any inkling of what was going on or if the person they saved had any sort of strategy or plan that was ruined by their intervention. He scowled remember Shunsui stuck his nose in his fight with the Espada known as Starrk. Sure he was bloody and wounded, but he still had his bankai to fall back on. "You handled him well. Your strength was impressive."

Rose scanned Sado's arms. The armor had piqued his interest, particularly the design on the shield. It was shaped like teeth, hollow teeth to be exact. The human boy's power had no relation to shinigami abilities. He wondered.

"What's your name kid?" Love asked.

"Sado Yasutora," replied the giant dully.

The giant of a man was stern and straight faced. Rose didn't like it. The kid was young. He should be more relaxed. Life would give him reason enough to be so serious. Of course he realized the boy was already dealing with problems more stressful than the average human adult dealt with. He glanced at the defeated arrancar. With Sado's victory there was only one arrancar left in Karakura. He could no longer sense the reiatsu from the arrancar near Hachi and Orihime, signaling their victory. The Menos were dropping like flies as well. "The number of hollows is rapidly decreasing. There is one arrancar left."

"We are in the final stages of the attack," Love said.

"I would say so," Rose reinforced. He turned to Sado. "If the three of us work together we can get rid of the remaining hollows in this area. Your other friends are handling things well enough." Sado grunted to show he understood. "Kisuke moved the people without spiritual power to his bunker. There is no need to hold back."

"Understood," Sado said.

Short and to the point, Love liked him. Sado could stand to be more talkative, but it was a nice change when one lived with constant bickering of Shinji and Hiyori. "Do you think you can keep up," he challenged. Sado's brow furrowed just slightly, accepting Love's challenge. The dark brown haired man closed his right hand into a fist. Yes. Love was going to like Sado. Without another word Sado and Love rushed off to the nearest hollows they sensed, leaving an offended Rose by himself.

"How uncouth," he complained. "Rushing off into battle without declaring their intentions and leaving me here, there is no sense of rhythm at all." The artistic vizard set off to catch up to them.

* * *

Another hollow fell. Her sword sliced through the head, easily breaking through the skull like mask as if it were paper. These hollows were child's play. If that dumbass Shinji had heard her say that he would have made some smartass comment just to piss her off. He was annoying like that. Hiyori looked around to search for some sign of friend or foe. When she saw neither she gave an ugly scowl that most would think was unappealing for a young girl. "Where the hell did Lisa go?" The pig tailed blonde's eyes scanned of the area for a second time. "She said she was just going to finish off some more hollows. I bet she ditched me." Not liking the idea of her companion leaving her behind the vizard used her sixth sense to search for the taller girl's reiatsu.

Normally it would be easy to find Lisa given the vizard's unique type of duo reiatsu of both shinigami and hollow, but it was difficult now. The human town was cluttered with the spiritual powers of many different combatants that it caused her to discern who was who. She felt the familiar emptiness from the hollows, some her friends like Rose and Love with someone she was unfamiliar with, the utter despair that radiated from the remaining Gillians that had dwindled down to four. There three large concentrated reiatsu. One of them was less than the other two. It was similar to her duo typed power_. 'Must be an arrancar,'_ she thought. The other remaining two felt restraint, holding back their emotions. Further probing allowed her to find anxiety leaking through, despite how much effort was put in holding it back. One she had no idea who it belonged to, but the other one was without a doubt Lisa.

"That bitch. She is fighting an arrancar without me!" Hiyori screamed at the sky as though it were at fault. She further victimized the sky by stomping at the air, expressing her anger. She should never have trusted Lisa. She said she was just going to finish off hollows. How stupid could Hiyori have been to fall for that one? She wanted to fight one of the arrancar and Lisa being spiteful at losing a Gillian to her sneak away to find arrancar! She stopped fuming long enough to realize that Lisa was fighting alongside someone who was not one of the vizards. This was curious. From what Hiyori felt Lisa was more powerful than the arrancar. She should have been able to win on her own. Why did she need someone to aid her?

"What is the arrancar's ability?" she wondered aloud. Before she could ponder her question a hollow emerged from the shadows. Unlike his mindless kin he had enough intelligence to hide himself, while the shinigami finished off the idiots who could not sense her incredible power. She was distracted. It was the perfect time to strike. He jumped into the air. His luck was very good. The loud mouth brat did not notice him. Now he was inches away from her. He could sink his claws into her so easily. Just as he was about act he felt a shearing pain right through his chest.

The masked beast coughed up blood, while his vision dimmed. What the hell did this to him? Little did he know it would be the last thought he would ever think. His head split open, ending his life. Hiyori's ears instantly picked up sounds of red life sustaining liquid splatter. She turned just in time to see the dissected hollow sink to the ground. Damn it all. She was careless. If the others knew she had let a common hollow get the drop on her she would never hear the end of it.

"My, my, that was a close one."

Hiyori's eyes widened, in unbridled surprised. That voice, she would recognize that voice no matter how much time passed. It always brought her so many headaches and worry. Surprise thawed. For an unknown reason her heart skipped a beat. That despicable bastard would always be a plague upon her body. As far as Hiyori was concerned her reaction was evidence that the man made her sick. The pig tailed vizard slowly crept around.

"You really should keep your guard up, Hiyori-san."

Hiyori fully turned around to see the sickening face of her old captain, Urahara Kisuke. His cane was pointing in her direction and smoking at the end of it. It gave him away as her rescuer. The thought of being in debt to this dick was nauseating. It was bad enough she owed him for stabilizing her shinigami-hollow hybrid body, but now she owed him for this save. She could just kick and scream, preferably at him, but a sense of gratitude held her back. She hoped it passed so she could give him an ass whopping. Instead she crossed her arms and pouted. "Hmm, why the hell are you butting in? I didn't need your help at all you know! Don't expect me to go thanking you or nothing!"

He laughed to himself. A century had passed and Hiyori still treated him like he was a diseased scoundrel. He hadn't expected his old vice-captain to treat him any differently. When he visited her during her recovery from Ichimaru Gin's attack on her she rather rudely asked why he was there. She had given him the cold shoulder his entire visit or attempted to. She couldn't resist picking him apart for every little thing he did, like watch her or make small talk. He didn't mind though. Hiyori's harsh criticism of him was a finely crafted melody after the deathly silence he had to endure for days when she was recuperating at his shop, after the battle. After a hundred years he still had a soft spot for the foul mouthed girl.

The shopkeeper beamed down on her, a fact that was had not gone unnoticed by Hiyori. She loathed whenever he looked at her with those caring eyes. They were never close during their ten year run as captain and vice-captain of the 12th Division. He shouldn't act like they were. True he became less annoying after nearly a decade and he wasn't the worst captain imaginable as she had first thought, but he was still annoying! _'Ah! He was still smiling at me.'_ The vizard socked him in his stupid wide grin mouth as hard as she could. She took such satisfaction in seeing his head wobble backward. A hundred years and the impression his face made on her knuckles was still familiar as if she had just punched him yesterday. "Hmm, that will teach you to quit looking at me all weird. It gives me the creeps," she said as she messaged her now sore knuckles. Was his face made of steel or something?

It was his fault. He should have expected her to be so violent. Kisuke's sore nose almost swelled to twice its normal size. The stinging sensation was something he could live without, but he was fortunate that Hiyori did not hit nearly as hard as Yoruichi. "Hiyori-san, you do not have to be so mean," he whimpered in his over dramatic fashion.

A decade together with this man taught her how to see through his facades. Hiyori ignored his so called whimpering. "What are you doing here anyway? Wasn't the reason you asked that dick, Shinji for help, is because you wanted us to help out?"

He took the time to rub his sore nose before answering her. When he was pleased that the soreness was dissipating he answered her, "I did come to Hirako-san for help, in hopes of enlisting all of your aid. However, I did not intend to sit out of battle myself. The stakes are still pretty high. The Spirit Keystones could be in danger." The pig tailed girl looked him in his eyes, with transparent interest.

"I don't sense anything out of the ordinary. The hollows are almost gone and there is only one arrancar left. If this attack was a distraction they waited too long to act. We'll notice if they try anything now," she reasoned. One look at the grim expression Kisuke wore told her he thought otherwise. She had known him long enough to be familiar with this expression. It was never good.

"The arrancar possess a special cloak that can completely mask their reiatsu." The snow blond heard his former subordinate cry in astonishment.

"They have technology like that!" Hiyori exclaimed. "Why the hell didn't you mention it?" The despicable man spoke no words. This infuriated her to no ends. "They are probably acting now then!"

"If the Spirit Keystones are their main objective than it is a high probability."

"How can you act all casual about it!?" the vizard screeched in a tone that would erupt ear drums. "This entire battle was a distraction. That means they probably already destroyed the damn thing..."

Kisuke cut her off, "No. If they had destroyed the Spirit Keystone they would have retreated already. The only reason for this attack is to keep us off balance or distracted as you said. The Spirit Keystones locations are one of the upmost secrets that few individuals in the Soul Society know of. I only discovered the location of one here by chance. Even someone as brilliant as Aizen probably would not know the exact location, at least not unless he was actively seeking out that information. His research on the King's Key and the Spirit King most likely turned out some information on the Keystones themselves. The extent of the arrancar's knowledge is most likely the extent of Aizen's knowledge. The Privaron Espada have summoned reinforcements can only mean one thing."

Hiyori's face lit up even brighter than a megawatt light bulb. "They are still looking for the Spirit Keystone's location!" Kisuke nodded solemnly. "Did you think that they still haven't found it?"

"I am uncertain." She snorted very loudly, drawing his full attention to her. The genius scientist raised an eyebrow to inquire her motives.

"Don't give me that shit. I know you too well. You have some idea on what is going on and don't you try telling me otherwise." The pig tailed vizard crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.

Kisuke chuckled. Hiyori had not changed at all in a century. He smirked at her and to his surprise she smirked back before she kicked him right at his backside. "Ah! Hiyori-san, you need to stop doing that." He rubbed abused buttocks.

"Shut up you dick and tell me what you got planned already!" She fought back a laugh. There was one good thing about Kisuke. He brought her many unique forms of amusement.

* * *

His body felt like it weighed a ton. Keigo had to actively force his body to move. His breathing was still ragged and his poor aching muscles. The brown haired boy pushed himself up. The challenge was keeping his body up. "Ha….ha…..ha," Keigo took slow breaths. His cheeks red from strain and moist from sweat he had worked up. This was doing no good. Keigo decided to see if Mizuiro was having any better luck. The cellphone enthusiast was lying on the floor unmoving. "Mi….zurio." He reached for his friend. They were only three feet away, yet to Keigo it felt as though they were miles apart.

That damn hollow or whatever the hell he was left both of them as weak as newborn babies. He never experienced such a feeling before. He never had to fight so hard just to keep his cells from being ripped apart or keep his heart beating. Keigo had experienced what few beings experience a mere battle just to exist.

"Mizuiro…..get…..up." He might as well have been talking to a wall. Mizuiro was not responding. "Shit…." He bemoaned at his powerlessness. If he knew the after affects from that guy's spiritual force would last for this long he wouldn't have told Ishida to go on ahead. "At least things can't get any worse." He immediately regretted saying those words. If he learned anything from movies and television it was that things always got worse when someone said they couldn't.

"Gaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Keigo wept. If his body wasn't so damn heavy he would have been shaking indiscriminately. _'Things always get worse when you say they can't!' _The inhuman roar was evidence of this. The ground beneath him rumbled, forcing him to fall flat on his face. He wallowed in pain. Two hollows approached both him and the unconscious Mizuiro. "Why do bad things always happen to me?" Keigo whined. This would be the time Ichigo told him to stop whining. He gulped. No one was around. Chad, Ishida, and even Inoue were all somewhere else. No one was coming to their rescue. The slow and devastating realization sunk in. "We are going to…..going to…..d-die," he muttered. There was no emotion in his voice. It was almost dead. He couldn't feel his beating heart. This was how he felt when that Aizen guy chased them. This was what it felt like when your body lacked in conception of hope.

"Raaah," the beast growled.

The usually nonstop talking Keigo was left speechless. This was how it ended? He hadn't even gone all the way with a girl yet! How could it end like this? He shut his eyes, clenching them so tightly that the corner of his eyes stung. He couldn't bear to see his life end with his own eyes. The brunet embraced ignorance. He was blind to when the hollows hovered over him. He was also blind when cold steel sliced through their necks, liberating their heads from their torsos. The now dead heads rolled down the streets. The headless beasts fell just when Keigo chose to open his eyes, curious as to why he continued to breath.

To Keigo's immense relief the hollows were indeed dead. He felt something wet brush down his cheeks. Using a finger to sample the wetness he discovered that tears were streaming down his face. Tears of imaginable bliss ran down his cheeks, a testament to his super, fantastic, amazing luck that saved his life. "Why can't my luck help me meet girls?" Grieving at his misfortune with women and celebrating his survive at the same time Keigo came to a revelation. "Who saved us?" He searched around for any hide or hair of his rescuer, but found nothing. The person had disappeared in thin air.

Unknown to Keigo his rescuer was several stories above him. He stood on the roof of the building. Beside him was young man who looked to be nearing the end of his teen years and quickly approaching adulthood. The young man was tall and lean. He wore a blank expression that guarded any emotion from the outside world, keeping it trapped inside. His hair was short and combed, leaving no strand out of place. His eyes were stormy gray. His skin was dull as though he had not seen the sun in some time. Despite this he was handsome. He clung to the shadows, which obscured his full body. His companion shared similar traits. He too was tall and lean. His height exceeded the young man's. He possessed wavy black shoulder length hair that concealed left part of his face. He sat on the ledge of the roof. While still a youthful man it was clear he was older than the young man.

They had come to the town to buy some supplies and explore. When the mass wave of hollows invaded the small town, it became a training mission for the young man. The older man who had become his teacher tasked him with killing ten hollows without bringing any attention to them.

He had succeeded in his task. He was able to take care of the hollows and kept himself hidden from any of the inhabitants of Karakura who were special. You would never have guessed it from his teacher's behavior. He absent mindedly praised him, while his eyes did not grace him. Instead they found the written words of his book to be far more entertaining. If his teacher's eyes did not dart back and further he would never have known he was alert. The young man was stunned when his teacher moved at lightning like speeds to dispatch two hollows in one swift motion before returning and opening up his book without missing a step. Truly it was a sight to behold.

The young man pushed his admiration back. He was not a child any longer. Standing there in awe served no purpose. "I do not understand. What was the point in rescuing those two?" he inquired.

"Are you saying you wished me to have let those two boys die?" His mentor asked. The young man could hear mirth hidden in his words. He turned the page to his book. His teacher's lips were curved upward into an impish smirk.

He shook his head to protest his benefactor's sense of humor. "I only mean to ask what purpose they serve. I could have easily killed the two hollows, yet you saw it fit to dispatch them yourself. You risked being exposed in order to save the likes of those two."

The mischievous smirk widened slightly. It would have gone unnoticed by all, except for him. He had been around his mentor long enough to read his moods and expressions, no matter how insignificant. "It would be unfair of me to ask you handle those hollows after you had already killed ten. We cannot have those two be killed. They are cherished friends to him after all."

"Those two know Kurosaki then." The pieces were starting to come together. The sole reason they were interested in this town was because of the man known as Kurosaki. "Why did you not use that, if they are friends of Kurosaki?" His curiosity got the best of him.

The man closed his book. He ripped his eyes away from it and focused them on him. He could see playfulness in his benefactor's brown eyes. "Now is not the time to act. In his current state Kurosaki Ichigo is of no use to us. Our time would be better spent locating others like us."

"I understand. Should we be concerned though? Whoever is controlling these hollows is powerful. If they are going after Kurosaki they could pose trouble to us."

"Always mindful, Kiyoshi-kun," he jested. He enjoyed seeing his student eyebrow twitch as he said his name lovingly, as though he were a child. Kiyoshi did not like to be treated as a child. "We will watch from the shadows for now. I trust you do not object to this." He smiled kindly to Kiyoshi. It conveyed kindness it felt empty, as though it was foreign to him.

It did little ease Kiyoshi. His heart sped up just the same. Warmth burst through his chest. The smile was for him. He was being acknowledged. Kiyoshi readily took it. "No." His teacher continued to smile at him. The book was reopened and he returned to the fictional world he adored so much.

"I am interested in seeing how this development will shape him," his teacher added. The two men spoke no more. The next chapter should prove to be fascinating. When this installment ended he could scarcely wait for the next installment. That one held so much promise. For now he would simply enjoy this chapter. What a chapter it was forming to be. Miles away he could sense a battle raging on.

* * *

Esteban landed on his hands and feet to a nearby rooftop, having nearly avoided a sword strike. The arrancar's serpentine hair hissed violently, obviously reacting to someone or something. He raised his head upward into the sky. The steel faced Lisa charged from the skies in pursuit of him. She flicked her wrist, swinging her zanpakuto down, but he had anticipated her movements. Esteban scurried away on all fours. The girl he had proclaimed sexy cut through air, while he had put great distance between them.

Her body was definitely slowed down. Her left leg and arm had been transformed into stone by that conceited pretty boy. The extra weight was throwing her off balance as well. The fact that she had no use of her left leg at all only hindered her more. It was most troublesome. The former vice captain sprung off her remaining good foot, gathering the spiritual power from within herself to glide forward.

The former Adonis zigzagged from left to right, slithering almost as a snake would as it hurried away. His Sonido was not the fastest among his comrades, but it was more than adequate. Certainly it was enough to outrun Lisa who literally only had one good leg. Esteban snickered. The ironic humor of him running away from an attractive woman was not lost on him. He was tempted to turn around and see just how far behind Lisa was. Better sense told him to watch out for the Quincy. The raven haired man was wounded, but he was still able to use a bow. Though the archer had not made a move toward him since the battle renewed, but it did not mean he would stay out of it.

There was no need to give his enemy an easy target by standing in place. Once he got a lock on the Quincy he would proceed to finish him off than deal with Lisa. Although, he may have qualms about killing a lovely woman he did not share the same dilemma about killing a man. The human was cunning. He was nowhere to be found. No doubt his enemy had been on the move as well, as suppressing his reiatsu, in order to avoid his ability. It may have been wiser to handle the dark haired beauty than the Quincy after all. Facing one opponent was easier than two. Esteban skidded across the skies and came to an abrupt stop. Lisa was not terribly far behind him.

The 109th arrancar was impressed by her abilities. Her Shunpo could follow after his Sonido after all this. His deadly gaze was cast on her. This time however, she was prepared for him. Lisa threw her body sideways, evading his technique. "Impressive. You were able to completely evade my gaze this time. Will you be so fortunate a second time?" Esteban followed where she went.

Lisa was again forced to push her body to just nearly miss being turned into stone. The deadpanned woman rose higher into the skies. The arrancar's range was almost all encompassing, while her range was limited. If she didn't get close enough she could not hope to defeat him. The question was how would she do that? Her speed had declined as she saw for herself. Her strength was in close and melee tactics over her long range capabilities. Any Kido she could think to use would take time for her to use. If she omitted the chant she could be faster, but the reduced power did not guarantee she would be able to defeat or even wound him. No. Her best bet was to get close enough to finish this. She needed an opening. Her new partner would hopefully provide her with one.

He had gotten into a prime position on top of the highest building he could find in the nearby area. He was never one who valued luck. He believed in preparation, but Uryu would have to say luck played a small part in his success of escaping Esteban's notice and get into a position where he could strike. Hawkeye vision allowed him to spot a fleeing Lisa and a puffed up arrancar chasing after with his eyes alone. It was frightening to think that all the arrancar would have to do to harm them would be to look at them. One slight miscalculation or misstep and it could all be over. From what he could see of the battlefield his new ally was in danger of making a misstep. She couldn't keep up her swift moves forever. The way she was pushing her body it was only a matter of time before her movements became rushed. Rushed movements would become carless, and that would lead to a mistake.

Blue energy consumed his cross, taking the shape of Uryu's spider web like bow. The arrancar had stopped moving. He wouldn't get a better chance than this. It was perfect, too perfect. The snake haired menace was baiting him, so that he would give away his position. _'He is cleaver. My shoulder's injury will not allow me to fire arrows rapidly. I won't be able to fire multiple arrows at the same time. In a matter of speaking I only have one shot. Hmm, that is more than enough.'_

The Quincy pulled his bowstring back. The trade mark blue arrows took form. Without hesitation or doubt Uryu released the bowstring and watched the arrow streak across the sky in a blue blur. The arrow raced to its target. The arrancar's face grew larger and larger as the arrow came closer to it. Beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead. Uryu clenched his teeth. A moment longer and it would connect. One of the many snakes that composed of Esteban's hair hissed. His reptilian foe leapt, dodging the arrow.

He snorted. Humans were so gullible. He actually bought his act and fired an arrow. The human completely gave away his location. Esteban's eyes went to the path the arrow traveled on and found the lone Quincy, just as he expected. "It was too good to be true I am afraid. Did you honestly think I would leave myself vulnerable to your attack by staying in one place?" The ice blue eyes stayed glued to him, but he said nothing. "I was told be cautious of you, especially, but now I think that Joaquin was giving you too much credit. Is this the limit of a Quincy? No wonder your clan was exterminated by the shinigami!" he taunted.

He expected to see the raven haired boy's scorn, not to see his lips curl into a half smirk. What was a river of confidence became a flood of worry. Lisa materialized right in front of him instantaneously. His eyes widened as fear crept into them. She quickly stabbed at him. It penetrated his abdomen.

"You are fighting two people, remember?" Lisa said drolly. Like the Quincy she too was smirking like a fiend.

"A distraction?" he mouthed out soundlessly. He was overconfident. The vizard girl and Quincy boy used it to their advantage. He underestimated them and he paid for it. It was a simple and effective strategy. Now it was his turn. "Nice try."

Lisa frowned. The face she was staring at was not of one of defeat, but of victory. A dark crimson vapor seeped out of his wound. It sprayed all over her. She hastily covered her mouth, however it was too late. Her head was dizzy. She pulled her zanpakuto out of him and used Shunpo to retreat. The light headed sensation worsened. Her body trembled on its own, rebelling against her commands for it to cease. Images her eyes took in became murky. Damn it. She couldn't even hold her zanpakuto steady. "Wha….What the hell is this?"

"Poison," answered the arrancar. His wide smirk returned. She glared something fierce. Those little creases made from her furrowed brow were cute. The spiteful turquoise eyes were endearing. It was inappropriate to think these thoughts, but he was an admirer of female beauty. His sights turned south to her chest.

She was going to be ill and it wasn't because of the poison. This bastard was a true lecher, right down to his smile. She hastily blocked her chest from his view. Silently she cursed herself for wearing a school uniform that exposed her figure.

"My blood is poisonous. When I bleed the poison is emitted and anyone who breathes it in will feel its effects. Your head will feel dizzy then your body will start to shake. I can tell you are experiencing those effects now. If you were to breathe in enough of it your body will start to feel numb. From there it will only get worse. Breathe in enough of it you will eventually die. I am the ultimate shield. My technique will turn you to stone and if I am wounded the one who inflicted the damage will be poisoned. There is nothing you can do to kill me."

"That is a rather bold claim," she stated.

"It is a true claim." He closed his eyes and shook his head condescendingly. "Why not just submit to me? It will be less painful for you if I am allowed to turn you into stone."

The former vice captain aimed her shaking blade toward his heart. She refused to be easy prey. Amused by her actions the conceited arrancar sighed exaggeratingly.

"You cannot hold your sword steady. How do you intend to defeat me?" She answered him by charging forward like a mad bull. The woman wasn't predictable. He would give her that. Esteban's eyelids opened up. The lethal gaze once again set itself on her again when a sharp pain had emerged from his back. Before he could investigate an identical pain burned on his right shoulder, then his lower back and up against his spine. "Ga…" The reptilian eyes belonging to the serpents on his scalp spotted four blue spirit arrows sticking out of his body. Esteban rushed around just in time to see the smoking bow of the Quincy's bow. He was standing only 20 feet or so. The smug human must have raced his way over to him when the woman attacked.

His cold blood was gradually rising in temperature. What was once amusing was becoming very bothersome. The human had the undeserved arrogance to smirk at him! Oh he would fix him. Let him see how proud the Quincy would be when he was encased in stone! "The way you smirk is unsightly. Erase it, so I do not have to gaze upon it when I seal you in stone!" The many eyes of Esteban rested on the human.

"No you don't!"

In panic the arrancar met Lisa. With one sweep of her zanpakuto his already injured back was sliced open. More of his blood gushed out along with mild pain. "Unwise lovely, Lisa!" Poisonous vapor rushed out engulfing the fine specimen of a woman. "I already told you that my blood is poisonous. The more you cut at me the more you infect yourself."

The raven haired girl shot up into the air like a rocket, with speed surpassing Esteban's expectations. It was inconceivable that Lisa would be able to move at such speeds having taken in his poison and her stone appendages. What he did not see was that Lisa's face was glistening from the sweat that covered it. Her lungs were smoldering, making breathing all, but impossible. Everything was murky to her. She was lucky to make out shapes. The trembling only got worse.

She refused to succumb to this. No. She could take much more than this! If she were to be defeated here by an opponent of this caliber how could she ever face Shunsui? She would be damned if she were to explain to that no good lazy bastard how she allowed herself to be defeated like this. Her white diamond mask took form. The vizard shimmered out of existence as she threw in as much energy as she could into her Shunpo, striving to attain a speed greater the slow movements she had been using previously. She fixed her silver blade in front of her body. Lisa materialized right in front of her shocked enemy. The vizard hacked away at him. She could feel her loyal partner, Haguro Tonbo carve through the scale armor.

Crimson liquid seeped through, so did the toxic substance rush over her body. Lisa's body screamed at her to get away, but she refused to listen to it and forced it to continue its assault. Haguro Tonbo even snarled at her stubbornness. It bitched about being covered in poisonous blood and how its shape was being eroded by it. Lisa ignored him as well. The ultimate shield's form had blurred into a white smudge, but she could make out one thing. A sizable red was dead center on his chest. Her brain was incinerating in what felt like a roaring fire she took comfort in the fact that she was proving he was not the ultimate shield.

He let out a howl more savage than any wild animal. His body wept. His Hierro was not absolute. Lisa had proven that with her quick strikes. Her blade hacked away at the scales that covered his torso and drew much blood out. His body became an instrument solely for pain. It recoiled in both fear and pain. Esteban could not comprehend how Lisa was able to take in so much of his poison and still strike him with such power. Any other opponent would have certainly been killed by now. What was so different about her? Did her hollow abilities make her resistance to toxins and poisons stronger? The more spiritual power a person possessed the longer their body could resist it, but even someone of Lisa's spiritual power would have fallen by now.

A loud thumping startled him and deafened out all other sounds. It shamed him to admit it an icy chill ran up his spine. Fear's teeth were nibbling on his legs, threatening to grind him up and swallow him. He slapped her face with the back of his hand, forcing her away from him. He did not wait for her to retaliate. Esteban rammed his fist straight into his enemy's stomach. He heard the breath escape her mouth. Her mask broke apart. She grabbed her stomach, nursing it in the best she could under the circumstances. Satisfied with her defensive position Esteban activated his greatest power. It was that moment Lisa chose to back step. She avoided becoming a complete statue, but not without consequences. Her right thigh and the lower part of right torso was lifeless gray stone.

Defiant even now, Lisa's eyes betrayed now sign of weakness or vulnerability even in her current situation. Her body was not fortified. It shook so hard that he could her bones shiver from where he stood. His poison was having an effect after all. Out of the blue more arrows flew at him forcing him descend from the sky. His injuries from both the sword and arrows were taking its toll on him. He ripped the lodged arrows from his back. He was bleeding profoundly. If this kept up he could die of blood loss.

Once the arrancar landed to the ground Uryu went to Lisa's aid. The fellow raven haired was dripping in sweat. Her cheeks were rosy red from a fever that built up inside of her. "Can you continue?" He took note to how shallow her breathing was.

"Ha….Of course….," she said, wheezing. "He is….ha….w-wounded….now is….ha….the time to strike."

"I agree, but you have taken in so much of his poison. Moving around will only make it worse." They landed on top of a rooftop. "I haven't breathed in any of it, due to my long range attacks. It is better if…."

She interrupted, "No. We have to keep…ha….working together. If he focuses on just one of us we will be turned into stone." He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. He realized that what she said was true. "Look at him. His movements are becoming sluggish. He is also bleeding heavily."

Uryu saw exactly what Lisa was talking about. The arrancar was picking his arrows out of him. His once stainless white scales were riddled crimson from his own blood. The fact that he had not pursed them yet was evidence that he too needed to recover. "If we continue to push onward we will be able to create an opening to…."

"…finish him off," Lisa finished. She pushed off of the Quincy. She looked into his blue eyes. Without any words the two had conducted a plan. With a swish he disappeared with super speed. She followed behind him. The Quincy got into position in front of the arrancar without missing a step.

He unleashed an arrow. The former Espada returned to all fours and leap out of the way. Uryu only fired a second arrow in response. Esteban strayed to the right, escaping another deadly blow. He continued to fire shot after shot. The 109th arrancar veered left and right, almost gliding. Esteban knew that by running away he put himself at a disadvantage. He was out of range for his technique to be any effect and the Quincy's strength was in long range attacks.

'_The moment he stops firing I will turn back and strike him down. I will have to make my way toward him now and lessen the distance if I am to strike him down.' _The reptilian turned around to his surprise the barrage of arrows had stopped. Did the Quincy's shoulder give away already? If so he had to act fast before the human recovered. Darkness blanketed over him. Instinctively he looked above him. His eyes widened and mouth dried. Lisa, wearing her mask gliding through the air gracefully. _'Shit!'_ he thought. He flipped backward just barely missing her blade.

As he found out Lisa was not a woman easily deterred. Instantly she followed him. He attempted to turn her head stone she threw her zanpakuto straight at his throat. He parried it away with his forearm. That is when the Quincy materialized to his side. Before he knew it two arrows were sticking out of the area his ribcage were. Esteban groaned. The pain was beginning to overwhelm him. Driven by fury he transformed the human's right arm and bow into stone. The human's horror stricken face was palpable.

"Too slow this time." He grabbed the baffled human's face and lifted him into the air. "Without your bow you have no means of…." He silenced by a piercing sting of blade in his right breast. He assumed Lisa was the culprit, but when his fall downward they discovered a silver rode embedded in his chest.

"Seele Schneider," squeaked a meek voice.

His gaze returned to the man in his grasp. What he saw quickly angered him. The insignificant speck of a human was laughing. This was his doing! Rage not only blinded him, but it also sent his thoughts into disarray. He had forgotten about the bladed weapon the Quincy used on him. He did not even think to turn the human into stone. He decided the Quincy's fate would be much worse. He would crush his skull with all his might. He would relish seeing those damned blue eyes pop out and his brains squished on his palms. The thought summoned a perverse smirk onto his lips. He added more pressure. The human's anguished screams were music to his ears.

"Not cheeky now are you, Quincy. Where is that laughter now?" He squeezed down harder.

"AH!"

"Come on and laugh now! It's not funny anymore? I think it is very funny that you think you can stop my beloved Silva's plans. This world will be ours. It will be our turn in the light. Come on and laugh with me. Laugh with me human!" The human denied him, fueling his rage. "I said….." A blade sprang out of his forehead. The last sensation he felt was cold steel rammed through his head. Life slowly evaporated from his eyes. His strength disappeared instantly. The human was free. _'Silva….' _It was Esteban's final thought.

The deceased arrancar fell down. God his head would kill him tomorrow. It would probably start later that evening. The still masked vizard freed her zanpakuto from their enemy's head. Her body was steadier. He hypnotized that like with Kurosaki her hollowfied form provided her with greater resistance to pain. Apparently the resistance carried over to toxins and poisons infections. Her breathing was still uneven. Slowly the mask dissolved. Without her hollow induced strength she almost immediately surrendered to the poisons effect. Her legs gave away and she fell only to keep herself up by planting her sword in the pavement.

Being the chivalrous young man he was Uryu reached out to help her. "I am fine," she stated. Her voice was louder than her normal tone and almost authoritative. She had her own pride. He respected it by retreating, but stayed close in case she needed it.

Their alliance had come to end, at least officially, but he still felt obliged to stay with her given her current condition. His Quincy pride would not allow him to leave a wounded and poisoned woman to fend for herself. Her partial stone body would make it difficult for her to move around. Wait her body was still stoned. He examined his right arm to discover it too remained stone.

'_His power remains even after his death. This is problematic. My bow is stone along with my right arm. I cannot use it to attack or defend. She is in no condition for battle either. We have to go back to Kojima-kun and Asano as well. They cannot be left alone with hollows still about. We will be delayed on our journey to Inoue-san.' _Already he started to formulate plans to get there with the least amount of resistance.

"Hachi."

What or who was Hachi he wondered. As if to answer his question a round and tall pink haired man arrived. As odd of a sight as this was Uryu was focused on the person who was with him. "Inoue-san!"

The goddess of Karakura High waved at him. "Hi, Ishida-kun," she said in heavenly tone that could only come from her. Her sunny disposition was shattered when she took notice of his arm. "Oh no! Ishida-kun, your arm!" The renowned healer activated her Shun Shun Rikka. Uryu found his right arm encased in the golden dome. She jogged up to him, concern evident in her dazzling brown spheres. "I will heal you at once."

"Thank you, Inoue-san, but you should heal her…." He pointed in Lisa's direction. "….first. She took in poison as well."

"Do not worry. Hachi-san will heal Lisa-san."

The big one, Hachi was one of her allies. The vizard, who he now knew as Lisa was encase in a similar construct. He picked up on her improved condition. The raven haired girl's cheeks were losing the red fever she had before. Her stone features were being undone.

"He has similar powers to you?" He directed his question to Orihime.

"Hachi-san is an excellent healer. He even repaired Tsubaki-kun for me."

"I see. They are all Kurosaki's allies then."

"Uh huh," she replied absent mindedly. She was making great progress. Ishida-kun's arm was returning to its flesh and blood form. Red stained bandages captured her eye. She would heal that once she finished restoring his arm. "Hachi-san, Hirako-kun, and their other friends are all here to help us repel the arrancar and hollows."

Rose, Love, and Sado became a three man wrecking team. The trio took out every hollow that went after them. They easily crushed all their opposition. In another part of town, former captain and vice-captain of the 9th division, Kensei and Mashiro had cut through hollows. Kensei used his Shikai to cut them down. Mashiro favored using her hollow based abilities to kill her foes with melee combat, treating it as a game. Hiyori also favored using her hollow form to kill the remaining hollows in her area. The de facto leader of the group found himself fighting side by side with Isshin. The vizards arrival had turned the tide to Karakura Town's favor. The hollows were becoming fewer and fewer.

Orihime continued, "Hachi-san, helped me rescue Tatsuki-chan. She is safe at the school."

She flashed him a bright smile. There was something also in the smile that he was unable to decipherer. It was suspicious. Perhaps Inoue-san was less forward as he originally thought she was. "That is good to know." He chose his tone and words carefully. It was odd how he was now on guard with the kind hearted girl. "I was traveling with Asano and Kojima-kun." She gave him a brief nod, fully understanding where they were going next.

* * *

A spider hollow's head was split in two, nonchalantly by a bored Shinji. "So you're Ichigo's father?" The black robbed man behind him wore an equally bored expression. Like Shinji he mindless mowed down a generic hollow.

"Yes," Isshin replied. "You are the guy who trained him to control his hollow powers?"

"That would be me," Shinji in his usual comical fashion. He ducked out of the path of an incoming claw than sliced it clean off, before stabbing the owner's head. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath. The bastard hollow fell he turned his attention back to the mystery shinigami he knew nothing about. "Kisuke never mentioned Ichigo's father was a shinigami."

"If it makes you feel any better he did not give me a lot of information about you." Isshin liberated his zanpakuto from a dead hollow.

"Is that so?" Shinji almost laughed. He had known Kisuke for a century and the man was still hard to read. He was never sure who was more deceitful Aizen or Kisuke. Two geniuses who saw the world in a different way from others, it was a wonder they were not cohorts. He always thanked his lucky stars they were not. They never would have won the war if they had to contend with Aizen and Kisuke.

"I knew the basics from before, about a group of shinigami that had obtained hollow powers and were branded criminals by the Soul Society. Urahara was the one who told me you were enemies of Aizen, but never who you were or how you obtained your powers. He just said Aizen betrayed you."

"I am not sure I should be thankful that he guarded us against shinigami or not," joked the vizard leader. "Seeing as how he has said nothing about you it seems like he is keeping you a secret too." He cast a minor Kido to incinerate a hollow. "This certainly explains where Ichigo got his power."

Isshin finished the last hollow. He sheathed Engetsu. "Urahara didn't even tell me he asked for you, vizards help. Things have settled down a lot faster with your help."

The blond vizard shrugged. "The least we could do, considering how much Ichigo and Kisuke."

"It is more than feeling indebted to them. You see them as friends."

"Ichigo is one of us, powers or no powers. He wants to protect this town, so we'll do the same."

"Thank you." Shinji shot him with a curious look. "...for helping my son," Isshin finished.

"Well we weren't being entirely noble. We wanted another ally in our battle against Aizen," he pointed out. "These guys, the remnants of Aizen's army are out of moves. If they want to make their move it is now."

"We'll know soon enough. Knowing Urahara he has something up his sleeve."

"I don't doubt it."

* * *

"It is complete," Calputto announced. He understood why Silva needed his expertise. Finding the exact location of the Spirit Keystone took considerable more time than he had anticipated. They had tracked it down to one of the caves in the area. In there they found an invisible barrier they had opened that led them down this stone corridor. At the end of it they stood at iron sealed iron door. Silva and Joaquin stood behind him observing his work in their dark cloaks. He felt a tingle of pride in his work.

"It is done than?" Joaquin asked.

Calputto's lips curved into his empty smile he was known for. Joaquin always felt uneasy when the scheming arrancar presented this smile. His senpai told him it was a good thing for him to be wary of Calputto. In the past the arrancar had proven to be ambitious.

"It is indeed done, Joaquin-san." The iron door unsealed itself. The spiritual barrier erected over it had been torn down. The door opened up. It rumbled, causing the earth to shake. The Privaron Espada studied the opening door. None of them said a word. Instead they were each contemplating their own thoughts. Months of careful planning they had at last reached a major point of their plan. No one was more entranced than she. At last it was coming into fruition. The world of darkness would be nothing, but a bad memory or the unpleasant times they had to endure. The door fully opened.

The wolf in sheep's clothing of a man stepped aside and invited her in. "After you, Silva-sama." The golden eyed woman nodded her head crisply. She took him up on his invitation and eagerly went through the door. She was confident she could handle whatever lay behind the door. Her two comrades followed her not long after, Calputto being the very last one. His cautious nature prevented him from going in there too far lest he fall for a trap designed to keep unwelcomed visitors out. She found it odd considering he had spent so much time carefully disrupting the Barriers and spells the shinigami put on the cave to keep the Keystone hidden.

Golden eyes shimmered. Tears almost fell, almost.

"Senpai," Joaquin muttered in pure astonishment. Calputto stared, losing any form of discretion.

Silva's elation was reined in. Now was not the time. Her eyes remained glued on the rectangular stone. It emitted a smothering amount of reiatsu. It tried to drown the trio with its spiritual pressure. Common hollows would be intimidated by such a phenomenal. She was not. Aizen had often given her courage to fully take hold of her destiny and shape it. She would do that now. Destiny would be molded into what she wanted. Silva took a step forward. A tanned skin woman with purple hair appeared before her in a loud swish. She wore a half grin that reeked of utter confidence, while her eyes burned with a wild proud gleam that demanded any who saw it to challenge it. Silva found herself intimidated by this woman, when even the ancient keystone did not.

"Sorry, arrancar, but we cannot allow you to take one step further," the proud woman spoke.

Silva frowned. What did the woman mean when she said we?

"Yoruichi-san, you beat me here." The trio arrancar turned around to see a man wearing sandals and old hat walk slowly to them.

Silva's frown worsened. _'Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi,' _she thought.

"You are being really naughty sneaking here during all the commotion, Arrancar-san." Kisuke drew Benihime from out. "We will have to do something about that," he said in a deathly low tone.

* * *

**Did I mention I am extremely happy at finishing this chapter? I am extremely HAPPY! Gild and Esteban have gone down. Everyone is regrouping. Shinji and Isshin have met. Kisuke and Yoruichi have run into Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto. What is going to happen? I apologize for the long wait and grammar mistakes. Next chapter should have Ichigo in it again. I hope you guys like the chapter. Please review as well. **


	45. The Path They Walk

**The next chapter is here. This one came out easier than the last one. This chapter will line more things up with the manga. It is more of a transition chapter than anything else, but I think people will enjoy it. The aftermath of the invasion has the characters regrouping. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach at all.**

* * *

They had made it just in time. Kisuke fully drew Benihime from its cane like sheath. The remaining members of the Privaron Espada were draped in dark cloaks that Ishida-san had informed him of. They did indeed mask their reiatsu. He was standing feet away from them he could not feel an ounce of spiritual power form them. The cloaks hid their forms exceedingly well, making it difficult to discern their appearances or identities. Kisuke's hawk eyes honed in on the trio when a small feminine humph was picked up by his ears.

His lips spread into lecherous grin. The humble perverted shopkeeper within him was roused by this particular development. If only he possessed the ability to see through clothing. The arrancar's voice was exotic. He wondered if the appearance matched the voice. The rational side remained him of the situation. It would be foolish to underestimate the enemy, even if it was rare that he would get matched up with a sexy woman as an opponent. _'I am really a pervert at heart,' _he thought amusingly.

"When did the two of you know we were here?" asked the woman.

Yoruichi was the one who answered her. "We suspected that your aim was the Spirit Keystones, but we were not entirely sure until now."

"That does not answer my question," Silva continued. She was interested in how when their enemies mobilized against them. There was still a chance that her plan was not completely ruined.

Urahara spoke up this time, "It is as Yoruichi-san said. When your attack first began we enacted our counteroffensive. When more hollows and Gillian class Menos appeared we suspected that this battle was a distraction. I had Yoruichi-san go on ahead here to make sure the Spirit Keystone's location was still secure."

"From the very beginning you knew our aim." Away from the former shinigami captains' eyes Silva's lips curled. It was just as Aizen had told her; Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi were very dangerous. Eager to learn more she decided push the conversation further. "To think that you knew where the Spirit Keystone was located, and that you would be here awaiting our arrival."

Calputto wore his playful mask. "They are well prepared, Silva-sama."

Kisuke's happy-go-lucky expression emerged. He turned his lecherous gleam on Silva. "Ah, so your name is Silva is it?"

Annoyance met with her face. Calputto was once again concocting another devious scheme. She proved herself capable of suppressing her irritation and return to the task at hand.

Yoruichi cleared her throat to draw attention to her. "Tell us arrancar why are you trying to destroy the Spirit Keystones? Is this an attempt to gain control over Hueco Mundo and the hollows and arrancar?"

"I have no interest in ruling. This is about escaping our destiny."

"Escaping your destiny," Yoruichi repeated. Her eyes narrowed slightly, informing Kisuke to prepare to attack. The snowy blond affirmed his position by gripping his zanpakuto. Joaquin observed these subtle motions and informed his senpai by slamming his sheathed sword into the earth. The Privaron Espada was on guard for any assault that was to come.

"We hollows are banished into the darkness for the moment we are born. When we go into the light we are stroke down by you, shinigami. Hueco Mundo is a world with no sun, a world with no hope. It is only a symbol of despair. Why would we want to fight to gain control of such a world?"

"You want merge the worlds together in order to escape Hueco Mundo then," Kisuke suggested, realizing where she was going. "If the worlds overlap with each other could bring about their destruction. Hueco Mundo and the Human World must remain two separate worlds."

The former primera shook her head, vehemently rejecting the mere notion of the shinigami's words. "No. We can no longer live in that world. We hollows and arrancars will forever be doomed to drown in the sorrow filled darkness, to be killed by infighting. To change our destiny we must combine the Human World with Hueco Mundo and escape that darkness."

Yoruichi snickered. The arrancar was one for melodramatics that was obvious. It must have been something she had gotten from Aizen. Lord knows the man was good at giving overdramatic speeches on his philosophy. "Trying to change the natural order of things is foolish. If Hueco Mundo and the Human World combine it could cause a great catastrophe that will end not only life in the Human World, but Hueco Mundo. Are you fully prepared to risk your own lives?" she challenged.

Silva met her intense glare with an equally powerful glare. Neither woman would back down. "If it means we can escape the darkness than yes." She closed her eyes.

"We cannot allow such a thing to occur." The former 2nd division captain took a fighting stance. Her old friend followed her lead and activated his Shikai.

Joaquin turned to Silva. "Senpai!" he cried urgently.

She responded with a nod. The ceiling of the cave cracked open until a black rift formed. Three golden beams of light engulfed the trio. Separated by dimensions Kisuke and Yoruichi were rendered powerless to act.

"Damn it! They still had allies on the other side to pull them back," the Goddess of Flash cursed. A dark scowl fell upon her face. Kisuke on the other hand wore a more neutral expression. He looked on with fascination of the scientist he was known as.

His gray eyes broadened slightly. He found it interesting that the enemy retreated without any hint of resentment or surprise. It felt as if they had expected this to happen. Could they have planned for this scenario as well? _'The enemy is cunning indeed.' _The eccentric genius' eyes landed on the object that was the source of the confrontation. Nothing appeared to be out of place.

"This is not over."

His stare returned to the one known as Silva.

She continued, "For all my comrades who have fallen, we will succeed. They will not go un-avenged. We will not stop. Our future depends on our victory. We will never surrender!" The three arrancar were swallowed up by the Garganata, disappearing all together.

The Goddess of Flash raised an eyebrow questioningly. "They left just like that?"

"It would appear so, but it is unlikely that this retreat was spontaneous. They were also prepared for this to happen. The arrancar called Silva is too determined and cautious to be so reckless as to battle both of us, even with the other two arrancar. She also sensed that her allies had been defeated, meaning she did not want our own allies to follow the pressure created from our reiatsu a battle between us would have created."

"She cut their losses and is going to regroup," Yoruichi stated. She closed the gap between her and her eldest friend. "The Privaron Espada sacrificed a lot and did not destroy the Spirit Keystone, Kisuke."

Her tone expressed concern. He could understand why she was worried. The enemy had used an entire army as distraction and did not achieve their objective or so it would appear. Kisuke resealed his zanpakuto. They found the Keystone. They got to feel its reiatsu and discovered the type of seals used to protect it. With this type of information they could use it to discover the locations of the remaining ones and unearth them with greater ease than before. This realization was a cold slap to the ex-captain.

He was too quiet. That was never a good sign. She could feel the restlessness in his reiatsu. It made her skin itch. If she were in her cat form she would be scratching. "Kisuke," she called out to him. He turned to her she could see his gray eyes were murky with trepidation. "Is it that bad?"

"If am I correct than the Privaron Espada obtained what they needed. They now have the means to locate the remaining stones."

Kisuke's grim demeanor did little to put her at ease. He acted as though they lost the battle. She remembered he was like this when the Espada retreated from their battle when they captured Orihime. Had they just suffered another major loss without even realizing it? She was going to inquire such when a half smile snuck its way onto his face. That smirk dispelled her sense of fear. If Kisuke was smirking that meant things had not gone completely out of his expectations and that he was devising his own strategy, if he had not thought of one already. "I take it you have something planned?" she finally asked after a minute of silence.

He remained silent, only answer his onetime captain with a knowing expression. Yoruichi threw him a knowing smile. The enemy had achieved one of their objectives, but they knew it. If Kisuke's theory was correct than he would have the perfect counter in store for the hollow-shinigami hybrids.

* * *

Ichigo tapped his foot against the dead surface of the barren ground. He done the same action about twenty times already. How long had it been since Urahara left? He checked his phone. His old master had been gone for almost twenty minutes now. There was no word from him or anyone else out there. He did not like that he had not heard from anyone. He hadn't heard anything from her. It had only been twenty minutes since Urahara left, but it felt like it had been so much longer.

Ichigo had never realized just how long their battles actually took. It was not like he could check his watch in the middle of a sword fight with Grimmjow or anything. The battles never felt quick. In fact his most intense battles felt like they lasted for hours rather than minutes. The difference between those battles fought in the past and the one going on above was that he was not in it. Fights with hollows or shinigami may have felt long, but he at least knew what was going on when he was out there. He knew he who was winning and who was losing. This was nerve racking.

He was sitting in the training room under the Urahara Shop just waiting, waiting for word from his friends on if their battles had been successful. Or he was waiting to hear if one of them had been defeated. He could be waiting to hear if someone had died. The ex-substitute instantly shook his head at the last thought. There was no way any of them could be killed by common hollows. He remembered they were battling the Privaron Espada as well, a group of arrancar who were demoted from the Espada in favor for stronger arrancars. Ichigo knew form his own experience that the ex-Espada was still much stronger than the common arrancar. Briefly he imagined a battered and wounded Orihime lying on the ground and a arrancar standing over her with vicious glare. His stomach dropped.

'_Stop thinking like that. This is Orihime. She can take care of herself. You saw her take care of those hollows like it was nothing. She was able to defeat an arrancar on her own. She told me about that last year. Even if she was in trouble there is still Chad, Ishida, Urahara-san, the vizards and even dad out there to help her. They would definitely help her if she gets into trouble. Stop thinking something bad will happen.' _

The orange haired boy decided he would stop thinking about negative thoughts. His Hime was not injured. She was going to win. He knew how strong she was. She was abducted by Aizen and saw so many horrible things, but she never let it change her. Orihime kept her positive outlook on life. There was no need to worry about her. She would win without a doubt. He had to put his faith in her power. Why did he still fear for her life? Why was it that he couldn't stop thinking about her? Why did he keep thinking about how stupid he was for taking out his frustrations out on her? He hated waiting here. He needed to get out of there. He had to see her and make sure she was in one piece. He needed to see if all of them had made it.

The ex-substitute ran off to the exit. He made it about two feet when Tessai intercepted him. Unable to stop in time Ichigo howled. He ran straight into the large man. His muscles were rock hard. He could feel his head ringing. To his credit he did not fall flat on his ass.

"Ichigo-san, where are you going?" the former Kido Corps captain asked. He was oblivious to the fact that Ichigo was rubbing his now stinging head.

"I am going topside. I have to make sure everyone is fine." The shopkeeper rubbed his mustache, straightening it out. He appeared to be deep in thought, deliberating with himself on whether he should allow Ichigo to go or not. He did not realize that his deliberating only served to anger Ichigo. Who was Tessai to decide if Ichigo should be allowed to go? He did not ask for his permission nor did he need it. "Tessai-san let me go." His voice was rougher and his tone lower, commanding.

Tessai furrowed his bow as if he was confused. He took a moment or two before he addressed the former vizard. "The boss gave me explicated instructions for me to keep you down here."

Anger was taking over Ichigo's face. He was doing a very poor job keeping it at bay. "I have to go! Don't you understand? It has been too long. Something is wrong I know it. I have to go out there!"

Tessai's conflicting emotions seeped through to his face. He knew he shouldn't allow Ichigo to return to the battle, but he was not sure how to word it. The last thing he wanted to do was offend him. This was a delicate stage for the pseudo golden haired boy. "Battles have no set time. They can last seconds or hours."

Ichigo blurted out, "What the hell is that supposed to mean!" His temper had gotten the better of him again.

Tessai was able to keep his emotions under control. "It means that the battle's length does not necessarily mean anything is wrong. The sheer number of hollows that invaded the town would mean a long drawn out battle. If there was a problem then Urahara-san would have informed me about it. He has not contacted us should be taken as an indicator that things are going well."

"Or he is unable to contact us because things have gotten worse!" he pointed out. "We should make sure….."

"Do you not have faith in Urahara-san?" Tessai interrupted. It was easy to see Ichigo was taken aback by this question, so he decided to push on. "Do you have faith in your friends and comrades?" The ex-substitute was unnerved by his next question.

"I….it is not that….something might have happened to them. I just need to know," he protested weakly. He had faith in them. Their enemies were just strong and he had not heard anything from them yet. He felt like if he could just go there that he would stop worrying. Not knowing anything was killing him.

Strangely enough or perhaps not strangely at all, Tessai understood what Ichigo had meant. He had seen that same terrified worn face on another man more than a century ago when one of his charges was in dangers way and he had been refused to go to her aid. On that night had allowed that man to act along with him there as backup. The situations were different. For one thing, Ichigo was very vulnerable now. Clashes between strong reiatsu could be harmful to beings that lacked strong reiatsu themselves. Secondly he had promised Kisuke that he would make sure that Ichigo stayed safe. They reasoned that Ichigo no longer had a place on the battlefield. Catering to his protective nature now would only make it worse for him in the future.

Tessai opened his mouth only for a ringing to stop him from forming words. He quickly reached for the device Kisuke had left him. It looked like a phone it only allowed them to communicate with each other and no other earthly lines. That didn't stop him from answering with a hello as if he was answering the phone.

"Hello there Tessai-san!" vibrated the overly cheery voice of Kisuke. The former Kido Corp captain wanted to sigh. "How are things back at the shop?" Kisuke continued as pleasantly as before. Ichigo chose to speak up at that point.

"Urahara-san!" he exclaimed in both relief and annoyance. "Is everything all right!? Is the battle over?"

"Is that Kurosaki-san?" Kisuke asked, obviously hearing Ichigo's shouting.

"Yes that is him," Tessai responded. He passed the phone to man that was once in the class among shinigami captains. Ichigo hurriedly grabbed it.

"Hello Kurosaki-san. How are you doing?" Kisuke continued the pleasantries much to Ichigo's annoyance.

"Is everyone ok!?" he screamed over the eccentric man.

"Oh I am fine and so is everyone else. We pushed back that nasty hollow invasion. Now we are just waiting for the Soul Society to send people to modify memories, so they think the damage was caused by a disaster. We have already started rebuilding some of the buildings to make it more presentable. I called Tessai-san, so he could bring the materials we need."

A cozy wave of relief washed over him. Thank God they were all alive. Suddenly all his worries felt so dumb. Orihime, Ishida, and Chad weren't out there alone. They had so much help from all their allies. He even told himself that, yet he couldn't accept it. Unless he saw it with his own eyes or sensed it for himself he felt nothing, but fear at the uncertainty of it all was too strong for him. Urahara continued his mindless chattering about nothing or any real importance. Ichigo returned the phone to Tessai.

From what he heard Tessai and Urahara had come to an understanding and they hung up. "Jinta, Ururu, and I are going to where the boss is and start the rebuilding process. You are welcome to come with us," he directed at Ichigo.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He felt an odd sense of unrest. Ichigo knew he should be happy, but things still felt out of whack. He did not understand why. He felt something heavy press down on his shoulder. He turned to see Tessai holding his shoulder, focused and stern as always.

"Just because you were unable to battle does not make you useless."

Was that it? Was Ichigo's inability to fight the reason for his discontent? For the first time ever, since he had entered the supernatural world his friends had been in the heat of battle without him. It was not like all the other times when they battled alone. In the past he was busy fighting on a different front, still contributing to their common goal. But look at him now. He hid underground. He did not help them in anyway. He had been a burden to Orihime.

'_Is that really why I feel, so dissatisfied? Am I more upset that I couldn't help than I am happy that they won the battle without me? Does that make me selfish?' _He cast his darkened gaze downward. "I wanted to protect them all. Now that I can't do that I keep thinking about ways that I can. The only way I could think of protecting her was to get out of her way and not give her something to worry about. Is that all I am capable of?" Why was he standing there going on like some lost puppy? How pathetic was he? They won he should be happy.

"You are expecting too much of yourself. You did everything within your power to help and although it may not seem like much it did help." Tessai tried to sound as reassuring as he possibly could. It was a role had not had to play in a hundred years. With a little luck hopefully he was not too rusty.

Ichigo gave him a firm head nod, which he returned. He went off to gather the kids, while Ichigo waited. Tessai's words replayed in his head. _"You did everything within your power to help."_ His infamous scowl darkened further. The words stung, because he knew in his heart that he could have done, so much more if only he had his powers.

* * *

The battle was at last over. They had fought off the hollows and caused them to retreat. It was a miracle. When his request for backup had been denied Zennosuke thought Karakura Town would be annihilated. He resented his superiors' apparent disinterest that the entire Human World town that he had been assigned to was going to be mercilessly attacked by hundreds of hollows. He did everything within his power and then some to fight off as many hollows as he could, but he soon realized he could not fight them all. When Menos Grande came he had given up all hope, but here he was still alive.

He was being healed by exceptionally beauty with a smile that could rival the sun and the eyes of noble and pure maiden. His wounds were erased and his body took comfort in the warmth of the girl's golden barrier. "Oh this feels great, better than any of the 4th division's healers," Zennosuke commented, hoping to win the lady's favor. His attempt was not in vain. Her smile widened.

"Thank you," Orihime said, still smiling. The afro shinigami laughed unnaturally and his face reddened. He was funny man to say the least. "It is the least I can do, since you helped us by fighting hollows."

"It is nothing. I am the shinigami assigned to this area. It is my job to defend it from hollows. Saving this town was all in a day's work for me," he bragged before letting out a howl of laughter.

Sweat fell on the back of Orihime's head. She laughed nervously so as not to offend him.

"Please keep your big mouth closed. It is giving me a headache," cried an extremely irritated voice. Orihime and Zennosuke recognized the voice as belonging to Ishida Uryu. Unsurprisingly they found him glaring at the shinigami, a vein thumping out of his forehead, silently growling.

"What did you say, Ishida?" He shook a fist at his so called partner. The kid really knew how to get under his skin.

"Please be quiet. You are so loud that it is giving me a headache," Uryu reiterated. He was annoyed he had to repeat himself.

"Is that anyway to speak to me? I did get injury in battle trying to save your hometown," he pointed out. Uryu was far from impressed. He rolled his eyes at him.

"You speak as if you were the only one in battle, when that is far from the truth. The fact is that Inoue-san, Sado-kun, and I also took part in the battle and drive the arrancar away." He straightened his glasses. "Your involvement was unneeded." Kurumadani balled up in fetal position with tears streaming down his face. He almost felt sorry for offending him, almost. Inoue-san did her best to coddle him.

Uryu turned his back on the pair. He dealt with that buffoon of a shinigami enough when they went on patrol together. He had no desire to deal with him now. Instead he decided to do something constructive and went to over to where Sado-kun and the makeshift group of friends and newly acquired allies. Kojima-kun and Asano were unharmed when they found them thankfully. They met up with Sado-kun's group. They met Rose and Love (names he found ridiculous) who were a little too pleased at seeing Inoue-san again. They remained, while Lisa and Hachi left to find other members of their party. The two vizards conversed with Asano and Kojima-kun. Sado-kun stood aside from the group.

"Sado-kun," he called. The giant of a man rewarded the Quincy with a grunt. "The arrancar you battled did he mention someone by the name of Silva?"

"He mentioned someone, a woman I think. He said she wanted to liberate them from the darkness. Gild spoke of her with high regard and respect. I thought she was their leader."

"That adds up with what my opponent said to me. He referred to Silva as the one who planned the invasion and the destruction of the Spirit Keystones."

"Their leader's name is Silva. She is most likely the strongest Privaron Espada," Sado reasoned.

Uryu said, "I think it is safe to assume that she is on a different level from the rest of them."

"You aren't talking about just her strength right?" Love and Rose approached them. The former was the one who posed the question. "For this Silva to have gathered strong comrades who are willing to sacrifice their lives for their cause she has to be charismatic," the afro vizard continued.

Uryu affirmed his assessment. "This is exactly what I was thinking of. If we take into account the arrancar Sado-kun fought and the reverence he paid her, as well as the way the arrancar I battled spoke of her plan that she not only commands the other Privaron Espada, but she inspires them."

Orihime had completed healing the resident shinigami and joined the group. Kurumadani sought to do the same, but was pulled to the side by Keigo who questioned the competence of the shinigami compared to his more extraordinary friends.

"Their leader isn't using her power to intimidate them. However, I cannot say for sure if she believes in her cause as much as the other Privaron Espada. She could easily be a manipulator who is able to stir their emotions for her benefit."

"I do not believe that is the case," Rose stated. Eyes went to him, asking him to go on. "Hollows and arrancar were once humans and as such they have varying emotions just as humans do. One of the reasons Aizen was able gather most hollows that differ in personalities and motives in the first place was because he was able to read their emotions and promise them what they desired to not just win their loyalty, but their lives." The elegant vizard paused to gather his thoughts.

"The point I am trying to make is that there could be a number of hollows and arrancar who became dissatisfied with their lives in Hueco Mundo and long to return to the Human World. We are seeing this in action now. The stronger hollows are the closer they are into resembling humans and shinigami. Being a vizard, an outcast from both shinigami and hollows I can empathize with their plight. If I were in their place I could see myself doing the same thing and gathering likeminded individuals, especially former comrades to help achieve our goal." He looked to the Quincy to see if he followed.

The raven haired man did indeed follow the former 3rd division captain. "The leader's ability to amass the rest of the Privaron Espada is because she too strongly believes in uniting the worlds just as strongly as they do."

Love had seen this number of times in his brief stints in the Human World during his old shinigami days. It never failed. People with a strong belief could become a powerful force to inspire change for either good or bad. "The greatest power a leader can have is their conviction to their ideals. The stronger their conviction the more people will gravitate to them," he said thoughtfully. "People who do things without thinking of the consequences of their actions to the world around them are no better than immature brats."

"I do not think that is the case," Orihime voiced her opinion before she could catch herself. It was too late. She could feel their stares penetrate her. Suddenly she felt very foolish for speaking up. She expected to hear someone to denounce her. Instead she simply heard Ishida-kun say,

"What do you mean, Inoue-san?"

He did not sound irritated or condescending. A glance at his face revealed he was genuinely interested in what she thought. She scanned around and found Sado-kun reassuring her that he opinion was just as valid as theirs. That gave her the strength to share her views.

"It is just that I was there in Hueco Mundo. I know it was only for a day, but from what I saw it was very desolate." Memories of her stint there had been more than half a year ago, but still very vivid. "The arrancar there felt lost. Some of them were very cruel and self-serving, but others felt empty as if they were looking for something greater or understanding." Ulquiorra came to mind. He had spent a good deal of effort to deconstruct her and prove that the human heart was nonsense, but she also saw within him a smaller part longing to comprehend it as if to regain something he had lost long ago.

"I think the reason they looked to Aizen is because he gave them something to believe in. He promised to fill that void that was gone. It makes me sad, because that void exists in the first place. To the arrancar they want to fill that void so badly, because they can no longer bear it. Maybe it is not that they do not care what happens to everyone else, but are just so desperate that they are willing to risk it."

"Well said, Inoue-san." The shinigami captain turned shopkeeper, Urahara arrived before the group, much to most of their surprise. He strode down as if he had no care in the world. "The enemy does not see themselves as evil or even as conquerors. They believe they are seeking a righteous goal and that makes them more dangerous. I have come into contact with Silva herself and she does believe in uniting the Human World with Hueco Mundo just as strongly if not stronger than her comrades."

Love let out a big disgruntled sigh. "Terrific. Silva is different from Aizen. If he has more legions of hollows following her she can become a bigger threat than I first thought."

"But don't forget they suffered significant loss themselves," Sado remained them. "The arrancar that was killed during their first invasion and the three that were killed now means the Privaron Espada themselves are much smaller." The elder men were earnest and glum. The silent giant knew that their situation had not improved as much as he assumed.

"The reason the Privaron Espada pose such a significant threat Sado-san is, because of their large numbers." Kisuke gripped the top his cane thinking of the situation. "While the Soul Society have superior soldiers such as the captains and vice captains, they cannot focus all of their forces one front without knowing where and when the arrancar will attack. The truth is for one shinigami the Gotei 13 can has there is ten more hollows that can match him."

"If the enemy was willing to sacrifice hundreds of hollows for this one invasion means they have more soldiers in waiting," Rose reasoned.

Things were most assuredly more complicated than Sado originally thought. His blank expression was unchanged. The implication of hundreds possibly thousands of more hollows waiting in Hueco Mundo for this Silva to give the command to invade the Human World, was dangerous prospect.

Noticing the somber mood was setting in, Kisuke thought it was best to change the subject. "Hey now, let's not focus on that now. We should be celebrating for driving the arrancar back and protecting the Spirit Keystone." His façade of the dimwitted shop owner resurfaced. "As soon as Tessai-san gets here I will start to rebuild our fair town. Although if you kids were to persuade me I could leave your school unrepaired and give you a few days off," he whimsical sang.

Offended at his immoral conduct a provoked Uryu turned red. "Don't be absurd! You cannot leave our school buildings in ruin! Not only is it unethical to suggests this, how can you expect us to take part in it?"

Kisuke waved his part time employee as he sometimes like to refer to Uryu aside with a gesture. "Now, now, don't be like that, Ishida-san. I will not tell anyone that you wanted a little break from school. After all you are a young man in the prime of his life. I am sure you have some girl you would rather be with instead." He knew this would set the glasses cladded man off in a new tirade.

Ishida-san did not disappoint. "Do not speak of things like that so casually! And beside the point do not presume to speak for me!"

Rose and Love snickered under their breath at the infuriated Quincy verbally spare with a comical Urahara. Orihime and Sado wisely chose to stay out of the argument. Sado did not desire to have the school go unrepaired. He did well in school and had no real problems with going in or not. He failed to see why Ishida had to argue with Urahara on such a matter. Orihime on the other hand struggled to fight back a laugh. She knew that Urahara was only joking around.

'_Ishida-kun really gets worked up over the littlest things,' _she thought.

The exchange between the two went on for several minutes until a immense wave of pressure consumed them. This feeling was recognizable to them all, but it did little to sooth their bewilderment.

"Why would he be here of all places?" Love asked aloud. Small creases on his face increased.

"More importantly what does it mean?" Rose wondered.

They expected the Soul Society to send people to help rebuild the town and alter the memories of the populace, but none of them expected the captain commander of the entire Gotei 13 to come along with them himself.

* * *

As soon as the Senkaimon opened up he ordered his men to spread out and await his orders. Urahara promised he would be able to repair the damage with material he donated to the troublesome Captain Kurotsuchi to build his replica of Karakura Town. Knowing that headache of man Yamamoto trusted his skills enough to undo the damage as he promised. He only brought a team to alter memories with him. Not that he had come here for such a simple matter to solve.

Reports he received from the shinigami stationed in the area told of multiple people aiding him into fighting off the hollows. The old soldier was not surprised by this fact. He had told Urahara that Karakura Town would have to rely on its own gifted humans and shinigami that lived here. What had caught his attention was the number of people he reported was more than he anticipated. The captain commander thought such a occurrence deserved his attention.

Sasakibe offered to go in his place he refused. This was something he needed to do. If the Central 46 disapproved he would deal with it when then. Yamamoto rested his old bone on his trusty wooden cane. He had adjusted to the loss of his left arm quickly enough. Some of his subordinates and fellow captains suggested he get Inoue Orihime to restore his arm with her power or see Kurotsuchi he would have none of it. The loss of his arm was the price he had paid in his failed attempt to end the threat of Aizen Sosuke. It would serve as reminder of never to let his guard again.

He strode down the deserted streets for a little bit. The Human World town held up together nicely from the siege that had taken place.

"Ah, I can't believe the captain commander himself showed up in a little human town like this!" exclaimed a lazy yet unusual energetic voice. Yamamoto did not flinch. He grumbled something inaudible.

"So you are still residing in Karakura Town, Hirako Shinji."

Shinji's sly teeth revealing grin made him as smug as fox. The de-facto leader of the vizards merely shrugged his shoulders, not caring that he had been identified. The old man wouldn't still be the captain commander if someone like Shinji could actually sneak up on him. "Not exactly, I'm only here as a favor to Kisuke. We split from Karakura after Hiyori healed up at Kisuke's little shop."

The ancient shinigami only nodded in reply. "So what brings you all the way down to the Human World? You told Kisuke that his entourage would have to take care of things themselves."

"I am well aware of what I told Urahara Kisuke." Both he and Shinji heard the snipe in his tone. Neither man took it seriously. Shinji had known Yamamoto for centuries now and as a bit of a rebel in his old Gotei days he learned to discern from Yamamoto's fussing from his true anger. He knew the man still regard as the strongest shinigami had not taken his jabs too seriously, yet.

"You can't blame my curiosity can you? Captain Commander Yamamoto coming to the Human World after a battle is eerier sight alone, but to come to for a simple matter as clean up…."

"I am not here to oversee the reconstruction and memory modification of Karakura Town."

"Is that so?" Shinji whistled. "Is it out place for me to ask why you did you come here?"

"Hmm, as insolent as you were the last time I saw you." He turned around to come face to face with the shinigami-hollow hybrid. He never did like that smug grin. These kids today got so conceited. He hoped he had not been as foolish in his youth.

"Ah, come on. I'm only clowning you."

The battle scarred man widened his old eyes, baffled. "Clowning?" he repeated. Hirako rolled his eyes, which he did not appreciate. He was a brat indeed, like the rest.

"I forgot you have been in the Soul Society all this time. You aren't hip to all the new sayings and slang of this modern age." He played with his sheathed zanpakuto to hide his amusement at seeing the old soldier baffled. "Clowning, means joking around or having some fun with you." Square old Yamamoto brushed off Shinji's attempt to educate him in how to keep him current.

'_He hasn't changed at all,' _both men thought.

Yamamoto cleared his throat, demanding attention to him. Being the captain commander for one thousand years had given the ability to do so as a second nature. "I have come here on a matter of grave importance." To the clowning Hirako's credit he ceased the mindless jokes. "During the war with the vile traitor Aizen Sosuke and the arrancar both the Gotei 13 and the Soul Society have been left weakened. Our forces are spread thin in our attempt to bring order to Hueco Mundo, as well as maintaining our regular duties in both the Soul Society and the Human World. As such it is imperative that we begin to restructure our forces and regain our former glory."

Shinji yawned quietly. He knew better than to poke the bear when he was going off on his Gotei 13 pride and tradition kick. It didn't mean this speech wasn't tedious.

"Three captain vacancies have been left in the wake Aizen Sosuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tosen Kaname's betrayal."

Shinji became tense. Was the old man going to ask what he thought he would ask?

"We need those seats to be occupied in order for the Gotei 13 to radiate as it has in the past and wash away the impurity that Aizen has tainted us with. You asked me why I came here today. The answer should be obvious now. However, I wish to make it official. I am inviting you to resume your position as the captain of the 5th division, Hirako Shinji."

For once Shinji was speechless. He stood there opened mouthed and wide eyed. He could not believe by the rules, all serious and no play, Yamamoto had asked him to return to the Gotei 13 and as a captain no less.

"I am also here to invite your other comrades, Otoribashi Rojuro and Muguruma Kensei to the 3rd division and 9th division respectively. Unfortunately I cannot invite Aikawa Love to return as captain of the 7th division as the position is filled. I can invite all of you to return to service."

"What are you playing at?" Shinji blurted out. "We were banished by the Central 46 when we escaped from them. They brandished us as vile traitors who sought to obtain hollow powers for more power. After being hunted by you for over a century you come here to invite us back?" Shinji shivered. "Just what are you playing at!?" he screamed. Uncharacteristic rage infected his normally serene eyes. He visible shook with ire.

"You know the Central 46's word is absolute. Nothing can change that. We cannot ever return to the Soul Society. Shinigami with hollow powers is taboo. You say we vizards who were so impure and monstrous can help wash away Aizen's stench. Don't make me laugh."

Yamamoto could empathize with the young man's rage. Their laws and rules were unforgiving, if not cruel. On the day Hirako, Urahara, and the others escaped into the Human World the previous incarnation of the Central 46 not only branded them outlaws, but slurred their names in the process. People who were once trusted allies and friends were then reviled as power hungry and mad. Hirako's band became the absolute vision of disgraced shinigami who had resorted to claiming the powers of hollows. Urahara was seen as mad scientist who had pushed the limits set by the Soul Society in his vain quest to seek knowledge.

Captains and voice captains had been sent out to hunt them down and bring them back to be executed. After decades of fruitless searching the Central 46 stopped actively pursuing the vizards as they called themselves. If Yamamoto had been in Hirako's place he too would have been infuriated. He had every right to be mad after suffering the injustice that Aizen had forced on them, an injustice that went unpunished for more than a hundred years.

He would take any insult hurled at him. He would take any rage thrown at him. In Yamamoto's opinion it was nothing compared to what Hirako endured. The somewhat rebellious man averted his eyes from him and chose to glare at the ground beneath their feet.

"Don't go saying shit you can't back up," Shinji almost growled.

"I understand your fury…."

"You ain't got any idea about our fury."

Choosing to ignore that, Yamamoto continued to speak. "In light of the revelation that Aizen was responsible for your transformation and in your service of battling alongside we captains to defeat Aizen the new Central 46 have absolved your charges. Now I take it upon myself to invite you to return."

Shinji scoffed at the captain commander's claims. "Do the Central 46 even know about your oh so generous invitation?" Sarcasm seeped into every last word he said.

"I must confess that the Central 46 does not know I am here. I have requested your reinstatement into the Gotei 13 when Aizen was apprehended. They have neither accepted nor denied my request."

"Ha, of course not," Shinji sneered. "Even if we are innocent the fact is we are still vizards. Whether Kisuke or Aizen hollowfied us doesn't change that. We were to be executed for simply possessing hollow abilities remember? They won't ever welcome us back."

Yamamoto had stricken his cane to the earth, startling Shinji with how loud it sang. He realized it was more of Yamamoto's immense reiatsu affected it. "Have you given up? If this is the attitude you have developed now than I was mistaken in inviting you back to the Gotei 13. We must respect the laws and regulations set down upon the Soul Society. I will not stand for those who break those laws and go against the will of the Soul Society!"

Shinji's eyes returned to the astoundingly steady frame for ancient body. The head of the 1st division's piercing gaze beamed on him, hard. The ex-captain had to admit he still squirmed under Yamamoto's powerful glare. It made him feel like a child who had been caught doing mischief.

"What constitutes a just law and an unjust law? Thousands of years of traditions and laws, should they be followed simply for being laws or should we ask ourselves if the laws are still just? I have been contemplating this ever since Aizen's betrayal and Kurosaki Ichigo's actions. That boy has never followed our laws or my orders. He does what he feels is just, even if our laws forbid it. That man both infuriates and impresses me. Certainly in the past I would not tolerate someone such as him, who spits on our laws and ignores them completely. However, his rescue of Kuchiki Rukia and later Inoue Orihime are what revealed Aizen's plans to us. He surely saved us on greatest need. As the captain commander of the Gotei 13 I cannot approve of his methods." He sighed as if unloading a great weight that had been loading him down.

"As an individual I understand his plight and cannot help, but be astound by his resolve to follow through on the path he believes is just. Our laws were at one point just, but perhaps as time went on they became obsolete. Perhaps it is time that we in the Soul Society begin to examine those laws and decide if they still uphold justice. Shinigami or vizards should be able to challenge the laws they feel are unjust and bring about change. This is what I believe will bring about justice to the Soul Society and allow us to better identify and eradicate evil such as Aizen. A reconciliation between the Gotei 13 and its former loyal members is what I believe will be our first step in achieving this."

Shinji was entranced by the old soldier's words. If he did not know any better he would have thought this was an imposter. No one could imitate the pressure his reiatsu created. _'Ichigo got to you to old man. That bastard is something else. For the first time in a thousand years the laws that govern the Soul Society are beginning to change.' _

"Well I ain't going to be able to give you an answer right now you know. I have to talk it over with the others. Our wounds inflicted to us by our banishment are still fresh for some."

Yamamoto acknowledged the once and possibly future captain silently. "All I ask is for you to consider my proposal."

"Are you sure the new Central 46 is going to go for it? It would be easier to reinstate Kisuke and Yoruichi. Or did they turn you down?"

"When Kuchiki Rukia's execution had been prevented I offered Both Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke to take up the positions of captains. They both declined. In retrospect I question if they declined out for more reasons besides their freedom."

"Oh, is that so," Shinji played along. He wouldn't put it past those two to leave those spots open for a reason. The old soldier vanished. He expected him to open a Senkaimon. He figured the old soldier had business elsewhere. The idea of him being a captain again, it was absurd or was it? It was an interesting proposition the least. "It is intriguing." Sly grin materialized on his lips.

The rebuilding had gone smoothly. The moment Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu came Urahara was able to restore much of the structures. Some were left in battered to fit into the cover story of an earthquake causing the misfortune of injuries and deaths that the attack had ushered in. The vizards departed as swiftly as they had arrived. Only a few of them said their farewells. Hachi promised that he would keep in touch with Orihime. Hiyori kicked Urahara in his face, leaving a memorable moment to say the least. Humorously enough the snow blond smiled sincerely.

* * *

Karakura Town's streets were bustling with people once more. Hospitals and clinics had more than their fair share of work. Karakura High was a perfect pillar of strength. Ishida was pleased by this result; even Keigo cursed him for not taking up Urahara on his offer. Life would return to normal the next day when it was anything, but normal.

When he laid eyes on her his first instinct was to run to her and embrace her. His heart had stopped and his breath was stolen. He was able to maintain some measure of control. He held himself back from jumping her. He calmly walked up to her then wrapped his arms around her. She did the same to him. Just seeing her unharmed had shattered the inadequacy he suffered from. He didn't care that their friends were around them. He was just so glad she was alive.

He never wanted to let her go again, but knew this was irrational. After his flood of emotions receded his embarrassment flourished. Reluctantly he let her go. None of his friends made any wise cracks at least. After everything they experienced that day must have reminded them how precious life was. It did little ease Ichigo.

After everything that happened Ichigo could scarcely believe he and Orihime would be doing homework in his room. It felt out of place to be doing something so mediocre after such an event. They sat on his bed reading together. Funny how just yesterday his biggest problem on was going too far with his girlfriend. His mind was furthest away from sex.

"Ichigo-kun," angelic tone beckoned to him. Ichigo looked down. Again he was memorized by her otherworldly beauty. Even uneasiness itched onto her face it only highlighted her beauty.

He put on his best smile. "What's with that face?" he questioned her. "There is no need to worry about me. I told you I am fine. You healed me completely," he told her for the twelfth time now.

His face was so weary. The strong chocolate orbs that burned, so brightly was extinguished. They were barren and un-Kurosaki-kun like. His smile, which was forced, but it could barely stand up. She was too bad for him to even be upset with the fake smile she despised. The healer stroked his left cheek lovingly.

"You seem so distant," Orihime said. He placed a hand over hers.

"I am just tired," he said truthfully. The day had worn on him already. With the attack his remaining strength had been sapped away. "I am sorry." He removed her hand. His arms snaked their way around her slim waist. With his diminished strength the ex-substitute was able to pull her to him. She provided him with help and allowed herself to be guided on his lap.

The healer blushed profoundly. The tiny Orihimes that ran her head chided her for being as bashful as middle school girl around her boyfriend of almost three months. The top of her head felt the added weight of his forehead momentarily. How she relished moments like these.

"I completely overacted today and took all my frustrations out on you."

He was still upset over that. She had already forgotten and forgiven him. He didn't need to cuddle up with her to win her forgiveness, although she did love when their bodies rested on each other. "I already told you that you don't need to keep apologizing." Orihime's head fell to his chest.

Ichigo could not disagree with his goddess more. "You deserve someone better than me."

"That's not true!" Orihime broke out of his grip and looked him straight in the eye. Her face was a mixture of sorrow and disappointment. "Please stop attacking yourself. Ichigo-kun is too hard on himself. You just made a mistake. One bad moment cannot erase all the good moments I have with you." The auburn princess pulled her necklace. "I always feel safe with you. You even gave me a family again. How can I even begin to thank you for that? There is no one out there better for me than you."

A ghost of a smile emerged. Ichigo renewed their embrace. He felt her nuzzle his neck affectionately. No more words were spoken. A comforting silence had taken them. Orihime was content with being her beloved's arms. Ichigo was his own worst enemy. He enjoyed his Hime's warmth his mind would not allow him to forget how he had nearly been killed by a hollow he couldn't even see. She never would have said it, but the truth all he gave her was grief. She was so concerned for him that it distracted her.

Through the universe's will Orihime was only fighting hollows she could easily defeat with a split focus. If she had been fighting an arrancar her split focus could have proved her downfall. _'I can't protect you with my own two hands. How can I accept something like this? I can't be a burden to you, Orihime. If you were killed….No I have find a new path to power! I need the power to protect you!'_

He made up his mind. He would confront his father and demand a way to reverse the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. The end result was that being normal was completely unacceptable if he could not protect Orihime. He needed to protect her at all costs. He couldn't lose his sun again.

* * *

**This ends the chapter. I admit I didn't read this over as much as I should have. I felt guilty about not uploading for 3 months, so I went on and uploaded the chapter. Yay, Ichigo and Orihime scene made its way in, even if it is a minor one. Ichigo does sound like a broken record and I tried not to keep rehashing the same thing in the same chapter, but protecting people he loves is a big part of Ichigo's character. His scenes in this chapter do seem to keep repeating I was trying to showcase how the events of the invasion affected him.**

**I was going to have Yamamoto go to all the vizards, but decided to just have him and Shinji talk instead. It made more sense for Shinji to approach Yamamoto first and not wait for the other vizards. I think it is stronger to just have those two talk. I might try and have the vizards appear in a few scenes in later chapters to try and play the vizard divide that seems to have taken place in the manga. **

**I am close to getting 300 reviews, so please review. If I hit 300 with this chapter I may just throw in something special. ;) **


	46. To Protect One Thing

**School started for me again. I don't imagine I will be getting chapters up as often as I would like, but let's see. There is some IchiHime goodness in this chapter. Ichigo may be a little OCC, but it works for the chapter. I want to thank you guys for reading and reviewing the story. I'm glad you are still enjoying it. **

**For those of you who are wondering how or when this story will fit in with my other story Flowers and Strawberry (the story where Ichigo and Orihime's first time together), like nypsy it lining up soon. In fact the story was set four months after Ichigo and Orihime got together. It has been three currently getting ready to go on four. This chapter opens that up. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any shape or form.**

* * *

Spring was in its final stages. The sun's rays were intensifying and the cool refreshing breezes were becoming fewer. The weather was far from the god awful heat Karakura was known for, but the increase in heat was a good indicator that summer was eagerly awaiting its arrival next month. Spring would not go without a fight at least. To many of the students of Karakura High the climate was just the right mixture of warmth and crisp cool air that made hanging outside the ideal activity to do. Naturally sitting in class and listening to lectures was the last thing most people wanted.

The classroom was filled with bored students who could not even feign an interest in their teacher's lecture. There were those students who were bold enough to plaster their faces onto their desks, despite their teacher's stern disposition and wicked forms of punishment. When he slammed a book on a sleeping student's desk said student nearly jumped out of his seat. This lead to a few snickers. He made the student stand outside the class and carry a pail full of water on his head like he was a grade school boy, a fate some mistakenly claimed was worse than death. None of those students ever came face to face with a soul hungry beast like apparition.

Their teacher reminded them that the results of their last exam did not give many of the students any reason to be so laid back. Ichigo tuned him out not long after. He had heard this lecture too many damn times. It was already troublesome for his mind to stay focused on the lesson to begin with. How could he? A week ago his home town was under siege by hollows. The orange haired boy was shocked by how easily people seemed to get back into the swing of things.

He was aware that the Soul Society had rewritten the memories of everyone except for a few of them. They still believed a catastrophe struck in the form of an earthquake though. The buildings Urahara had left in ruins to keep the charade up were still under construction. He mused how the construction work was good news for Chad who was still working construction jobs. Ichigo just couldn't wrap his head around the idea on how everyone just brushed aside what happened so easily.

One day their teacher talked about the devastating effects of the "earthquake" and wished condolences to those few who were affected by it, but that was the extent. They went about business as usual. Everyone went on with life as if everything was normal. It was maddening to him because things were anything, but normal! Ichigo almost wished he could be ignorant as they were. He would be much more content with the mundane routine of everyday life. No, he had been cursed with knowledge. The knowledge that arrancar were going on without their renowned Aizen, attacking Karakura Town, putting a target sign on his friends. While he possessed this knowledge he currently had no means to do anything.

He made an effort to get his father alone to discuss reversing the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. It was to no avail though. The ex-substitute's horrid luck worked against him. Isshin had been swamped with work. Their neighborhood found it more convenient to go to Ichigo's father than to big hospitals or other clinics. His dad actually knew the people he went the extra mile to help them out and never charged people anything they could not afford. It was so busy at the clinic that Karin and Yuzu even had to help him work a few times this week alone. Every time Ichigo approached him he had been handed a, "we'll talk later Ichigo." It was infuriating him, but he couldn't be upset with his old man either.

Things were hectic at the clinic after all. When his father did not beat his door down to jump him in bed or was yawning more than wearing a dopy smile of his Ichigo knew it was serious. Yet he couldn't restrain himself much longer. It was essential he regain his power. He needed to protect all of them, to protect her. He swore he would. He would be damn if he was the man who went back on his promises. Ichigo didn't do that anymore. He closed his gripped the side of his desk, squeezing the life out of it if it was alive. He desired nothing more than to be the man that Orihime saw him as, the man who honored all his promises and protected everyone with his power.

On cue his chocolate eyes traveled to where an attentive Orihime sat. She unlike him was focused on her studies. The healer scribbled notes down speedily. Realistically speaking Ichigo knew he would have to copy her notes a habit he had slipped into lately to his dismay. His mind was cluttered with hollows, lost powers, and battles. Hers was not cluttered. The results were obvious in their note taking. She was her ecstatic and vibrant self. She did express minor displeasure at having so, much of her time being dominated by school and work. She told him that she barely got to spend late afternoons with Tatsuki when school ended as they had used to do.

Ichigo was conflicted. He was happy to see that the attack hadn't drudged up any painful memories of her time in Hueco Mundo, but he at least expected her to be in the same place he was at. He wasn't fully aware why he expected Orihime to be. He wasn't even sure where he was at himself. It was just that everything was spinning out of control. Their junior year, which had so much promise, was ripped to shreds. Planning trips to the beach for the summer didn't feel right anymore. How could it be right? He couldn't just expect to pretend like everything was all fine and dandy when they weren't.

Worse of all no one was talking to him. Ichigo was completely in the dark. He had not seen hide or hair of Urahara since that day. He was tempted to visit him at his shop, but Urahara's words still radiated with him.

"_I cannot restore your shinigami powers."_

Those words did nothing, but inspire hopelessness. Ichigo did his best not dwell on them. Chad had only told him that they pushed the arrancar back, but did not mention defeating them permanently. The gentle giant would not say anymore. Ichigo knew Chad well enough to know when he was hiding something. However, Chad stared him down and non-verbally denied him any more answers. He knew Chad would keep his mouth shut. Getting answers out of Ishida was like trying to yank an answer out of a stuck up cat, annoying as hell and damn near impossible. He saw the man in question was being the model student everyone expected him to be.

The stoic youth's face was down. Ishida came up for a breath of air and to see their instructor's face then returned to writing. Ichigo couldn't stop himself from glaring at the Quincy. _'Four eyed bastard will always be a pain in my ass,' _he thought. Ishida must have felt his glare burning his back, because he not only looked up, but returned his glare at full force. The icy blue eyes bore into Ichigo's fiery brown eyes. Both cursed the other one for being such an annoyance to their existence before they broke eye contact. Uryu returned to his notes.

'_Four eyed bastard! You think he would see fit to keep me in the loop after everything we have been through,' _the ex-substitute thought bitterly. The only option left to him was asking Orihime. Whenever he even entertained the idea a deep seeded guilt sprouted from his heart. Orihime revealed the same information that Chad and Urahara did. Unlike with them Ichigo did not feel she was hiding anything. It was the opposite. The aura she gave off when they talked about the invasion felt so relaxed and opened. She was keen to tell him anything he wanted to know. The goddess of Karakura High had been vocal on being open with each other. In the spirit of this she answered all of his questions.

He liked that. She didn't feel the need to keep anything from him. It spoke volumes to him about where they were at in their relationship. It encouraged him to lean on her more as she always asked. Sure he had shared secrets with her that he hadn't shared with his other friends, such as the fear he felt about losing control of his body to his hollow, but he still struggled to tell her everything in perhaps a misguided way of shielding her from his own demons. The guilt from earlier grew twice its original size before.

The others were trying to keep him out. They feared what he would do now that he was powerless. They didn't trust him. Orihime did trust him though. She trusted him with information on the Privaron Espada. Just like all the other times Orihime placed her faith in him and he would not let her down.

It felt wrong to interrogate her further. It would have been like saying he had no trust in her. Given how she never twisted his arm when he didn't tell her he suspected his father and Urahara were preparing for a battle, he felt he had no place to think about questioning her more. He also hadn't been forthcoming on his plan to regain his powers with her either.

Ichigo wanted to be more open with Orihime like she wanted and deserved, but still felt inclined to shield her from his demons. If he told her she would worry about him or worse, pity him. He had shown Orihime many different facets of his soul. Not all of them were good. This woman had witnessed them all and still loved him unconditionally. It strengthened their bond. Ichigo never ever wanted Orihime to see him powerless. It wasn't entirely because he felt emasculated by needing her protection, although he would be lying if he said that played no part. What man could honestly say they felt no shame in having to hide behind their girlfriend and let her fight for him?

Being powerless only made her uneasy around him. It stressed her, because she didn't know what to do. He loathed seeing her in any distress, especially if he caused it. Once his powers returned he would tell her that way she would be overjoyed and she wouldn't be stressed. Ichigo would be honest with her when he regained his powers. Yes, this was perfect.

'_Today I have to talk to dad no matter what.' _His fingers curled around his pencil, tightly. It was a wonder it didn't break. _'He'll know a way to reverse the Final Getsuga Tensho's effects. When I regain my power I swear I'll protect everyone. I'll protect you Orihime.' _

Ichigo's face was frozen in a quiet yet fierce determination. Orihime watched him from afar. Her lips fell into an ugly frown. Her once alluring hazel eyes were marred by her concern for him. She could feel how anxious he was from up there. He was handling the incident better than she expected him to, but he was still lost in haze. For the life of her she could not understand what he was feeling. It wasn't despair as she expected or even anger at least in the form she expected. It felt like a shameful fury or loathing, boiling over.

What the healer feared is when it boiled over he would pull away from her and close himself off from all of them. The auburn princess refused to sit back and watch that happen. She wasn't going to sit around and do nothing. Orihime would be there for Ichigo and help keep him connected to all of them. He needed to know that when he was in pain they were all affected. It affected her deeply. Didn't he realize that if he couldn't stand on his own that she would be by his side and help him bear it? She would be an ear to listen to his fears. She would be a shoulder for him to lean on. She would cry for him when he couldn't. Nothing changed.

Orihime would do her best not to cuddle him again. When she saw him hurting she was overcome with a strong urge to go to him and sooth him. Being a healer was her nature, simple as that. She couldn't bear to see a person wallow in pain least of all the man she loved. Her beloved Kurosaki-kun had taken it upon himself to carry the weight of the world or worlds onto his shoulders. The weight was finally too much for his aching body and soul to bear. One way or another Orihime had to make him see that he didn't need to be the sole Atlas. She, Ishida-kun, and Sado-kun would support him. She made up her mind. She would talk to Ichigo today.

* * *

Isshin flopped down in the chair of his office. He exhaled an exhausted breath, while rubbing his temples. He had a long strenuous day. Who would have thought that he would still be seeing so many patients after a week? The arrancar attack dealt a great blow to the town. They were still experiencing the aftershocks of it all damn it! He expected a crowd of people the first two or three days. When a large number of people continued arrive during the fourth and fifth days his jaw actually dropped.

Karin elbowed his ribs to knock him out of it. She scolded him to be professional. Good thing Karin did that or he would never have been able to collect himself in time. The shinigami turned doctor was immensely grateful that his daughters agreed to help him out. Isshin didn't even want to think about how long it would take for him to see and treat everyone without their help. Of course Ichigo had his own job, so he lost a pair of hands, but still two pairs of extra hands was better than nothing. He loved being a doctor and helping people, but he was human, so to speak. There were times when he got overwhelmed by his job.

A small smile emerged. He remembered on days like this when the world beat him down that Masaki would come in, flash him a smile brighter than ten suns. It would nourish his worn out bones and soul at once. If he was lucky she would rub his shoulders a rare treat that he relished. What he appreciated the most is how she would sit down with him. She would start conversations with him or just sit there with him. Her presence alone was enough to revitalize him. It was days like these that he found himself missing her dreadfully more.

A knock on his door brought him back to reality. "Come in." Karin came in. Her midnight hair caught his eye immediately. Was it longer? He thought back on the last week or so trying to see if he could recall Karin's hair growing. His memories offered no answers.

"Hey, dad," Karin called hesitatingly. She saw her father had that faraway look in his eyes, the kind of look people got when they were reliving the past. The last couple of days had been very busy. She saw how uncharacteristically serious her father had been. He was always serious about his job, but now it was slipping over to his family life. When her father was serious his thoughts would drift to her mother. Karin never knew how to approach her father on the subject. This is why she was tip toing on eggshells now. "Some guy is here to see you," she finished.

Her dad fully returned to the present and stared at her oddly. That deathly somber mask still possessed his face. "Another patient?" he asked, getting up from his chair.

Karin shook her head. "No he says he is an old acquaintance of yours."

An old acquaintance of his was out there? "Does this guy wear a hat and have wooden sandals and have a cane?" Karin shook her head no again, confusing him. His old acquaintances list was limited. He had plenty of friends that his children would recognize. Only "acquaintances" were unknown to them. If it wasn't Urahara who else could it be? "Can you describe him, honey?"

His dark haired daughter face became strained as she fell into deep thought. "He is wearing a gray suit, has white hair, and wears glasses."

"Uh, are you sure?" he blurted out.

"Yeah," Karin replied mildly offended. Distinct features like those easily stood out and were easy to remember. Her father discarded surprise for what she thought might have been amusement. His lips curved up before falling back down. This old acquaintance piqued her interest.

"Thanks, sweetie!" he exclaimed. He strode to the door, but before patting her head. Any other time she would have shoved him off her, but since he was meeting his old acquaintance his patting was far shorter than usual and thus no problem for her. Besides her dad was back to his old goofy self, all was right in the world.

Isshin made it to the door. Just as Karin said a white haired, glasses wearing man was standing in the doorway. He stood straight as a line with his hands in his pocket, looking very uptight. Hell the man didn't even look like he knew the meaning off relaxing.

"Never thought I would see the day when you would come to visit me, Ishida." Ishida spared him one look before rolling his eyes and muttering something inaudible. "What are you doing standing out there? Come in, come in." He gestured for the Quincy in enthusiastically. The uptight visitor was less than thrilled about the invitation.

"I would prefer to stay out here, Kurosaki." He regretted saying it the second the words came out of his mouth. Kurosaki's face turned sour, complete with his eyes broadening. He looked utterly ridiculous. Honestly a grown man pouting like an insolent child.

"You don't want to come into my lovely abode?" He did love to annoy Ishida whenever he got the rare opportunity to. The Quincy did not disappoint him. He rolled his eyes a second time and even groaned. "Come on in. Meet my daughters. They're home and completely adorable. But you know that. You did meet Karin after all. I bet you wish you had some daughters now too, huh?"

Ryuken had to summon every ounce of his willpower to stop from slapping his forehead with his palm or Kurosaki's for that matter. He took a deep breath instead and mentally counted to ten. He was still irritated beyond words, but his anger lessened. "Now is not the time for your games. What I came here to discuss is probably something…." He made sure neither of Isshin's daughters was around. "….you would not want your daughters to overhear." At the mention of his daughters the shinigami's playful nature vanished from sight. Much to Ryuken's relief he became straight faced and solemn.

The midnight black haired man nodded his head firmly. The duo walked away, only going a short distance away from the house. It was far enough from either of Isshin's daughters to overhear them and kept the Kurosaki household in sight to alert them of either girl would head their way. "So what's up? It has to be serious for you to visit me here and not call?" he spoke in a humorless low voice. His colored polar opposite copied him by nodding, however it felt grim. This made Isshin very uneasy. For Ishida to be effected this way meant the news could potentially shake their foundation. "Is this about the arrancar and the Spirit Keystones?" he asked with a hint of hope attached.

"No." Ryuken witnessed Kurosaki's teeth clench. It was clear that he was cursing his message before he even heard it. "Not entirely anyway," Ryuken finished. He fixed his glasses. Isshin knew for a fact that Ryuken only did that when he was genuinely worried. "When the hollows invaded did you feel any unfamiliar presences here?"

He was tempted to say the vizards or arrancar that arrived, but wisely restrained from doing so. With Ishida in the mood that he was in he would probably storm off in a huff without telling him anything. Isshin merely said, "No. I mean nothing that we I haven't felt before. What did you sense?"

"During the battle when I vanquished one of the Gillians I felt an eerier reiatsu, but it was only for an instant before it vanished completely. It was far off to where Sado-kun was located at the time. I only felt it for a short time, but it had a different volume and texture from the arrancar or shinigami. However, there was a familiarity to it."

"The pressure of the reiatsu was different from the shinigami and arrancar," Isshin repeated slowly, trying to piece it all together. "Did it feel almost human?" he ventured.

"I am unsure." Isshin could pick up hesitation. It was unlike Ishida to not have any ideas. He had a sneaking suspicion that his old ally had formed at least one theory, but was unwilling to share it. At least he wanted to feel Isshin out before playing his hand. "I merely came here to your humble clinic to question if you sensed the same presence. I have my answer." Ryuken curtly turned around. He started to walk away just as abruptly.

"Wait, Ishida." The apathetic man stopped in his tracks. "The presence you felt. Do you think that it has anything to do with those humans with spiritual power that Urahara informed us of?" Ryuken did not respond. "That is what you were thinking weren't you?" he accused. "You think there were humans with powers observing us. Why don't you come out and say it instead of keeping it to yourself?"

"Have you ever felt the reiatsu that Sado-kun and Orihime-chan give off?"

Perplexed by Ishida's question Isshin furrowed his brow. Where was he going with? "Yeah, I have felt both of theirs before."

"But have you ever stopped and noticed it?"

"Noticed what?"

"Have you ever noticed that their reiatsu does not feel like the same as normal humans?"

For once Isshin found himself being the one who wanted to strike Ishida in their peculiar friendship. Sado and Orihime were not normal humans. They developed powers that were abnormal for humans. As they grew more powerful it only stood to reason that their reiatsu would stop resembling normal humans' reiatsu. A loud bell rang inside of his head. _'If their spiritual power has been growing all this time and their reiatsu has been changing from what normal humans possess, it means at one point is still resembled a normal humans!'_

He saw realization light up Kurosaki's face and make it brighter than an entire city. The shinigami was finally starting to understand. "Humans possess spiritual energy. The majority of humans have an insignificant amount, but humans still give off their own unique reiatsu. People like Sado-kun and Orihime-chan who become spiritual aware will have human like reiatsu."

Isshin thought of Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro the trio of Ichigo's friends who had become spiritual aware thanks to Ichigo's out of control spiritual power. They all possessed an amount of spiritual energy that exceeded the average human's, but their reiatsu still felt the same. When he thought of Sado and Orihime's things became complicated. "When Sado and Orihime first became spiritual aware their reiatsu felt the same as humans. Upon developing their powers things have been changing," Isshin said as matter of fact way.

Ryuken continued, "As their powers continued to evolve their reiatsu began to depart from the realm of humans. Sado-kun interests me. You should have at least noticed it."

"His reiatsu resembles a hollow's more." Isshin had a scowl that would make Ichigo proud. "His power is different from shinigami and Quincies' powers. When you compare them and his reiatsu to hollows you can see the close relation, almost like cousins."

"These humans that Urahara detected, does he know if they resemble humans more?" Ryuken looked his old ally straight in the eye.

Isshin rubbed the back of his head roughly. "All Urahara told me was that people with spiritual power showed up here. He never mentioned anything on the type of reiatsu they gave off." He narrowed his eyes at the analytical snowy headed man. "That presence you felt it was reiatsu, but it didn't feel quite human's did it. More like the resemblance was human, but only to a certain extent? It was closer to resembling a hollow's?"

"That's a bit presumptuous," the Quincy muttered. "I already told you I only felt it for an instant," he said in a monotone rhythm.

He had to smirk. Ishida was such a smug bastard. "Quit being a smart ass. You already said it felt familiar. What did it feel like?" He could have sworn he heard the archer laugh, but when he strained his ears he picked no sound up.

"If I was pressed I would say it felt somewhat like Sado-kun's reiatsu."

"Hmm, which means it felt more like a hollow's." Isshin couldn't resist pointing it out if only to be a smart ass and be a pain in Ryuken's ass. This time he heard an indignant huff. _'Now that is satisfying.'_

"A great deal of time has gone by since you visited me that night, Kurosaki. In all this time they have done nothing. I have not sense anything involving them. Do you believe they could be enemies?"

He had known Ishida well enough to decipher the hidden meaning in his words. What he was truly asking is if their children were in any danger. The shinigami turned doctor for the life of him couldn't come up with an answer. "Honestly I have no clue at this point. We should worry about the Privaron Espada and the keystones first. We could cross that path when we come to it."

"Typical, Kurosaki," Ryuken jested. A small smile briefly formed. Isshin opened his mouth to counter, but was silenced when he spotted Ichigo stroll down the street. Ishida followed his line of sight and said no more. He was grateful that the Quincy hushed.

* * *

The bright orange haired boy was lost in thought. Isshin could see that his eldest child was deep in thought, contemplating his own dilemma. Teenagers did indeed tend to be self-centered. Lady luck blessed Isshin that Ichigo was in that mood today. It couldn't last forever. Ichigo became aware of his surroundings, particularly of both he and Ishida.

"Yo, Ichigo!" He greeted his son failing his arms about with as much grace as of elephant. It remarkable how easily he masqueraded as the fool. But it wasn't much of a stretch in Ryuken's opinion.

Ichigo waved back modestly. He was embarrassed. "Hey, dad," he said. It was then that Ichigo took in the appearance of the second man. _'This guy seems familiar.' _The former vizard just couldn't put his finger on it. Still he introduced himself to be polite.

Watching the gears spin in his son's head was amusing. Ichigo was intuitive. He saw it in Ichigo's eyes. He was already seeing the resemblance between the Ishida father and the Ishida son. There was no need to be rude. "Ichigo, this is an old friend of mine, Ishida Ryuken."

Awestruck Ichigo stood there. "Ishida," he repeated not quite believing the words coming out of his mouth. "You are Ishida's father?"

The expression of cluelessness and bluntness was etched into the boy's face was oh so like Kurosaki. "You are certainly your father's son," Ryuken said drolly. He smirked unashamed.

Yep. That sarcastic and sharp whip was definitely an Ishida trait. The fact that his dad was outside talking to his friend's father was bizarre. Ishida's dad was talking to his dad and they were old friends! This was just a reminder of just how little he knew of his father's past. How did they know each other? He couldn't fathom how his father a shinigami could have befriended a Quincy. He couldn't imagine that Ishida's father was softer on shinigami, given his price for restoring Ishida's powers.

Thinking back on it Urahara did mention that Ishida's father was helping them repel hollows. It did stand to reason that if he was helping them than he knew of Urahara as well. These three men, his father, Ishida's father, and Urahara were more intertwined than perhaps any of them realized. Two of them were alone, talking. It didn't take a genius to realize that the subject of their conversation had to do with recent events.

"What is wrong?" he quickly asked. Both men exchanged stares. To Ichigo it looked the two men were holding a private conversation, having no need for words. Again he wondered how close his father and the elder Quincy actually were. "It is pointless to try and keep me out at this point. Not after I've seen the arrancar attack. Tell me what is going!" He tried very hard to keep his voice down, but was failing miserably. Isshin put a hand on his shoulder. Ichigo was visibly surprised. His father looked him in the eye. His father's compassionate gaze extinguished the embers within him before they could grow into flames. In a way his old man brought him some sense of peace.

"Ishida and I were sharing stories on what happened during the invasion." He wasn't lying. They were talking about what Ishida sensed during the invasion. "At this point it seems sort of pointless to try and keep it from you," he admitted. Ichigo was already worrying himself sick over the arrancar. At the moment they were the more immediate threat to them. The humans with powers were largely unknown. Urahara hadn't given them any more information on them and neither he nor Ishida had noticed anything surrounding the kids. He saw no reason to add to his son's worries.

Ryuken said, "And now our conversation has concluded. We have nothing more to speak of." He walked away from the Kurosaki men. Isshin grinned thinking about how typical it was of Ryuken's aloof nature, while Ichigo was stunned by how similar Uryu was to Ryuken. The apple didn't fall far from the Ishida tree at all. Before Ryuken went out of sight he turned his head around. "Kurosaki, we'll concentrate on the Privaron Espada." Without another word the Last Quincy departed.

Finally Ichigo and Isshin were left alone. The universe most likely would not give him a better opportunity than this to talk to his father. The hopefully soon to be formerly ex-substitute cleared his throat, obtaining his old man's attention. Isshin stood there and told him to go on with a simple look.

"Dad, we need to talk," he said awkwardly.

"Oh, about what?" Ichigo fidgeted as he often did when he was uncomfortable. He raised an eyebrow at his son's actions. Suddenly a nauseous sensation turned his stomach. Was Ichigo going to ask him about his past? He had known this day would come as soon as he appeared before Ichigo in shinigami form. While he had been prepared to reveal his story to his son on that day, when Ichigo dismissed it and proclaimed he would wait for Isshin to decide to tell him on his own he was barely able to suppress the tremendous relief that flowed through his veins.

It wasn't that like he planned to never tell Ichigo, really he wasn't. With everything that happened since Aizen's fall they were always busy. First there was Ichigo trying to catch up on school work then helping Orihime recover. He hadn't been able to prepare for the huge conversation his past would entail. Oh boy was he caught with his pants down.

"With everything going on, the Privaron Espada and these Spirit Keystones, we've entered a new battle. We didn't expect the arrancar would stir up this kind of trouble without Aizen. From what I have been told I know that another battle will take place soon and…Everyone is doing everything they can to end this fighting. It is impossible for to just stand by. I need to know how to reverse the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho!" he cried.

Taken aback by Ichigo's forwardness the middle aged man gasped. It looked like he had more time to compose an outline of his past. Ichigo's chat still made his mouth dry. He expected this would happen too. He predicted that Ichigo would not welcome his answer.

"Urahara-san already told me that he cannot restore my powers, but you are the one who first told me of the Final Getsuga Tensho. You knew it would give me enough power to defeat Aizen. You probably even know more about it than even Urahara-san. If there is anyone who knows how to undo the effects it is you."

"I understand your reasoning for coming to me." He couldn't bear to look into Ichigo's eyes. They were blaring with such hope. As a father he was sickened at how he would be the one to douse it. "It's not that simple. Look Ichigo if Urahara is unable to restore your powers than I certainly won't be able to. I am no scientist."

He began, "But you learned it to! You are the only other person who knows the Final Getsuga Tensho! You should know of a way to undo it!" he screamed. Like Urahara before him his father's eyes only contained pity for him. "Dad, you have to know of some way to undo it." His tone was low, pleading the way only a son could do to his father. Ichigo hated himself for doing it. He didn't plea his father for anything, because he was the eldest child. It was his duty to make things easier for his father, so he only had to worry about Karin and Yuzu. He had forsaken that duty in order to reclaim his boyhood selfishly, to get his power back.

Isshin closed his eyelids and his lips fell into an upside down U. Ichigo growled. This was his absolute final chance. If his own father the only other shinigami who possessed the technique couldn't undo it then there was literally no one else he could turn to. His stubborn nature or perhaps his newly childhood naivety refused to let him believe his father was powerless.

"But you used it right? Isn't that why you were powerless? Your shinigami powers returned right? Tell me how you did it."

"Ichigo, I am sorry, but I really can't do anything," Isshin continued.

"Yes you can! I know you can do it. Do you remember what you said when Aizen left to go to the Soul Society?" Silence was all he was introduced to. He ignored it and went on. "You reminded me how much was at stake if we just gave up and let Aizen have his way. The same thing applies now. If I just give up on getting my powers back I'll be turning my back on everyone again. I need to keep trying and fight with everyone, to protect them all!"

"There is no method to reverse the process!" Isshin finally snapped. "Do you honestly think if there was some simple method to undo the Final Getsuga Tensho that someone like Urahara wouldn't figure it out?" Ichigo protested, but he silenced him again. "If there was such an easy fix Zangetsu wouldn't have fought you so hard. He had to have told you the dangers once learned it. When you accepted Zangetsu you learned everything about the Final Getsuga Tensho. The same knowledge I have of it I got from Engetsu. Like you I know how to use it and what the drawbacks are, however I possess no method or counter measure to reverse the effects, because Engetsu didn't possess it. Zangetsu didn't possess that knowledge either."

"The Final Getsuga Tensho isn't some all-powerful technique you can use whenever you want and just restore your powers. Its power is immense. You were able to use it to evolve into a level beyond anything I could even dream of, but that type of power comes with a price Ichigo. You had to pay it. The one thing separates adults and kids are how they accept the ramifications of their actions. You have proven to me just how much you have grown up. You are a responsible young man who I am very proud to call my son. I wish your mother could see you now. But the reality is there is nothing either you or I can do to give you back your shinigami powers. You have to accept that reality."

"I can't. I have to fight!"

"Why?" Isshin demanded.

If Ichigo was confused by his question he hid it well. "I need to fight to protect everyone!" His father chuckled, causing his anger to swell. This wasn't a laughing matter.

"Do you have so little faith in your friends that you need to be a shinigami in order to make sure they won't die?"

"No….That's not what this is about."

"It doesn't sound like you do," Isshin lectured.

"I do have faith in them, but they shouldn't have to be in danger. That was the whole point of stopping Aizen. I want to fight so they don't have to. I want them to be safe," he muttered. Again his father surprised him, by patting him on the head. He was taken back the days of his boyhood when his dad would pat him on the head affectionately.

"Don't you think they feel the same way?"

Taken by confusion the former vizard's anger collapsed. "What do you mean?"

"Your friends want to keep you safe as well. They are sick of having to always depend on you for everything. They feel if they had been stronger that you wouldn't have had to sacrifice your powers to begin with. Can't you read their feelings, Ichigo?"

Confusion evaporated. Ichigo had been so focused on getting his powers back and his feelings that had overlooked his friends' feelings. His father however read their feelings and empathized with them.

Isshin continued, "Your names means to protect one thing. Yet over the years the number of things you want to protect grew and grew. Instead of physically protecting your friends, maybe you can just protect their feelings and let them protect you this time. Guess that sounds pretty lame. There are situations where you are going to have let them do things on their own. Look at Orihime for example. When she finally moved back into her apartment didn't you want to go over there and make sure she was safe?" He flashed a knowing grin that fit him perfectly.

It was moments like these that made him think his father was more intuitive than he gave him credit for. Orihime moving back into her place was a hard time for him. Every fiber of his being wanted to ask her to stay or go over there to make sure her nightmares ended. As much as he wanted to protect her it wasn't what was best for her. He didn't stop her and let her go back to her apartment only promising to come running over if she needed him. But she didn't need him, because she didn't call him. He was happy for her.

"See you let her go, because you knew it was something she had to do. Ichigo you have no powers. Orihime, Sado, and Uryu still have theirs. They need to know they can fight without you and need to know they can protect you like you do them. I know it is hard for you, but that's just the hand life as dealt you. Support them, Ichigo. Have faith in them. That's the only thing I can tell you. It's what I did when I let you go to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia and again when you fought in the war with the arrancar. It's not easy to let someone you love face dangers."

He understood that his young son wouldn't reply. He still needed to let it sink in. The old shinigami was a bit of a hypocrite and he knew it. Part of him was glad that Ichigo had lost his powers and was a normal human. Letting him go out to battle always made him queasy. He felt he was betraying Masaki, by allowing their son whom she gave her life for fly off into action. Urahara had earned his trust over the years and when he told him Ichigo could become a powerful force that had the potential to topple Aizen he played ignorant and allowed him to grow. Urahara's assessment had proven correct in the end. Aizen was gone now. He felt they could handle things from now on, while Ichigo and the others worried about normal lives.

Orihime a girl he had grown so attached to that he saw her as daughter, was still going off to battle. He didn't feel any better about it, but Urahara had another hunch that she could become a powerful being who would attract more trouble. Unlike Ichigo it did not seem like she would lose her power anytime soon. She needed to grow stronger, so she could harness that power and be able to protect herself from those who wished to use her abilities, as twisted as it was the Privaron Espada provided her the perfect obstacle to force her powers to grow.

"Dad," a tiny yet clear voice called. His brown spheres fell on the light orange haired man. "Thank you." Isshin's lips curved into half grin. He was far from accepting the situation, but he at least knew he had to let his friends fight without him.

'_Take it one step at time Ichigo. You'll get there.'_

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!" she hollered at the top of her lungs.

He shot up like a rocket and jumped to his window. His heart was roaring against his chest. His blood chilled into it was frozen. Primal fear returned to its favorite vacation spot in his soul. Thousands of thoughts zoomed everywhere. _'She better be alright,' _he threatened, to whoever dare harm his Hime. Ichigo pushed the widow opened. He spotted her lively red-orange hair. "ORI-hime," his voice dropped as soon as he saw her.

Orihime stood on the road in her gray school uniform, carrying a tray filled with multiple samples of bread. She herself wore a paper happy in the middle of her head. The brown orbs that were her eyes were a like a luminous jewel. Plush pink lips were spread into infectious sun induced smile. She waved away blissfully unaware of the terror her anxious cry evoked within him. "Kurosaki-kun, would you like some bread!?" she called up to him. Her tone was deeper than normal while still being upbeat. He assumed she was trying to maintain a professional demeanor.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched exasperatedly. A noise blanketed the air around him. Ichigo discovered the noise was his own groans. He loved her, but she had a knack for vexing him. "Don't you think that was a little much for selling bread?"

Her eyes widened in idle curiosity. She blinked. "Do you think so?"

The door opened up revealing a overjoyed Yuzu. "Onee-chan!" she greeted. The older girl matched her expression.

"Hello, Yuzu-chan!" she sang.

"I wasn't expecting you by so soon. I thought you were still at work?"

The healer shrunk away, looking very guilty. "Well I am technically still at work. I volunteered to pull the bread cart. I um sort of came here during my rounds."

Yuzu giggled. Orihime was so cute when she looked guilty. She was even blushing. "Onee-chan, you are being naughty," she joked.

"Don't say that, Yuzu-chan!"

Ichigo watched his sister and girlfriend interact. Yuzu was such a scoundrel. The second she got sniffed out a crack in someone she beat away at it until they fell apart. He exaggerated a bit. Seeing the two girls laugh and being playful made him forget his aggravation. The first time in a week genuine happiness returned to him.

They playful back and forth came to end shortly afterward. Yuzu invited Orihime in and she entered his room. They partook in their greeting ritual, kissing each other. Apparently she had unloaded some bread on Yuzu. She tried to give them to Yuzu for free the youngest Kurosaki would not hear of it and paid for the bread in full. Ichigo was glad Yuzu was forceful on this. He would hate if Orihime was fired for giving away free bread. The goddess put her bread aside and they sat on his bed.

"Are you sure you do not want any refreshments?"

"I am sure," she gracefully declined for a second time.

"Are you sure it is a good idea for you to be here? You stopped by the last time you did rounds with the cart. Your boss may get mad at you for stopping at your boyfriend's house when you are on the clock."

Orihime's only response was a smile. He seemed to return to normal. At least he was lecturing her like he always did when he worried she would get into mischief. "I went all over my route like I was supposed to and only stopped by, since it was on the way back. My boss is really kind and understanding. I make sure to only come over here when unless I have made two round trips during my route." To emphasis her point Orihime showed two fingers.

"I guess if your boss doesn't mind it you are in the clear. What's with that huge smile anyway?"

"I am happy that you are feeling better," she replied.

She knew something was up? But he had been so careful not to act weird around her. How could she still tell? He was cute when he was lost she thought.

"You have been upset ever since the invasion. I wasn't sure if I should approach you." She evaded his piercing eyes.

She was afraid to approach him after he blew up on her on the day of the invasion. _'Smart Kurosaki, you are doing a great job at keeping her at bay. I want to protect her and yet my actions are keeping her talking to me.' _

"But my indecisiveness hasn't helped the situation. In the end I want you to be happy. I came here to talk to you about it." Orihime fiddled with her hair then stopped. She met his gaze. Her eyes were focused, leaving no shred of doubt within them. "You are pushing us away. You are pushing me away. That is not helping you. I know this is hard for you, but that is exactly why you should lean on us. Everything doesn't always have to fall on your shoulders. We are strong too. We can help."

If he was unsure if his father was right he wasn't anymore. Orihime words were similar to his father's. "I don't want you in any danger," he admitted truthfully.

"I feel the same way as you. But I am strong enough to help. I want to help."

"I know. You are too kind for your own good you know," he said jokingly.

"It hurts doesn't it?"

"Huh?" he uttered.

"It hurts to watch everyone you care about fight and being unable to do anything. You stand there with your thoughts. You start to think if you were stronger you could help or how it's your fault for not doing anything. You start to think you are just dead weight and everyone would be better without you weighing them down. That is how you feel isn't it?"

"How…."

"Like you I know what it feels like to believe you are a burden. It was how I felt in Las Noches. Those feelings will eat you up inside until there is nothing except a big gaping hole in your heart. That is how I felt and I tried to deal with it on my own, but I just couldn't. I was sinking deeper and deeper until Ichigo-kun convinced me to open up to him. I talked to you and slowly it started to get better. Because of you I reconnected with everyone else. Little by little the hole was filled in until it was gone. You were my anchor. I want to be your anchor."

She wanted to be his anchor. Orihime once again managed to get through the invisible barrier he had erected around himself without even realizing it with her elegant words. He wasn't in this alone. His actions had consequences for those who loved him. He couldn't wallow in self-pity. He couldn't for her sake. By some reason her heart had chosen him. He wanted to be worthy of her love. At the same time he felt unable to burden her.

"Orihime, it is hard for me to share this with you. I don't feel like myself. You see me as this great guy who always knows what to do and can do anything and I am not like that at all! I feel so useless. I can't even keep you from worrying. I should at least be able to do that much."

"If anyone knows how you feel it's me. How many times do I have to tell you, I am not a fragile doll that will break if you add pressure?" He turned his cheek to her. No she wouldn't have that. He needed to see how serious she was. Orihime forced him to look at her. "I love you and that means we share each other's burden, just like we have always done." The goddess of Karakura high claimed his lips, a chaste kiss. He took it deepened it.

She could feel the desperation. He pleaded for Orihime to stay there with him. She was more than happy to oblige. Their kiss turned feverish. His coarse fingers brushed her cheek gently. The mutant butterflies were back with a vengeance and then he pulled away.

"I hate not being able to help you," he whispered.

"I know. I hated just standing around and watching you fight," she whispered back. Their lips reunited for another quick burst of passion that ended too quickly for either of their liking. "I better get going. I have to return the cart." Very reluctantly the healer tore herself away from her loving boyfriend.

"Orihime."

"Hmm?" She returned to the bed.

"Did you ever feel like everything you do is wrong and just makes things worse?"

First she was stunned. It took her moment before she realized that he was opening up to her. Her inside felt tingly. "All the time, it seemed like everything I did seven months ago only cause more trouble."

He wouldn't ever be fine with letting her or any of their friends fight alone. He still longed to protect them with his own hands. Orihime understood this. She felt the same way he did. In a strange way it brought them closer together. Talking to her lessened the pressure on his shoulders, that was crushing him. That was enough at least for today.

* * *

**Ichigo and Orihime are bonding over their feelings of powerlessness. I wanted to explore that angle of their relationship now that their roles have reversed. It also reconnects them, which is really important for Flowers and Strawberry story. Orihime is helping Ichigo deal with his powerlessness and things will become a bit more passionate with them down the line. For those of you that haven't read the Flowers and Strawberry story and you want to read it just pm me and I'll give you a link. It's more of companion series for this one. It is the next milestone for the couple.**

**More hints of LSS arc. I added that scene in there, because I wanted Ichigo to meet Ryuken, because it appeared he knew him in when he visited Uryu in the hospital. Please review guys. We are five away from reaching 300. If we get 300 I might write something special for you guys. **


	47. Unmasked: The Vizard Special

**I got 300 reviews, so here is that special I was talking about. This is about the vizards. Ichigo and Orihime aren't in it. It is short chapter. I was able to write it fast and upload. This set right after the Privaron Espada's invasion. The vizards discuss returning to the Soul Society. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

* * *

"ARE YOU A FUCKING MORON!?" Hiyori shouted at top of her lungs. The little powerhouse delivered a roundhouse kick to Shinji's left cheek, sending the abused man straight into wall of their current living area, another abandoned warehouse. The other vizards had taken to watching the duo argue, but they hissed at the harsh treatment Shinji received. Not only did he go crashing into a wall, but he went through it, leaving a human shaped hole. Normally he would bounce back and hurl insults to Hiyori, but he still hadn't returned yet. The group was worried.

"She may have gone a little overboard this time," Rose said flabbergasted.

Love stared at him as though he had never seen him before in his life. "A little overboard, is a complete understatement," he chimed in. "She went completely and totally over the line. There is no reason for such behavior." He stormed over to the pig tailed girl and stuck her on the head, causing her to yelp.

Hiyori frantically rubbed the back of her head. It hurt really badly! She rubbed as hard she could to relieve her pain. Stupid Love! How dare he hit her! She glared daggers at him, wishing he would fall ill. "What the hell is your problem, Love? You just can't strike a lady like me!"

Love was unsympathetic to her plight. He crossed his arms, making him look like a parent reprimanding his child. "If you didn't act like a brat I wouldn't have hit you. You are old enough to know how to act."

Hiyori turned red with rage. He hit her and then thought he could lecture her as if she were some child! "Fuck you! I ain't done anything wrong!"

"I guess kicking Shinji through the wall and ruining our hideout doesn't count as anything wrong," Lisa said sarcastically. She sat on crate next to Hachi and Mashiro. All three were off to the side, watching the exchange. Lisa wore her disinterested mask. Hachi made it clear he felt awkward with his fidgeting about with his hands and rocked sideways. It was unsightly for an old man like him to being do such. Mashiro rested on her back, kicking the air childishly. Her eyes were glued to the show. The bubbly vizard was wide-eyed with child-like joy. Kensei rested on wall on the opposite side of the other three to be as far from Mashiro as possible.

Hiyori being the stubborn person she was put her hands on her hip and turned her cheek at her so called friends. "Yep, you got that right Lisa. I didn't **do anything wrong**," she emphasized the last words. This earned her another smack to the head from Love. "Stop hitting me!"

"Stop being obnoxious!" he screamed back. They glared at each other, which was comical to Rose, considering Love wore sunglasses and thus no one could see his glare.

Hachi despised when his makeshift family of over a century argued. Sure they would bicker from time to time, but it was just bickering. It was the kind of thing people who lived together for a long time did. It was nothing really serious. This however was very serious. "Now, now, our tempers are getting flared up. We should all just calm down and talk this out."

Rose followed the plump Kido master's lead. He could easily read Hachi's feelings. Hachi was easily the kindest of the eight and had the biggest heart. He was the heart of the group. So he tended to take serious disagreements personally. Rose saw it fit to side with him. "Hachi is right. We can talk this out like civilized people."

"Why are you all against me!?" Hiyori finally snapped. "I'm not the one abandoning us to go back to the Soul Society!" An awkward pause set in. The real issue had been addressed. For once all eight misfits had their voices stolen. Darkness absorbed their faces. None of them knew what to say.

"You got a right to be upset." All eyes shot toward Shinji. He walked back in; crimson liquid ran down his swollen lip. Aside from that and ruffled clothing he was no worse for wear. Still the usual pep wasn't in the de-facto leader. His lively spirit had been overtaken by the same gloom that had possessed the room. "After all, you were the one who took our exile the hardest, Hiyori."

He made her sick. He should not be taking this in strides. He should be pissed and insulting her like he always did when she hit him. No. That bastard had to be all understanding and look at her with puppy dog eyes that made her want to hurl than slam his big stupid dick of a face into it.

"I thought you might take it this way to be honest," Shinji finished. His assailant snubbed him. Ire that was normally awakened by Hiyori's piss poor attitude just wasn't strong enough to rise to the occasion this time. He let the young girl slide. "But you know the captain commander still presented us with this opportunity and we got to make a choice."

Silence was still there. The vizards looked away, lost in their own thoughts. Hiyori's face scrunched up in unforgiving fury. She was outraged they were even giving this a thought. "Don't tell me you all got Shinji's stupidity! There isn't anything to think about! We ain't ever going back there! They exiled us and hunted us down for the better part of a century! We all hated them for it! Have you all forgotten the pain, the loneliness, we all felt? Did this last century mean nothing to any of you!?"

Hachi was the one who answered first, beating Shinji to the punch. "Hiyori-san, we all remember the pain that isolation has brought us. From that pain resentment was born and eventually it became an ugly and black hatred, not only toward Aizen, but the Soul Society. We have been alone for one hundred years, with only each other. All we had to nurture us was our all-consuming desire for revenge."

He saw that he not only had Hiyori's attention, but his other comrades' as well. "We became the notorious vizards, shinigami that committed the taboo of obtaining hollow powers. But we have been frozen in place for a hundred years, only thinking of revenge. Until, Urahara-san told us about Ichigo and we immediately went to claim him for our own. We never admitted it, but we wanted a new comrade, someone who could free us from our isolation and strengthen our bond. Ichigo was not like us at all. He gained control of his hollow powers. He did not cut himself off from the rest of the world. He maintained the bonds with his friends. In return they embraced him despite his hollow powers. Through him we began to reconnect to the world outside of our group, with people like Orihime. Our desire for revenge thawed and we allied with the very Soul Society whom we hated to defeat Aizen. Now that Aizen is defeated we have achieved our revenge. Our hatred has become shallow. The truth is out in the open and Captain Commander Yamamoto is offering us his hand and taken responsibility of the wrong brought on us. Knowing all of this we are conflicted on what to do."

Hiyori cast her sights on the floor. They all made her sick. Her hatred hadn't become shallow. It was as thick and powerful as it was before. She would never forgive them and she sure as hell wouldn't rejoin the Gotei 13. "You're all pansies."

Looking exhausted Shinji huffed loudly. "I guess we got your answer then? Don't you want to at least think it over some with a cooler head?"

"Nope, my anger won't go away. Every time I think about them my blood boils, so my answer won't ever change."

God she was such a pain in the ass. The blond opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Kensei.

"I don't need any time either."

"You too, Kensei?" Shinji asked, exaggerating a mock moan. "I expected you to have a cooler head in this."

"I am going to rejoin," the silver haired man stated, shocking all of them.

"Kensei," Mashiro said, her voice was hoarse. Her ditzy persona had melted away, leaving a stunned woman.

"Fucking traitor!" exclaimed Hiyori. She pointed an accusing finger at him. The bastard Kensei shrugged it off. "I never expected this from you, Kensei."

Love shell shocked himself absently nodded along with the bratty Hiyori. "I am surprised to considering how easily you anger."

Kensei shrugged off another comment. Mashiro was still gawking at him. He didn't appreciate her staring. It rubbed him the wrong way. "There isn't any point to be pissed at them anymore. Aizen is gone, we got our revenge. The Soul Society needs us. We all became shinigami in the first place to maintain order. I was pissed at the Soul Society like Hiyori and Hachi said, but I haven't fallen so far that I forgot the reason why I fight to begin with. I fought Aizen for revenge, but it was also partially out of duty. We all knew his plans would disrupt order. If I forsake this than I am no better than a hollow that the Soul Society viewed me as a century ago."

Love grinned. "That's definitely Kensei for you. We shouldn't have expected less from you."

Mashiro pouted. "Kensei is just really stupid." She felt her old captain's dark glare on her, but she didn't care. He was being so stupid. Was he really going to leave them and rejoin the Gotei 13? It was more fun and interesting in the Human World than it was in the never changing and dull Soul Society. If they went back things wouldn't be the same as before anyway. Kensei was invited back to his old position, but the 9th division had a vice-captain. She wouldn't get her spot back. They wouldn't be partners anymore. She didn't want to share Kensei with some weirdo! It was bad enough when Hachi took a liking to that Orihime girl. "I'm not going back!" she said defiantly.

"Suit yourself," Kensei barked. "It is not like I care."

Water came leaking down her eyes, they began to shimmer. Her lip quivered. "Kensei you are such a jerk! I can't wait until you go away!"

Gritting his teeth Kensei shook his fist aggravatingly. "Well if that is how you feel I can't wait to get away from you either! All you do is manage to piss me off! It will be good not to have to worry about your stupid ass!" Mashiro hopped up and stuck her tongue out at the idiot, Kensei. He almost ran over there to strangle her, but found something was holding him back. When he turned around he saw that Love and Rose teamed up to keep him from reaching her.

"Calm down and we will let you go," Rose said.

"NO, must kill Mashiro," he repeated his new mantra over and over again. His rage enhanced his strength to new levels. He was actually pulling the two of them with him.

"No way," Rose muttered.

Love said, "His anger has given him greater strength!"

Kensei inched closer and closer to the green haired harpy only to be stopped by the giant form of Hachi. Together the three vizard men put a stop to Kensei's revenge. He cursed and threatened them until his anger evaporated. After minutes went by he stopped fighting all together and they released him. Hachi stood in front of Mashiro just in case.

Lisa having been quiet the entire time took everything in. Hiyori and Mashiro were unlikely to change their opinions. They would not go back. Mashiro enjoyed her new freedom in the Human World too much to want return to the Soul Society. During her time as a shinigami she was scolded for her behavior and rarely did her work, despite being a vice captain. Hiyori was still too hurt to go back. Her outbursts proved that. She wasn't surprised that Kensei would return. Out of all them he was the one who used his hollow powers sparingly. He never really learned to embrace them like they did. It showed in how he chose to fight. He used and relied more on his shinigami powers than his hollow ones. Like Ichigo did he still saw himself as a shinigami first and a vizard second. The others were more of a challenge.

Love could go either way. Like Kensei he was a man of honor, believed in order, and took duty as a way of life. He was like an old man in some ways. That could affect his choice. He wouldn't be returning to the Soul Society as a captain, since the spot was filled. She just couldn't see him obeying some kids (by Love's standards) and being some regular officer. Vice-captain positions were filled. The most Love could be was probably a third seat in another division. Unless Shinji or Rose refused to go he couldn't be a captain again. Rose was an artist at heart. Human World had inspired him in many ways. However, he hadn't been in the Soul Society in decades. His artistic nature would beg to question how it has changed.

He believed in people and the Gotei 13 had changed considerably from what they saw. They accepted a human with shinigami and hollow powers like Ichigo as an ally and went as far as to back him up in battle, something they never would have done in the past. After the battle at the fake Karakura Town they were healed and mingled with some of the shinigami. Rose found two things interesting. The first was that the current vice-captain of the 7th division was named Iba and was the son of his old vice-captain a century ago. He questioned Iba about his mother's wellbeing. He either ignored or overlooked how uncomfortable the younger Iba was about discussing his overbearing mother. The woman hadn't changed at all she imagined.

The second thing he found interesting was the current vice-captain of the 3rd division Kira something. He instantly took a liking to the gloomy man. Perhaps it was because their personalities contrasted or that he saw something similar in him. This Kira was insightful from what Lisa saw, which fit Rose's personality. In the end Rose's artistic curiosity would probably win out. She felt he would leave them and go back to the Soul Society.

Hachi was tricky though. He could go either way. After his speech it was clear he no longer bore any ill will toward the Soul Society. That is if he bore any to begin with. He was so pure hearted that she doubted he cursed the Soul Society as they once did. He could easily return in order to help the Soul Society rebuild its power. But, he enjoyed their lives here. He loved all of the vizards as if they were blood relation. He may not be able to tear himself away from them to rejoin a cold organization that was far from being an actual family. There was his new family member as Rose joked, Inoue Orihime. He hadn't stopped talking about how strong the human had become and how her powers had grown. He mentioned something about helping her develop her powers further. If he became a shinigami again he would not have time he needed to help her. Hachi would be in conflict with himself. She saw some of it on seep onto his face.

Shinji on the other hand was child's play. Yamamoto had shaken him up, so much so that his once impenetrable metaphorical mask had been shattered, making his emotions easy to read. She didn't know exactly what the captain commander said it to him, but it obviously radiated with him. He was considering this if he hadn't already come up with his answer. Every pore of his body spewed with guilt. He didn't even counter Hiyori as he always did when she attacked verbally and physically. Instead he took the kick. He entertained the idea of resuming his captaincy. What held him back were their reactions. Shinji didn't want to abandon them. They had no hierarchy, yet he often took the responsibility of not only watching over them, but led them to battle. He was leader in everything, but name. He refused to trade them in for a bunch of faceless shinigami he hardly knew.

As for her she already came to her answer. Shunsui and she talked. He pretty much stalked her when Hiyori was recuperating at Urahara's shop. Since discovering her whereabouts he would not leave her alone until he found out what happened between her exile and showing up to back the captains up in battle. Irritated by his persistent nature she relented. Lisa told him everything from Aizen's experiment on them to training Ichigo to use his powers. Feeling obliged for some odd reason, perhaps because she missed him and was too afraid to admit it, she asked him what happened to him during that time.

Unsurprisingly his life stayed virtually the same. She found out her seat was vacant for fifty years, due to nobody meeting his standards. She interpreted this in two ways. No woman who caught his eye was eligible to be his vice-captain, which made her frown. He always hit on her in a kind of joking sleazy way. She could see him wanting her replacement to be of the fairer sex. The other was that he felt nobody lived up to her or his image of her and it caused him to overlook some promises replacements. Lisa had to admit that was flattering. To her pleasant surprise she found out that her eventually successor would be little Nanao-chan. The little girl in the 8th division that she read stories to actually took her seat. An abnormal sense of pride filled her heart. She had little to do with Nanao outside of reading, but she had taken a liking to the younger girl and saw potential in her. Although, Lisa feared that her shy nature would prevent her from living up to her potential. Indeed Shunsui told her that Nanao almost quit being a shinigami after her disappearance, but with some encouraging words from him she kept at it and worked her way up to vice-captain.

Shunsui had taken pride in Nanao. Every other word after he mentioned her was Nanao this or Nanao that. Clearly he had bonded with his new vice-captain. Nanao grew in her own right. If Lisa returned she feared she would disrupt that bond. Nanao may have even stepped down as vice-captain and give it to her out of respect. Shunsui would be no help in convincing her to stay on due to his lingering feelings for Lisa complicating matters. It was better for all three of them if she didn't return. It wasn't like she couldn't see Shunsui anymore. She could visit him whenever she wanted. Now she could rest knowing someone was kicking his lazy ass out of bed without her.

"I want to stay here," Hachi spoke up. Hiyori favored the Kido master with a big smile, before sticking her tongue out at Shinji. "It is a generous offer that was tempting, but ultimately I feel my place is here now rather than the Soul Society." He bowed to the group respectfully. "I do not bear any ill will for any of you who choose to rejoin the Gotei 13. I still consider all of you to be precious comrades."

"I believe I will take up the captain commander's offer," Rose said. "As an artist I feel it is necessary to see the changes in the Soul Society and help guide it to create something truly new." Love slapped him on his back, forcing him to cough uncontrollable. Fortunately he didn't choke to death. The afro vizard laughed nervously, embarrassed by his actions.

"Sorry about that, Rose. It is good that you join up again. Out of the four of us you were a captain for the least amount of time. Aizen did cheat you out of it." The elegant man continued to cough, not hearing a word Love said. "I've been a captain too long to serve under some of those kids. Count me out."

"I am also going to stay in the Human World," Lisa said.

Shinji groaned and scratched his head. "You guys are making decisions fast. Doesn't anyone want to think this out for more than five minutes?"

"You should know better than anyone how unorthodox we all are," Lisa said.

"That leaves you, Shinji. Are you staying or going back?" Kensei questioned.

"Unlike you lot I am going to actually think this over and come up with an informative answer."

"Hmm, that's not like you at all," Rose said.

"It is really pathetic too," Lisa tossed in. They both gave Shinji the stink eye. Offended he flipped them off.

"Fuck off! I actually think things through you know. I'm not going to answer on a whim like you."

Hachi shook his head to voice his disapproval. "Shinji-san, it is silly to think this over anymore when you have your answer."

"Eh?" Shinji blinked, baffled.

"It's pretty obvious you made up your mind a long time ago," Kensei finished. "Don't pussy out and just tell us already."

They all knew he had come to an answer. He scanned the room and saw the knowing look in their eyes. They told him it was ok to go. They didn't need him to keep them out of trouble or watch them. His eyes stopped on Hiyori, but she refused to look him in the eye at all. She was still reeling from anger. He hesitated.

"Well go on dick! Nobody needs a traitor like you here anyway!" she screamed. "It will be loads better with you gone anyway. Go with Rose and Kensei, back to the Soul Society with your tail between your legs. The vizards don't need someone as half assed as you."

He understood. In her own cruel way she was giving him her permission to go. Despite being pissed at him for his actions part of her empathized with him. She wouldn't be his excuse for staying. She made sure of that. Of course she wouldn't be anyone's excuse. Shinji's wicked grin emerged. "You're talking all big. It's not like I need your permission you know. I do owe Unohana for saving you anyway. I am bored here with nothing to do. It may be exciting back in the Soul Society."

"I knew it! You aren't slick at all. I knew a dick like you just wanted to leave! Well good reddens to all of you as far as I'm concerned." The former vice-captain ran out the room.

Love made a move to go after her, but Shinji stopped him. "Let her be. She needs some time alone."

The next few days had been uneventful. Shinji informed Yamamoto of their decision. The old soldier expressed sorrow at the ones choosing not to return. The new Central 46 eventually gave in and approved Yamamoto's reinstatement request. The day had come. Shinji, Kensei, and Rose would return. The group of shinigami-hollow hybrids stood by the newly opened Senkaimon. The 1st division vice-captain, Chojiro Sasakibe awaited them. He had been sent to guide the vizards back. The Dangai was still dangerous without the cleaner. Hell butterflies were an absolute must now.

"We must be going soon," Sasakibe said firmly.

Shinji nonchalantly brushed the vice-captain aside. "Yeah, yeah we got it already, sheesh." He turned around, and missed the elder shinigami's disapproving glare. "So this is it."

"You act like we won't see you again," Love said. "That isn't true."

"Hehe, you are right about that. Keep this lot safe."

They said their goodbyes or something similar. Kensei and Mashiro's farewell was one part awkward silence, one part yelling, and another part of Kensei seething. Fortunately everyone else went fine. Hiyori was still giving them the cold soldier, but she said nothing to them. She didn't even hit Shinji.

'_She still needs time,' _he thought.

"Are we prepared to go?" Sasakibe questioned.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going." The vice-captain opened the Senkaimon door and walked through. Rose went next, followed by Kensei. Shinji shot one last fleeting look at Hiyori. Her cheek was still to him. There was nothing more for him to do. Shinji turned his back and walked through. There was no going back now.

* * *

**It is a quick little take on vizards going their separate ways. I didn't want it to be too long. Some parts were rushed. This my little way of thanking you guys for reading my story all this time. I never dreamed I would get 300 reviews. I really hope you enjoyed it. **


	48. Time Moves Foward: You Can't Stop Change

**Hello everyone. Here is the next chapter. If you guys feel sorry for Ichigo than that is a good thing. I am aiming to make Ichigo feel like crap and have his friends cuddle him. I need him to exhausts his options like going to Urahara and his dad to help him restore his powers only to be told they can't do and pity him a bit. I want this frustrate Ichigo to no ends and have him despise being powerless to protect everyone from the bottom of his heart. This probably sounds mean, but I am not trying to be. All of this will build and explode into the next sequel. If you hate Ichigo powerless you are going to have to bear it for a while longer. The goodness is the story is nearing its end you may not have a lot of chapters left to see him in such a state.**

**A little thing to know about this chapter is that it is early June. It is lining up with my companion story Flowers and Strawberry. Ichigo and Orihime's first time can't be given great detail in this particular story. I am afraid it will be mentioned in passing and given the focus of its own chapter. This chapter will attempt to set it up to the first chapter of F&S. Again, if anyone wishes to read the story, just pm me and I will give you the website it is on. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but I do own Silva.**

* * *

It was another beautiful day in the Seireitei. For the first time a months the residents weren't running around trying to quell the raise in hollow attacks that arisen since the traitor Aizen had fallen. The shinigami weren't mobilizing to prepare for an enemy attack with a new threat arising. No they were allowed to leisure about the capital of the Soul Society. This was a relief to many. However, there was a reason for this unexpected break. Today was the promotion ceremony for the three new captains.

At one point in time it was uncommon for the Gotei 13 to go so long without replacement captains, however, with each decade or so the time in which it took to replace captains had grew wider and wider. Their military power had been reduced greatly ever since the traitors Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tosen defected. Unfortunately there had been no shinigami within the ranks with the necessary skills and power to fill the missing captain seats. Rumors surfaced that the 3rd, 5th, and 9th divisions would go without captains for at least a century, as most people claimed it would take that long for high ranked shinigami to obtain a bankai and meet the minimum requirements. When it was announced by Captain Commander Yamamoto himself that three individuals had been selected as captains, it came as a shock to most officers, especially the vice-captains of the respective divisions who would be receiving the new comers.

Today was made into a big festival of sorts, or morale boost to remind the wary officers that although they were recovering that they were as proud as ever. What a big deal this festival was. The streets were bustling with cowards of officers. Booths and carts appeared serving an array of different foods. Bars were filled to the rim, serving shinigami until they lost the capacity to think straight, let alone walk. Away from all the festivities were all of the current captains. They had all returned to the Seireitei to welcome their new comrades. The 1st division headquarters was off limits, even to the vice-captains.

The ten shinigami captains stood frozen in place, the fine example of pose and grace, dignified incarnate, majestic in nature. On the right of the room stood, the respectful Sajin, the bored Kenpachi, and alert yet kind Jushiro. Across those three and to the left were captains, Sui-Feng whose face concealed any emotion, Retsu, she was a live portrait, with not only her noble beauty, the composure to equal it. Next to her was the patient and emotion controlled Byakuya. Shunsui was beside him. His face was free from creases or wrinkles; he appeared to be sluggish yet content. Toshiro the youngest captain was passive and matched Byakuya in calm and deadpan, and Mayuri who was unable to hide his content at being present. Standing as the central figure of the entire formation, the very focal point of the entity that was the Gotei 13 was Captain Commander Yamamoto. His rested his weight on the wooden cane which held his zanpakuto with in it. Despite his very advance age he still stood tall and he was anything from frail. He was vision of strength, exuding it from his core, strengthening all of those around him.

The eldest shinigami was satisfied that all the captains took his strong hint to be here to greet the new captains. Zaraki and Kurotsuchi even bothered leaving their own barracks to attend, even if both wore expressions disinterests. The important thing was that they were here. They were all present he could begin. "We are all present. Now let us begin the captain promotion ceremony."

Nine pairs of eyes shot at the fire elemental. They tried to hide it, but they had to admit that they were interested in these new captains. It had been months and there hadn't even been a hint of any officer attempting to take the captain exam or of one achieving a bankai. The most likely candidate was Byakuya's vice-captain who had already obtained a bankai, but his skills still needed to be polished and refined before he could hope to pass the captaincy exam. Filling one captaincy was proving challenging enough, but for all three spots to be filled on the same day, it was unheard of. How could Yamamoto find three individuals now off all times without any of them being any wiser?

"Eight months ago the traitorous ex-captains, Aizen Sosuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tosen Kaname defected from the Gotei 13, leaving the 3rd, 5th, and 9th divisions without captains. As you know the responsibilities for maintaining those divisions has fallen on the vice-captains. We have suffered grievous wounds from the Arrancar War and spread thin in our attempt to control and end the Arrancar Civil War in Hueco Mundo. But as with all wounds time has allowed us to recover, steadily recover. Our military power has bolstered once more. It is my pleasure to finally announce that we have found suitable replacements to fill the missing captain positions."

He corrected himself, shaking his head. "No, this is not entirely correct. This is also about an injustice that had been committed a century ago. The vile Aizen's manipulations have shaped our fate for too long. Today we will begin to wash ourselves of his deceit and restore our honor! This will be a day where we reunite allies who have continued to aid us despite the injustice committed to them. They have proven themselves and still retain all the qualities that every captain of the Gotei 13 should possess or aspire to obtain."

The doors slid open, unveiling three figures wearing shinigami garb and the white captain haori. Varying expressions erupted on the captains faces. Jushiro, Shunsui, and Retsu faces became white, their eyes became enlarged, possessed by specter of surprise. They couldn't trust their eyes at all. Sui-Feng hardened face fell, completely shattering. Shock did not accurately describe her face. She looked positively horrified at this development. Mayuri continued to look indifferent. He neither found the appearance of the new captains shocking or interesting in any sense of the word. In the back of his mind he thought he wasted all this time waiting for them? Kenpachi's maniacal grin spread across his lips. The pansy with frilly hair and the lanky blond with a crooked grin didn't look strong at all. What captured his attention was the silver man with a strong built. He looked like he could go a few rounds. Zaraki was going to make it a point to find out just how strong the new guy was.

Byakuya and Toshiro didn't know what to make of these men. Byakuya having no contact with them, while Toshiro had vague memories of them during the deceive battle with Aizen. The head of the Kuchiki clan succeeded in maintaining his pose, the youngest captain was perturbed at this development. Sajin might as well have swallowed sparrow from the way he gaped at them.

"You can't be serious?" Sui-Feng spat out, still horrified at the sight she was seeing.

If Yamamoto heard her comment or if he simply chose to ignore it he continued, "Some of you are acquainted with our new captains already, but I shall introduce them all the same. The former 3rd division captain, Otoribashi Rojuro, will resume his post as the captain of the 3rd division." Rose's usual dignified disinterest was present. He wore a sleeveless haori. Underneath his black robes was a frilled shirt with a frilled collar that stuck out of the opening of his robe.

"The former 5th division captain, Hirako Shinji, will resume his post as captain of the 5th division." In contrast to Rose, Shinji wore a long sleeved haori, but in a similar fashion he wore an odd article of clothing underneath his black shihakusho was a white neck tie. Typical of Shinji he wore a knowing grin that would make others ill.

"The former 9th division captain, Muguruma Kensei, will resume his post as the captain of the 9th division." Kensei folded his arms, looking positively nasty look. Both his shihakusho and haori were sleeveless. Both hands and forearms were clothed in fingerless black gloves. Unlike the first two gave off an intimating presence.

"Over a hundred years ago these three and five other officers of captain and vice-captain rank had forcefully undergone hollowfication by Aizen Sosuke and were forced to go into exile to escape the threat of execution ordered by the previous incarnation of the Central 46. Now under the current incarnation they have been reinstated and all charges against them has been dropped. Take your rightful places among us."

Hitsugaya teeth clenched. His normally neutral center melted. The fumes of great temper arose. "More victims of Aizen," he growled. The young prodigy remembered the look of utter confusion and betrayal on her face. Her eyes were red, but tears would not emerge. It tore his soul and haunted him. She asked why and he had no answer, as to why he rammed her through with his sword and nearly killed her. No, he had an answer. That very smug bastard gave it. These people were more people who were trampled by Aizen's ambitions. In his book it made them easier to accept as comrades.

A small rumble of a ghostly laugh escaped Shunsui's lips. Who would have thought the captain commander would reinstate the once rogues known as the vizards? His old teacher had mellowed out a bit, since the war ended. It did his old heart proud to see his sensei was pursuing justice as he believed in rather than justice that their law dictated them to follow. "Times are indeed changing in the Soul Society," he whispered to himself.

Sui-Feng grimaced at seeing that Hirako had returned. He was a symbol of everything that a captain shouldn't be. They already had that with Zaraki or that sick bastard Kurotsuchi. Those two did whatever they pleased whenever they felt like it. One lusted for long drawn out battles; the other lusted after perverse sense of knowledge, annihilating the boundaries of humane treatment. Hirako was a good for nothing similar to the disgustingly lazy clown, Urahara. Memories of how nonchalant and idiotic he acted during his time as a captain. He would argue with officers of lower rank than he and made faces at them. God he acted so childish toward that one vice-captain that was Urahara's when he ascended to the rank.

The only reason she did not voice her objection was that both the Central 46 and the captain commander had already made their decision. In the Soul Society these two powers were not to be questioned by the likes of a mere captain like she. She thought that, but when Hirako took his place across from Unohana and next to Komamura, he had the audacity to flash him that oh so idiotic toothy grin. She sent him a glare of pure spite that would kill lesser maggots. The warrior of the shadows truly wished she impale his heart and rip it out violently from his chest and crush it under heel for good measure. The thought of that greatly appeased her.

Shinji saw the little twerp of a Yoruichi lover smile menacingly. He suspected whatever she was thinking involved him being in an unsavory situation with her being the executor. _'She is still an annoying sadistic tight ass,' _he thought darkly. He wouldn't let her ruin this for him. He peered around to see the other new faces so to speak. Technically he wasn't a new captain, since he had been one in the previous century. He was the senior to most of them. He already knew Shunsui, Jushiro, and Unohana remained. They along with Yamamoto were the only remnants of old guard that he was familiar with a hundred years ago. To his right was the anthropomorphic canine. He had brief interaction with him when the latter fended off Tosen. He remembered him as a bit stuffy. His second impression wasn't any different. The dog of a man stood there stiff and crisp, ready for any command given to him. He could already tell this guy would be the first one to scold him for making a joke in a captain's meeting.

Perhaps he was being too judgmental though. He did not think much of Kisuke at first either and that was, because he seemed too carefree a striking contrast to the 7th division captain, based on his limited observations. To Unohana's right stood a Kuchiki. He could tell by both his physical characteristics and the way he carried himself. He wore a high collar customized haori, the trimmings were gold with matching tassels on the corner of its collar. It was becoming or one of nobility fitting of a Kuchiki. He had long shoulder length raven hair so dark that it consumed light around it. This guy was channeling Ginrei heavily.

'_He looks a lot like Ginrei's son and vice-captain, Sojun. Now that I think about it I am sure Sojun had a son that was the heir of the Kuchiki clan. Hmm, no question about it this guy resembles Sojun too much not to be his son. Looks like the son surpassed the father in more than one way,' _the vizard captain thought with a smirk. Sojun was very polite and humble. The man before him had the Head of the Kuchiki vibe going on. He took after his grandfather it seemed.

There was the white haired hot head that lost his cool and attacked Aizen carelessly. He was wearing a turquoise scarf around his neck. Shinji was amazed when he saw this kid in a white haori when the vizards arrived to the fake Karakura Town. To think that a kid could actually be a captain, he looked no older than Hiyori. He also had the maturity level of her as well. Anyone who knew Aizen would know to block out his taunts and not let it affect them. This kid left way too may openings for him and in his haste gave Aizen the greatest moment to humiliate and hurt him, with that girl he stabbed. Looking at this kid now he appeared to be the embodiment of self-control and restraint. Was this a result of his defeat months ago or was he another bratty kid trying to act mature? He sincerely hoped for the former. He had his fill with kids who acted big, like Hiyori and Ichigo.

A humorous smile collided with his face when he saw the man standing next to Kensei. That lazy pig Kiganjo was no longer among them. The Kenpachi title was traditionally given to the vanquisher of the previous one. This eye patch and scare faced rough looking character must have killed him through battle. Maybe he should have felt some twinge of sorrow at Kiganjo being killed or something, but that guy was a fucking animal who didn't give one wit about the Seireitei or the Soul Society. At least this new Kenpachi actually attended the captain's meetings. He appeared to be a bit of an oaf, but he produced an overwhelming humongous reiatsu that completely dwarf Kiganjo's. The mad glee in his eye and a twisted grin that would make the vicious of predators weep set him apart from all of the captains present. The truth was the man intimidated him just a bit.

'_Where was this guy when we were all fighting Aizen? He looks like he could have caused some damage.'_

Last, but not least there was Kurotsuchi. He knew him all too well. That unstable man was once Kisuke's 3rd seat officer. He heard so much of him from Hiyori's bitching about how disrespectful he was or how creepy he was. It wasn't like Shinji disagreed with her, but no one wanted to hear the same complaints over and over again. Shinji couldn't fathom why in the world Kisuke would bring such an anti-social board a line diabolical made man like into the ranks of the shinigami? He had to be in the Maggot's Nest for a reason after all. Kurotsuchi was wearing another absurd headdress. It was very long, reaching past his back. It was a bright gold color. He wore a golden chin ornament. It broke up into two curving strands that went into opposite directions. Kurotsuchi might as well have been asleep on his feet. Bored didn't even seem to cover the extent of the scientist's drowsy demeanor.

It was nice to see some things didn't change. Kurotsuchi's complete apathy toward anything not having to do with his research or scientific curiosity was a constant in any decade. He and others blending in with this group of oddballs should be interesting in any sense. The trademark grin was plastered to his face. His stint as captain this time around might be more worth wild than he anticipated.

* * *

The meeting ended and the captains mingled for a bit. It was mostly those who were interested in the retro new guys as Shinji coined the trio of himself, Kensei, and Rose. Those who didn't care in the slightest, such as Sui-Feng and Kurotsuchi left the moment Yamamoto ended the meeting. Others like Komamura (who Shinji learned was the name of the dog-like shinigami), Hitsugaya (the kid he learned), and Zaraki (the latest Kenpachi who grilled Kensei on how strong he was and nearly whipped out his zanpakuto right there) talked to them for a little bit. The blond vizard learned that Komamura had a stick up his ass as he suspected, but he was good natured and very helpful. He bonded with them due to their hollow powers making them for lack of a better word, freaks was similar to his anamorphic appearance. He could see himself getting along with him.

The kid on the other hand was annoying as hell to Shinji. He tried way too hard to act mature. He was a lot like Ichigo. He was aloof and took himself too seriously and couldn't take a joke to save his life. He nearly blew up when Shinji made a harmless joke on his height. Zaraki was as barbaric as they came, but he lived up to the name of Kenpachi. He was battle junkie to be sure, but he was proactive at least in that regard. It was more than his predecessor for sure. He still inspired some bit of primal fear in Shinji as much as he hated to admit it. The guy was built like a tank and had a monster amount of reiatsu! He attempted to reach out to the Kuchiki Byakuya character, but he found he had little in common with him. The guy was had a stick the size of Love's Shikai up his ass.

Once he learned from Unohana about what happened to his late wife he had some sympathy for the guy. He was a Kuchiki in every sense of the word though. He imagined there wouldn't be a whole lot of sharing hopes and dreams with Byakuya. Jushiro and Shunsui were a blast as always. More captains should take after them in Shinji's humble opinion. They had been at the job longer than most of them (Shinji included) and still knew how to have fun and joke around. They understood when to be serious and when to lighten up. Unohana was well Unohana, polite to a fault and welcoming and caring as he remembered her as. She even asked how Hiyori was doing. It was hard to believe she had a darker side hidden beneath her. He learned that even Zaraki did his best not to incur her wrath. After the old solider Unohana was the second person Shinji feared beyond all reason. This was a guy who could meet Aizen face to face without sweating (much).

Eventually he slipped away, leaving Rose and Kensei to handle the remaining captains' questioning. He did some light exploring of the Seireitei. Most shinigami he ran into stood to attention to acknowledge his presence. He reasoned it was because most of them did not wish to be on the bad side of the new captain. Of course there were the murmurs of him being an exiled shinigami for crimes unknown. Another thing that hadn't changed was the ide gossip people spread through the Soul Society. Shinji didn't mind. The more devious part of him wanted to see their reaction when they found out he was exiled for possessing hollow powers.

The fear tainted faces made his lips curl. Yes, he would have a fun time being a captain again. He stretched his arms, lazily yawning. His body was still stiff. He should have expected as much. It had been such a long time since he had been out of gigai. He had to grow accustomed to his spirit body again. The vizard was so busy working out the kinks in his shoulder that he hadn't realized that he was outside of the 5th division's headquarters. "Guess this place it so ingrained into my brain that my feet that they took me here without me even thinking," he joked.

His sightseeing would end early. He was here now, besides he needed to introduce himself to his division. Shinji's feet brought him back into the place he had once called home and would call home again. A pair of shinigami was within view. They hadn't taken notice of him yet. They chatted away freely even when he became within earshot.

"So the new captain was originally in charge of the 5th division before Aizen?" the portly dark haired man asked in mixed astonishment and confusion.

The second shinigami, a short haired, long banged male brunet, nodded his head vigorously, overjoyed at being able to confirm this. "From what I heard he was Aizen's immediate predecessor, before he disappeared."

"He disappeared?" the first shinigami questioned. Again the second one nodded his head anxiously. "But why did he disappear?"

"I don't know. I just heard that the guy committed some really bad crime and the Central 46 ordered his execution, but he escaped or something." His face wrinkled up as he summoned every brain molecule to recall the story he heard.

The first shinigami's face was consumed by terror. "W-why would they let someone like him be a captain again!?"

He shrugged his shoulders, in a clueless way. "You got me. I don't know the whole story."

"Yeah, I heard the guy murders puppies and kittens in his spare time," Shinji whispered to the duo. Both rolled their eyes and grumbled clearly put off by his clowning.

"Why don't you….." he never finished. Color drained form his face and his compatriot's. They started blabbering gibberish. Shinji shot them a coy grin, his brown eyes danced with childish mirth. "C-cccc….aptain!" they managed to stammer in unison. They hastily bowed to him, so fast that when they came back up their heads were spinning. They looked dizzy. Needless to say Shinji was enjoying this display greatly.

He held a hand up and greeted his new subordinates. "Yo," he uttered. "I don't suppose you two could tell where Vice-Captain Hinamori is or get her for me?"

"Yes, captain, right away!" they cried. "We will get Vice-Captain Hinamori for you right away!" Did he mention he really was enjoying this?

"That will not be necessary."

The three men turned to their right. They saw short and slim figured woman. She had raven colored bob hair. She wore a clip on the left side of her hair. Her lips were curved into a small U-shape. The girl was cute and innocent in his opinion, but when he looked into her dark brown eyes he saw none of that innocence. Her gaze was hard, mistrusting and detached. If saw this in someone else's eyes he would haven't thought twice about it. Coming from this sickeningly sweet face it disturbed him. The entertainment he felt vanished. His brain registered who she was.

'_This girl is the one Hitsugaya stabbed. I didn't know she was in the 5__th__ division. I bet she has seen some rough stuff,' _the reinstated captain thought.

The girl spoke again. "I told everyone to be prepared for the arrival of the new captain. Instead I find you two have managed to not only continue to spread the unfounded rumors, but also alienate him before he has had a chance to officially introduce himself to us," she scolded harshly.

Shinji caught the vice-captain's badge on her left shoulder. _'This is Hinamori, eh? Girl seems a bit strict.'_

"Sorry, vice-captain," the second shinigami cried immediately.

Hinamori glared disapprovingly at the pair. "Apologize to the captain right away," she ordered.

Shinji objected, "You don't really need to do that."

She shook her head earnestly. I insist, captain. I do not wish for you to have a bad impression of our division." The two nameless officers did as they were ordered and apologized. Their vice-captain gave her seal of approval they stood there frozen in place, waiting for orders. Shinji was unclear if they were awaiting his orders or Hinamori's.

He decided to enact his first order before Hinamori beat him to it. "Gather all the officers into the main office."

"Yes, captain!" The shinigami zipped out of sight, using Shunpo to escape from his new vice-captain and him as quickly as possible.

Shinji and Hinamori were now alone. He felt an unsettling queasiness in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea how to approach this girl. The 5th division vice-captain straightened her posture and gave a quick bow.

"Allow me to officially introduce myself. I am Vice-Captain Hinamori Momo."

She was one for proper edict. It brought back memories of when Aizen would greet him in the mornings. It unnerved him that he was reminded of his bastard of an old vice-captain in his new one. Suddenly he found himself wondering just how close Hinamori was to Aizen. "Hirako Shinji," he said flatly, waving his hand. He wasn't into formal introductions. He was as informal as one could get.

"I look forward to serving you, Captain Hirako," she replied robotically.

He furrowed his brow at her. God, this kid was so automated. There wasn't any drop of human emotion dripping to her words. He was wrong before. She wasn't like Aizen. He smothered you with false kindness and compliments that it made one violently ill with how insincere it was. Hinamori didn't bother to fake it. She was just on, going through the motions without any opinion to it. "Momo, was it?" She told him he was right and he went on. "You don't have to be uptight. Just relax. I am not one of those super serious and formal types. Loosen up your hakama a bit and we'll get along well."

"With all due respect, Captain Hirako, I feel it would be better if we had boundaries to our relationship."

Boundaries to their relationship, was this girl actually serious? Did he have to get to get two wet blankets for vice-captains?

"I would prefer if you were to address me as Vice-Captain Hinamori or just Hinamori, if that is possible."

"Wow, you are all proper and such," he teased. Her blank demeanor did not melt away as he would have liked.

"Captain," she called in a business like matter. "We should get going. I am sure the rest of the division has assembled."

"Yeah, I suppose you are right," he finished with a sigh. Momo had been right of course. The entire division was all lined up, standing up straight, stone-faced. None of their face betrayed any hint of emotion. These were men prepared to go to war on a flip of a light switch. He should have been impressed, but he hated how unnatural it all felt. This wasn't how he ran the 5th division and he doubted Aizen ran it this way either.

Obviously there going to have to be some changes. He refused to be the captain to this obscene display of lifeless dolls. "As you can all see, I am your new captain. The name is Hirako Shinji. My likes include music, especially jazz and a bit of rock and roll, action manga, sexy women, and various other things I won't bore you with the details. My dislikes include kids who try to be mature, shameless kiss asses, and Aizen."

Chattering murmured throughout the room. The officers were caught off guard by their new captain's mentioning their previous one. Many questions formed. Did he say he hated Aizen, because he was told the crimes their old captain committed or did he have a personal connection to the man they thought they knew. This did not go very far. Momo silenced them and scolded them for breaking rank. Attention was returned to Shinji in the matter of minutes.

"You all seem surprised by my statement. I know there are rumors circulating about me being a wanted fugitive. Let me set the record straight. I was indeed a wanted fugitive. The Central 46 ordered my and seven other officers' execution one hundred years ago and we escaped thanks to help from Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi."

Terrified gasps broke out. The petrified faces tickled his funny bone. He bet none of them expected him to confirm the rumors flying around. He had to hold his side to prevent himself from breaking out in a round of jovial laughter. "Now I can assure you that the crime I and my comrades were charged with were the doings of Aizen. You see boys and girls Aizen goes back before any of you were even shinigami. He was my old vice-captain and I am ashamed to say that I failed to stop him and that lead him to getting too close to overthrowing the Soul Society. Now I am sure you are wondering what it is that Aizen did to me. Well he did this."

The grinning fiend materialized white substance, forming it into his familiar pharaoh mask onto his face. The officers were no longer frightened. They were beyond that, apprehension rotted their bones, causing their knees to shake. Realizing his little joke had gone far enough, Shinji removed his mask and it dissolved into nothingness. "Aizen turned us into incomplete hollows and Kisuke stabilized our conditions and made us into vizards the antithesis to the arrancar. I'm telling all of you this, because if I am going to be your captain you are going to need know what I am. The last guy was douche bag who fed you nothing, but lies. I won't do that. If you have any qualms about me, better request to get transferred, but I suggest you get over it. No way will the captain commander allow all of you to transfer. My goal is the same as yours and that is to protect the Soul Society and Human World. I am not the sensitive type, but I'll try to listen to your concerns."

'_If I feel like it,' _he thought.

"Aside from that let's have some fun." His trademark grin appeared. "Now quit being all gloom and doom and relax, have some free time. You are dismissed." Not waiting for them to disassemble Shinji retreated to leave the men to talk. Momo stunned by his performance followed behind him.

"Captain!" she shouted.

"What is it Momo?"

She frowned at the way he said her name, like he couldn't be bothered. Didn't he realize that they had a lot of work to do? She had to debrief him on everything that went on since Aizen abandoned his post. "We need to talk about what has been going on the last eight months. I need to fill you in on everything."

"I'll do that later," Shinji said casually, unconcerned with paper work on his first day.

"But captain, it is important that I get you up to speed as quickly as possible."

"And I am telling you that can wait for later. If you insist on catching me up we can do it over a cup of tea or if you partake a cup of sake. Today is going to be a free day. Enjoy the festival going on."

Momo shot a stern look at his back, hoping it would cut through the carefree aura surrounding him. "But we are in the middle of a crisis. The Arrancar Civil War in Hueco Mundo has most of our officers spread thin. The captain commander has issued all divisions to be on standby for a possible arrancar invasion to the Human World. The 5th division has to be ready to go. Captain Aizen was originally our captain and because of it the other divisions look down on us for not being aware of his true character. They even think some of us are his agents. It is your responsibility as the 5th division captain to lead us into battle and allow us to erase our shame!"

Hirako stopped so suddenly that she almost ran into him. Thank god she got him to stop and listen to her. "Ichimaru and Tosen were accomplices to Captain Aizen were in the 5th division at one point. Because of that the 5th division is known as the white division. We are called that, because of Captain Aizen's arrancar army. Many see us as sleeper agents and traitors. I have been trying my hardest to proven them wrong, to show them that just because we served under him does not mean we are all traitors!"

"Captain Aizen?" Shinji half asked and half repeated. It was then that Momo realize her mistake. She put her hands over her mouth as if that would mute the words she had already spoken. "Just what was your relationship with Aizen anyway?"

"I am not a traitor!" she screamed. Her new captain turned his head. He wore an unknown look on his face. It made her shrink back. "I am not Aizen's pawn. I am a vice-captain of the Gotei 13 and my duty is to it foremost. Anything less is unacceptable."

She felt like he was cross examining her, looking for faults in her. She was sick of it, sick of everyone expecting her to fall apart like she was some lost puppy that couldn't function without her master. She wasn't going to be a puppy, waiting for someone to help her. The Aizen ordeal opened her eyes. You couldn't trust people, they lied. You only saw what they wanted you to see. It was best to keep them at a distance. That way when they betrayed you it wouldn't hurt. If she had only kept her relationship with Aizen professional she could have coped with his betrayal. She wouldn't have fallen apart and have everyone question her motives, actions, or look on her as if she was a time bomb waiting to explode.

She was a stupid girl clinging to hope that Aizen was being coerced into leaving by Ichimaru. It was pathetic. She loathed herself for allowing him to manipulate her, making her into his blind loyal puppy that couldn't function without her master. That is why when she was healed she spent all her time and effort running the 5th division the best way she could. She spent every ounce of her energy making it run as efficient as, no even more efficient than when Aizen ran it. She proved them all wrong. She did it all on her own, without relying on anyone, without being weak enough to place trust in someone else, like Toshiro or Izuru.

"You were close to him." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Do you want to talk?"

"I don't need to talk," she muttered resentfully. Did he think that just because he was her captain that they were obliged to be close? She made that mistake once before and would not let it happen again. Hirako was her captain, not her friend.

"Look Momo….."

"Please excuse me, Captain Hirako. I was out of line before. I strongly recommend that you allow me to give my report as quickly as possible." Hinamori politely bowed to him again. "I will be on my way. If you need me please call for me." Momo turned to her heel and all but ran off from him.

"Aizen really did a number on her." The reinstated captain stared off into the direction the short girl walked off in. His first task as captain had slapped him right in the face and on his first day. The question was: how would he handle Momo?

* * *

The sun had long since set. Evening cooled things off. It was now chill. The roads and sidewalks that were once littered with crowds had dwindled down. Orihime and Sado were part of the dwindled crowd still walking about. Ichigo was working late once more. Being the good girlfriend that she was she decided to visit him when he got off, so that they could walk home together. They could spend some alone time. Sado-kun agreed to walk with her. She was capable of walking alone she thought her orange protector would appreciate it if she came to the store with someone else.

"Thank you for walking with me Sado-kun." The healer presented her gratitude with her spirit lifting smile.

Sado's lip extended to a half curve. "There is no need to thank me. I don't mind." His half grin remained stationed on his face. It wasn't a problem for him. He got off two hours ago and had plenty of time to rest. Walking with Inoue was not going to throw off his plans any.

"I really do appreciate the gesture. I didn't want to bring Tatsuki-chan out here. She had to work really late today and will only be getting home now."

"It really isn't a problem," he repeated.

Reading between the lines the goddess ceased her praises, lest she wished to smoother him with appreciation. The two empowered humans enjoyed their walk in comfortable silence. The two of them had developed their own unique bond during their time as fellow pupils to Yoruichi. She supposed they were fellow pupils again as Yoruichi was training them a second time. The training had gone up a notch or two. The Goddess of Flash started to spar with them one on one to build up their skills. It wasn't going well for either of them. Yoruichi was too fast and her close range combat was too high of a level for her to be able to win a match against her, even with Shun Shun Rikka. Sado-kun did not fare any better. Yoruichi was more than a little disappointed in them.

Her ears were still ringing from all the shouting she tan skinned woman had done today. Although, Orihime knew that getting an earful from Yoruichi was a small price to pay for improving her power. She did tell Sado-kun and her that they could get to another new level before the next attack occurred. The results were fruitful. Orihime never felt so light on her feet. Jumping around without a sports bra on as she had done in the last battle didn't bother her. Her physical strength had been building up!

"Things have been quiet," the giant of few words said, breaking the silence.

The red orange haired princess had to agree with him. Karakura was still in rebuilding process that unfortunately had to happen in order to keep the ruse of an earthquake hitting the town, believable. Other than that the citizens returned to their normal lives, including their group. Hollow activity was relatively normal; with Ishida-kun having to help out only had to help out the shinigami representative two times in the last few weeks. "I am glad things have quieted down. Life has been busy lately, especially school and work," she said thoughtfully.

"I don't like it," he admitted, startling her so much so that she tripped. Inoue wailed in pain. Sado watched dumbfounded at the girl's clumsiness. How she could trip over her own two feet by walking, yet be coordinated when they sparred he would never fully comprehend. The healer got back up, nursing her sore knee. Thanks to her training there was no visible mark from the fall. The girl had become very durable.

Once she recovered the waited question was finally asked, "Why aren't you pleased, Sado-kun?"

The giant of a man did not speak right away. She could tell by the way his narrowed that he was trying to weave together the words that would convey his emotions. "What I am mean is that after such a big invasion for things to settle down like that is eerier. The Privaron Espada is trying to lure us into a false sense of security. If they were doing something I would feel better."

"Urahara-san thinks they are planning a counter-offensive," she supplied. The eccentric shop owner image formed before as she recalled his clarification on the subject. "There are only three more from what he told us. They may not to gain more allies."

"Regrouping is what bothers me. From what Urahara-san has told us the Soul Society still hasn't been able to locate their whereabouts. They have an advantage." It was bothersome. They were so close to winning the battle and yet there was still a great distance between them and victory. "Do you think we can reach a new level by time the next battle starts?" he contemplated aloud.

Orihime raised her head, her vision set on the night skies. The stars were decorating the skies, dancing. She took her time before answering. They had no idea when the next attack would happen. For all they knew it could have been that very night. She was unsure if they could grow stronger in time. The optimist in her encouraged her to keep faith. The attack could have be months away. They could still grow much stronger in that time. Hachi did promise he would come back to help her train. The optimist won out. "I believe we can."

Her voice did not waver nor did it possess any doubt. Her belief was unshakable. Sado had to admire her for her conviction. They could get stronger. They managed to so before, why should now be any different? "How is Ichigo doing?" The question had been on the tip of his tongue since they met up at beginning of the evening. Ichigo hadn't been keen on keeping him in. Sado suspected that Ichigo was inadvertently or deliberately keeping his distance from him. He had taken offense to Sado's refusal to discuss with him about current events.

"Kurosaki-kun is doing as well as to be expected." Her nose wrinkled up slightly remembering his volatile actions. One moment they were snuggling up, watching a movie than the next moment he was looking for any excuse to get out of her grasp. Their passionate embrace or making out as Tatsuki liked to call it would become more passionate than he jumped off of her. The last time he had become, so bold as to grope her chest without realizing it, until his clumsy and overzealous grip squeezed too hard and caused her to cry. He apologized numerous times, seemingly not realizing she did not hold it against him.

The sexual tension was so heavy that a zanpakuto to could cut it. He willfully ignored it. It was incredibly frustrating that he wouldn't even talk about it. Perhaps the next time she was Tatsuki she could ask her for advice. Orihime turned bright crimson when she realized that she was thinking about her sexual relationship with Ichigo with Sado-kun being feet away. And all her blushing made him stare at her more!

'_Why am I thinking of such things with Sado-kun right beside me?' _She sank her face into the forgiving embrace of her own two hands. They shielded her from her shame. _'That isn't even what Sado-kun meant! He wanted to know how he was dealing with current situation and being powerless! I am such a naughty girl. I need to get my head out of the gutter. I hope he isn't still staring at me' _She peaked through her eyes. Sado was giving her a puzzling glare. Why did she have to be so weird? Alright, if she just calmed down she could get through this. She took a few deep breathes, color left her cheeks, she felt the fire die down from them. Orihime recomposed herself.

"He…..is…um you know doing well as to be expected…..I said that already. I mean to say is that he still feels really depressed about being powerless. He talking to me about it a bit and I think that helps, but it is still not an actual cure."

"I wouldn't expect it to be," she heard him say. The hollow powered warrior spared her from her his scorching gaze. She let out a breath of relief. All things considered she thought she handled it well enough. The miniature helper Orihimes that ran her brain came together in a collective sigh and shook their heads sadly at her awkward performance.

"Ichigo is not the type of person to accept things are out of his hands. It makes sense why he would resent me and Ishida for trying to keep him out of it."

"Kurosaki-kun doesn't resent you," she cried out desperately. They were such good friends there was just no way that her beloved would resent Sado-kun! "He is just frustrated right now. He still cherishes your bond with him."

She was right. He knew that much at least. Ichigo's pride had been wounded. He would need time before he could heal it. Even Orihime's Soten Kisshun could not heal it. "You are right." Would Ichigo's pride ever heal without his powers? Sado still believed the day would come when Ichigo's power returned he only wished he could help it come along sooner.

They reached the electronics store. Ichigo came out of it. He bid a farewell to Masaoka. He spotted them easily. They were hard to miss with her long vibrant auburn hair and his muscular and tall body.

"Inoue, Chad," he said.

Orihime ecstatically waved at him. He returned it in a much more controlled form. The two once feared "thugs" acknowledged each other with a simple male greeting of a head nod.

"Thanks for walking with her, Chad." He genuinely smiled at the enormous man.

"It was no problem." They shared a look and understood each other. Sado told him that he would always have his back. Ichigo responded that he knew and thanked him again. "I better get going."

Orihime wrapped her fingers around Ichigo's taking his hand in hers. She put a stop to the gentle giant's departure swiftly. "Do you want to walk with us, Sado-kun?"

Sado looked to Ichigo. When he made no objections he agreed to walk with the couple. The trip was silent with Orihime trying to come up with conversations only to fall short. Both men contributed, but the discomforted halted their attempts from leading to a true conversation. The healer came to the cold realization that Ichigo and Sado-kun would not settle their differences this night. There was always tomorrow.

* * *

In the depths of Hueco Mundo's deserts Silva sat on a make shift seat she found in a stump of a dead tree. Enveloped in her reiatsu concealing cloak, she sat alone. She needed to be away from Joaquin and Calputto. The former primera desired to be alone with her thoughts. Calputto was on work of the little project she had assigned him. Joaquin was readying the troops of hollows they had amassed. The plot went on. They had no time to mourn their fallen comrades. There were times like this when she was alone and her thoughts ran away from her. The former Espada could not help, but remember all the comrades she had lost over the decades. She added even more to the list. Salvador, Esteban, Antonio, Gild, Cirucci, and Dordoni were all dead. The comrades that Aizen had given her, and charged her to protect were gone. It seemed like a cruel joke that they were at one point the strongest arrancar, meant to battle the shinigami.

She had failed them. They were all killed in battle by enemies or worse of all by the hands of supposed allies. They were down to four, Gantenbainne, Calputto, Joaquin, and she. Gantenbainne refused to heed her call. There was some comfort that he was still alive somewhere. A void sucked away that comfort and left her desolated. She vowed she would protect them and she had done anything, but that. They were falling in battle and she had been unable to do anything. She kept telling herself that they laid down their lives to achieve their dream, but it did little sooth her. At the end of the day they were still gone.

It was curse. She power, but not enough of it to keep them safe. She envied the arrancar of final incarnation of the Espada. They were all so powerful. Aizen-sama himself awakened their true potential and they became his greatest warriors. If she had that power she could keep them all safe. She spent all this time training, to gain that power and it evaded her as the fastest stallion did to men looking to tame it. Her golden eyes fell upon her hand. Esteban would often grab on to kiss it, showering her with compliments and declarations of love that she thought as empty words. Feeling nostalgia wouldn't do her any good nor would mourning them be any help.

"I can't be satisfied with this level of power. I haven't reached my limit yet. I can still grow stronger. I will grow stronger!" She grabbed the handle of her zanpakuto and swung it wildly. Her power overflowed from it and it created a shockwave that threw the white sands of it way and traveled at great speeds, directionless. "I will become stronger for their sakes. I will become strong enough to protect my remaining comrades with my sword!" The born leader and protector stood up. She would go there and gain the power she needed. If that person refused to take action than she would at the very least train her.

She would tell Joaquin to keep an eye on Calputto and to keep him here, while she went to see one of the last remaining Espada for training.

* * *

**Before I get a bunch of reviews asking me this Silva will not become stronger than the canon Espada or Aizen or Ichigo's father. With so many of her comrades dead I felt she would feel the need to train again in order to protect the last ones. She will get stronger it will not be to Aizen levels. We saw the Soul Society in this chapter and Kensei, Rose, and Shinji return. I wouldn't count on seeing a lot of our favorite captains go into battle anytime soon. I wanted to show the vizards captains return and get a feel what will become of them.**

**Shinji and Momo thing there was just my attempt to show their first meeting. Momo might be out of character. This was just how I envisioned Momo would be like after Aizen tricked Hitsugaya into stabbing her when her psyche was still recovering. I remembered that face she had when he stabbed her and how devastated she was. Tite Kubo said Shinji helped Momo deal with Aizen betrayal and wished he could show it, but didn't have time. This is just my version of it starts. Probably not what happened, but I tried. I can't even say if I'll show those two more or even get to develop it more. I just wanted a starting point to show these two at that didn't have them instantly bonding. **

**Flower and Strawberry readers probably recognized the elements that were in that story. Next chapter will probably be post the first 4 chaps of F&S or I'll mention it somehow I haven't really decided yet. I will try to introduce that element into the next chapter. Please review. **


	49. Life and Death

**Here is a longer chapter with this update. Yay for people who enjoy reading a lot, for everyone else you have my apologies lol. I got an idea from Meech Macko that I used in this chapter. I wanted to thank them for it. The new Bleach novel also helped inspire an idea in this chapter. I even got inspiration from the actual manga from the current arc going on. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach at all. I do own original characters like Masaoka Shiori.**

* * *

Life was a fickle mistress. He wasn't a philosopher. He wouldn't spend hours thinking about why people existed or methodically went over why people laugh and what constituted humor. He had nothing against people who did do that, but he just found it to be pointless. Why think about why people exist when you could go out there and decide for yourself why you are here, make your own decision? He was a being of action. He conveyed how he felt through his actions. If he wanted to protect someone he did it with his hands. If he wanted to show them he cared he would do something that showed he cared. He was hardwired to be this way.

How did you take action when there wasn't anything you could do? There were just some subjects where you couldn't just go with action first. Sometimes you had to think carefully about what you wanted to do or how to convey your opinion. Being human meant that you would occasionally have to think about how other people would be affected by what you did. Relationships and bonds with people was an important part in being human. It must have been the universe's twisted sense of humor on its part in making him contemplate such thoughts despite his action oriented style.

Ichigo was standing at the counter of Nakamura's Electronics, bored out of his skull, waiting for customers. There was nothing to do. Masaoka was in the back doing inventory. Orihime wouldn't be visiting him today. She and Tatsuki both had the day off. The girls were both thrilled at the prospect of spending quality time together in weeks. He couldn't in good conscious ask Orihime to visit him, on the off chance the day was slow and he had nothing to do. As a result he had no one to talk to. That left him alone with his thoughts. He found himself wishing one of his friends stopped by, even if it was Keigo blabbering on about nonsense and with an ulterior motive of flirting with his co-worker. Ishida would have been preferable at this point as well. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts. He wanted a distraction to be provided to him, so he wouldn't have to think about his life.

To an outside observer they would un-doubtingly have labeled him a typical teenager who was simply unsatisfied with his great life, and not realize how great it truly was. Ichigo could see their point. He had a wonderful, albeit slightly bizarre family who loved and for the most part understood him. His friends were equally as wonderful in their own way. They were always there for him when he needed it. They could be a pain in the ass sometimes and bust his chops, a favorite pastime of Ishida and Tatsuki's, but for the most part they were always there for him. He had an amazing girlfriend who put up with his crap and called him out on it when it counted, while giving him space. His job wasn't horrible or terrific, but somewhere in the middle. For a part time job what more could one ask for? His grades were up in school and he returned to the top 30 of his class. His life was great on paper. The outside observer would than ask why he was brooding.

His life was perfectly fine and yet it was confusing. The carrot top teen just wasn't sure if he knew what was going on anymore. A month ago he was content with his life. Things felt like they were in place. He wasn't a shinigami anymore, but it didn't matter anymore. Life was as it should be, normal. He wasn't worried about hollows or arrancar anymore. He was worried about nice, healthy, normal things like getting to school on time or how many hours he had at work. Tuning Keigo out when his voice got to high pitched when he whined was one of the worse things he had to deal with and he enjoyed it. Being normal was not the death sentence that he had made it out be last year.

When he was at peace with the normality of a dull life, his cheek was slapped metaphorically by the cold hard truth. Just because he lost his powers did not make that fantastical world any less real. Hollows and arrancar still existed. They proved they would go on without their god. He, however, could not go on. He remained chained to mortal bonds. He was cast aside by his comrades in arms. They patted him on the head and told him to leave things to them, not in words, but with their actions. Universe's sense of humor was very twisted. It gave him his coveted desire to be normal. Now he was cursed with knowledge, the knowledge of this other world he could no longer be a part of, a world where his friends were and fought in, a world he could not get to or aid them. He could rehash it a thousand times and it would still be the same.

If it wasn't for all the demands in his life he would be trapped with these thoughts. School and work forced him to concentrate at the immediate task at hand. Family dinners with his father's overbearing laughter and constant sneak attacks made him forget his woes. Hell, even Keigo's incessant prattle served its purpose, as did Mizuiro's witty remarks. Orihime provided a good distraction in her own way.

He found comfort in her. He tried not to, because it often led to the more physical aspect of their relationship. He found more disturbingly how much easier and easier his passions were leading to more sexual advances. One time he groped her breast without fully being aware of it until he heard her wince in pain. Hormones were not only rebelling against him, but making a campaign to take over his body and brain. Ichigo felt like such a bastard. He was never thrilled with how some guys just looked Orihime as a piece of meat when they were just acquaintances. It grew into dislike and eventually hatred as their relationship progressed. Now he was acting no better than they were. His thoughts were becoming less honorable as time went on.

Dreams were becoming more graphic and frequent. Thank god that Kon was now staying at the Urahara Shop or he would have to explain to the lion plushie about why some mornings he woke up in a sweat and in some case very rigid. That bastard would have held it over his head for as long as he could. He tried to do so before. He didn't need Kon screwing him over by telling Orihime his growing sexual appetite. Not that he needed to tell her. Ichigo suspected that Orihime was starting to catch on. She seemed perturbed whenever he put a stop to their kisses, which were becoming more fervent from their original chaste nature. She tried to bring it up a few times, but he would quickly change the subject.

Things between them had advanced so fast. They had only been together for four months, but the prior months of strengthening their bond made it feel longer. During all of this time he realized her physical beauty. It started as innocent admiration. It eventually turned into a runaway train going directly into a teenage hormonal lust. In his heart he feared addressing this with her. With everything that had been going on he was sure Orihime would agree to whatever he asked of her, even if she wasn't ready for it. He couldn't really gage her feelings now. She was convinced he was depressed about being powerless. The great lengths she would go to just to help others made him fear she would give herself to him for comfort. That didn't sit right with him.

Between his powerless state and his relationship he was befuddled with how his life was going. He laughed, thinking about how Yuzu was already harping on him for what he wanted to do for his birthday. June was almost over and July was waiting around the corner and with it his 17th birthday. Not that he had time to think about it with all the studying he had to do, along with work at the electronic story and his own side business of playing on school teams and clubs. Having all the extra work of team and club activities helped in keeping him distracted.

'_Yippee. I am turning 17 three weeks from now. Isn't it great?' _His subconscious had nothing, but contempt and sarcasm to spew.

"What is with that ugly face?"

Normally he would frown at her dry insult, but today he welcomed Masaoka and all of her witty and not so witty jokes. She came out of the back. Right away he could see her face was ravaged by frustration. "I could ask the same of you," he shot back. The blonde was not in the mood for their usual banter and glared at him. If looks could kill he would have been dead ten times over, in addition to his body being burned to ashes for good measure.

"Our dear old boss made me do inventory for the last two hours. Sorry if I can't have a chipper expression!" she snapped.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't bite my head off." His infamous scowl made an appearance.

He had been sulky for the last couple of weeks, ever since the earthquake hit. She ignored it and chalked it up to increased stress, pilled on both of them with forced overtime they had been given to them. She quickly dismissed that after a day. His disposition seemed to be deeper than work. She guessed that he and Orihime were in a fight, but didn't ask him. She didn't feel like it was her place to get involved after the untactful kiss she planted on him in March. She also noticed his friends stopped visiting him at work as well. She couldn't recall the last time Keigo hit on her. Was it his girlfriend or his friends?

"Seriously what's up?" She had made sure to put more kindness in her tone. You wouldn't have guessed it from looking at Ichigo's face. He furrowed his brow more and contorted his face as though disgusted by her mere face. Shiori could feel her blood boil. "I ask you what's up and you look at me as though my face is covered in puke!" she struggled to keep her tone down. What did she ever see in him?

He at least had the common decency to appear apologetic. "Sorry," he mumbled. He scratched the back of his head clueless. "Whenever you are nice you are usual up to something," Ichigo stated to justify his rudeness.

"You are impossible!" she declared. Shiori turned her back on him and crossed her arms, infuriated. "I do not always act nice to get something."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. It was just like her to act offended when they both knew she wasn't. He played along anyway. "Look, I am sorry." She seemed to accept his half assed apology and turned to face him again. She was still put off with him, but Masaoka just dropped it, surprising him.

"Seriously, Ichi-kun what is up with you lately? You have been in a haze the last few weeks."

'_Great, a reminder of my problems,' _thought the former vizard. He put on his best neutral face on and faced her. "It's nothing." She snorted. Was he really so easy to read?

"I get it. You don't want to tell me. I'll leave you alone. Is Orihime coming today?"

He was happy that Masaoka dropped the subject as quick as she brought it up. "No. She is hanging out with Tatsuki today. They are both off. I'm heading over to her place after my shift ends."

He saw her irritated evaporate. A much too sly smirk was all that remained. It made Ichigo's stomach knot up. "I got it." The way she said those three simple words stroked him the wrong way. If he was a cat his hair would be sticking up and he would be hissing.

"Why did you say it like that?" he demanded.

Masaoka smirked down his way again. The knots got even tighter. "Did I say it a certain way?"

"Yeah, you did," he retorted swiftly. Ichigo was not willing to let this go until he got to the bottom of it.

The attractive blond shrugged her shoulders and smirked again! "I am sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to insinuate anything."

"But you were," he accused.

"Maybe I did a little." She inched two of her fingers close together, but did not make them meet to get her point across. "I am sorry," she repeated. His focused stare ripped her apart from the inside out. She writhed under it. "I just thought how most guys would envy your position, a girlfriend with her own apartment. There is not a whole lot of interference."

"W-what the hell!?" he blurted out. His entire face was shaded into a very bright red. "Stop thinking about things like that!"

"I am sorry. I am sorry." She mustered as much sincerity as she could. It did not seem to sedate him. If anything his fury grew. "I know you two are private about your intimacy, so I didn't bring it up."

"Yet you did anyway!" His voice was raspy now. "What Inoue and I do in our private time is our own business!"

"I know. That is why I didn't say anything," she reminded. Part of her found his reaction amusing. He was such a prude after all. "I got your mind off whatever making you mope though."

Realization hit him like lightning. His anger was incinerated by it. The little victorious smile she wore and twinkle in her eye told him everything. _'She actually planned this to get my mind off everything,' _he thought, blown away by her cunning. Ichigo didn't give her as much credit as he should have. The rest of their shift they discussed the possibility of pursing other job offers if their employer was unable to find more help for them. They joked about telling him off and going out a blaze of glory. He at least had a side gig with taking contracts with sports teams and clubs to fall back on. If she were to quit she would have to find a new job from scratch. Ichigo appreciated Masaoka's company. She was a pretty good friend.

When his shift ended he bid his farewell to her and went straight to Orihime's apartment, where he found a mind bottling surprise. His innocent girlfriend answered the door, showing a lot of cleavage and was emulating seduction itself. Needless to say the ex-substitute was shell shocked. What he did not know was this was beginning of what his girlfriend had in store for him.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is where Flowers and Strawberry would start. Sorry, but I can't go into more detail without copying and pasting some of the story in here. It would be repetitive to have the next scenes in here for people who have read F&S, even if I just put all the non-lemon parts in here. I am going to have to be a bit of a dick and tell you that you are going to have to pm me for the site for F&S to get the whole thing. I really am sorry guys, but I really do not want take apart that story and put pieces of it on here, because I do not want the story to taken apart.**

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Ichigo gave a mighty roar that would make full grown lions recoil and whimper like kittens. He pulled down his sword to strike. His aim was for his opponent's right shoulder. The blow was so powerful that it caused the shoulder padding to reverberate. If that wasn't enough it was critically precise. He could see the padding cracked under his strength.

Instantly his opponent went to his stinging shoulder. Not willing to pass this opportunity by Ichigo hit his forearms with an equally powerful blow as the first one. The intense pain to accompany the strike forced him to drop his sword. Ichigo pointed his sword to his disarmed opponent's masked face. The man fell to his knees defeated and fuming. Animosity exuded from his eyes. He stared down his would be opponent, challenging him to just think of trying move against him. He possessed in his glare something his opponent did not have, a good deal of battle experience. It hardened his chocolate colored eyes and held such intensity in them that the vanquished was forced to look away and admit defeat.

"I give up," he admitted. Disgust he felt at his own inability contaminated his words.

Ichigo withdrew his sword and offered his hand to the fallen man. The sting of shame was still fresh in his mind he accepted his conqueror's aid. To his surprise Ichigo in one motion returned him to his feet, only making his humiliation burn more readily.

"The winner is Kurosaki!" exclaimed a man who had taken the spot as a referee. Ichigo and his opponent were surrounded by the members of Karakura High's kendo team. They witnessed the match between their new ringer and one of their most seasoned members. It wasn't a match at all. Kurosaki pressed his attack the moment the match started and refused to let up. As a result he easily put his poor opponent into a vulnerable position that allowed him to take full advantage of it and disarm him.

"Oh," chorused the members of the team. Some of their mouths gaped at the sheer absurdity of the situation. One burly, lean, and firm faced member gawked. He almost swallowed his tongue! He was the strongest member on the team and even he was just barely capable of comprehending Kurosaki's movements. His confidence had been shot. If he were to fight him he would surely be on the losing end of the wooden sword. "N-no way!" he blurted out, voicing shaking. He would have stayed in state of perpetual fright if he didn't hear that cocky laugh. The strongest swordsman cast a spiteful glare his way.

"What's so funny, Eichiro, you bastard?" he growled.

Eichiro folded his arms and smiled jovially at his teammates' bewildered faces. He was average in height and appearance, short black combed hair and brown eyes. He was clean shaven. Just like the rest of the members of his team he wore traditional kendo uniform. "I told you Kurosaki would be worth the money to replace you for the upcoming match." If smugness was poisonous he would be the most deadly creature in Japan. "Now you can relax and rest your ankle, Goki."

As if he could relax. This wasn't right. It violated some kind of law. How could Kurosaki be this good? He never even had a lesson. He had been training for several years and he could only dream to obtain the delinquent's quick reflexes and god-like speed. "A junior with no prior experience just took down a senior who has been a part of this team for three years now. Are you sure, Kurosaki hasn't trained in kendo before?"

"I understand your disbelief. I found it difficult to believe myself, but when I had a practice match against him I could tell by how he moved that he had no formal training. But he was a natural swordsman. The way he moved, his stances, and the way he holds a shinai, were all second natural to him. It wasn't typical kendo, but definitely a swordsman."

Goki gritted his teeth and tried his best to keep from swallowing his tongue a feat proving difficult. "A natural born swordsman," he said with a hint of jealous and admiration. "He was born in the wrong era. He would have been better suited in age of the samurai."

"Un-huh," agreed Eichiro. "I just showed him the basics and he got it pretty quick. He already incorporated basics with his own style. I'll work with him a little more and he should be ready for the meet next week."

"Yeah, it makes sense. We don't want him to actually kill someone with the way he fights." A new thought popped up in his head. "Eichrio," he called briskly, knowing his team's victory was secured without him. He replied with a simple grunt. "How much are we paying him?" The haughty man was being abnormally quiet. It made Goki's skin crawl. The guilt decorated his face only made hives break out. "How much are we giving him?" His voice rose higher than he intended it to be. He was answered with inaudible mumble. "Speak up!"

He was sheepish and avoided his eye. "9000 yen," Eichiro enunciated clearly.

"9000 yen! You spent 9000 on this guy! How can you spend that much on him?" The worm of a man wiped his face. His outburst had sprayed Eichiro with part of his saliva by accident. It would explain the repulsion he spared on him. He didn't really care. 9000 yen was a lot of money for someone who would only be in one match!

Still bathed in Goki's spite he worked to liberate his skin of it, though it did little to erase the sickening feeling. He shuddered a bit, hoping against reason to shake it off of him. Goki dared to look upon him like he was some nut job who had been swindled out of his life savings on a cheap miracle product. "Kurosaki's skills aren't exactly cheap. He is on the demand for many teams and clubs you know. The last contract he had was the basketball team and they threw out 8000 to get him to play. The price to get him this week was 5000 and 6000. I had to act fast to lock him down for us with your injury, so I promised him a large amount I knew the others couldn't match or being willing to."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Sarcasm dripped heavily from his words.

Ignoring Goki and turning his nose up to his stingy outlook, "The point is I got him for the match and a few lessons to get him ready. If we all chip in we should be able to cover it. We are getting close to nationals. If we win this match we will be sure a spot there and we can avenge our dismal performance last year."

Goki wanted to argue his point more. 9000 was still obscenely high for one match and not everyone on the team had the money to throw away on a ringer, even if he was ridiculously strong. Memories from last year made his heart sink like a stone in a river. It was pathetic how bad they were. It wasn't even funny. It was so bad that their opponents were on the verge of patting their heads for participating. He worked endless hours building up his strength and skill to atone for their pathetic state and it paid off. They had an actual shot at nationals. If his injury brought on by his incentive to train beyond reason had damaged their chances he would not get the chance to redeem himself again. It was his third and final year at Karakura High after all. If he had to pay this Kurosaki to make sure his team went the distance he would pay it. He would pay for the entire thing out of his own pocket if he needed to.

He exhaled and came to terms with their situation. He massaged his temples. "Huh, you are right. Get him up to speed for the match on Friday and we should be good. Still, what a greedy bastard." He couldn't help, but complain.

Eichiro let out a hardy laugh, although Goki still found no joy in this situation. He was kicking himself for not heeding his teammate's advice last week when he warned him of running his body ragged. Eichiro may have been laughing at his misfortune, because he warned him this would happen. It only pissed him off more. "Why the hell didn't I just take a break?" he screamed at the air as if hoping God would reply from the air itself and answer him. Naturally that did not happen. His angst grew more.

Eichiro walked to the once feared thug just as he took of his protective padding and equipment. "Good job, Kurosaki! Goki is impressed and willing to pay. After seeing you in action I am sure the others will chip in with us. We have enough for a down payment now and we'll give you the rest on Friday. Does that sound good to you?"

Ichigo replied, "Yeah, it sounds good." He brushed a strand of hair out of his face. His lips fell into an upside down U shape. Lately his long locks were starting to obscure his vision. It was getting damn annoying. Every time he took a step a patch or strand of orange got in his eyes. He allowed his hair to get out of hand. He should have at least trimmed it by now instead of putting it off. At this rate it would continue to inconvenient him. Perhaps it was time to get it cut. Ichigo fixed his hair the best way he could and turned his attention back to Eichiro. "How much can you pay me now?"

"2000 now and 7000 later?" he suggested wishfully. To complete his endeavor he flashed overly bright smile that was too childish for a teenage boy. Kurosaki's grim scowl destroyed his smile. Silently he gulped. Kurosaki's eyes were battle hardened. They lacked any empathy or compassion. No wonder so many people were scared shitless of him.

"Half now and half later," Ichigo stated flatly.

"Come on!" he protested. "4500 right now just isn't something we can do. How about 2500?" he said. He was optimistic that negotiating would be to his favor. He was dangerously naïve to Ichigo's iron clad resolve.

"Half now and half later," he reiterated, flat as before.

"Damn, ok how about 3000 now and 6000 later?"

"Half now and half later," he repeated a third time. Ichigo deliberately lowered his voice, drawing on Eichiro's unreasonable fear of him to his advantage. Narrowing his eyes, to entice more fear on the poor helpless sap. He was sweating bullets now. Ichigo moved a step forward. Such a simple tactic had dramatic effect on the shorter boy.

Kurosaki was much bigger than he realized. The junior student's shoulders were broad and he could only imagine how big his muscles were. He felt incredibly inadequate compared to Kurosaki. If those big fits came flying his way he would go down like a sack of potatoes. "Ok, ok, ok, 4500 yen now and 4500 later!" he yelped. He threw his hands up in terror. "Just give me a little time!"

Deciding that the intimidating aura he had cultivated would be strengthened if he did not reply verbally, Ichigo nodded his head. Eichiro rushed away from him to gather the money for the kendo team's down payment. So he should be ashamed at using his old reputation and muscular physique to pray on a smaller guy's fears, but in his freelance work it was necessary to show the clients that he wouldn't be pushed around. People do not tend to try to cheat you if they think you might actually start something if they tried to weasel out of paying you exactly what they promised. Hey, he didn't ask them for the entire thing up front. He wasn't being completely unreasonable. He only had to wait about five minutes for Eichiro to collect the money from the team.

"Thanks." The carrot top turned his back on his temporary teammates and started heading toward the exit.

"Hold on, Kurosaki. I need to work with you a little bit on the basics to get ready for the match."

This revelation did not slow Ichigo down in the slightest, let alone stop him. "I'll get to you tomorrow. Right now I have to get to my other job. I've been late on last few shifts. We can work on that stuff on the next meet." The born and bred protector was gone before Eichiro could even utter a syllable. He grumbled at Kurosaki's lack of drive and apparent greed.

"Hmm, he works a job and still charges so much for side jobs. How much money does this guy need, anyway?"

Ichigo was running late. He opted to change back into his clothes at the store than the locker room in order to save time. He had been taking more and more contracts with clubs and teams at school. After his large contribution to the basketball team's victory over one of their biggest rivals his skills had gone to even higher demand. Originally he intended to turn down the offers, so he could have more free time, but work sucked with all the overtime he was getting that he just wanted an escape. Ichigo decided to take some jobs that required him give an hour or two out of his day to help, while maintaining his job at the electronics store. Orihime asked him if he was sure he could do both. He rebuffed her concern, quite confident that he could handle both.

For a while that was true. However, he had been letting time slip from him and had been late to work a few times the week. Masaoka was able to cover for him, but she was getting grilled by Nakamura-san. The need for more employees was becoming more urgent. Nakamura-san found himself being drawn out of the store more and more. This left Ichigo and Masaoka pull his slack. They were spending more hours at work. At first he thought it was a blessing in disguise to force him to keep busy and immersed in normal life. But he soon discovered that two people being forced to run the store caused them to separate themselves for long periods to complete small jobs and task to keep things running smooth.

His thoughts would drift back to his current situation. The nigh golden orange haired man decided it was wiser to take on some jobs that forced him to be active and his brain focused on the task at hand, were as a job sitting behind a counter and waiting for customers did not. He took this job from the kendo team. Orihime mused that it was a perfect fit for him, given how good he was at a sword. It was she who convinced him to take it despite having no formal training in kendo. The promise of 9000 yen had a hand in it as well. Having a sword in his hand even a wooden one felt so right. It was therapeutic. For a brief minute or two he didn't feel powerless. There was the problem. It was only for a brief moment.

"Shit. I better get my ass in gear or I will get an ear full from Masaoka or Nakamura-san." He broke into a sprint and ran off as quickly as his feet would take him. _'Knowing Masaoka if I'm late again she'll make me stay later for covering me. I have plans with Orihime tonight. I can't cancel on her again. No choice, but to gun it.' _His sprint turned into a full powered run. If he pushed his body a little harder he might be able to make it on work on time, for a change.

His jobs had the adverse effect of taking time away from his girlfriend. Ichigo was late for his last few jobs he was forced to stay longer to make up for it. That meant he had to cancel dates with Orihime. Their busy schedules already made it hard for them to meet up as it was. They really needed some alone time. They were reduced to stealing moments during study breaks. In those stolen moments one of them would steal a kiss and ignite the fire within their bellies. They pawed away at clothes, hands greedily touched whatever they could, and lips frantically kissed certain sensitive areas. So since becoming sexual active their self-restraint wavered more.

It was a new world to explore and both Ichigo and Orihime did so readily. They apparently had pent up sexual stress that he had missed. This new area was really fun to explore and he enjoyed it a lot, even if there were some awkward moments to spare. Their first time was filled with awkwardness for all. The ending was not as he had imagined, but they got through it. Their bond was tighter than ever. They weren't on edge with each other anymore. The arrancar dilemma wasn't the first thing on his mind when he first saw her anymore. With all the crap going on with the arrancar and the cold war front he had going with Chad and Ishida it was nice to have one thing going right. Orihime was chasing the rain clouds away and provided him with golden rays of the sun. He wanted to absorb as much of those rays as possible. Ichigo wouldn't break this date. They were going to make this date. He promised himself. Their relationship was the only thing going perfectly right now. He would keep it going that way. He lost his footing and nearly tripped, but caught himself. The ex-substitute was forced to slow down to regain his balance.

"Weird. I don't usually trip." Ichigo didn't dwell on it. He still had a job to get into. _'Was it supposed to be omen?' _he wondered.

* * *

"Your boyfriend is an idiot," Tatsuki declared.

Amused by what her beloved Kurosaki-kun had done to incur her best friend's wrath this time Orihime took the bait. "What did he do this time?" The raven haired girl stared at her as if she had grown two heads and an extra pair of arms. Although, having another head and set of arms would make things easier for her. She could grab even more pastries and even have an extra mouth to eat it with!

"He's taking on so many jobs at school that he completely forgot to help me at the dojo this week like he promised." She pursed her lips.

"I am sure it just slipped his mind. I will mention it to him….."

Tatsuki interrupted her before she could go into full Ichigo could do no wrong mode. "He was supposed to help with a demonstration yesterday for my class. He can't help me now, can he?" Tatsuki knew she was being snippy, but she had asked him again and again if he was sure he could make it. Ichigo looked offended at her for insinuating he was forgetful. As if she had no leg to stand on. He pissed her off so much!

Feeling Tatsuki's ire flaring Orihime knew it was her duty to calm her down. What were best friends for anyway? "I will talk to Kurosaki-kun today." Again Tatsuki looked at her in total disbelief.

"Like hell you are! No offenses to you, Orihime, but ever since you and Ichigo have been intimate…" She used air quotes to both respect her friend's wishes and in this case mock her a bit. She could not help it. Ichigo really screwed her over this time. "….you two, have been sickeningly sweet to each other that you are all sun shines and daises. I don't need a light scolding. I need to give him a good kick in the ass for being irresponsible and forgetful."

The auburn princess took offense to her pseudo sister's accusation. "Hey! That is not true, Tatsuki-chan! And can you please not say that! Customers are here and they could have heard you!" She lowered her voice with each word spoken. Crimson stains were painted on her cheeks. "My boss won't appreciate you talking about my physical relationship with Kurosaki-kun."

Not in the mood for this Tatsuki slapped her forehead, irritated. "Orihime, you are 16 just say your sex life."

"Tatsuki-chan!" she exclaimed earnestly. In frenzy she moved her hazel eyes back and forth, hoping no one in the bakery had heard her friend's careless words. Thankfully nobody noticed. How long would her luck last?

"Oh please. I have heard you say worse things than that and suggested you say them when you seduced him in the first place." The healer's face burned such redness that it made a tomato look pink. Tatsuki kept her voice done, so none of the customers at the bakery could hear them. "My point is you guys are in that lovey, dovey stage where you are all cute around each other. That is good and well, but it is influences how you speak to him. I would rather give Ichigo my problems myself, so I can shout and physically harm him."

Orihime remained skittish that her boss or co-workers would appear from behind her and lecture her on inappropriate conduct at work or worse fire her. She heard no voice came from behind her and relaxed. "Tatsuki-chan, I understand that you are upset. I promise I will talk to Kurosaki-kun for you. I think I can do it without yelling."

Possessed by rage Tatsuki cast a venomous stare at her, making her sweat a bit. "I want there to be yelling. You may let him slide with breaking dates with you, because he has been late to work from doing all these jobs, but I am not. I was depending on his help. The only reason I didn't kill him is, because Ishida was able to lend me a hand on short notice."

The goddess raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this new bit of information. "Ishida-kun helped you?" She did her best to disguise her voice and make uneven, but she wasn't very good at it, because Tatsuki became cautious of her.

"Yeah, I mean he was getting home form the student council meeting and was able to swing by and help me. Once he heard how your boyfriend flaked out on me he was sympathetic." Tatsuki turned her cheek to her and puffed up in a huff. Orihime thought it was so un-Tatsuki like. She had been acting out of character when it came to Ishida recently. Tatsuki continued, "He wouldn't have to come help me if Ichigo helped me like he said he would." The second strongest girl in Japan would not allow Orihime to change the subject.

The healer smiled away, all bubbly as ever and it made Tatsuki want to scream. Orihime spoke up. "Maybe Kurosaki-kun had a good reason for not being there."

"Yeah, like taking on so many jobs that his promise to help me demonstrate a lesson at the dojo," Tatsuki hissed.

"You said he was supposed to help you yesterday, right?"

Reeling from anger Tatsuki confirmed this with a hostile head nod.

"Yesterday, Kurosaki-kun and I were studying together. He probably just forgot," she said sweetly. The menacing gleam in Tatsuki's brown eyes told her this was not an acceptable answer.

"Orihime! I was counting him for help. Studying doesn't excuse him…" The second strongest girl in Japan awakened. Guilt was written all over Orihime's face. Her eyes darted back and forth. She was twiddling her fingers a total giveaway. She was withdrawing. "What are you keeping from me?"

"N-nothing!" she said a little too quickly. Orihime berated herself for falling under Tatsuki's eagle gaze. She could always break her fragile mask and extract the truth from her.

"Orihime." The healer was cut by how sharply she said her name. Tatsuki was livid.

Anxiety pumped through the red-orange haired girl's veins, making her fiddle about. "Well…..you see yesterday was the first time Kurosaki-kun and I were alone in a while. He has been working so much. It is hard for us to get together alone." She paused looking for empathy from her self-proclaimed caretaker, but found none. She was definitely livid. "We studied for a long time, but then we took a break. And um….." Her fingers were interesting all of a sudden. "….we sort of got distracted…."

The second strongest girl in Japan was wide mouthed and offended. "Oh my god! You two can't keep your damn hands off each other!" she hissed. "I can't believe you!"

Orihime felt two inches high. She had no idea that Ichigo had anywhere to be. It was supposed to be just one kiss, but it got a little out of hand. She really missed him. The new territory they were in was one both were enjoying exploring. Perhaps they were enjoying it a little too much. "We didn't intend to go that far. It was just one kiss…." She trailed off.

"That lead to another, and another, and finally to sex," Tatsuki finished. Her voice went lower from boiling fury and her conscious reminding her that she was at Orihime's job. If she got loud Orihime could get in trouble for talking to her friend about a very private and inappropriate aspect of her life in a public setting.

"Umm, Tatsuki-chan, it wasn't supposed to end up like that," she wailed. If only she wasn't descending into a melted puddle. It wasn't as if they had no self-control. They weren't animals. It was just they wanted more than five minutes alone, which was growing increasingly harder to do as time went on. Whenever they did get some time together they cherished it. If there were times they showed their appreciation in more passionate forms. "I'm really sorry. If I had known I wouldn't have…."

"…let your passion go astray," Tatsuki quipped.

"Un-huh." Orihime gave Tatsuki her most sincere apologetic expression. Sensing her sincerity Tatsuki's fury dissipated.

"I guess I can forgive you. I know it is true you guys have been busy lately. Ishida did help me after all. I am still planning on giving Ichigo a piece or my mind though." She could at least do that much. "You better be taking precautions. I am serious, Orihime. Like I said before being a senior with a baby will not be a pleasant experience." Orihime's caretaker shook her index finger back and forth as she went to that matter of fact tone.

"I know Tatsuki-chan. Can we talk about this later? I am at work now, so can we…." Comprehending exactly what Orihime meant Tatsuki agreed to stop talking about the orange couple's intimate escapades. "I am glad that Ishida-kun helped you out."

"He's a pretty good guy." He really didn't have to help her out, but chose to anyway. The supposed stuck up genius had come to her aid quite a few times. Ishida was dependable and she would be lying if she said she hadn't grown a little attached to him. In the right light the Quincy did look kind of cute. It was always fun to tease him and see him lose it. For some reason she couldn't stop smiling. Just her luck Orihime was staring right at her, with smug smile on her face. If anyone else, but Orihime wore that haughty mask she would have smack them once to wipe it clean off their face. _'Oh what the hell,' _she thought. Tatsuki smacked her palm on the red-orange haired girl's forehead.

"Ow! Tatsuki-chan!" she complained.

The raven haired girl straightened her face, becoming sage like. "You know what that was for."

The goddess nursed her sore forehead. She was baffled at her best friend's line of thought. She rubbed the source of her discomfort. Tatsuki wasn't ready to talk about her feelings for Ishida-kun. If she tried to bring it up before than Tatsuki would no doubt dish out more punishment. Orihime wished things would work out between them. Both of them deserved to be happy. If the two dark haired teens got together they could double with her and Ichigo.

* * *

Uryu took a deep breath. He prepared himself for another taxing training session with his father. Many of the doctors and nurses greeted him happily when he passed them in the hallways of the hospital. They had taken notice of his now scheduled and frequent visits during the week. How could they not? They all knew him as the son of the director and treated him with respect that went with it. There were the questions on if he was planning on being a doctor as well. Were his visits due to an interest in medicine? He always coolly dismissed their notions. He heard one of them say he was glad Uryu visited more often. He said it lifted his father's spirits.

If it were not for his great self-control he would have lashed out on the doctor. If Ryuken's spirits were lifted it was due entirely to the sadistic delight he took in berating him on **every** little move he made. His father's sharp tongue was always ready to cut him with an insult, just to goad him in. The young Quincy counted himself lucky to retain his sanity after nearly four months of training. The remarkable improvement he saw in his power was compensation enough. Uryu's low opinion of his father could not taint the fact that his training was helping. If he kept with it he would be ready to face any opponent who came before him.

The glasses cladded man entered the secret training room hidden from the staff and patients of Karakura General Hospital. The sterile and lifeless chamber was as barren as ever. Just as he expected Ryuken was sitting at one of his desks on the first level, inhaling that vile cigarette, before exhaling the horrendous smoke. "You are late," the white haired man stated impassively.

The raven haired man's icy stare was thrown on his father. "I am only late by one minute. I should remind you that I have never been late to our training sessions before. However, circumstances beyond my control will arise. If you are going to berate more for something as minor as that…."

Bored with his son's long winded speech he put a stop to it. "It is presumptuous of you to think I am berating you over something as trivial as being a minute late." Ryuken put out his cigarette and threw the remains in a trashcan. He prided himself on keeping the training grounds spotless. "I only remarked your tardiness, because it is unusual for you." He got up from behind his desk and walked deeper into the chamber. Uryu followed close behind. "Were you held up at school?"

"It's of no concern to you," Uryu announced. He made sure to raise his volume to make Ryuken understand that this was not up for discussion. True to form Ryuken was not upset in the slightest. He would love to get under his father's skin even half as much as he got under Uryu's.

His son was nothing if not predictable. Uryu's stance on telling him the bare minimum about his life was still in effect. His disdain for Ryuken's interest left him vulnerable. The stoic mask he wore proudly had so many cracks that it only required one to know just what to say to enlarge them. Uryu being defensive meant his tardiness wasn't over a club or student council meeting. It was a personal matter. If he had to near it down he would guess Uryu spending time with one of his friends.

'_You are still wearing your emotions on your sleeve Uryu.' _He made it too easy for Ryuken. He was thankful for his son's short fuse. It allowed him to get details on his life and know when to butt in and help his son or if he could trust him to his own devices.

The two Ishida men's journey to the center of the chamber and for their purposes battle arena came to an end. Ryuken pushed forward. Uryu remained where he was. He readied his cross for the battle about to commence.

"Uryu, do you know the primary contrast between shinigami and Quincies?"

He stared at his father as if he was seeing the village idiot asking him what color the sky was. Was Ryuken becoming senile? "What is this nonsense? Of course I know the primary difference between the shinigami and Quincy. What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you were to state your answer aloud you would be able to see it."

Ryuken was a pain in the ass. Knowing his father he would not back down from this. If he wanted to get any real training done it was best to play along. "Shinigami and Quincy both use spiritual energy to fight, but the primary difference is their method of fighting. Shinigami use spiritual power created from their soul and use it in conjunction with their zanpakuto, while we Quincy collect the reishi in the atmosphere to create weapons to do battle. In other words…"

"Shinigami use the power within them. Quincies use the power outside of them," Ryuken finished. He examined Uryu to see if he was able to piece together what he meant. To his dissatisfaction the younger Quincy had not assembled it. "You know this simple fact, but have you ever given more thought to it?" He was unable to hide the disappointment he felt.

Losing his temper Uryu balled his hands into fists, in a poor attempt to disguise his anger. "Don't talk down to me and just spite out what you want to tell me!"

"Quicker to anger than usual I see," he taunted. Ryuken had to throw a jab at his emotional offspring. It was entertaining. "The zanpakuto is the representation of the shinigami's soul and their power. This is best demonstrated by their shikai and bankai. Shikai is achieved through shinigami communicating and bonding with their zanpakuto to bring its true power out. Bankai is achieved by shinigami learning to materialize their zanpakuto into the real world. It is the perfect representation of their combat style, the power within."

Uryu searched his memories; he saw that bastard Kurotsuchi and his overgrown animal like bankai in their battle in the Soul Society and again in Hueco Mundo when they battled the Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz. It disintegrated as the giant skeletal baboon snake of Abarai's bankai. The next image moved along. Kurosaki coated in black trench coat and small black blade was as clear as a bell. All three of their bankai changed their appearances and their weapons. What his father was saying synched up. He still failed to see what the older Quincy was getting at.

The snow white haired man unveiled his Quincy cross. He manifested his metallic white bow in his right hand. "The most basic power of the Quincy is reishi manipulation. We build up our spiritual power in order to learn to manipulate it better. It is our most basic, yet greatest power. In order for a Quincy to grow stronger it is not enough to simply build up their spiritual power alone. They must also improve their reishi manipulation."

"I do not see the point in this lecture. Everything you have said is nothing I haven't heard from sensei." He could have sworn he saw Ryuken's lip curl slightly into a smirk. When he focused his gaze it was gone.

"Of course your grandfather has told you this. I am bringing it up again to inform you that your reishi manipulation is just above intermediate."

"What!?" Uryu shouted, clearly insulted.

"Shinigami and hollows use their spiritual power to walk on the air here in the Human World. It allows them to fly in our world. You are earthbound am I correct?" The young archer gritted his teeth, but nodded. A blue square made of energy manifested just above Ryuken's foot. He stepped on it. A second appeared just above that one. Once again Ryuken stepped on it using his opposite foot. Many more platforms materialized and Ryuken walked on them and ascended into the air, while Uryu watched in mixture of awe and disbelief. Soon Ryuken was ten feet into the air. The small platforms disappeared, but Ryuken remained in the air.

"By manipulating the reishi beneath my feet I am able to walk on the air just as shinigami and hollows do. Their aerial advantage is no long applicable."

Uryu's face was marred with horror. Ryuken could manipulate reishi walk on the air in the Human World! Uryu had only been able to that in Hueco Mundo where reishi was abundant. He created a much wider and larger platform to soar into the skies in the hollow home world. He never thought such a feat was possible in the Human World, which had less reishi in the atmosphere.

The elder Quincy slowly descended back to the ground. Next a chair of the same blue spiritual energy appeared behind him. He sat in it. "Reishi can be manipulated into various shapes and forms. The only limit to what it can become is the user. Creating a chair to sit on or to create a surface to walk on is nothing special to one who has great skill in manipulation." He raised his bow.

"We use crosses as the focal point to create our weapons, because having a medium makes it easier for us to create our weapons. Draw your bow," he ordered.

Uryu did not protest. He was so enthralled with his father's abilities that he just had to obey. The spider web like bow came to life. Its usual blue spiritual energy burned brightly.

"There is a big difference between your bow and my bow. Someone with your analytical mind must have given thought to this before."

'_It is true. I have always been intrigued by how Ryuken's bow's shape and composition are solid. It is a physical object. Mine, however, is composed entirely of energy and the shape is crude in comparison to his. When I first saw him use his Quincy powers I assumed his bow's difference was due to using a pentacle cross from my original one. I thought having a more spread out cross as a medium helped him to make it solid. When I used the Sanrei Glove I had a bigger focus that allowed me to manifest a physical bow. When I regained my Quincy powers I started to use a pentacle cross as well and while my bow did change shape and size from its original form it did not become solid. I was lead to believe the difference in our power is what caused our bows evolve in such different forms.'_

"If you are thinking the difference between our bows is due to our power you are incorrect. Although, not entirely. There is some truth in that line of thinking. The reason our bows differ is because our ability to manipulate reishi are worlds apart." He paused to let his words sink. If Uryu was to grow stronger he needed to fully grasp this. "Manifesting a physical bow through my cross depends on how I manipulate the reishi. Your bow evolved into its current form from your original one, because your manipulation of reishi improved from your training with the Sanrei Glove. Your folly was in believing that you perfected reishi manipulation just from mastering the Saneri Glove. It is the basis for the Quincy's ultimate power, the Quincy: Final Form, but mastering it does not stall a Quincy's evolution. You can always improve your ability to manipulated reishi. Our bows evolve to indicate our mastery in manipulation, similar to the shinigami's sword releases indicate their mastery in materializing their inner power in the real world."

"How is it you can manipulate reishi to such a degree in the Human World?" Uryu questioned. "In Hueco Mundo I was able to create a reishi platform to stand on the air, but the entire world is rich of reishi. In the Human World reishi is far more limited…." His father made a condescending snort.

"Fighting in the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo has spoiled you. You have become so used to battling in places with abundant amounts of reishi that it has stunted your growth. Collecting reishi is easier in atmospheres with high concentration of it, but that doesn't necessarily make reishi manipulation easier. There is no reason why you cannot manifest a physical bow here in the Human World. Your only limit is your own inability."

The Quincy felt his blood boil over he held his tongue back and reining himself in. There were more important matters to deal with than his bickering with Ryuken. "How much power can I obtain with a physical bow?" He received his answer when Ryuken pulled bow string back. The trademark reishi arrow formed. The white haired man unleashed it. The arrow shot off in the blink of an eye. Uryu was just barely able to make out its blurry form. An enormous roar flooded the air waves, drowning out all sounds. The raven haired teen's eyes boarded, nearly erupting from his sockets. Uryu span around. His sights were bolding a great explosion of energy that dwarfed his now small body. It covered half of the room. The heat blew over his skin. The good deal of distance between him and the explosion did absolutely nothing and he pores recoiled at the heat.

When the debris settled down Uryu's light blue eyes witnessed the wall behind had been eradicated. There was no trace behind. The entire wall was gone! The training chamber was not fragile. During their sparring many arrows went flying off, missing their target and those walls remained standing. At most there was nothing, but scorch marks left. His father told him he constructed it with a special alloy that absorbed reishi and reiatsu. It was essential in keeping the room a secret and not to have to rebuild it after every little training session. Uryu's strongest arrows barely left a mark on them. Ryuken demolished an entire wall as if it was nothing.

"W-when?" he stammered out. His tongue held captive by shock.

"When what?"

Uryu asked, "When did your arrows gain this type of power?"

"My arrows have always possessed this level of power. What I showed you just now was not their full attack power. I can adjust the size of the arrow or bow to increase their power, speed, volume, and form. It is more than enough to break through an arrancar's Hierro."

He was aware that there was a noticeable difference between his power and Ryuken's. Uryu couldn't bear to admit this to anyone, especially Ryuken or Kurosaki, but he was weaker than his father. In the back of his mind he kept saying he would surpass his father. It was only logical. He was the one who trained and immersed himself in their family's proud legacy. His father despised being a Quincy. His training had ceased, while Uryu continued to go on diligently trying to follow his grandfather's teaching, to be Soken's rightful successor, a task unsuited for his father. Every day he was gaining on Ryuken. While, it may have only been a little at a time the important thing was he making progress.

Uryu thought he was finally gaining ground on him Ryuken shattered that misguided perception. _'It is just as he said. We our worlds apart,' _he thought bitterly. His failings pierced him deeper than any arrow his father threw at him could.

"If I had time to train you before you rushed off to Hueco Mundo you would have been better equipped and not needed to be rescued by the shinigami." He put emphasis on shinigami to drive it home and provoke him more. It would be his motivation for refining his skills. Sure enough his son growled low and dangerously. He almost felt a sliver of fear, almost.

"How do we start? Tell me what I need to do for this training and I will do it."

There was raging inferno burning within those blue orbs he looked into. No shred of doubt existed. A sense of pride sprouted in his heart. The kind of a pride only a father could experience from seeing his son. Ryuken got up, while his chair dissolved back into nothingness. "Let us begin then."

If he could master reishi manipulation to the degree his father did than he could defeat the Privaron Espada. No he could defeat anyone who came afterward. He would surpass Ryuken and become the rightful successor to his grandfather, the one he deserved. When Kurosaki's powers returned, he would even be stronger than him. He sure as hell wasn't going to allow Kurosaki to taunt him with huge lead he gained during the war. Now was the time to catch up. The two Quincies entered a discussion of the new training regimen. The younger man eagerly took to the first exercise of creating a platform of reishi stable enough to hold his weight with as little reishi as possible. Hours of many failed attempts he made progress when he successful recreated a crude version of the platform he used in Hueco Mundo. It disbursed not long afterward, but it was a tiny ray of hope. For Uryu that was as illuminating as the sun.

* * *

The day had been long and strange one. Visiting Urahara-san only added to it. Her anti-hollow products had run out, so she had to go replenish them. Orihime was at work, so Karin decided to go to the shop on her own for the first time. The dark haired Kurosaki never liked to make an unnecessary fuss. She had been to the shop a number of times with eccentric older girl. She had gotten to know all the odd characters there.

Ururu was so meek. She just stared at her unblinkingly and asking her if she needed anything until Urahara showed up the last time she and Orihime were at the shop. At least this time she acted more normal. She didn't stare at her with an unblinking stalker like gleam. The girl gave Karin the creeps a bit. Jinta made her want to rip out his eyes as usual. He was such a foul mouthed punk. He was always picking fights with her just to piss her off. She hated how she let him got under skin today. How the hell would he know if he was a better football player than her! They never played against each other! But like an idiot she let that red haired hellion pick at her temper. Tessai and that Yoruichi chick were by far the most normal ones.

Tessai was a bit of a hero to her. He wielded the power to shut that loud mouth jack ass up. It was a power Karin would give anything to have. Ok, so she knew that she only saw Jinta a few times when she had to buy new products, but he was just that damn annoying. Tessai's only flaw was he liked Orihime's un-holy food combinations as far as she was concerned. Yoruichi was a pretty cool person. Orihime told her that Yoruichi roamed around on her own and stopped at the shop in between journeys or to help out. Any woman who drove her idiot brother up a wall on purpose had her respect. The tanned woman refused to go into details on a certain prank she pulled on Ichigo, but the midnight black haired girl construct a few idea of her own, given the Yoruichi's brazen behavior.

Urahara still played the part of the overly goofy fool. He kept giving her all these demos and sales pitches for every new product he got his hands on. He was just one big headache. "At least his products work," she finished with an exhausted sigh. "I should thank him for all this stuff. It kept those hollows out of the clinic." The day the entire town was thrown in disarray was labeled an earthquake, but she knew better. No natural disaster caused all the havoc. Her sixth sense read all their presences. All her friends were under the impression that an earthquake hit. No one claimed an invisible force had wrecked builds and ruined cars.

Karin was not naïve nor was she stupid. There was something brewing in the mix. Urahara would give her no answers on it. She tried to grill him and he just went full blown idiot mode on her to delude her from her quest. Karin gave up. _'If I want answers I am going to have to talk to Hime-nee.' _

"Karin-chan!"

Speak of the devil. Orihime crossed the street. She was carrying her book bag in one hand. Her body irradiated the essence of the sun itself, providing all those in her presence to brighten up and crush all dark worries into the back of the mind. The distance between her and Hime had lessened her flushed and damp face told a tale. The red-orange haired woman had been worked hard today, at least from the glistening. "Hime-nee!" Karin greeted her.

Orihime smile widened at hearing Karin's affectionate name for her. A plastic bag drew her gaze to it. Curiosity stoked her brain and urged her to inquire about the contents. "Did you go shopping for Yuzu-chan?"

Karin's chocolate laced eyes fell on her bag. Disinterest made itself known on her face. "No, it is nothing like that. I was running low on the anti-ghost and hollow products. I went to visit Urahara-san to buy more. Since he doesn't ever charge me buying isn't the right word."

"You should have told me you were running low. I would have gone with you." The middle Kurosaki (if only on virtue of being born a few minutes ahead of her lighter haired counterpart) told her silently that she was not a little girl and she could do things on her own. Yet there was an appreciative gleam that thanked Orihime for looking out for her.

"You have been really busy with your job and studying that I didn't want to add to your plate," Karin pointed out.

"I'm never too busy to help you though," Orihime remarked.

Karin became bashful. Orihime did her best to help Karin whenever the younger requested it, but hearing the older girl say she was never busy for her was unexpected. It told her that Orihime would make time for her. Karin wasn't used to that, because of her own vow to not make any noise after their mother died to make things easier on Ichigo and her dad. She had no idea how to react. Even a casual glance into her eyes told her Orihime meant what she said. She played it off as if it was nothing in her own awkward attempt. "It is no big deal. I have been there so many times now. I don't need you to hold my hand to go there, you know." She fought a losing battle with the heat that rose in her cheeks.

Seeing Karin blush was so cute. The healer did not comment on it. Karin valued her pride. She would allow her to maintain it. "I suppose you are right. Jinta-kun did not give you any problems again did he?"

The bashfulness was buried under tangible irritation that Orihime could taste it. "Hmm, that punk isn't worth mentioning."

A nervous laugh escaped the healer's mouth. Jinta-kun was a great source of annoyance to Karin she thought it was best to change the subject. "Did Urahara-san give you something new?" The old shop owner was a creature of habit. He would always add something new to Karin's order claiming it was a free sample for her to use and see if it met her expectations. The charms and defensive kept unwanted souls from hounding Karin and even kept stronger hollows at bay.

"He gave me one or two items. He hinted it was best that I use them on the clinic as soon as possible. He is worried that more hollows will attack." If she wished to know more about that day she wouldn't get a better chance than this. "Orihime-chan, what's going on? Urahara-san had ulterior motives when he gave me all these products didn't he. He is expecting more hollows to come. Ichi-nii was acting funny as well. There is something else happening isn't there, something like with that Aizen guy right?"

Hime wore her emotions on her shoulder. Her poker face was anything, but concealing. Karin attained everything she needed to know in that one instant. To the goddess of Karakura High's credit she put on forced jovial mask on. For obvious reasons Karin bulked at her. Realizing she wasn't buying it Orihime dropped pretense. "Another fight has started." Karin's words were devoid of any fear or sadness. It was even. This made it very difficult for Orihime to read between the lines. She had nothing to go on.

Karin's insightful nature proved to be her loyal ally once more. She deduced the battle going on currently. Orihime was sick to her stomach about keeping secrets. Honestly she did not wish to add to her sins, by directly lying to Karin. The younger girl deserved better than that. "Yes."

"Ichi-nii isn't fighting is he?" The older girl placed her hands on her shoulder and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Orihime encourage her with a simple smile, melting away trepidation threatening to suffocate her.

"Your brother isn't fighting anyone. This time we are protecting Kurosaki-kun. We won't let anything bad happen to him," she promised. Panic the younger girl felt subsided, although the fear was persistent and showed itself.

Thank god her brother wasn't fighting. He couldn't fight anyway could he? Without his power how could he? She wouldn't put it past him to try something idiotically noble like picking up a stick and swinging it about like he used to do when she and Yuzu were picked on by kids older than him. She knew her brother fought monsters in the past. She had seen him fight monsters with her own two eyes, but she was always able to drown her fear. Karin told herself that it was Ichigo. He would find a way to win and come back home alive. He always disappeared and came back. It was just how things worked. The aura he gave off was always so enormous and secure that Karin had this ray of hope that would cut through the darkness of her doubt and shine. It made her confident he would return. She couldn't feel that from her brother anymore. The ray had been extinguished with the loss of his powers. If he were to go off on his own now she would be crushed by her own irrational fear.

Selfishly she wanted him to stay home and let others fight without him for a change. Selfishly she wished he would become a coward and go against his nature if it meant he would stay alive. He was her big brother. She was entitled to these selfish feelings. How many blows could their family take? They lost her mother could they survive if Ichigo was gone as well? Yuzu would completely fall apart and her dad he would never smile again, not a real smile. Orihime would be devastated as well. She could empathize with her plight, right? She would understand why she felt like this.

"Karin-chan," Orihime said barely above a whisper. Yet, it drew her out. "Kurosaki-kun won't be in danger. I will do everything within my power to protect and aid him." Hopefully she could give a speech that was even half as effective of the orange haired boy. Whenever her worries got the better of her he would always be there to reassure her that everything would work out, he would ensure things would. During the war he was always her beacon and kept her straight. If she could do the same for Karin she would be satisfied.

Orihime's words resonated with her. They were so gentle and kind that it soothed her fears. At the same time they were filled with a great strength. Orihime believed her words wholeheartedly. The normally dispassionate girl allowed a relaxing smile crawl onto her face.

Orihime pulled Karin into hug, which she accepted. She was glad she could put Karin at ease. Losing Sora to an untimely death shattered her world. She wouldn't wish that on her worst enemy let alone someone she had grown to love as sister. Ichigo was Karin and Yuzu's big brother. He was vital part in their lives, to remove it would surely cause it to collapse. One nagging thought screamed at her to ask Karin something. Her subconscious refused to back down until she asked. With little choice in the matter Orihime inquired, "Karin-chan, do you not want Kurosaki-kun's powers to return?"

Karin looked up from the hug. She narrowed her eyes, begging the question of why Orihime would ask such a question. Orihime did her best to ignore the oddball look she was given. She had a lot of practice at doing it by now with her peers. "I….don't really know," Karin replied, her voice was riddled with uncertainty. "I don't want him to be in danger and get hurt, but at the same time I want him to be happy. It that's not to say he isn't happy," she added quickly. She didn't want to worry Orihime by implying he was unhappy now.

"Your brother is the type of person who will do anything to protect everyone he can. Right now he is unsure about his life. He wanted to be normal, but now he can't stand it." Karin was staring back at her she was non-existent to Orihime and her image was replaced by her older brother in his shinigami robes. The healer hugged herself, rubbing her arms wishing it would reach her beloved and bring him peace he rightfully deserved. "Part of me was glad he lost his shinigami powers. I thought that at least now Kurosaki-kun wouldn't have to be forced into dangerous situations. When I saw how much pain he was in when Kuchiki-san disappeared before his eyes I realized he could never be content with his powers gone. To Kurosaki-kun his powers and his responsibility as a shinigami were not a burden, because they allowed him to protect all of us. These last few weeks he has been miserable. I have tried to do my best to be there for him. He appreciates it, but I can see there is a part of him missing."

When they made love he bore his soul to her. She could feel it in his touch, his need to please her. Perhaps she reading too much into this, but a she pondered if his need to please her stemmed from his inability to protect her in this new battle. As silly as it sounded for someone to try to compensate for his powerlessness with his sexual prowess, she couldn't help, but think it. There was no doubt he enjoyed their new intimacy as much as she did if not more. He really enjoyed it. He was attentive or her responses and anticipated her needs. Ichigo was Ichigo. He could control this aspect of their lives and he put all of his efforts into it to protect her happiness.

It was bigger than that. All the different jobs he took at school were ways to escape the growing void left from his powers disappearing. He wanted to forget his shinigami life and be there for her. To see the man who had won her heart, suffer silently was more than she could take. Ichigo was offered a spot on the kendo team she pushed him to take it, hoping carrying a sword, even a wooden one would quell the restlessness in his soul. Asking Ichigo to not fight and protect was the like telling a bird not to fly. It went against his nature and it would kill his spirit. He used their relationship as a means to protect her in his small way. The broken dates recently were giving him a might thrashing. In his mind if he couldn't keep a date he couldn't protect her happiness and he wasn't keeping his promise to her. Orihime was deathly afraid of what this mindset would do to her beloved.

Her heart wept at his forlornness. Her stomach ached at seeing depression slowly inch its grip onto him, dragging his beautiful soul into the ocean of pure sadness. She despised how utterly useless she felt. All her efforts to keep him afloat were not sticking. It feed her desire to grow stronger. She needed more power. She urged Urahara-san to contact Hachi-san to come back to her as soon as possible. Hachi-san could open doors for her that Yoruichi-san and Urahara-san just couldn't. He shared powers so similar to hers. If anyone could unlock her full potential it was him. If she was able to gain new understanding to her Shun Shun Rikka than she could save Ichigo and be the sun his life that he proclaimed she was.

"Karin-chan, Kurosaki-kun wants to fight more than anything. He wants to protect. He can't do that storm clouds are raining out his soul. I want to make the storm clouds go away. I have been thinking about how I can do that. I have this thought stuck in my head. What if I could return his powers to him."

Dumbfounded Karin's eyes broadened. "Can you really do that?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Urahara-san told me my power couldn't stop your brother from originally losing his powers when it happened. My power allows me to reject events that happened. I heal people I reject the injury that happened to them." Aizen's assessment of her abilities likened them to God's power. At the same time she couldn't bring Ichigo back when Ulquiorra had killed him. But if what Aizen said was true she could do so much more. Hachi-san and Unohana-san commented on her abilities potential being far greater than she realized. If she could just figure out how to use that true potential she was positive she could reject the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. "If use my power on your brother I thought I could reject him losing his powers. It is the same as healing someone."

'_If I believe in myself and get stronger than I should be able to do it. I can do it. I can bring back Ichigo-kun's shinigami powers. I have to be able to do this for him!' _Without thinking about it her hand grasp at the necklace underneath her blouse.

"I can't stand by and let him suffer. If I can do this for him, if there is a small chance I can return his powers to him I have to do it. If you are upset at me for trying to do this I understand. I have to do this. Kurosaki-kun…."

Karin stopped her. "I am not upset. I actually think you are right. I don't want Ichi-nii in danger, but I know him. He has an un-yielding need to protect people around him. The fact that you can see it means you really understand him. You really are good for him."

They shared a smile between them. The red-orange haired woman had Karin's blessing for her latest endeavor. Her bond with Karin wouldn't be in danger. She could proceed without her stomach twisting up into knots. However, Karin's seal of approval did not change the fact that she still needed to learn more about her Shun Shun Rikka before she could try to restore Ichigo's power nor did it mean it would work. _'No. I can't think negative. My power depends on my resolve. Failure is not an option. I will succeed. I have to succeed!'_

Orihime's phone vibrated, alerting her to a text message. She opened it up and found it was from Ichigo.

"_I was late again. Boss is making me stay late again. Sorry, but I have to cancel our date tonight." –Ichigo_

"Don't tell me he had to cancel another date?" Karin asked.

Orihime let out a disappointed sigh. "I am afraid he did." She was disappointed and upset that Ichigo had been late again. There could be a silver lining to this. Maybe she could see if she could get some extra training with Yoruichi-san. Building up her power would be another step toward her goal. Until she was ready to try it she didn't want to tell Ichigo what she was doing. That meant she would have to keep another secret from him. _'So much for telling each other everything,' _she thought.

* * *

**Ichigo and Orihime not interacting with each other this chapter was intentional. It means something in the next chapter. The lame cliché references about their first time I planted in there, sorry. I was thinking about splicing some of F&S scenes and planting them here, but it felt wrong. I thought if people go to read the story on the other site they would have already read it in this chapter and fell it didn't stand on its own. It may sound vain, but I worked hard to make the story stand on its own for people who didn't read this series and keep it connected to this one. **

**The chapter really wasn't supposed to focus on this milestone, simply, because F&S did. Again, if you feel cheated just pm me and I will tell you the site it is on so you can read it. I wanted to make some reference to it, so had the beginning lead in to the story in Ichigo's point of view. Orihime's new mission was an idea I got from the new Bleach novel I forget its name at the moment and am too lazy to look it up right now. It is the one with Rukia on the cover and it mentions what characters did during the 17 months between Arrancar and Fullbringer arcs. Given how Ichigo won't get his powers back until the sequel you know it is going to fail. That is not even a secret or important to the plot. I read some awesome translations from someone who was kind enough to do so. I wanted to add it in here, because it gave Orihime a new reason to try and advance her powers more. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please review or give me some thoughts in a pm. **


	50. Life and Death 2

**It has been a long time I know. School work was really sapping all my time. Writing several essays in a semester really drained me from writing my own stuff. My semester is over and I have a month out. I have a lot of catching up to do. I am going to try to make the next couple of chapters come out in the next few weeks. The story is nearing its end for me to trip on the finish line. **

**Here it is the latest chapter of 1 year and 5 months. We go through a major milestone. This is the 50****th**** chapter. Can you believe this story has gone on for 50 chapters? I know I can't. Consider this my Christmas gift to you guys. Please enjoy the chapter guys and forgive the usual grammar mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any form or shape. All these characters belong to Tite Kubo who has just gotten married. Congratulations to him.**

* * *

Calputto loved to tinker with things. He couldn't help it. When Silva requested he do her this particular job he was lit up with delight. Working for Silva had its benefits. She continued to give him interesting jobs to do to pass his time. It was more than Aizen did once he replaced them all with a newer generation of Espada. The snow blond arrancar sat in his makeshift work station with the pieces of equipment he managed to smuggle out of his own lab and of Szayelaporro Granz's ransacked lab, before the shinigami got to it. Silva found use in it and him. Calputto was able to create the reiatsu concealing cloaks they wore with it. Now his current assignment was possible through this pilfered equipment, even if it palled in comparison to what he once possessed when Las Noches was under their control.

"Now for the finishing touches," he said. The arrancar hit the last keys of his laptop. His eyes scanned the screen triple checking his equations. Everything was in order. Calputto retrieved some materials on his work table. His hands started to put seemingly unrelated items together before putting them into the device also residing on the work table. As he was working a calming smile emerged on Calputto's face. Working on projects always soothed his soul. How enjoyed experimenting.

He had always been a curious soul. Whenever something caught his eye he had to study it, to understand how it worked, to discover its secrets. It was a curse he had to bear as far back as his human life from the bits and pieces he could remember of it. No, in fact it was the one clear image in his mind from his human days.

He thought he was a scholar. There were many books in his memories. However, he also saw other images that were childish in nature. Puzzles, watches, and even toy models stood out to him. It would explain why after he became a hollow how he would stalk his prey before devouring them. Calputto could never just consume the souls of the victims quickly. It was too wasteful. He made it a habit to learn everything he could about them, their schedules, their mannerisms, beliefs, friends, and families. It was only after knowing as much as he could about his prey did, he take any satisfaction in eating their souls.

Other hollows called it a waste of time for him to go to so much trouble. They boasted the time it took Calputto to eat one soul they had already consumed twenty. He was an outcast even among his brethren, an outcast among outcasts. If he was more of a sociable being perhaps he would have cared. Hollows were not sociable creatures. They were barren souls desperately trying to fill a void their hearts left by consuming as many souls as possible. Darkness only existed in their world, darkness and isolation. He never objected to such a life. Did that speak for the state of his life when he was flesh and blood? Perhaps he was an outcast in the human society and his desire to curiosity was a product of his loneliness? Thankfully those thoughts left him as quickly as they came.

His method of hunting souls proved invaluable. The hollows that mocked him for his in depth approach were eventually killed off by shinigami. They became over bloated gluttons and made themselves targets for the shinigami. Their scornful laughs were silent. Cold steel from the shinigami's blade sliced through their heads. The idiots thought to use force to combat their foes, not even once considering studying their enemy to plan a counterattack. Their misplaced pride in their own ability doomed them. Calputto wasn't nearly as foolish.

He alone thought to lurk into the shadows and clung to it as baby clung to its mother's loving embrace. He watched how the shinigami tracked them. He watched how they moved. He watched how they did battle. He watched the language they spoke. He watched how they interacted with each other and the souls they sworn to protect. Everything he took in was dissected to discover the reason for it all. Slowly as his pool of knowledge grew as the days turned into weeks and soon months, until he reached roadblock. It was inevitable. One could only learn so much from observations. In order to increase his knowledge on the black cladded rulers of death he had to confront one openly.

So he killed his first shinigami. It was remarkable at how easy it came to him. Naturally he did not escape the battle untouched. He received many slashes for his troubles that came with searing pain. Yet he welcomed the pain he received. It signified not only his existence, but the abilities of his opponent. Every cut held the data he needed for increasing his knowledge. Every cut proved that despite his incorporeal existence that he was real. Calputto was elevated into the ranks of shinigami devours. As a result he grew stronger and stronger as his knowledge became more extensive. Satisfying both his thirst for knowledge and souls was his constant pursuits. It became obvious that his hunger for both grew. Slowly his body underwent the evolution of hollows. It was such a splendid event and he marveled at it. The Human World failed to hold his eye and he decided to remain in Hueco Mundo to feed off the hollows and continue his evolution. Time went on he became a Gillian. More time went on and he evolved into an Adjuchas. However, that is when his evolution ceased until he met Aizen.

"Calputto," a voice called. The arrancar looked up from his work.

Unsurprisingly he saw the stoic red haired warrior wearing the black cloak of his own design. His smile widened into empty smirk. "Well this is a surprise. How may I be of service to you, Joaquin-san?"

"I came here to check your progress," Joaquin answered briskly. His eyes wandered the cave that had become Calputto's lab. He never felt comfortable in this place. He attributed it to Calputto's dubious nature. Joaquin had no friction with the arrancar, but he knew that his senpai was always mistrustful of him. Of course she had reason to be. Calputto was very cunning. The cheerful expressions he wore were devoid of any true mirth. He despised to see the false smile. It put him on guard. Did Calputto retain any of his humanity? "How far have you gotten?" the red haired man continued to question.

Calputto returned to his work, his back facing his superior officer. It wasn't out of disrespect or at least Joaquin did not feel it was, but more out of dedication to his work. When the good doctor as Guild used to call Calputto was busy with his work he could seldom think of anything else. That was one of his strengthens and weaknesses.

"You have come at a good time. I am just about to complete it, although I have not come up with a name for it yet. Hmm, I have never been good with names for any of my little pet projects now that I think about it." The former Espada stroked his chin as he tried to come up with appropriate names.

Joaquin cleared his throat before Calputto got off track. There was no need for his mind to focus its attention on something as silly as a name and not the actual device at hand, especially since he was so close to finishing it. "Coming up with a name is more appropriate when you complete it." Calputto's face fell. He began to pout much to Joaquin's surprise.

"You are no fun at all, Joaquin-san," Calputto whined. He did couldn't bear to look at the man who had stolen his fun.

He couldn't detect if Calputto was childish pouting was genuine or if he was putting on another act for his own amusement. It was vexing to the duo swordsman. He wasn't suited to deal with Calputto on a regular basis, at least not without someone else to divert some of the good doctor's banter. "Surely coming up with a name cannot be that difficult. Just call it the Spirit Keystone Locator," he suggested. His comrade shook his head left and right frantically. It was all Joaquin could do to stop himself form strangling Calputto. _'If only Guild was here. He could always tolerate Calputto's antics. He made the perfect buffer between us,' _he thought. At the thought of recently deceased comrade his frustrations melted away into sadness. Their already little band was down to three.

Calputto was so involved with his melodramatics that Joaquin's sorrow went under his radar. "I could never think to use such a plain name as that. It has no sense of style whatsoever." Expecting a comeback from Joaquin he stood there in wait. The comeback never came. Turquoise eyes left his invention and went to the dejected arrancar. Joaquin's mood shift so quickly that it was ease to deduce the source of the sadness. _'He is still thinking about the others deaths. Joaquin is a bleeding heart just like Silva. Didn't he realize that their deaths were a possibility when he agreed to do this? Guild and the others died, because of their inability and weakness. Mourning them serves no purpose. Their deaths did serve a purpose though. The fact that there are more shinigami-hollow hybrids, besides Kurosaki Ichigo was something I was not aware of. The boundary between shinigami and hollows has led to new evolutionary possibilities.'_

"When will Silva-sama return from her training exercise?" He felt Joaquin's eyes bear down on his back. At least his question got him to stop sulking. "She has been gone for some time and I and once I finish this we will be ready for the final phase of her plan."

Joaquin was not sure how to answer the question or more importantly if he could answer the question. Several weeks had passed since Silva came to them and announced she was departing to find one of the last remaining Espada for training. His senpai had been suffocating under immense weight of guilt. She took their comrades deaths harder than any of them. He knew when they were killed she blamed herself for not being able to protect them. In order to make amends she was determined to keep both him and Calputto safe. She was even willing to swallow her pride and seek help for the last of the Espada that had replaced them.

His admiration for her had grown even more he couldn't help, but wonder if it was a fool's errand. There were only rumors that any of the Espada survived their battles against the shinigami. Surely if they were alive they would have ended the civil war going on between arrancar and given Hueco Mundo a new order. Just how long would she be gone? "Senpai still has not informed me of her return."

"I can't help, but wonder if Silva-sama is in her right mind." The moment he said that Joaquin's glare returned, even stronger than before. The pressure his reiatsu produced grew heavier. Calputto felt a twinge of fear. Joaquin was no Silva in terms of intimidation, but when his fury was actually unleashed it could be terrifying in its own right. It looked like Calputto had managed to bring out a portion of that fury. "Do not misunderstand me. It is not my intentions to question or insult Silva-sama. However, the fact remains that no one has seen any of the Espada since we lost the war. There have been rumors that Grimmjow-san was spared by the human boy with shinigami and hollow powers. Some even claim that Harribel-san or even Starrk-san returned from the Human World. Not one of them has actually been seen in eight months."

The argument was reasonable. Joaquin himself shared the same doubts over the claims of the surviving Espada. Hollows and arrancar were not immune to spreading unfounded rumors. At one point he overheard two arrancar speaking about the long lost Nelleil Tu Odelschwanck returned and helped the human invaders impede Aizen-sama's ambition. It was absurd at how far the rumors went. When he heard Calputto voice the same doubts aloud it struck a nerve in him. "Hueco Mundo is vast. The Vasto Lorde class hollows have been in seclusion for centuries. It is possible that surviving members of the Espada could have done the same."

"I suppose it is possible," Calputto relented. "Still I hope for her return to be soon. I will get bored now that my projects are done and Silva-sama will not permit me to retrieve Orihime-chan."

"What is your fascination with that woman?" The duo swordsman had to ask. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. Joaquin was positive that no one would condemn him. Not even his senpai knew the answer. How could he be expected to not ask?

Calputto did not answer right away. It looked like he was lost in thought. Surely he knew why he became fixed with the woman. It wasn't like him to do anything without thinking it over first. It was what set him apart from the typical power hungry arrancar.

"Evolution is a most splendid process," the snowy blond said. Confused by the answer Joaquin could only stare at his back and hope he would elaborate. "I find it most fascinating that even in death the soul can continue to evolve and change. A soul possesses the ability to become a shinigami or a hollow. The two species are so different from each other that most forget they have a common ancestor in humans. There are numerous factors that determine on which evolutionary path a soul will take. We hollows were born, because of our inability to move on from the Human World, while shinigami come from the souls who successfully moved on to the Soul Society. The development that each species goes through takes them further apart."

The scarlet haired arrancar's confusion doubled. What was the point of Calputto telling him all of this?

"Eventually both reach a wall, our limit. That is when evolution stops. It is so incredibly dull to think of such things, but it is true none the less. Do you think that the reason you and I never evolved into Vasto Lorde is because we reached our limits when we evolved into Adjuchas?" He paused to wait for Joaquin to respond. The former Espada offered no response. "Aizen was pioneer. He discovered the door to a new evolution by dissolving the boundary between shinigami and hollows. A shinigami-hollow hybrid can reach dimensions higher than the dimensions shinigami and hollows can reach."

"I fail to see what any of this has to do with the woman?" Joaquin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him.

He couldn't help, but smirk again. "This has everything to do with her. Don't you see? Inoue Orihime's abilities are in a dimension that is higher than the dimension of shinigami or hollow. It is as Aizen said. Her ability to reject any event and manipulate reality steps into the realm of god. What is more fascinating is that she is a human and obtained this power. It could be entirely possible that souls have the potential to evolve into gods. Imagine if there is an existence beyond shinigami and hollows, a transcendent being."

Joaquin looked at Calputto with disbelief. "And you think that woman is a god? That is absurd."

Calputto shrugged off his comrade's remark. "I would not go as far as to call her a god. At least I would need to study her more extensively before making such a bold claim, but I do believe there is an existence of a beyond shinigami and hollows. Her abilities transcend what shinigami and hollows can do. She is the key to discovering the next evolution, beyond mere arrancar or shinigami-hollow hybrids."

"What do you plan on doing if you are correct?" Joaquin questioned. "If there exists a transcendent being, what would you do?"

"That is ridiculous. I would study it." A fire lit in his eyes. "Imagine what a transcendental being could do. Their very existence would inevitable change the world as we know it. I wish to see it. A new world to study and discover its secrets too! Every time I think about it my heart cannot help, but race! The woman is the ultimate prize!" His eyes broadened at the prospect. A new evolution that could bring about an entirely new world! He desired to see it from the very bottom of his heart. He was so close to the key to his research caused his bones to quiver uncontrollably. If it weren't for Silva keeping him on a short leash he would have acted on his impulse and grabbed her.

Calputto's ambitions were fantastical. It wasn't that he couldn't imagine a higher being that govern their world. For souls to have the potential to evolve into such a being, it was a fantasy that came out of the mind of a naïve child. Surely if it was possible the ones with the potential to evolve into this divine creature would be either a shinigami or a hollow, not a human girl. In the back of his mind he recalled Aizen's description of her power. His former master was not easily impressed. The human could possess such a great power, and then maybe just maybe Calputto was right?

'_No! It is too much to think that a human woman could possess the power to change the world. She is no god!' _Joaquin told himself. He pushed thoughts away, but they would not completely leave him. What if he was right? If Inoue Orihime's power held secret to achieving godhood just how would Calputto use it to change the world? Such power, the ambition could lead the world down a destructive path. The duo swordsman would have to keep a careful eye on Calputto now. He watched as the arrancar continue is tinkering.

* * *

"Hmm…." Ichigo blinked a few times. "…a birthday party?" he said hesitantly. Ichigo was sitting at his desk taking a break from his homework when Orihime came in. They had a study date to prepare for their approaching finals. He didn't expect her to come in ecstatic like she did. He didn't expect her to blurt out she had a free cake either.

Orihime nodded her head animatedly. "Yes! Choshi-san is giving me a cake for free! Can you believe it? He is such a nice man. He wouldn't accept my money at all when I asked him for one." Her boss' generosity extended further then she anticipated. Orihime thought at best he might have given her a discount on a cake, but not give her one for free. The truth was she felt uneasy about accepting a birthday cake for free, but Choshi-san was just so insistent.

Ichigo's brain hadn't comprehended Orihime. It was a bit sluggish at the moment. He had been working so many hours a day that whenever he had down time he let his brain go on autopilot. It needed a rest after all. "Wait. Slow down. Are you planning a birthday party for me?" The gorgeous healer nodded her head with child-like excitement. He let out a weary sigh. "Orihime, I don't want a birthday party."

Orihime recoiled as though his words had physical contact with her. Her beautiful hazel eyes glistened near horror. "Why don't you want a birthday party?" she asked.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. Orihime's gaze told him that she was still very eager for an answer. He sighed again as he rubbed his forehead. "I just do not want to make a big deal out of it. Yuzu or Keigo are always trying to get me to throw a big party. Frankly I don't feel like the hassle. It is not like I know a lot of people to have a big party anyway. Last year I only had a small celebration dinner with my family."

"But this year you have a lot of people who want to celebrate your birthday. There is Tatsuki-chan, Kojima-kun, Asano-kun…." Orihime started to count with her fingers. "….Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, Tessai-san…." She stopped by her scowling boyfriend.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I am not up for a party."

The auburn princess' face fell. Her usually vibrant energy quickly evaporated. Guilt slapped Ichigo across his face faster than a cat pounced on a mouse. "It is just that you have been working so hard lately with all your jobs that I wanted you to be able to relax with everyone who loves you."

Damn it. Why did she always manage to make him feel like an ass without every trying to do so? Things between them hadn't been going smoothly. Orihime never said anything, but he sensed his extra hours working was starting to bother her. They hadn't been on a proper date in two weeks. The thought of a party was about as enticing as getting his bottom lip stretched out. "I know you are just trying to help, but I am looking forward to a nice quiet evening at home. It could just be the two of us. It has been a while since we have gotten time to ourselves. After my family does their obligated celebrations we can watch a movie and have a nice dinner alone." To the ex-substitute's credit his voice had risen and eyes brightened to sweeten the deal.

Orihime pursed her lips, not because the idea sounded unappealing. It was the exact opposite. She had been yearning for when she could get some alone time with her very busy boyfriend. Their schedules were not matching up at all. Between their jobs (Ichigo's numerous different jobs), her training with Hachi, and with final exams there wasn't enough hours in the day for a date. The prospect of a nice evening alone with Ichigo was more tempting than mustard, pickle, chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. Her conscious stopped her from accepting.

The real reason Orihime wanted to throw Ichigo a birthday party was to get him to reconnect with their friends. The orange haired man steadily withdrew from everyone since the last arrancar invasion. Sado-kun and Ishida-kun had not graciously refused to tell Ichigo about the Privaron Espada. She understood why they kept him out of the loop, but knew it hurt him more than any sword could have. Their little group was falling apart. Ichigo, Ishida-kun, and Sado-kun barely said three words to each other. Even his behavior toward Asano-kun and Kojima-kun had soured. All, but ignored them now.

He relapsed. Ichigo wallowed at the loss of his powers, erasing all the months it took him to put the issue behind him. Subconsciously he was erecting barriers around him once more. Orihime suspected he took all the jobs to keep occupied and avoid his problems. "How about we meet up with everyone else on this weekend instead? That way you can have a quiet birthday at home?!" she cheered the last part to entice him.

Ichigo was reluctant and his inner conflict became external. Things were awkward with Chad and Ishida at the moment. Tatsuki was still glaring at him for leaving her high and dry at her dojo. Plus there was work to consider as well. "I don't know."

Apparently he wasn't going to make this easy. "It has been such a long time since all of us have gotten to spend time together though."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "We just had lunch today at school."

"That doesn't count though," she protested. Her nose twitched. "Lunch was so quiet and tense."

"Is that what this is about?" His tone was accusing, causing his girlfriend stiffen. "I know things have been awkward with everyone. I just have a lot on my plate at the moment."

"This is why you we should all hang out this weekend. You can relax. You have been so busy lately. You could definitely use a break." Her cheek and lips widened into a bright smile. The healer summoned all of her powers of persuasion. Slowly, but surely it was whittling down his defense. Tatsuki's lessons kicked in. "Please do it for me," she said in the sweetest voice she could. It was a bit sickening.

Ichigo's guilt magnified. His shoulders sank. He couldn't bear to look into those innocent twinkling brown eyes. _'Damn!' _the former vizard mentally cursed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to take some time off on Saturday." His Hime jumped up and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Ichigo-kun! You'll have so much fun. I promise. It will be lots and lots of fun!"

At least Orihime managed to sweeten defeat for him. Ichigo returned her hug. They lingered longer than they needed to. The scent of strawberries caressed his nostrils and starred slumbering beast. Realizing their embrace had gone too long the two carrot tops forced their bodies away each other, before things got intense.

Orihime not wanting an awkward silence said the first thing that came to her mind. "Do you want the cake?"

"Usually Yuzu makes a cake, but I am sure she'll understand. It would save her some work. I suppose if your boss went to all the trouble you might as well accept it." He casually ran a hand in his hair. "I wouldn't want him to be offended and take out on you."

Orihime continued to smile. "Choshi-san will make the best cake ever! You'll be sure to love it."

"Hey could you um….get chocolate?" Ichigo asked sheepishly. His cheeks crimson as twilight sky. He felt silly to ask for cake after making a fuss about not wanting a party.

Orihime clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Of course I can make it chocolate for you. Choshi-san's chocolate cakes are the best. He let me sample some of the old ones that don't sell and they are delicious. Oh you will love them. Just let me tell Yuzu-chan about the cake then we can study."

"That sounds good."

Orihime went to the door. Instead of going through it like Ichigo expected she stood in place, unmoving. She turned around, making eye contact with him. He was transfixed on her shimmering brown orbs. They were filled with affection, but tinted with a sorrow. He found himself both admiring and cringe at the same time. There was something about that look that he didn't like.

"I know you are not excited about your birthday, but I still want it to be great for your sake. I want you to be happy."

Ichigo managed to curve his lips into a half grin. "I am happy."

Orihime frowned. His words sounded hollow. She wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to himself. The truth was this just didn't sound like her beloved Kurosaki-kun. He was moving further away from her. She had to do something soon to get him out of this funk. With some luck their weekend hang out with their friends would help some. If she were honest with herself she didn't have much confidence in that plan. Ichigo was a protector. He learned to enjoy normal life during peace time now that there was an enemy causing trouble he wouldn't be content.

'_I have to bring back Ichigo-kun's shinigami power back! I want to be the sun that chases away the storm clouds for him. If I keep working hard with Hachi-san then I'll be able to develop my powers enough to do that.'_

He instantly recognized that gaze. It was one of pity. He was so damn tired of getting those looks from everyone. He wasn't a puppy with a broken leg or anything like that. He was so sick of everyone tip toing around him as well. Everyone meant well, but it came off wrong. He knew his situation better than anyone. It wasn't helping to be reminded of it every time he looked into someone's eyes. It stung and when it came from Orihime it was felt like a sword impaling him in the chest.

"I am happy," he said more confidently. "I have made my peace with my situation. I went to both Urahara-san and my dad. Neither of them was able to restore my powers. I tried everything I could think of to restore my powers. It makes no sense to mope around about something I can't change. You don't have to worry about me." He topped it off with another smile, one a little too wide and more strained to be natural. Orihime could see right through it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am sure," he snapped. Orihime visibly flinched. His conscious immediately went to work on making him feel guilty. "I am sorry for snapping at you, but I wish you stop insinuating I am unhappy."

"I just want to make sure you are fine. You have been different lately."

"How have I been different?" Ichigo demanded. Unbeknown to him irritation was seeping through.

Orihime was able to detect it. She took a mental breath and prepared herself. She had to choose her words carefully so as not to evoke his wrath. "What I mean is that you have been withdrawn lately with everyone."

"Because I have been busy," he interrupted. "My job at Nakamura's and the jobs I take at school are time consuming enough, but finals coming up there is almost no time to socialize. It is not just me who has been withdrawn. Ishida has always kept to himself and we have never been buddy, buddy to begin with. That is nothing new. Chad is just doing his own thing and Tatsuki is still upset I forgot to help her out at the dojo. All those things will work themselves out."

"What about Asano-kun and Kojima-kun? You haven't been talking to them much either. Lunch today you just been going through the motions. You only talk when someone addresses you."

"I didn't feel like talking today. I am feeling stressed. You are making this a bigger deal then it needs to be. It is not a big deal, Orihime. You are making it into one."

A voice inside of her head warned her to stop pushing the issue. Another voice encouraged her to keep going. She had originally respected his wishes of privacy and waited for him to talk to her. After weeks of sitting back and watching Ichigo drift away from their friends, she couldn't just let him dissolve all the bonds he had made. The reason he wanted his powers back was to keep them safe in the first place.

"Ichigo-kun, please don't push everyone away from you. Don't push me away from you. We are all worried about you."

"Don't be worried about me!" He was struggling just to keep his voice down. Why did she have to keep picking at this? He told her he was fine. That should be enough for her. "I don't need everyone to be worried about me. It is getting really irritating how everyone thinks they know what is good for me more than I do. I am already getting that with Ishida and Chad and I frankly do not need that from you too." He maintained a perfectly even tone. He was a little proud he was able to keep his frustrations under control.

The healer didn't interrupt him as one might expect. She didn't ask him to explain what he meant. She simply waited for him to explain on his own. It was a quality of hers that he loved. Why had she forsaken it now? "After the invasion happened I asked both Chad and Ishida what was going on. Both of them kept things from me. I could tell they both were afraid of what I would do. They didn't trust that I could handle the situation. That really pissed me off. They kept me in the dark, because they assumed it was what was best for me. Part of me gets it. It is just….I mean when we went to Hueco Mundo they both got on my case about not trusting in their strength and now they are doing the same to me. I don't want people to keep whispering behind my back and treat me like some kind of helpless kid. I don't have my shinigami powers anymore, but we are still comrades."

The red-orange haired woman felt two inches tall. She had done the exact same thing that Ishida-kun and Sado-kun had done. She kept things from him in belief that it was for the best. They had known about the Privaron Espada long before the previous invasion. She didn't tell him about the first invasion on White Day. What would he say if he found it she had been keeping things from him?

"You were the only one who told me the whole thing when I asked you. You were the one who trusted me enough to tell me."

Orihime entwined her hands with his and gave them a firm squeeze. "Ichigo-kun….." Orihime muttered out.

"Hmm," he hummed. Ichigo's focus was completely on her. Her heart began to race. Anxiety was being pumped through her veins and keeping her paralyze.

"I am sorry," she muttered. "I am really sorry." Regret echoed from her words. As the goddess of Karakura High melted in her shoes a light squeeze kept her together. She looked up to find his caring gaze resting on her.

"It is alright. I didn't want you to feel bad. I just wanted you to lay off a little bit. Trust me when I tell you nothing is wrong."

"I do trust you. I also wanted to protect you."

Baffled about what she was talking about Ichigo scrunched his brow. "What are talking about?"

"We have known about the arrancar for four months now. Ishida-kun made first contact with one of them. Then on White Day three of them appeared and fought Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, and me. After that night we began preparing for them."

He stared at her. Disbelief radiated from his chocolate orbs. He suspected the arrancar trouble had been building up before the invasion. He remembered the day after White Day. His father had acted weird and he suspected it had to do with a new threat. He kept that from Orihime because he didn't want her to get involved. How stupid was he? Not only was Orihime aware of what was going on, but she participated in the battle before he so much as suspected.

'_Why would she keep this from me?'_

"We all agreed that it was better to keep this from you. We wanted to protect you for a change."

"You wanted to protect me?" Ichigo pulled his hands away from hers. "You lied to me," he whispered more to himself than to her.

"No. I didn't lie. I just kept this from you."

"And that makes it better!?" he shouted. Ichigo turned his back on her and walked to nearest corner of his room. His short fuse had been lit. He was so angry. How could she keep this form him? They weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other. Hell she always endorsed that they be honest with each other. Well it looked like she endorsed selective honesty. And she had the nerve to question if he was keeping something from her!? Who the hell did she think she was?

Orihime read his body language. He was absolutely fuming. Her nerves were pulsing at the sight. The anxiety she felt had become so palpable that it could be cut with a knife. "No. It doesn't make it better," she admitted. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect you. I thought if you knew you would try to do something rash."

"So in other words you thought the exact same thing that Ishida and Chad did. You didn't trust me to handle the situation. Once again you lied to me in order to make me feel better."

The words sliced through her as cleanly as any blade could. He wouldn't even look at her. It was like he was so upset with her that he couldn't bear to look at her. It was worse than the day of the invasion when he yelled at her. His voice hadn't so much as risen this time and that made her feel even worse. At least that time when he yelled at her his eyes were on her. She could tell the anger wasn't entirely directed at her, but at the situation they were in.

"I can't believe you of all people didn't have faith in me."

"I do have faith in you."

"It doesn't sound like it. Orihime, you always tell me how you hate when I keep things from you and you kept this from me for months! You basically treated me like a kid kept me in the dark about the whole thing! I expected that from someone like Urahara-san or my dad. Hell I can see Ishida and Chad doing that, but not you. You are supposed to have more faith in me than that. No matter what I did or how much I messed up you have always had this persevering faith in me. Knowing that has gotten me through this. Even when I lost control of my body to my hollow and went berserk you still had faith in me to stop Aizen. Somewhere down the line I started depending on that."

She was breathless. "Do you honestly think I lost faith in you?" The lump formed in her throat. She promised herself that she wouldn't ever lose faith in Ichigo again. The war had proven to her that he would always come through for her. This wasn't a lack of faith. She just wanted to protect him like he did for her. Was it that wrong? Couldn't he see things from her perspective? "I know how much you hate to sit on the sidelines and watch other people fight. You would have attacked yourself like you are doing now."

"Are you really going to try insist I am keeping things from you now!?" he shouted, unable to keep his voice down that time. "You are the one who kept things from me, not the other way around!"

"I am not trying to accuse you of anything! Can't you just see I am trying to help you? I didn't want you to blame yourself for something out of your control or see you get trying to prove yourself."

"Do you think I am such an insecure person that I would jump into battle against arrancar I can't even see?" he snorted. Orihime opened her mouth only to shut it. She was going to say something, but decided against it. "What were you going to say?"

"It is not important."

"No. Please tell me what you were going to say. Tell me how wrong I am."

"Stop treating me like I am the enemy!" she finally snapped back.

"Stop treating me like a child who can't handle some painful information!" he yelled back.

"In the invasion you tried to fight a hollow on your own. I know you were trying to save someone, but you rushed over there without a plan. When Tatsuki-chan tried to help you rushed her away with the girl, so you could stay and fight."

"I was going to let that girl or Tatsuki get caught in the crossfire! I had to protect them. I was just trying to help you. I wanted help that girl, so you could concentrate on fighting hollows."

"Because you wanted to protect me," Orihime pointed out. "It is the same reason why we all thought not to tell you."

You couldn't compare what he did to what she did. Ichigo tried to fight off a hollow to give Tatsuki and girl a chance to escape to safety. Orihime deliberately concealed the arrancar situation from him out of fear he wouldn't take it well. At the end of the day he had faith in her strength. She didn't have faith in his strength. She thought without his powers he couldn't be someone she could depend on, to lean on for supernatural threats they faced. It felt so damn emasculating. His girlfriend thought he couldn't handle it. It wasn't the fact she kept secrets from him, although that was a sizable chunk of it. Orihime of all people was the last one he expected to doubt him. She was the last person he expected to think he was useless.

"I think you should leave," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"I think you should leave," he said louder.

"Ichigo-kun…."

"Please, Orihime! I don't want to say something I'll regret. Right now I am mad enough to say anything," he admitted truthfully.

Thousands of needles punctured her heart. He didn't want her to be around him. He didn't want her to be around him. Her beloved Kurosaki-kun was so upset with her that he actually told her to leave. The healer realized that this wasn't one of their little arguments that they had from time to time. This one wouldn't be resolved with a smile or a kiss. All the miniature Orihimes in her head were in agreement. It was best for her to leave. Without another word she opened the door and walked out of it. She couldn't resist stealing one more glance. He turned back to her again. He was refusing to look at her even now. He wasn't going reassure her that things would be alright. He wasn't going let her lean on him. No. He just pushed her away. Her blanket had been ripped away from her. Orihime left and didn't turn back. She didn't see him turn forward and look aimlessly at the spot she had just been at.

* * *

**The chapter ends on a sour note. I wasn't sure if I wanted the argument in this chapter or the next one. When I was writing it felt like the argument could just go right in there. It was a challenge to write an argument that didn't have them out of character. I hope they aren't. What I was trying to do for the last batch of chapters was build up to this one. Ichigo being powerless and left out of the loop is supposed to be a big chip on his shoulder. He understands why his friends kept him in the dark and part of him does acknowledge they have a point what hurting him is how they are treating him. He hates being helpless and not having the power to help them at all. He knows it and his friends keeping things from him is a painful reminder for him. He can't just ignore it when they hide things from him. It is why he drifting away from Uryu and Chad, another thing I mentioned in previous chapters. **

**They can't ignore the elephant in the room anymore. This story they have been doing just that. I know Ichigo and Orihime have mentioned his powerless state a few times. I believe I had Uryu acknowledge his powerlessness in one of the first chapters. That is about it. The Ichigo in this story is partially taking on so many odd jobs to stop thinking about things. I wanted him to relapse and sort of close himself off to Orihime subconsciously. If he talks about it he has to acknowledge he can't do anything. I hope I conveyed that in a believable way. **

**Calputto's plans are starting to be revealed in this chapter as well. We got to see some insight into his character. He's not really into the world domination thing. He really just wants to see the next evolution of the soul and see the world change. It is a partial reason he follows Silva and why he followed Aizen. Both of their plans would change the world. Another interesting tidbit is that Calputto is interested in Ichigo. I was thinking of putting into his story that he secretly watched all of Ichigo's battles in Hueco Mundo, but not sure. It sounded too Aizenish enough as it was. **

**I hope you guys enjoy the holidays and the chapter. Please review. **


	51. Those Birthday Blows

**I know it has been a long time since I last updated this story. I had a hard time writing this chapter. It was hard for me to just sit down and write. It felt like everything I was writing was crap. The last couple weeks everything just felt right, flowing better. When I devoted time to writing I liked what I had. I'm sorry for the long delay, but here it is. **

**My midterms are over and spring break is starting for me. I'm glad for the break. I can't make any promises on regular updates, since the rest of my semester is looking kind of tight. I have a lot readings and essays to deal with in school. I can try to get faster updates.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.**

* * *

Reluctantly his conscious was roused by unyielding warmth. Slowly the orange haired boy stirred. God knew he didn't want wish to welcome the day. If he could he would stay immersed in his covers and sheets for the rest of the day. If only he could. No. He would have to wake up and start his day. He would have to face this gruesome of school bully day. The idea of staying in bed for another five minutes sounded very desirable. Such thoughts were quickly dispelled. His father would break the door down and launch one of his sneak attacks to wake him up. His old man's less than generous wakeup calls were tiresome on a good day, but on this day in particular it was horrid.

Ichigo forced his body out of bed. Groggy and cranky he grumbled and made his way to the bathroom. It was so quiet in his room without Kon's insistent blabbering. Who would have thought he would actually kind of missed Kon's mindless blabbering. The former vizard chalked that up to have just grown accustomed to it that it felt weird now that it was gone. It wasn't like he missed getting bitched at for not letting Kon run around. He hadn't gone to visit him, since he left Kon in Urahara's care.

Fortune had smiled at him. The bathroom was free from his sisters. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth Ichigo zoomed into the bathroom. He showered and brushed his teeth in less than 30 minutes and was out the door. He expected to see his father jump him the moment he opened the door, but to his surprise his father was nowhere to be found. Fortune was doing him a few favors it seemed. He got dressed undisturbed as well. He expected the day to start out like any other. No. Things were going his way. Instead of enjoying it Ichigo scowled at the events that transpired. The ex-substitute went down stairs. His body tensed up, teeth clenched, and his scowl strengthened. He expected the worse, knowing them. The minute Ichigo's foot landed on the on the last step they struck as vicious as any wild predator.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Ichigo jumped back slightly before regaining control of his body. He chastised himself for jumping at his family wishing him a happy birthday. They did the same thing every year. Every year his ear drums would revolt at how incredibly loud they were. His father carried a large banner that read the iconic words they wished him seconds ago. Just like Kurosaki Isshin it was loud and showy as the man himself. Yuzu pointed at the sign, becoming their dad's hostess like on those corny game shows. Karin at least had enough dignity to not resort to such a tactic. She stood aside from her twin and father. The midnight haired girl was still in the spirit and wore large smile. Yuzu and his dad wore even larger smiles that came off way too cheerful for Ichigo's liking and the opposite at what he felt on the inside.

The upside down U shape became more profound. Ichigo let out a low almost predatorily growl. It would have stricken fear in the hearts of lesser animals if he were predator in the wild. Typical of his family though, they ignored the warning signs and went on.

"Happy 17th Birthday, Onii-chan!" exclaimed Yuzu. She ran over to her cranky elder brother and wrapped her arms around him as tight as her little arms could hold him. "Have a wonderful, wonderful day. You deserve it." Yuzu mustered a little more force to shower Ichigo with all the love her little heart could produce.

The light brown haired girl released Ichigo swiftly. Karin took her place and hugged him now. "You're a real pain sometimes, but like Yuzu I really do want you to have a great birthday." Karin retreated from him faster than Yuzu. Unlike her counterpart the darker Kurosaki sister took more after him and felt uncomfortable revealing her emotions for everyone to see. She still saw it fit to smile up at him, a sentiment that her elder brother did not extend to her. He looked miserable and wasn't even attempting to hide it. Karin's smile was wiped off her face. Concern for Ichigo swallowed. "Ichi-nii," she said slowly. She wanted to reach out to him, but an invisible force prevented her from doing so. She wondered if it was a ghost, but when she looked around she saw nothing. The semi-teenage girl realized it was her own doubt stopping her.

Ichigo's callus hand ruffled her hair. He patted her on the head. Karin cringed at his touch. It was without its usual affection. It lacked that special Ichigo touch that bugged the hell out of her yet told her that no matter what he would always love her. Karin disliked this new touch. Seemed things were still not right with him and Orihime. Their father pulled Ichigo off of her. Karin felt a case of longing once the warmth left her head.

"My son you are truly a man!" Isshin exclaimed. The shinigami turned doctor initiated an overwhelming bear hug on his son. Ichigo squirmed, but made no moves to escape him. That was unlike Ichigo, but Isshin didn't say anything. He continued with his normal birthday bear hug. He gave one to all of his children every birthday they had. He wouldn't let Ichigo's foul mood spoil the tradition. "Ah, now you are 17 and quickly approaching adulthood. Can you believe how old our son is Masaki!?" Isshin's sights went to the giant poster of his beloved wife hanging on the wall. "He is 17 now Masaki! Soon he will be leaving the house and go out into the world on his own as man!" He tightened his vice grip on Ichigo. If the orange haired man was less fit his back would be breaking now. Once again he was reaping the benefits of his shinigami training.

In a flash Ichigo broke out of Isshin's embrace and slammed his elbow into the middle aged man's back. The force of the blow caused Isshin to collapse on his knees. He then dropped to the floor and rolled around, trying and failing to reach his back. In his father's typical over eccentric manner his rolling around was cartoonish in nature and far too comical to take serious.

"W-What did you do that for? I was only showing you my love and you attack me! If I had known you would be this violent I wouldn't have given you a break on your training!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He appreciated that his dad would lay off the all so predictable sneak attacks on his birthday. It was that appreciation alone that kept him from striking his father down for his agonizing hugs. Today he was not in the mood for them. "It is your own fault for hugging me too hard. Seriously, what would you have done if I suffocated?"

"You could have just asked me to stop!" The former shinigami stopped his incessant rolling. He slowly started to recover, although his children already abandoned him. They made their way to the dining room table. _'Why do my children all have to be so cruel?' _he wondered to himself.

Isshin eventually recovered and took his place at the table. Yuzu had already set out the dishes. When he showed up his kind hearted daughter placed his breakfast in front of him then smiled. At least Yuzu was kind to him. She was the one child who appreciated his cool parenting style. Ichigo and Karin always acted like they could barely stand him at times or down right ignored him! If it weren't for Yuzu and Orihime he wasn't sure what he would do. _'Orihime,'_ Isshin thought.

He set his sights on the empty space that his adopted daughter usually occupied. _'She isn't going to come today either. I guess they still haven't made up yet.' _The last time he saw Orihime she was rushing out of the clinic without so much as sparing him a glance. Concerned he went to ask Ichigo if knew the reason for Orihime's distress, but his scowling son's mouth was nailed shut. Putting together to two events Isshin realized that Ichigo and Orihime had a fight. Judging from Orihime's absence around the Kurosaki table it was a big one.

Breakfast was quiet. Ichigo's sour disposition was contagious. It infected Yuzu and Karin. Both twins ate in silence without so much as trying to start up a conversation. The middle-aged man was no better. His gaze locked onto Ichigo. The almost golden orange haired man stared at his meal. His chocolate eyes were dim. His frown was wider and creases on his forehead materialized. He looked miserable. There wasn't anything he could though. Isshin had tried to talk to his son a few times, but all his attempts were met with rejection. Ichigo dodged all of his questions. Clueless as to what was going on with Ichigo's relationship and unable to aid his eldest child Isshin was forced to watch him mop.

"I can't believe Onee-chan isn't here," Yuzu finally spoke up. "I thought she would be here today. It is Onii-chan's birthday today. She should be here to celebrate it with us." The light brown haired girl lowered her head. Gloom came seeping through her pores. Yuzu was starting to miss her elder sister. It had been three days since she came over. It was worrisome. The happy go lucky girl always made time for the family. Orihime managed to come to breakfast and dinner, even when she was working long hours and school work. Why did she abandon them now all of sudden? She suspected it had something to do with her brother.

Ichigo finished his dish and got excused himself from the table. "Thanks for the breakfast, Yuzu. It was good." Ichigo started leaving.

Taken aback Yuzu held her arm out to stop him. "Wait, Onii-chan! If you see Onee-chan at school today ask her if she is going to get the cake or do I need me to pick it up."

Ichigo waved nonchalantly. "Yeah, I'll make sure to do that," he said in almost wishy-washy way. He was unaware that his flippant attitude made his younger sister pout.

"Onii-chan, this is serious!" she nearly howled. "I have to know if Onee-chan got the cake or not for tonight for the celebration dinner. If I know ahead of time I can still buy a cake for tonight."

"You're making too big of a deal out of this," Ichigo said dispassionately. His body slumped, giving him a careless aura. "I already told you I don't want a party. A dinner is good enough. If we have cake or not it's really no big deal."

Yuzu was sure her ears were broken. Surely her brother hadn't completely forsaken their traditional birthday celebrations!? They did this every year. She respected his desire not to throw a party, since it was Ichigo's day, but no celebration dinner. It just didn't compute. "How can you say that, Onii-chan? It is your 17th birthday! We have to have a cake for the celebration. Please see if Onee-chan has the cake. I need to…."

"Yuzu," the elder brother interrupted. "I told you I would do it. Drop it already. If I see Inoue today I will ask her." Ichigo didn't raise his voice his words were still sharp. He didn't mean to be short with Yuzu, but he wasn't in the mood for sibling bickering. He made his exit from the table. As a testament to his will or dark mood he ignored the wide eyed Yuzu, who was unsure if she was offended or hurt by Ichigo's outburst.

"Mmm…..Onii-chan…." Yuzu grumbled, showcasing her dissatisfaction. She crossed her arms giving into the foul mood her brother he brought on. "He is acting like a jerk," she complained.

"It is your own fault," Karin interjected. Taking the role of a revered and in control mother figure, Karin gave her twin sister a disapproving nod. "Ichigo is a teenage boy and they tend to get moody. You shouldn't have kept pushing him when it was obvious he didn't want to talk." The midnight haired girl took another bite of her meal, gently placed food into her mouth. Her slow and fluid motion made Yuzu think she was watching a noble woman dine.

"It is not like I was trying to annoy him," Yuzu said, defending her actions. "He has been in a bad mood lately anyway. I thought that he would be happy today. It is his birthday after all." Her brother was a strange one indeed. Who was downcast on their birthday? Ichigo was 17, young enough to have many years of youth ahead of him, and old enough where he would be given more freedoms. He should be bouncing off the walls like a normal teenager.

Karin exuded tranquility and poise. She took another bite before continuing her speech. "He probably had a disagreement with Orihime-chan. That would explain why she hasn't been around."

"I hope he didn't do anything to hurt Onee-chan." Ichigo could be insensitive at times. Yuzu had been a victim of it in the past. She expected Ichigo to do the same to her future sister as well. _'I hope they make up soon. I miss Onee-chan. It would be terrible if she wasn't here for Onii-chan's birthday dinner tonight,' _Yuzu thought.

Who knew what was going in that hard head of Ichigo's. The more cynical Kurosaki twin hid behind her meal. The atmosphere around the clinic was been so tense the last couple of days. Orihime's absence seemed to have been marked by Ichigo's increased sulkiness. It was a simple feat to connect the dots. _'Is a fight with Orihime-chan all that is bothering Ichigo?' _Karin finished her breakfast. She pondered her elder brother's mood. The deadpan façade shattered, unveiling the true apprehensive girl beneath it.

Both his daughters' hearts were enveloped in worry. It was obvious they were more troubled over Ichigo and Orihime than they let on. Neither of them opened up to him. _'Typical. My kids have a knack for keeping their emotions bottled up. I know they don't want me to worry, but I am their father. It is my job to listen to their problems and complain about it,' _Isshin mused. Not one word escaped his daughters' mouths. It looked like he would have jump into the fray. He put on his over eccentric jolly father persona. "Hey, don't worry." He fanned his hand. "These things happen. Couples get into arguments and ignore each other for a few days. Ichigo and Orihime will get over it. Orihime is a beautiful, wonderful, spectacular, and well-mannered young woman! Any man would be lucky to have her. A son of mine would never let such a woman slip through his hands!" The dark haired man shook his fist threateningly; a dark yet wacky glare formed on his face. "If Ichigo is too much of an idiot to see that then I'll have to pound some sense into him until apologizes!"

Karin and Yuzu both stared at him. Yuzu smiled awkwardly at him, humoring him. Karin rolled her eyes. She was wishing he would act his age and stop being so goofy. They failed to realize that his true objective was to take their minds off their brother. Isshin considered his goal was a success.

"Why do always have to act so immature?" Karin sighed. "Ichi-nii will just beat you up again like he always does."

Water leaked from his eyes. "Why do have to be so cruel to daddy, Karin? Here I was trying to be all cool," he pouted. He earned a laugh from Yuzu and another groan from Karin. If nothing else at least he could always break his daughters out of their funk with his jovial antics. If only he could retain this power when they became teenagers then he would be all set.

* * *

Ichigo was glad to get out of the house. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his family's efforts. He never had a problem with the Kurosaki traditions before. Birthdays were one of the few events that Ichigo didn't feel his family went over the top or annoyingly ridiculous about it. His birthdays were always a simple family dinner at home. Yuzu would make some of his favorite dishes for dinner, his dad would stop attacking him like some crazy old cot, hell even Karin would hold her tongue back to appease him. All in all it was usually an enjoyable day.

The day was lost on Ichigo. It didn't feel like his birthday. It felt like another plain old stupid day. He got the happy birthday from his family and a great breakfast meal, but it all felt so meaningless. How could he enjoy any of this? Celebrating birthdays was so normal that it was mundane. Compared to Ishida or Chad, who were training for future battles, it was nothing. The orange haired man couldn't support mundane wishes. Of course it wasn't like anyone else cared. They were all trying to force normality down his throat. They all agreed to leave him out of the loop for his own good. How presumptuous were they? He was still amazed at how all of his mentors and friends thought he would do something rash if he found out about the Privaron Espada. He still couldn't believe she had no faith in him.

'_Orihime,' _Ichigo thought sadly. Ever since their fight Ichigo and Orihime kept their distance from each other. It wasn't entirely coincidental. The ex-substitute had been so upset with her that he actively tried to avoid her the next day after their argument. It was a fruitless efforts considering they were in the same class. The first time he was her after she nervously waved at him. He in turn awkwardly returned it with a nod. Neither of them was willing to go beyond that, even their lunch with their friends they were mute to each other. It made for an uncomfortable situation for both of them and their friends. They kept quiet, perhaps wisely deciding to let the couple work things out for themselves. Ichigo was surprised and thankful that busy body Tatsuki let him be. Orihime had a hand in that he was sure.

Strangely enough the thought of his girlfriend keeping Tatsuki at bay evoked more resentment. Now did she think he couldn't handle hurricane Tatsuki? Was he completely helpless in her mind? _'You are reading way too much into this,' _his subconscious told him. _'You were grateful before that Tatsuki wasn't hounding you about making up with Orihime. Why are you upset that she's not on your case? Make up your damn mind.'_

His subconscious was a pain in his ass. It annoyed him as much as Rukia would have if she were here. It was good thing the petite shinigami wasn't there. She would force him to apologize to Orihime without even hearing his side. Or worse yet insist he was in the wrong despite Orihime underestimating him and call him an idiot. The dreaded Kurosaki scowl darkened. _'The last thing I need is Rukia chewing my ass out. Damn. I sound like some sentimental old man, thinking about old friends on my birthday and not wanting people to scold me. It is dumb complaining about things that haven't happened yet. Nobody is harassing me on making up with Orihime. Nobody is condemning my actions. I'll just leave it as it is and get to school.' _

In spite of his thoughts Ichigo couldn't stop thinking about a certain Hime. He wondered if she would wish him a happy birthday like she did last year. Did that violate their cold war stand off? Did he want her to wish him a happy birthday? The whole ordeal was one big headache. He really didn't want to think about it.

"Ichigo."

'_A distraction at last,' _Ichigo thought ecstatically. Mizuiro was standing at the corner for once his face wasn't buried in his phone. His face was branded with a smile that was large for Mizuiro. The woman magnet was chipper, a startling contrast to his usually controlled or neutral stance he took. Ichigo briefly wondered if he and Keigo swapped personalities. _'No. If he did then he would have jumped at me by now,' _he mused. Ichigo carelessly wave at him. "Hey, Mizuiro," He greeted.

"I guess I should be saying happy birthday," Mizuiro said. He closed his eyes, giving him a mischievous mask, befitting his playful nature. Expecting to hear a low mumble of thanks the short man was taken aback when he received none. He opened his eyes to see Ichigo had gone ahead of him. Mizuiro stood there frozen for a moment. Did Ichigo just snub him? What was happening? Did he become Keigo? There was no time to actually ponder. If he didn't want to get left behind cell phone obsessed man had to jog to catch up to his friend. Mizuiro was curious to what soured Ichigo's mood. Unlike Keigo he wasn't going to force the issue when Ichigo had no attentions of sharing. Judging by how he reacted to a simple birthday wish the retired savior of worlds did not desire to discuss his birthday. This would require some detective work.

He pulled out his cellphone and started to mindless search through it to lure Ichigo into a false sense of security. "Inoue isn't walking with you today either. I'm surprised."

"We don't always walk to school together. You know that." Ichigo didn't even bother to turn around to acknowledge such a piss poor statement.

"I suppose you don't," Mizuiro finished coolly. It rubbed Ichigo the wrong way at how flat his tone was. "I can't help, but notice that you two haven't been behaving as you usually do."

Ichigo tightened the grip on his bag. He did his best to suppress any emotion and conceal it from his observant and silver tongued friend. This was Mizuiro after all. There was a reason he had so many girlfriends.

Mizuiro continued, "Arisawa has been surprised about all the time she has been able to spend with Inoue." He was gauging Ichigo's responses. His orange haired friend had too many tells to keep anything concealed. If there was something wrong between Ichigo and Inoue it would be easy to discover. "Has she come over to your place for breakfast or diner?" Ichigo refused to speak yet again, but Mizuiro witnessed a subtle shift in Ichigo's shoulders. Tension set in around them. Unintentionally he revealed to Mizuiro that the beauty of their class had not been over to his home as she used to be.

"You know it is naturally for people to get into a slump in relationships from time to time," Mizuiro lectured. "It is possible to work these things out though. If Inoue is mad at you…."

"What makes you think she is mad at me?" Ichigo spoke loud enough to overpower the shorter man. He sharply turned around. His hardened glare locked on to the cellphone obsessed man. It must have been frightening glare, because Mizuiro physically recoiled at the sight.

"She's not mad at you?" Mizuiro cried, clearly surprised. He didn't suspect that this fueled Ichigo's agitation.

"Inoue is so perfect that you automatically assume I'm the one who messed up?" Mizuiro was possessed by astonishment, while Ichigo was possessed by another emotion, a festering rage. It had been boiling all morning. No, it was a rage boiling for days now, but pushed to the bottom of his stomach to prevent himself from lashing out. Mizuiro had unearthed it. "I'm sick of your pussy footing around. If you want to know if something is up with me and Inoue then just ask me directly. I had enough of people trying to play head games with me. I got enough of that from Aizen!"

Mizuiro's eyes broadened at the outburst. Ichigo had a short temper and exploded without warning on almost a daily basis. Those outbursts were in response to people or things that annoyed him, such as Keigo's whining or Arisawa and Ishida smart remarks. Those outbursts were juvenile and filled with more annoyance than actual anger. What the he was experiencing now was Ichigo's true anger. It drew fear from Mizuiro's body and made his bones vibrate with it. It was then that the dark haired man wondered if this is what the people who fought Ichigo experienced when he unleashed his rage on them.

Ichigo's face scrunched up, creases appeared over his face. His temper was running away from him without even realizing it. "Inoue and I got into an argument alright. It turns out she and everyone else was keeping the Arrancar invasion from me. They thought I couldn't handle it and treated me like a kid. That's it, the whole story. As you can see I didn't mess up like you thought. Inoue is the one who lied to me! She messed up! So the next time you want to give me advice on my relationship, get the whole damn story first!" Ichigo spilled out bitterly. He put his back to Mizuiro and started walking away and not caring if his short friend followed him or not.

When Keigo appeared the former vizard barked at him before Keigo could even think to jump at him. Picking up on Ichigo's deadly tone compelled Keigo to obey. He backed down and allowed Ichigo walk past him. "What's his problem?" Keigo directed his question to Mizuiro.

Mizuiro stared at Ichigo's back as he walked away from them. "He and Inoue got into a fight," he replied.

"Oh, that sucks," Keigo said, stating the obvious. "For them to be fighting on his birthday of all days, Ichigo has terrible timing." Mizuiro failed to respond to his witty remark. Keigo tore his eyes away from Ichigo and planted them on the shorter friend. Mizuiro's gaze was overtaken by concern for their scowling friend. This alerted him that the situation between Ichigo and Orihime was more serious than he thought. He made a mental note to not joke about it around Ichigo lest he wanted to be skinned alive and be strangled by said skin. Today he decided not to push his luck and try to annoy Ichigo as least as possible.

* * *

Orihime slunk down onto her desk. She sighed disappointedly. He wasn't there yet. Shouldn't have been there by now? He wasn't usually late. Now that he wasn't hunting hollows he made a point to be on time. It was disconcerting not to see his scowling face walk through the door of the classroom. What if something happened to him?

'_No,' _she shook her head of such thoughts. _'I'm overreacting. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for why Ichigo-kun isn't here yet. His family could have a birthday breakfast for him. That makes sense. He would be running late this morning.' _Her lip curled into an ugly frown. She hadn't been to the Kurosaki household since her fight with Ichigo. As a result she was kept out of the loop. Any birthday plans they had for Ichigo were unknown to her. She wasn't even sure if they were still relying on her to bring the birthday cake or not. Ichigo was keeping her at arm's length along with everyone else. It was to be expected, after all despite her and everyone else's best intentions they still managed to wound her orange protector's pride.

His pride was already injured by his own powerlessness. To have his friends, his father, and even her acknowledge his powerless state was one thing. To have them keep their situation a secret was like they were patting him on the head, coddling him like a little boy, and telling him to sit aside while the grownups talked. How could he not be offended? He expected more from them, from her. Orihime sighed again.

"What is with that face?" asked a voice. Orihime looked up to found the owner, her best friend Tatsuki standing above her. Her hands rested on her hip, her lips formed their own frown, but unlike Orihime her brow scrunched. "You shouldn't be wearing such an ugly frown, Orihime. It doesn't suit you at all," Tatsuki said, half-jokingly. Her humor was lost on the auburn princess.

'_Great, by the looks of her frown, I'm guessing it has something to do with Ichigo,' _Tatsuki thought. She learned of the couple's fight almost immediately after it happened. A distraught Orihime went to her house and spilled her soul on what happened. The black haired girl listened to her and comforted her to the best of her ability. She did manage to subdue Orihime, but realized she didn't and couldn't put her at ease. The only one who could do that would be that idiot Ichigo. "Look people have fights all the time, especially couples. You can't be together with someone and not have a disagreement or two pop up every now and again."

Orihime responded with sigh, annoying Tatsuki, but deterring her. She continued, "Orihime you got into a fight with Ichigo and it didn't end in some sickeningly sweet public display of affection. He is mad at you right now, but he won't stay that way forever. Then you two will look back on this next month and laugh at it."

"You think he won't forgive me until next month!?" a shocked Orihime exclaimed.

Tatsuki cursed herself for her poor constructed sentence. "No! No! No!" she shouted in quick succession. The damage was already done unfortunately. Orihime was already contemplating her words, to Tatsuki's dismay.

"I didn't think he would be upset with me for so long. What if he stays mad at me for two months! Eh, he could stop talking to me for two whole months! He was really anger at me when he told me to leave! Oh, no. What should I do? I should apologize to him or maybe I should just give him his space, so he doesn't get angrier!" Orihime blathered on in ridiculous speeds. It sounded like gibberish to Tatsuki who long since lost the ability to comprehend the healer once she went turbo speed.

The second strongest girl in Japan huffed loudly, venting her frustrations. Orihime continued with her gibberish. _'This leaves me no choice, but to do that!'_ Tatsuki inhaled to gather her strength then exhaled to expel her frustrations and doubts. The black haired girl placed her two hands on the red-orange girl's face and shook her with enough force to cause Orihime's whole body to shake. The naïve girl was forced silent just as Tatsuki had hoped for. With her mission accomplished Tatsuki ceased her shaking. "Listen to me, Orihime," she said firmly, but laced with kindness, so as not to upset her further. The Goddess of Karakura High was a bit dazed, but her hazel eyes were clear and focused on Tatsuki. The raven haired girl knew her best friend was listening to her now. "Stop for a moment and take a breath." Orihime obeyed her and did just that. "You are stressing yourself out for nothing."

"I…." Orihime stammered out. But Tatsuki covered her mouth to keep her from saying anything. It annoyed the goddess to have her best friend cover her mouth, but she complied with Tatsuki's wishes.

"I didn't mean to get you upset or make you think Ichigo is going to stay mad at you for a month. He loves you. Don't let this one fight redefine your whole relationship. I know you can't stand to think that Ichigo is mad at you, but he is. You said sorry. Now you just have to let him vent it out for the moment. It's only been a few days. So just relax." Tatsuki removed her hand from Orihime's mouth. For a moment the two best friends said nothing. Both watched to see how the other would respond until it was broken by Orihime.

"Do you really think it is that simple?" she asked meekly.

A huge grin spread across Tatsuki's lips. "Yeah," she replied.

Orihime was Tatsuki's opposite at the moment, her lips refused to curl into a smile. "But today is his birthday. I'm supposed to be getting him a cake for Yuzu-chan. What am I supposed to do now?"

Tatsuki mentally chided herself. Damn. She had forgotten it was Ichigo's birthday. Well she didn't forget it exactly. Tatsuki knew when Ichigo's birthday was, but he never made a fuss over it. He never had a party or asked his friends for gifts. They only acknowledged his birthday with a simple happy birthday. Since she hadn't seen Ichigo yet today she didn't get to wish him a happy birthday yet. It did slip her mind that it was the ex-substitute's birthday when she conversing with Orihime. She didn't have a clue on how her pseudo sister should approach the birthday situation. Tatsuki opened her mouth just when the door opened. The orange haired, grim faced man strode in. His presence sucked away all the joy around him, as evidence of students nearest to him became mute and relinquished their sunny dispositions that donned before his arrival.

Orihime's body tensed and held her breath back in a mix of anticipation and hesitation. Tatsuki imagined her dilemma was over whether or not she should wish her boyfriend a happy birthday or not. Normally Tatsuki would stay and the buffer between to incredibly stubborn and thick headed orange haired couple and break the ice. The black belt was unable to do that. Ichigo's arrival reminded her that class would start soon. She was pushing her luck by staying in Orihime's class for as long as she had. Her classroom was not close to Orihime and Ichigo's class. _'Great. I'm going to be late,' _she groaned mentally. Tatsuki turned to Orihime. "I have to get going now. If I run I might just make it to class on time. I'm sorry I can't be here for you."

A smile seeped through Orihime's lips. It was the first smile Tatsuki had seen from her that morning. "There is no need to apologize Tatsuki-chan. We are in different classes this year. I understand why you can't stay here. I'm just sorry I kept you here all this time."

"Stop it. You didn't make me stay. I wanted to talk to you anyway and just lost track of time." She flashed the auburn princess her cocky yet upbeat smile. To her delight Orihime returned it, with another genuine smile. Her best friend was not as bad off as Tatsuki was thinking. She left Orihime's desk and made her to the door, but before wishing Ichigo a good birthday, with him acknowledging her with a nod. She didn't expect any more from him. She stopped at Ishida's desk, where he was being the living embodiment of the perfect student waiting for class to begin. The raven haired Quincy felt her presence instantly.

"Hey," she told Ishida. "Can you do me a favor and keep an eye on those two." She discretely pointed out Orihime and Ichigo. "They are still dancing around each other, but if Orihime doesn't wish him happy birthday she will beat herself over it later."

"What makes you think I'll agree to that?" he asked. "I told you I'm not the type to play matchmaker," Uryu reminded her. He expected to see the martial artist to be glaring him down. Instead her lips curved into that endearing half smirk she was known for. He had grown attached to the smirk, because her eyes would also light up with it. It suited her.

"You're full of it," Tatsuki stated almost proudly. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you have been helping those two out all this time." The stoic mask he hid behind did not crack, but his brilliant blue eyes of his betrayed him. They did widened just a bit. Her smirk grew as smugness swelled within her. "I trust you are going to watch them." Ishida said nothing. His pride wouldn't allow him to. That was fine with Tatsuki though. She did enjoy rattling the Quincy up. She left the classroom.

Uryu was annoyed at how easily Arisawa discovered his involvement with Kurosaki and Inoue-san in the past. What annoyed him more is that he would honor her wishes and watch the couple. It was becoming troubling how she knew how read him. It was disconcerting she was able to persuade him to do these charity acts. _'Since when did Kurosaki's love life start to affect me?' _He could only wonder until their teacher came and class started.

* * *

Time flew by fast. Seriously, he felt like he had just taken his seat when the lunch bell rang. Ichigo's thoughts did stray from his teacher's lecture. It strayed about as far as it could get. He might as well have been on the moon. It was unwise to space out with finals looming around the horizon. He had a lot on his mind. Yuzu was going to make a fuss over his birthday regardless of his wishes. He still needed to talk to Orihime about the cake, which was floodgate to a river of other problems.

He couldn't very well ask Orihime about the cake and not invite her. They had been pretty careful about giving each other space. He wasn't sure if he was ready for the awkward diner with Orihime and his family. Knowing his father and Yuzu, they would bombard both of them on her sudden absences at the Kurosaki household. It was all tiresome. They would blame him for Orihime not being there, just like Mizuiro blamed him for the fight. No one would dare to think his anger was justified.

"Kurosaki-kun," a small heavenly voice called. It soothed his ears with its gentleness and drew him to her. Orihime stood at his desk. She rubbed her right arm timidly, refusing to stand straight as if to conceal her body from view.

"Hmm," he replied somberly. The ex-substitute did everything in his power to avoid those big adorable brown eyes of hers. If he looked into them his heart would melt and then he would remember how good it felt to be her presence. He didn't want to remember that. If he did then he would feel like shit for not basking in her sun-like aura.

He wouldn't even look at her. Things were getting worse between them. Her heart dropped almost to her stomach. If her beloved Kurosaki-kun couldn't bear to look at her what were the chances he would want her to be at his birthday dinner? "Um….I just wanted to….um….you know…" Oh great she couldn't even form a proper sentence around him now. That was going to help thing a lot. "….wish you happy birthday," she finished lamely. The healer found her fingers playing with her hair out of nervousness.

Ichigo grasped his desk. _'Shit. Why does she have to sound so cute? Why do I find her stuttering cute? I have some weird tastes.' _He took a small breath. All he had to do was ignore those sickening sweet loving feelings. "Thank you, Inoue." He hoped his tone was even. He couldn't let her know just how her mere presence had such adverse effects on his treacherous body.

'_He's still not looking at me,' _Orihime thought. Her hair twirling sped up as her fear grew. She frantically searched her mind for anything that could extend their conversation. If she left him like this their bond would deteriorate further. The healer absolutely refused to let their bond deteriorate! "Does Yuzu-chan still want me to pick up the cake?"

"Yes. She mentioned it this morning," Ichigo answered in a monotone tone. He commended himself from sticking to his guns by avoiding eye contact.

"Does she want me to pick it up for her and delivery it or will she pick it up?" She wanted to give him an out for inviting her to dinner. He wasn't ready for her to go home yet. Yes. She considered the Kurosaki Clinic as her home. How could she not with all the wonderful memories she had in that house?

His ears tingled. She gave him an out. He knew she did this for his sake. It was just Orihime's way to put others needs before her own. The weirdness and his anger shaken their bond up quite a bit, but it did little to prevent his Hime from being able to read him. His Hime, it was little thoughts like that made it hard to not break down. "I could pick up."

Orihime rushed out, "Good!" She failed to curve her enthusiasm. She couldn't help it. This would be the first time he stopped at her apartment since the argument. It wasn't much, but it was something. "I still need to pick it up at the bakery though. After I get it you can just come over and pick it up anytime."

He nodded along. "That sounds good." His set his sights on the clock and was reminded their conversation was eating at their lunch hour. Ichigo got out of his seat, still refusing to look her in the eyes. "We better get going. Everyone else will be worried if we aren't there." Keigo would have a stroke if he didn't show up.

"Ichigo-kun."

That lured him out of his neutral defense. Without even realizing it Ichigo looked at Orihime. They were alone. The classroom had emptied fast. That was why she used his given name. It had been a while, since he heard her say it. His heartbeat didn't become irregular after he heard his name come out of her lips. Foolishly his chocolate eyes lined up with her hazel eyes. A jolt ran down his spine and into his toes. He forgot how her eyes shimmered.

"I miss you."

She wasn't playing fair now. It made it hard to hang on to his anger when she was being so adorable.

Orihime continued, "I have a birthday gift for you. I can give it to you when you picking up the cake." She bit her bottom lip just trying to match his stare. He was finally looking at her. There was no way she would blow it by being bashful. They shared too much for her to shy away from such acts.

Most of Orihime had been whited out, while her lips became more focused. He realized that he was staring at her luscious, inviting lips. How long had it been since tasted them? _'Get your head out of your ass Kurosaki. Orihime is opening up to you and you're thinking about kissing those lips, sucking her bottom lip gently before going down to her throat and…. Fuck! Get your mind out of the guttering!' _he scolded himself.

"I'm happy you are looking at me again." The healer's tantalizing lips broke into a U-shape. It enhanced her celestial beauty.

"Orihime," Ichigo barely said above a whisper. Her posture changed. Anticipation radiated from her body. She was just so eager to hear his response. He wanted to reassure her, tell her that things were going to be ok with them, just tell her how much he wanted to kiss her right there and then. He couldn't look into those big brown eyes and not remember how they inspired him to become a better man. Those eyes held so much love and acceptance. They brought out the best in him. Those were also the same eyes that cut through his heart more deeply than any zanpakuto could. When they were consumed by fear over his hollowfication it hurt him. It was only for a brief time, but she had doubted him in that battle with Grimmjow. It was just like she doubted him with the Privaron Espada. That hurt even more now than it did in the past. They had been through so much and overcame so much together, but she still doubted him. Ichigo wasn't ready to forgive Orihime for that yet. "We better hurry or we'll miss lunch," he finished.

Ichigo forced his body not to flinch when pain erupt in her eyes. Saddened the healer mumbled her agreement. The pair left the classroom for the roof. Neither of them spoke. Instead they embraced an awkward silence that lasted even when they met their friends. Once again lunch had been awkward for the couple.

* * *

**Unfortunately the couple hasn't mended things yet. I couldn't really see Ichigo and Orihime as being a couple that would yell or be intentionally spiteful to each other after an argument. Both characters hold things back and isolate themselves when they feel crappy. I saw Ichigo being hurt and upset at Orihime, but having him shut her out until. Orihime doesn't like to be a burden to people, so it made sense for her to try to not intrude on Ichigo, while he was upset with her. That's why she hasn't been visiting the Kurosaki household. I did make Ichigo more detached from everyone, since he feels betrayed that everyone was keeping him in the dark.**

**Yes. I have been following the manga. There have been ups and downs for me, but I like Isshin history so far. I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm going try to update it faster. **


	52. Forgive Us For We Are Human

**The next chapter is done. I'm happy to say it is only two weeks since the last update. After reading the reviews I'm happy to see so many people have differing opinions on Ichigo and Orihime's argument. People see Ichigo's point and see why Orihime kept secrets from him. I didn't want one person to be right and the other person wrong. I wanted both sides have a point and be guilty of hypocrisy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach at all.**

* * *

Sado cracked his knuckles. The silent giant worked out the kinks out of his body, by stretching. He found himself in the underground training field that was hidden underneath the Urahara Shop. At this point it was a regular part of Sado's routine to go to the Urahara Shop after school so long as he didn't have work. Today was no exception, even if it was Ichigo's birthday. The former vizard never was big on celebrating his day of birth under normal circumstances. There was no way he would have a change heart after the Privaron Espada surfaced for the world to see.

His old friend didn't appreciate being kept in the dark. Sado understood that. He expected as much when the secret was finally out. He certainly didn't blame Ichigo for it. He felt the same way when Ichigo tried to keep him out of battle when the Arrancar War started so long ago. How could he not expect Ichigo to feel the same way? He prepared for this from the start. Sado wouldn't ask for forgiveness or try to justify his actions to Ichigo. It was unnecessary, because he knew Ichigo. Once he set his mind on something there was no stopping him. When Sado looked at Ichigo's face he could still see the indecisiveness in it. He hadn't reached his decision yet on how he truly felt about everything, his power loss, their decision to exclude him, what he wanted in his life. When Ichigo did he would approach him and tell him off for his actions. Maybe Ichigo might punch him. That thought made him smirk. That is when Ichigo would make up his mind and be the Ichigo he knew and loved. That is when the Ichigo he vowed to watch his back for would return.

"Are you ready yet, Sado?"

Sado was taken out of his own head by the voice of his stern mentor, Yoruichi. Her mischievous gleam was absent. Her brow furrowed and lips curved into a mean frown that he could admit aroused fear within his heart. She had already taken a defensive stance. Clearly she was ready for their sparring session. His usual sparring partner Inoue was busy with a different training session with the vizard, Hachi. The Goddess of Flash scowled at him, making Sado flinch. Yoruichi was easy going and known for playful nature, but she was also known for her fierce temper. Frankly he did not wish to get on her bad side. He summoned Brazo Derecha de Gigante over his right arm and readied himself for battle.

A smirk arose from the head of Shihoin Clan. It was a perfect combination of prideful and mischievous, capturing both aspect of Yoruichi. "Don't expect me to go easy on you, just because you are a kid." She focused her spiritual energy to increase the volume of her reiatsu to serve as both a warm up and intimidation tactic. To her young protégé's credit he kept a straight face. He was learning to keep his fear under control. She couldn't feel an ounce of fear in his reiatsu.

"I like to see that look in a man's eyes," the purple haired woman said. "I hope you have a bit more staying power this time. I would hate to be left wanting," she teased. Sado was stone faced as ever. It was commendable that the deadpan giant kept his focus, but Yoruichi felt a bit of disappointment that he wasn't red-faced as Ishida and Ichigo would get when she made blatant innuendo. Did he have to be so deadpan? It was easier to get a reaction out of little Byakuya-kun. Further words wouldn't provoke the reaction she wanted from him. The Goddess of Flash shot across to him like lightning, while Sado threw a straight forward punch. The two met into an explosive clash that threw dirt and debris all over the underground base.

Luckily it was so large that the blowing debris and dirt wouldn't be blown everywhere. Kisuke was at a safe enough distance from it, as where Orihime and Hachi. They had taken the shop owner's advice to heart and set themselves up a fair distance from Sado and Yoruichi. Kisuke stared at battle between the two dark skinned warriors from a cliff with his cane in his hand. Most people wouldn't figure he possessed the eyes of an eagle given how his hat hid his eyes from view. He could see his old friend Yoruichi landed a kick to Sado's side.

'_It would seem that Sado-san's training is proceeding nicely,' _the snow blond thought. At this rate the hollow powered man would be able to match the strongest of the vice-captains the Gotei 13 had to offer.

"Ugh!" grumbled a loud and coarse voice.

The former captain had to hold back a jovial laugh. She wouldn't have appreciated if he had laughed at her. It would only spell bad news for him if he had been bold enough to do so. "Did you say something, Hiyori-san?" He decided to play along with her.

Hiyori sat with both her legs and arms crossed. Her face wrinkled from how hard she was scowling. In Kisuke's opinion it did her face no justice. Being locked in an almost permanent frown hid her good looks. Hiyori grumbled something inaudible.

"I'm sorry. I didn't get that," Kisuke pushed.

The youthful vizard growled. "I said this is a waste of my time!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "When you said I might find something interesting I didn't think you meant to sit here and watch that human get his ass kicked by Yoruichi! Why was I so stupid to think you have anything of actual interest for me?!"

Good old Hiyori-san. If she wasn't shrieking at him then she was physically assaulting him. A decade together had broken his ears in. There was of course the centuries of knowing Yoruichi before that. Not that he would ever tell Yoruichi that. He valued his life after all. Kisuke slipped into the fool persona with a large grin to match. "Now, now, there is no need to be so upset, Hiyori-san." He whipped out his fan and waved it about. "I thought that since you were accompanying Hachi-san today that you would want something to do."

Hiyori rolled her eyes. She never liked his clownish act. It always threw her for a loop. She couldn't tell if the true person was the brilliant yet secretive genius or the loud mouthed oaf. The way he alternated between the two with no problem made it hard to discern. "I don't want to waste my time just sitting here watching that big oaf of a human."

"Now, now don't be like that," Kisuke urged. "Sado-san is a very kind and honorable man. He is also friends with Kurosaki-san," he reminded it her.

She remembered the giant of a man. He and that chick Orihime confronted her and Shinji when they were trying to recruit Ichigo. She threatened to kill them before Shinji stopped her. In retrospect it was better she didn't actually kill them. Ichigo would have never trusted them if she had. It wasn't like those two were dicks like Shinji and Ichigo. They were just annoying. "Hmm. I already met him before. I don't care that he is one of Ichigo's friends," she said defiantly.

The ex-captain exhaled a weary breath. Hiyori was as stubborn as ever. She was more anti-social than he remembered her to be during their days in the 12th division. Unfortunately he wasn't surprised by this behavior. Ever since her transformation into a vizard and exile from the Soul Society, Hiyori had been jaded. She saw the worse in people. Being an outcast among both shinigami and hollows made her envious of normal shinigami and humans. She perceived herself and the other vizards as being incapable of bonding with others outside of their group without fear of being persecuted or worse killed. That made her hate the Soul Society and to a lesser extent Human World.

Her heart was branded by this hatred. It prevented her from accepting Yamamoto's offer to return to the Soul Society. She couldn't understand why Hirako, Rose, and Kensei returned. She took it as a personal betrayal. As a result she detached herself from people even more. According to Hachi she was spending more time to herself and away from their group. While Hiyori distancing herself from the vizards she unexpectedly reached out to him. The foul mouthed little blonde visited the shop a few times. Naturally she claimed it was out of boredom and belittled him when she was around, but it was more affectionate than she let on. The snow blond did find her visits pleasant for the most part. It was almost like old times.

A part of her still found him a comforting presence. It made him realize their short time together wasn't all for not. He still had a soft spot for Hiyori. He asked Hachi to ask her to accompany him the next time he came over to tutor Inoue-san. Kisuke wanted Hiyori to come over when Sado-san was present. If she just watched Sado-san he was sure she would take an interest in him.

A thought popped into his devious head. The renowned trickster presented the world with a merry grin that promised nothing, but trouble. Kisuke said, "If you are bored, Hiyori-san why not spar with Sado-san yourself?" His suggestion failed to wipe the scowl off of her face, but it did succeed in making her eyebrow rise along with her interest. "Yoruichi-san has been sparring with Sado-san, since Inoue-san started to train with Hachi-san. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a break. This would give you something to do, while you wait on Hachi-san."

Hiyori didn't speak against the idea. She was contemplating it from what he could observe from the corner of his eyes. Doing him a favor wasn't something she enjoyed doing. He would sometimes have to resort to bribery to get her to carry one out. Hiyori had nothing to do. Sparring with Sado-san was more enticing than sitting around and doing nothing. She did still feel indebted to him for saving her life by stabilizing her hollowfication and giving her a place to recuperate after the war ended. If there was one thing the eccentric genius knew about the vizard girl was that she despised being indebted to him. He never brought it up or harassed her about it (unless he was in the mood to poke the bear), but her pride wouldn't let her admit that she saw him as a friend. Pretending that his aid was debt to be paid off let her save face. The ex-captain was fine with letting her have her way on that.

"Why do you want me to spar with that guy?" Hiyori asked point blank. Her scowl faltered due to the internal conflict. The blonde did her best to try to retain her original unapproachable expression, but failed miserably.

Kisuke answered, "Sado-san needs a strong opponent if he is to continue to improve. Yoruichi-san provides him with that, but he is starting to memorize her preferred attack patterns. We don't want him to get too comfortable with any one style. If you fight him it would shake things up and force him to adapt to your style." He stole a glance at the short girl and saw she accepted his logic. Sometimes it was too easy. "Your hollow powers make you an interesting opponent. It is perfect for Sado-san who is preparing to battle arrancar to fight someone who fights like the arrancar do."

Hiyori practically jumped up. She surprised her old captain a little with her speed. "It is a pain in the ass to do you a favor, but I'm bored out of my skull. I guess I can do this for you."

"How very generous of you," he said, unable to hide his amusement.

That cheeky dick's words rubbed her the wrong way, but Hiyori decided to go through with it anyway. Anything was better than sitting on her ass. It was just like him to give her a task when she drowning in boredom. It was like he had a sixth sense that told him when she was bored. _'That stupid bastard sure knows when I need a pick me up. What am I saying? This is Kisuke! He is not all bad I guess. At least he knows when to leave me be and isn't always lecturing me or getting in my face all the time like Shinji and Love,' _the blonde vizard girl thought.

Hiyori glided off to Yoruichi and the human. When she landed she found the human had narrowly blocked one of Yoruichi's lethal kicks. Instantaneously the purple haired woman noticed her. The golden eyes landed on her she hopped to where Hiyori was standing. "Hiyori?" she said. Her voice was oozing with uncertainty. The ex-captain had no clue why Hiyori appeared. "Does Kisuke need something?" Yoruichi questioned. The human giant Hiyori saw was at ease. He was probably using this opportunity to take a rest.

Hiyori let out pitiful yawn. Both Yoruichi and the human looked unconvinced that her yawn was real. In fact that looked annoyed by her. As if they were annoyed by her? "Take five Yoruichi. I'll take it from here."

The purple haired woman stared at her as if to challenge her hard. She recoiled at that golden eyed stare. Yoruichi was one of the few people who could actually intimidate Hiyori. Yoruichi knew it too. She could swear that the tanned woman would glare at her just to watch her squirm. "Kisuke asked me to take over to get this guy ready for battle," she pointed at the armored arm man. "Because I'm bored I threw him a bone and decided to help."

Kisuke wanted Hiyori to spar with Sado? Her old friend was up to his old tricks again. Obviously he wanted Hiyori to interact with Sado. His reason for doing so eluded her. _'He has a reason. It won't hurt Sado if he fights Hiyori. Her abilities are similar to an arrancar's anyway.' _The golden eyed exotic beauty walked away from the human and vizard. "Do as you like," she told Hiyori. "Sado, don't hold back against Hiyori. She may look like a half-pint girl, but she was a vice-captain and has hollow powers like Ichigo." She said all of this without looking at Sado. Hiyori grimaced before glaring daggers at her back. Yoruichi felt it and chuckled silently, welcoming it. "Good luck you two," she called out, now a fair distance from the duo.

As the blonde vizard girl watched Yoruichi walk away she stared at her hour glass figure enviously. Why couldn't she have curves like that? She was a woman too! Yoruichi was sex appeal in essence, while she was mistaken for a boy! _'Mental note, next time I see that baldy Mayuri, I'm going to kill him,' _Hiyori thought. Was Yoruichi's sex appeal the reason Kisuke was wrapped around her little finger. Back in the old days Yoruichi would come and visit their division to see Kisuke. While she was there his attention was on her and away from Hiyori. At first she relished when Yoruichi would visit, because it got that idiot away from her. The visits got annoying. It bothered her how easily Yoruichi's visit disrupted order of the 12th division. Specifically disliked how the older woman could steal Kisuke's undivided attention from her.

She set her sights to her new charge. Like Yoruichi he was the perfect specimen of his sex. He was tall, muscular, with the chiseled good looks of one of those teen movie stars. It made her sick to her stomach to be surrounded by such beautiful people.

"Hey baldy!" she snapped. The dark brown haired man looked at her. "Get your ass ready. I ain't going easy on you either so better be ready."

This girl was hostile. Sado wasn't sure why she so upset. _'Her feelings for humans haven't changed,' _he reasoned. He balled his black hand into a fist. This only summoned a smirk from her.

"You got an interesting arm there, Sado was it?" He nodded. If Kisuke wanted him to get the feeling of fighting an arrancar she might as well play the part. Hiyori's right hand hovered over her face. In a fluid motion she encased her face in a white bone like mask. Her newly hollowfied eyes captured the human shake briefly. It brought out smile from under her mask. "Get ready." She drew her zanpakuto. "Shit is about to get real."

No matter how many times he saw that Sado would never get used to hollowfication. Hiyori's reiatsu transformed so drastically that it was almost unrecognizable. It was so sinister and heavy. She wasn't joking around. He couldn't afford to joke around either. White substance consumed his left arm becoming Brazo Izquierda del Diablo.

A startled breath escaped her mouth. His arm, the armor manifested itself almost exactly the same way her mask manifested itself. Suddenly it hit her. This guy's power was hollow-like in nature. It made perfect sense. Even his reiatsu felt like a hollow's now. _'This is what Kisuke wanted me to see. This guy, Sado has hollow powers just like me!' _Relief rush over her. They weren't alone. She wasn't alone. The day hollow powers had been forced upon her was the day she had given up on ever being a part of any world. Shinigami, hollow, and humans were all so different from her group. They were isolated into their own small world where they only had each other. It wasn't until Ichigo came along that there had been a glimmer of hope of that changing. As quickly as hope had come it left just as quickly. Ichigo lost all of spiritual powers, including his hollow ones and their group dropped back to eight. When Shinji, Rose, and Kensei decided to abandon them in favor of the Soul Society their world shrunk even more.

Her eyes were on this human who possessed hollow powers like they, but was still a part of the outside world. For the first time ever she stopped to really think about this band of misfits that Kisuke had brought together. Ichigo used to be a vizard, there was a Quincy, the girl Hachi was buddy-buddy with had same powers he had, and this Sado possessed hollow powers as well. Not only were they a unique band, but they were even allies to the Soul Society who seemed to be valued and a part of it in some crazy way. Kisuke knew all this. He was such a pain in the ass with his sneaky ways. She was going to kick his stupid grin off his face. She thought that, but couldn't stop smiling underneath her mask.

Hiyori swung her blade carelessly. Sado stood unflinching, daring her to strike. Words were unneeded. The two hollow powered beings launched their attacks.

The shift in Hiyori's reiatsu alerted Kisuke that his plan had worked. Unable to ignore a job well done the shinigami's lips extended into a half smile.

"Your little scheme worked I see."

Kisuke didn't need to turn around to know Yoruichi was standing beside him. His ears pick up a taunting laugh.

"You still have a soft spot for little Hiyori after all this time." He refused to look at her, but he had heard her mocking tone. She did like to tease him. "Don't think I haven't noticed she has been around the shop more often," she continued to bat away. Golden eyes narrowed, giving her a feline expression. "You are going to make Ururu jealous with all the attention you are giving Hiyori."

"Ururu, jealous," Kisuke repeated in a whimsical manner. "Are you sure she is the one who is jealous, Yoruichi-san." The snow blond met her eyes with that twinkle. To his delight he watched crimson splotches consume her face.

"A-Are you actually implying that I'm…..jealous…of Hiyori!?" she choked out. He remained silent with that inferno twinkle! She wanted to explode. She wanted scream and cause bodily harm to him for even suggesting should a ludicrous statement. As if she would be jealous of Hiyori. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but stopped herself. She wasn't going to give Kisuke the satisfaction. She crossed her arms and turned her cheek to him.

He struck a nerve. As entertaining as it was to see Yoruichi in a huff (when she pouted she was just so damn sexy) he would suffer her wrath if he didn't make amends. "Yoruichi-san," he sang. She acknowledged him with a growl. "You are always going to by my favorite kitty. Please don't be in a bad mood. Your smile brightens the atmosphere down here in this dreary place."

He was laying it on thick. She felt smothered by the forced adoration. Never the less a part of her felt flattered and he was wise enough to appease her. Ok, so she would let him live, for now. She stopped avoiding his gleam. Instantly he knew her anger evaporated. His relief was so palpable that she could taste and smell it. He was an idiot she thought with smile.

* * *

Orihime slowly inhaled and exhaled. Her mind pushed all stray thoughts not related to the task at hand aside. The healer dressed in hot pink sweatpants and light pink shirt. She sat with her legs folded, not having to worry about revealing her undergarments since she abandoned her usual skirts. Reiatsu flowed out of her body as freely as water flowed down a stream. Her mentor observed. He uttered words of encouragement, coaxing her to continue her meditation.

Orihime was making progress in her training. Hachi had been tutoring her for a short time, so he could only attribute her reiatsu control to Yoruichi-san. That made things easier for their purposes. He learned that Orihime had three techniques, Santen Kesshun, Soten Kisshun, and Koten Zanshun. Each technique had a specific formation from her Shun Shun Rikka spirits. This reinforced his theory of the hairpins being similar to a zanpakuto. This made him more confident that he could help her to realize her full potential.

"That is perfect, Orihime-san." He watched her eyes light up then quickly burn out as if to chastise herself for not keeping her focus on her meditation. It was quite comical. "The strength of your power is determined by your conviction and your spiritual power. Mediating will help your concentration, which will in turn strengthen your conviction. This is a simple concept, yet it still important if you are to achieve your true potential."

"Yes," Orihime said briskly.

Satisfied with her enthusiasm Hachi responded with a polite bow. "Your ability allows you to reject events that transpire within your barriers. In theory you can virtually reject and alter the outcome of anything you desire. However, in practice that is not true. As I mentioned before your conviction and your spiritual power limit the extent of what you can reject. Naturally opponents with more spiritual power than you are harder for you to effect. You have experienced this before, am I correct?"

He didn't have to tell her that. The memory of a lifeless Ichigo with a big gaping hole in the center of his chest was forever etched into her memory. Her inability to save him was also etched in there.

The round vizard recognized Orihime's change in disposition. Not wanting to force her to recall a moment where he power failed he chose to not enquiry her on it. "It is the same for me as well. The stronger our opponent is the more difficult it will be for our powers to affect them. Someone as powerful as Aizen would be largely unaffected by our power because of the difference between us and Aizen is without doubt great." He was stating the obvious. There were very few beings in the three worlds who could match Aizen's power. "Of course if we use our powers wisely and maximize our potential we can overcome even the mightiest of foes."

"Hachi-san," Orihime called. "I'm not exactly sure what do you mean by using my powers wisely and how it will maximize my potential." Imaginary question marks formed above her head. She looked sheepish. She didn't want Hachi-san to think she was dense.

The jolly man spread his lips into a U shape. It dispelled any fear of his thinking she was stupid. "I mean by using our powers in unconventional ways we can not only catch our enemies by surprise, but use them to make up for a lack of power to stop them. For example when I battled the Espada that ranked number 2 my Kido proved ineffective in containing him. His technique allowed him to rapidly age anyone or anything it touched until it died."

"How did you overcome such a technique?" Orihime was holding her breath. She was hanging on to his every word and invested in the outcome of the vizard's battle. It was more thrilling than an episode of Don Kanonji!

"I was able to use his technique against him. When it touched my right arm I was able to amputate my arm with one of my barriers then transfer it inside of the Espada. His technique destroyed his body. He hadn't expected me to utilize my powers in such a way."

"Wow….That is so amazing, Hachi-san!" she exclaimed, with child-like innocence and ecstasy dripping from her words. "I had no idea you could teleport your barriers into another space. Do you think I could also do something like that?"

"I'm not sure if you can teleport your barriers, but you can use them in your own unique way."

"Like using them in conjunction with each other," she said slowly, as realization dawned on her. "During my battle against one of the Privaron Espada, Salvador I used all three of my techniques at once to stop his Gran Ray Cero. I used Santen Kesshun to block the cero, Koten Zanshun to reinforce it and to deflect the cero's power, and Soten Kisshun to erase it from existence. I knew that neither technique alone could stop such a powerful blast, so I used all three to weaken and eventually stop it."

"Yes! That is exactly what I'm talking about." Orihime was much further along than he anticipated. Together they would definitely harness the untapped potential. "I've been wondering how you developed your techniques. How did you decide on which spirits to use to form your Soten Kisshun formation for example?"

"I didn't decide on the formations myself. When my powers awakened Shun'o-kun and Tsubaki-kun told me what formations they were in, the name of the techniques, their powers, and the commands to use."

Upon hearing this Hachi's eyes bulged out of their sockets. _'The Shun Shun Rikka spirits instructed her how to use them. That is exactly how a zanpakuto spirit would instruct a shinigami how to use their techniques,' _he thought. What was the nature of her powers? They were so similar to a shinigami's power. Her hairpins absorbed part of her soul and become a manifestation of it just like Asauchi does. This shed new light on her potential. If her hairpins really were like a zanpakuto did that mean they could regenerate like a zanpakuto? Tsubaki had been destroyed in battle and he had to repair him, but if enough time had passed would Tsubaki have regenerated on his own? Could her powers have another level to them like a bankai? Just when he thought he had narrowed down what her powers could do several new possibilities sprung forth.

Feeling uncomfortable by the blank stare and silence Orihime managed to squeak, "Umm." This did the job. The haze disappeared from Hachi-san's eyes. "Is that a bad thing?"

He shook his head. "No. It's not bad at all. I believe this actually helps us. Tsubaki possess your only offensive power. Have you ever considered adding him to Santen Kesshun or Soten Kisshun formations? You could very well create new techniques."

Creating new techniques by creating new formation? That thought never even entered her mind. What would happen if she added Tsubaki with Lily, Hinagiku, and Baigon? Would the fairies be able to cooperate with each other? Would they create an entirely new shield or barrier? Would this affect their personalities and powers in the long run? What type of power would they create together? Could she even combine all six for some super mega technique?

"Do you really think it's possible, Hachi-san?"

"Um hmm," the vizard reassured her. "It is a strong possibility. I don't think you're necessarily limited to just three techniques rather they are merely your initial techniques. Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon form Santen Kesshun. They all possess defensive powers. Ayame and Shun'o form Soten Kisshun. Those two possess your rejection power. Tsubaki being the lone spirit forms Koten Zanshun by himself. He possesses the offensive power. Imagine what would happen if you combined offensive power with your rejection power. It could create a truly destructive technique if you wish it to be."

Orihime hugged her body. A destructive technique didn't sound suited for her. The healer was still learning to accept the fact that she killed one of the arrancar in her last battle. Commanding a new weapon that was destruction incarnate didn't appeal to her. Mixing Tsubaki, Shun'o, and Ayame was pushed to the bottom of her list of things she wanted to learn. Perhaps she would take Hachi-san's early suggestion and mix Tsubaki with the Santen Kesshun group. It would probably lead to a less destructive result. She moved that up her list. It wasn't number one though. That spot was revised for one thing and one thing only. Her mind drifted off to a certain orange haired man.

'_Ichigo-kun,' _she thought. The red-orange haired princess sighed. "Hachi-san," she called. "Do you remember what I asked you when I started to train?" He stared at her. His eyes bore into her, peeling her layers and homing into her heart. Despite his unwavering stare she didn't feel uncomfortable. He felt like an uncle making sure his favorite niece was doing well.

"Your endeavor to restore Ichigo's powers," he said. A long worn out breath escaped his lips. It didn't inspire a lot of confidence in Orihime. "I've been pondering this since you told me about it. The truth is I am unsure if you can restore his powers or not."

Fear's cold, uncaring claws grasped at her heart. "But why?" she blurted out, not even trying to conceal her fear.

He expected this type of reaction. He knew her feelings for the savior of the Soul Society ran deep. Her passions for protecting the young man raged much greater than any flames. Orihime wanted to restore Ichigo's powers. She wanted to save him from his powerless state. He wanted to help her on her quest. _'Can I help her is the question,' _he thought glumly. "The technique that Ichigo used is unknown to me I'm afraid. Urahara-san told me everything that he knows of the technique, but I'm no expert on it. I can't say for sure if you can reverse the process. The level Ichigo was at when he defeated Aizen I'm told was beyond anything shinigami and hollows could achieve. I do not wish to give you false hope nor dash it. I can only say that I can help you strengthen your powers to make it a possibility." The plump vizard finished a smile that cast her ugly fear out. He drew out her enchanting smile.

The fires of determination burned brightly and engulfed her being. She was going restore Ichigo's shinigami powers. If she just believed with all of her heart she could do it. She would become his umbrella and shield him from every last drop of rain. "Please teach me everything you can, Hachi-san. I will get stronger and help Kurosaki-kun!" she said more to herself than to the pink haired vizard.

Her brown eyes shone like the dew on a morning's leaf. It did Hachi's old heart proud to see. "Let's move on to the next the next exercise." He watched Orihime sprang to her feet with vigor. Hachi clapped his hands together and in the blink of an eye a bright golden orange case appeared. He opened the case and his arm reached into it. He retrieved the object it housed. He showed his closed fist to the healer. He asked her if she was ready. The young woman replied with a simple nod. With that Hachi unclenched his fingers, opening them to reveal three tiny golden specks, the size of insects.

These were the last remnants of one of Urahara's vases. He approved of Hachi and Orihime using it for training purposes. Although, he could have sworn he heard Urahara mutter under his breath about how he could compensate him if they were unable to restore it. Orihime had studied the vase carefully before Hachi destroyed it, except for a few remnants, with a powerful Kido. He wanted to give Orihime practice on restoring an object that was polluted by powerful reiatsu and with minuscule remains. The reason she failed to restore Tsubaki was because she said he was shattered into such small pieces she couldn't recover them and unable to revive them without all the remains. Hachi was able to restore him fully. He knew Orihime could as well. She just needed to stop thinking about putting things back together. That wasn't her power. Her power was to reject the damage. This training was perfect for getting her to realize that. While she hadn't restored it yet he felt confident that today would be the day that she did.

Today was the day she fixed that vase. Once she did that she would be one step closer. She would be one step closer in saving her beloved Kurosaki-kun. All she had to do was fix this. The healer summoned her oval dome around the fragments. Orihime pushed all thoughts not related to restoring the vase in the back of her mind. She channeled her reiatsu into the dome. She struggled combating the thick reiatsu. Instead of trying to overpower it she willed her reiatsu to absorb the opposing reiatsu to use it for her own purposes. Yes it was becoming much easier to touch the fragments. It felt different from last time. It was no longer a question on if she could do it, but when she would do it. Just a little bit more and she would do it. Just a little bit more.

"Sado!" screeched the unmistakable voice of an alarmed Yoruichi.

The Goddess of Flash's voice vibrated with fear. Orihime's concentration was shattered. Quickly Soten Kisshun dissolved. Her legs ran as fast they could toward Sado-kun's direction.

"Orihime-san!" Hachi cried out to her.

"I have to see Sado-kun!" she yelled back. She suppressed the fright threatening to enslave her body. What if Sado-kun was injured badly? Oh God no. She wouldn't let that happen. No. She could put him back together within seconds! The gentle giant just needed to stay alive until she got there. Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san came into view. It did little to ease her. "Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san!" she called out to them. Both her mentors turned to her. Their expressions were unreadable. It created a foreboding atmosphere for her. "Where is Sado-kun?" she asked frantically.

Yoruichi was the first to speak. "Inoue," she spoke soothingly, almost motherly. It revealed that Orihime looked as frightened as she felt on the inside. "Everything is fine."

How could everything be fine? She heard the panic in that scream. People didn't scream like that if everything was fine. "Where is Sado-kun?" she asked again. Yoruichi placed a hand on her shoulder. The ex-captain gave her a gentle squeeze. Surprisingly this quelled part of her fear.

Now that Inoue was winding down she pointed below them. The hazel eyes followed her finger. They swelled at the sight of what beheld them.

Sado-kun was there and in one piece! His breathing was labored and there were cuts on his body, but he was still in one piece. A weight was lifted off of her. "Sado-kun," she breathed out. Wait if Sado-kun was fine then why did Yoruichi-san scream?

"Hiyori-san got a little caught up in sparring match," Urahara-san said. She wondered not for the first time if the shop owner could read minds. "She dodged one of Sado-san's stronger attacks and retaliated with a cero." Orihime's eyes traveled away from her friend and landed on the little girl wearing a hollow mask. She recognized the girl as the one who threatened her and Sado-kun when they confronted her and Hirako-kun about Ichigo. She also remembered that it was the same girl who dragged her away from Kuchiki-san and brought her to Hachi-san for the first time. Urahara-san continued, "She fired the cero from close range. It didn't look like Sado-san would be able to evade it in time."

That explained Yoruichi-san's scream from earlier. Looking at Sado-kun she would have never guessed he took a cero head on. It looked like it had no effect on him whatsoever. Sado-kun was that strong? It was unbelievable.

"Sado-san did not take the cero," Urahara-san said firmly. He had to be able to read minds. That was the only way to explain how could answer her every thought without her having to voice it. "He evaded it altogether."

Yoruichi added, "His speed was surprising. I've been stressing on him to improve his speed, but I didn't expect him to be that fast. There may be hope for him yet."

"That's great! Sado-kun dodged a cero from close range." Orihime shared Yoruichi's sentiments. Kisuke however had a different reaction.

Sado had gradually getting faster with his training with Yoruichi. The fact that the darker skinned man was fast enough to dodge a cero at close proximity to his person, while surprising was not beyond the realm of possibility. What struck him as odd was the light that flickered around his feet. In all his years he had never seen such a marvel. Shunpo, Hirenkyaku, and even Sonido didn't emit in visible light when they were used. Sado-san's powers were hollow based. He discovered that when he observed Abarai-san train him. He expected Sado-san to use Sonido for high speed movement. What he did was distinctly different from Sonido.

'_There is more to Sado-san's powers than I originally understood.'_

His short burst of speed caught him unaware. It was pure instinct. His mind went blank. The crimson energy threatened to swallow him up. He thought was done the next thing he knew was that he completely evaded it. He was standing several yards away from Hiyori. _'What was that? It felt different from how I usually use my reiatsu to enhance my speed. It didn't feel like I ran at all. It felt like something pushed me, almost like I tucked on something and it pushed me back.' _His stare went to his black armored arm. He once boasted that his abuelo's soul flowed through this arm. At the time he meant it the defensive nature of it held his grandfather's beliefs. Now he wondered if that arm did have a soul of its own. Was he bringing it out to help him?

* * *

The cake immediately stood out. There it was resting on the counter. Ichigo saw a note on it. He read it.

_Just in case you pick this up before I come home I left your birthday gift on the table. I'm sorry I missed you. You can tell Yuzu-chan that I couldn't make it tonight because I wasn't feeling well. I hope you have fun at your birthday dinner. _

_-Love, Orihime._

He groaned. Why did she get him a gift? Even before their fight he told her she didn't have to get him anything. There wasn't anything he needed or wanted. He didn't feel like she was obligated to get him anything. He should have expected as much. Orihime wanted to make his birthday special. She felt his 17th birthday was a big deal, even if he didn't. Of course she would get him something to celebrate it. Ichigo made his way to the table. A blue wrapped gift sat right out in the open. The ex-substitute picked it up. Instead of opening it he examined it. He was in no hurry to open it.

His mind wandered. He thought of all the possible things Orihime could have gotten him. He didn't want her to get him anything expensive. Her aunt did send her money for living expenses, but he didn't want her to spend her hard earn money on him. It was better for her to save it for her own use. Tatsuki and she could go out for a girl's night or something.

'_There is no point complaining. I don't even know what she got me yet anyway. Maybe she didn't overdo it,' _he thought hopefully. He pocketed the gift into his book bag, deciding it was better to open it later at the clinic. He did a quick check around the apartment. Everything was in place. He walked out of Orihime's apartment with the cake in hand. As he closed the door and prepared to lock it he was interrupted.

"Ichigo."

He turned around to find Tatsuki staring at him. Astonished by his appearance she glared at him, asking him to explain himself. To her it did look a little suspicious for him to come out of her best friend and his girlfriend's apartment without her in view. "Tatsuki, this isn't what it looks like."

Damn her to hell. She looked so damn smug with her little arrogant smirk. "I take it you two made up."

His eyes doubled their size. How could she suggest that!? "G-g-get your head out of the gutter!" he cried. Fuck his face was overheating. Crap, his face was probably red all over.

Tatsuki held her hands out in some defense form. "I'm not judging. What you two love birds want to do to make up is your business. It is expected though. Your girlfriend does have an apartment all to herself after all."

"Shut up! I said it wasn't like that!" he shouted, his voice unintentionally got higher. The burning sensation worsened. His cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Sure it is not." Ichigo was so easy to embarrass that he almost sucked all the fun out of it. His reactions always made it worth it. "I was going to see if Orihime wanted to hang out, but if you're leaving I assume she needs her rest."

"GOD DAMN IT, TATSUKI!" he bellowed near the top of his lungs. The second strongest girl in Japan had to stifle laughter that nearly broke out to the surface. "How many times do I have to tell you it is not like that!?" he continued. "Inoue isn't even home. She had to go to Urahara-san's after school, so she gave me her spare key to get birthday cake for Yuzu," he explained. His explanation failed to erase her annoyingly smiling face. She made him sick sometimes.

"Ok, ok, you weren't indulging in a bit of afternoon delight." She had to take one last jab at him. Her eldest friend snarled at her, much to her amusement.

"You are annoying. You know that right?"

"Eh, you realize you are even more annoying right?" Tatsuki shout back.

He rolled his eyes in response. "I don't have time for this. I have to get back home and give Yuzu thus cake before she has a panic attack." He walked away, but as luck would have it Tatsuki decided to follow him. _'Great,' _he thought sarcastically.

"What is Orihime doing at Urahara's?"

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "You got me. Urahara-san hasn't kept me in the loop since I lost my powers. You'll have to ask her when she gets back."

Jeez he wasn't even going to try to hide the bitterness in his voice. Well she knew they hadn't made up yet. "I see."

She sees? That was all a nosey busybody like her had to say? "You are full of surprises."

"How so?" the raven haired girl asked.

"It's been days since Inoue and I had that argument and you haven't been on my case on apologizing to her yet. How did she get you to stay off my back?" the orange haired boy inquired.

This time it was Tatsuki who rolled her eyes. "What makes you think Orihime made me stay off your case?"

"Because I know you and if that girl has a problem you go in guns a blazing ready to fix it," he replied. The former vizard glared at her, asking her to prove him wrong.

"Fair point," she reluctantly conceded. "I was pissed at you when I saw how hurt Orihime was, but she told me the whole story and I get it."

"What do you get?" He glared darkly at her, as if her words were some heinous offense. "How can you possibly understand what I'm going through Tatsuki? You were never apart of any of this. For a better part of our freshmen year you were completely ignorant to all of this. Now you are going to sit there and tell me how I feel?" his voice rose with every word spoken. "Don't be so presumptuous! I'm so sick of everyone thinking they know how I feel or will react!" In flash the black belt snatched his wrist and shut him up. Her grip was stronger than he thought.

Anger flared in her brown spheres. It matched Ichigo's growing anger. However, it wasn't enough to make him back down. "You aren't special."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"What the hell do you think it means!?" she growled back. "I'm not an idiot. I know that you, Orihime, and the others have done things I can only imagine. I saw Orihime in action with my own eyes and can still barely comprehend it. I'm not stupid enough to think I know everything you guys went through. But I do understand what it is like to have someone you trust lie to your face and keep secrets from you, because he thought I couldn't handle it." Her grip tightened.

"If you think you're the only one who knows how that feels you are stupid. Sorry, but in that regard you aren't special. I don't appreciate getting my head bit off from trying to talk to you." She released his wrist. "You lied to my face about not knowing where Orihime was when she was abducted. You are my oldest friend and I trusted you to be honest with me on something like that. You saw how worried I was for her safety and you lied to my face."

Anger was consumed by hurt. Tatsuki's chocolate eyes dimmed. Her body fell giving her a passive stance than a moment ago. He recognized that utter look of betrayal from his own face. The orange haired man's shoulders slumped feeling ashamed of outburst.

"I get why you hid that from me, Ichigo. It was your way of protecting me, but I was still pissed you lied to me. I get why you are upset at Orihime and everyone else from keeping this from you. That's probably why I'm not at your throat to apologize to Orihime. Hell you need to vent like I did. I'm just glad you didn't throw Orihime into a widow like I did to you." She finished with a smile. Ichigo found himself smiling along with her.

"So you can still smile," she jested.

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Do you want to breakup with her?"

He nearly tripped. "What!?" The question came out of nowhere. He threw her an indignant look. "Why the hell would you ask me something like that?"

A small smile formed on her lips. If he had that reaction then he still wanted to be with her. "I just wanted to know if I should get ready to consult my friend or not."

"We just had a fight, Tatsuki. I'm mad, but I don't want to breakup with her," he admitted.

"Well I guess there is no need for me to force you to make up with Orihime is there."

He hated how she knew him so well. It led to moments like these where she would read him easily. "Hmm, you really are annoying you know." She continued to smile at him knowingly.

"Do me a favor and remember that Orihime's heart was in the right place. You don't have to forgive today or anything like that, but just remember where her heart was. That was how I forgave you." He never responded to her verbally. They went their separate ways. Tatsuki was left to ponder if she listened to her words.

* * *

"Ha….ha…ha…..ha," her breath became ragged. Her body screamed for her to stop. She refused to obey its commands. She dug her heel into the ground and lifted her blade.

"Stand down," her opponent ordered coolly.

"I refuse to stand down. I can't. I need to be stronger to protect my remaining comrades."

Her opponent scoffed at her. "You are still insistent on this madness, Silva."

Silva scowled. Her opponent disgusted her. They were once a powerful member of the last generation of Espada, a warrior that Aizen had bestowed his trust in their skill, now reduced to this pathetic state. When she came for help, she was refused. Hueco Mundo was not meant to have order. It was unnatural state for it to have an order. That was what Silva was told. Quite frankly the former Espada wanted to kill her counterpart. Every time they clashed blades she ended up on the losing side. Her endeavor was doomed from the start. Silva was aware of that more than anyone. She was no match for one who was strong enough to have replaced her generation.

She also knew she their battles were building up her strength. Weeks and weeks of battles the golden eyed arrancar broke through the invisible barrier of her previous limitations reached a new height of power. She wasn't satisfied yet. She just needed a little more work and she would obtain a level she needed to protect them and achieve their dreams. She couldn't fail to protect them as well. She couldn't lose more comrades she cared about.

"You say it is madness. You are most likely right. Madness is better than living in this dead world."

"Do you believe you can change anything with your power? Do you think hollows care about living in a world of light? All they care about is strength. The strongest thrive, while the weakest are killed. That is the simple truth. Only one person was able to alter this. That man who came here and imposed order upon us."

"Aizen-sama," Silva finished.

"That man, Aizen is despicable. Don't you understand? We were merely pawns for him to achieve his goals. Once we outlived our usefulness to him he discarded us without a second thought. I saw with my own eyes how little he valued us. He watched as the shinigami killed our comrades without so much as lifting a finger. When Starrk finally fell he deemed the Espada as failures and stabbed me with his own blade. A fake sun cannot cast light upon us. That was all Aizen was a fake sun. Beings of darkness like you and I can never hope to bring light to Hueco Mundo. Your goal is impossible for you to achieve." She pushed Silva's blade back. The jet black haired arrancar stumbled backward. She slashed Silva's shoulder before jamming her knee into her gut, sending her flying several yards away. "Learn your place, Silva. If you wish to protect your comrades keep them safe from the shinigami you brought here with your actions."

Silva forced herself up. She ignored her body's protest and stood proud in front of the disillusioned arrancar. "You are pathetic. You used to believe in order. You joined Aizen-sama to end these meaningless fights hollows engaged in. Look how far you have fallen. You have become a hollow shell, Tier Harribel."

The water elemental arrancar cast a look of disinterest on her. "You are correct. I am a hollow shell of who I once was. However, I lost my naivety and learned to accept my place in this world. It is a lesson you have yet to learn, Silva."

"It is a lesson I do not wish to learn. I will bring light to this world. I will do it without Aizen. I will do it without you. I won't rely on someone else to change things for us. With my own two hands I will destroy the darkness!" She raised her blade yet again. "Draw your sword one more time. I won't stop until I have what I need from you, Harribel." Plastered on her lips was a defiant half smile.

"Fool," Harribel uttered.

The two former Espada engage in combat once more. Their blades clashed they souls conversed. Silva's dream was foolish; perhaps it would even have disastrous consequences for all of them. Harribel learned one thing. Silva's willpower would not bend. The former tres Espada couldn't help, but respect it.

* * *

**Sorry for all the grammar mistake guys. I didn't re-read the entire chapter. I got sleepy, but I wanted to upload it before I went to bed though. This chapter everyone was training it seemed. I didn't realize that until halfway through. I think it works. I fit a lot in this chapter. There were more hints for the Fullbringers with Sado's super speed. Orihime training with Hachi is helping her to develop her new technique. I want to make it clear that Hiyori doesn't have a crush on Kisuke. Yes, she is a jealous of Yoruichi in this chapter and part of it is because how close she is to Kisuke. I always saw Kisuke and Hiyori became close during their run as captain and vice-captain of the 12****th**** division, even though she still acted like she hated him. The way he asked her a favor in TBTP flashback it looked like she blushing at how Kisuke he only asked her because he trusted her. The way Shinji described how attached Hiyori was to her previous captain made think she grew attached to Urahara. Since she was objected of Kisuke replacing her old captain I thought she might have been a bit protective of Kisuke too. I made her be jealous of Yoruichi's relationship with Urahara. **

**I wanted to do an Ichigo and Tatsuki friendship part. She is one of his oldest friends. She knows how he is feeling and since she went through similar to Ichigo it made more sense for her to be more understanding of his feelings. Will her words have any effect on him? Who knows? You'll have to keep reading to find out. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review. **


	53. Despise Us For We Are Human

**The next chapter is finally here. Sorry for the long wait. The semester is almost over for me. That mean I should have more free time and updates will hopefully become more frequent again. This is right off the presses. There is probably more grammar and spelling mistakes than usual. Sorry for that. I figured you waited for a month already, so I wanted to make it up by posting it as fast as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any shape or form. I do own Masaoka and Silva.**

* * *

Summer had at last fully arrived at Karakura Town. The cold sweat secreting from his glands was evidence of that. The sun's life inducing rays intensified. The warmth it gave to them had turned into an unbearable heat. The breezy winds that spring provided relief to people had ceased all together. Any windblown under summer's reign was unforgiving and hot. People who were once lively became sluggish. Children were scrambling to get into anything that cast a shadow for shade. Teenagers hung out more with places providing air condition. He hated the 98 degree weather. Here he was walking through the streets to collect his thoughts. Ichigo must have had a death wish or something. He could have taken up Mizuiro on his offer to hang out with him and Keigo at the mall afterschool. He turned them down. He needed to be alone right now. He needed to collect his thoughts and make decisions.

His birthday came and went. Just like last year it had been uneventful. His family had dinner for him. Yuzu made some of his favorite dishes. His old man contained himself and acted like a normal dad for once. Karin held her tongue back. The dinner was nice. There was no scene that made Yuzu scold them or entice a snarky comment from her midnight haired counterpart, Karin. They couldn't resist getting him a present, even though he stressed it wasn't important. Naturally to them, specifically his father and Yuzu that meant they absolutely had to get him a gift. To his surprise they had gotten him the video game he had been saving up to buy after the school term ended (he didn't trust himself to not play it when he should have been studying for finals). Ichigo was grateful for his family for adhering to the rest of his wishes. He liked their gift. Tekken was a great video game series. What surprised him the most was that no one inquired why Orihime was absent from the festivities. He suspected he had his old man to thank for that. His father acted like a hyper active lunatic 90% of the time, but he never forsook tact. He always knew when to leave him alone when Ichigo had no intentions on discussing them. Orihime was a subjected he didn't want to discuss.

They hadn't made up yet. In fact her birthday gift was resting at the bottom his bag, all but forgotten. Originally he wanted to open it when he got home, but something stopped him. Tatsuki's words echoed in his mind. She didn't condemn his actions and take Orihime's side as he assumed. She actually linked their two experiences together. He could empathize with both girls' plights. At the same time he couldn't agree with it. Orihime lied after she promised they wouldn't keep secrets from each other. She was his girlfriend. That made it worse to him than if she was just his friend. He expected it from Urahara-san and his father, who always kept him in the dark. Ishida and Chad keeping secrets from him was something he could expect, even if he hated it. Orihime was held to a different standard. She was one of the few people who always honest with him and trusted him unconditionally. To find out that she still held some doubt in her heart, it made his veins boil. He didn't want to forgive her yet. He was still pissed off. He discovered that he wanted to make her sweat a bit. He ignored the fact that it was petty of him to leave her dangling.

Was it so wrong? He was human too after all. The carrot top man sometimes he was prey to the trappings of pettiness just like anyone else. His arguments with Rukia and Ishida did cross that line at times. He purposely left her gift to him in his bag and ignored it. The next day when he saw her he made no mention of it. He was as distant as ever from her. She was visibly hurt by how dismissive he was of her, but said nothing and presented him with forced smile. His heart nearly shattered when he saw that smile. She only wore it when she was hurting, but didn't want people to worry about her. His fucking conscious nagged the hell out of him for making his Hime feel that way. No matter how angry he was at her his heart refused to allow him a free pass. He still hated himself for being the source of her pain. It took the sheer strength of his pride and stubbornness that allowed him to endure it all and keep the woman he loved at bay. Ichigo went through the motions. He isolated himself from the friends who had isolated him.

The days trudged on this way. He still hung out with them at lunch. His exterior was cold which, matched the internal storm that thundered within. He only talked when required to. He caught the concerned exchanges his friends made when they thought he wasn't looking. He didn't care. Let them come to their own conclusions. He didn't have to answer to any of them. Keigo being his usually annoying self bitched and whined about how cold he was being until Ichigo finally snapped and told him off. That persuaded Keigo to end his ramblings in his own misguided attempt to coax Ichigo back to normal. At least everyone else had the common decency to let him come around on his own.

A cold war had been waged in their group. He wasn't sure who instigated it. They could have been honest with him, yet they wished tried to reach out to him and comfort him he shot them down at every turn. He brushed off Mizuiro and Keigo. They had nothing to do with the arrancar outbreak, but they weren't spared his wrath any more than Ishida or Chad were. Ichigo felt out of place. He watched himself push the people he loved away from him, but couldn't do anything to stop it. What was worrisome is that he didn't know if he wanted to stop. It was difficult to put into words how he was feelings. He wanted yell at everyone for keeping secrets from him. He didn't want to be around them much either then the guilt set in like tidal wave. The demon known as loathing perched itself on his shoulder. It taunted him for being so naïve as to believe that everything would be over when defeated Aizen. It tore him apart for how worthless he was for the future battles. He was dead weight now. Every victory earned, all the hardship he went through as ultimately for nothing. The demon knew that. It delighted in reminding him the cold hard truth was his friends spared him his pride by keeping him in the dark. They like him couldn't stand how far he had fallen. He despised them for acknowledging this. Ichigo's inner world was no doubt torn asunder. The comments Zangetsu would have made about it froze his bones.

The sun wasn't letting up. It was beating him down so hard that the ex-substitute had to shield himself with his forearm. "Typical," he muttered. "The sun wants to beat me down just like everything else in life apparently," Ichigo cursed bitterly. A loud ring chimed through the air. The scowling teen retrieved the source of the ring, his phone. He had gotten a text message.

_Where are you? You can't miss work again today. Nakamura-san is pissed at you for blowing off your last 3 shifts. He says if you miss today you're fired._

_ -Masaoka_

His face scrunched up in clear irritation. He told Nakamura that since he was taking finals this week and that he was going to have to miss a few shifts to study for them. The old man still neglected to hire any more help, so it forced Ichigo to take more hours at the store. It was extremely annoying that his employer still couldn't find more people down at the store. His shinigami duties endangered his grades last year. He worked his ass to get them back up in the previous term. He be damned if this job was going to put them in jeopardy again. The bright side to this increased workload at least gave him a viable excuse for not seeing Orihime more.

'_You could always turn down the side jobs you take to give you more time to study genius,' _he subconscious berated him once more, much to Ichigo's ire.

The sports teams and clubs were ripping their arms off and beating each other with them to get him to be on their team or club. His side business had exploded. The downside to the jobs he took was that it stole most of Ichigo's free time. It started to interfere with his job at Nakamura Electronics. Ichigo was once a model of punctuality. He was always on time for his job, even got there early on a semi-regular basis. The side business tore that reputation into pieces. He was lucky if he got there on time let alone early. Nakamura-san was no amused by the increased tardiness. The chocolate eyed and bright orange haired boy suffered for it by increased workload.

He suspected that Nakamura denied his request for time off to study for finals were because of his lateness. His boss no doubt looked at Ichigo and saw him a typical flaky teenager who was just as irresponsible as every other teenager in his generation. Little did he realize that nine months ago he carried out responsibilities far bigger than any teenager outside of his group of friends would ever have to visualize.

Should he go into work today? Ichigo had been considering quitting his job recently. The long hours were getting out of hand and affecting his school work. Nakamura was taking advantage of him and Masaoka. He was working them longer than he should have. It was all so bothersome really. He would have quit by now, but leaving Masaoka high and dry didn't sit well with him. Masaoka was his friend after all. In the months that he had worked at the electronic store he had grown comfortable with the blonde. Even Orihime had put aside the kiss incident behind them and befriended her.

"I guess I can't just abandon Masaoka can I?" He asked no one in particular. The carrot top teen set his gaze into the breath taking blue skies. "No sense in putting things off." Ichigo's legs had already started to move him toward the electronic store before his brain could even register what was going on.

'_Damn. It is so fucking hot. The best thing about working at Nakamura Electronics is that there is air conditioning,' _he thought. His sour mood dissolved at the thought of being in that rejuvenating artic world (well at least that is what it was in his mind). The goose bumps were already coming to life on his skin.

He made it on time by the skin of his teeth. Worry and guilt didn't visit his face. Nakamura glared disapprovingly at his lack of concern for nearly being late. The ex-substitute shrugged off the glare. He followed Nakamura-san's instructions and started to stack the shelves. Masaoka was behind the counter finishing up with a costumer.

"Well look whose here," she sneered. She made no effort to mask her anger. He couldn't blame her. He had been skipping work without so much as leaving a message to either Nakamura or Masaoka. "I was starting to think you dropped off the face of the Earth, but then realized that my luck is not that good." Hostility laced her words. It made Ichigo recoil.

'_She is definitely upset with me.' _Ichigo's eyelids closed half way through. His bottom lips trembled giving him a grim expression. "Masaoka…."

"Save it," she interrupted. "Just get the boxes out in the back and please stock the shelves."

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. He followed the instructions. The scowling teen distributed the merchandise to the shelves. It was tedious, but having an easy non-thinking job. It afforded him certain luxuries. One luxury was getting to hang out with his co-worker turned friend behind the counter. He doubted she was in any hurry to talk to him since he flaked out on her for the last 3 shifts. An hour of putting away unnecessary or unneeded items is when the awkwardness set in.

"What's your deal, Ichi-kun?" The words left her lips before she could even think of taking them back. "Why have you been skipping out on work?"

Apparently he had been wrong when he thought Masaoka wouldn't be talking to him anytime soon. "I have been taking finals this week. I've been skipping out on work, so I could study more," he answered plainly.

She rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you know I didn't buy that poor excuse for a second." The stunning blonde put a hand on her hip, while unleashing a scowl of her own.

"It's not a poor excuse," Ichigo defended. The chocolate brown eyes flared for a second before dying down again. "Nakamura-san has been working our asses off. I needed to more time to study." He paused. Chocolate orbs belonging to him went left to right. He wanted there to be no shadow of a doubt that their boss was absent. After a third sweep of the store the former vizard continued, "He still hasn't found another employee to help us out. On top of that he is giving extra labor, which just translates to overtime without pay."

"So is that why I haven't seen Orihime in the weeks?"

Hearing Masaoka say her name caught him by surprise. He determined not to let her know it. He willed himself to not show his co-worker turned friend any sign that her name shook him in any way. "What are you talking about? Inoue not coming around the shop has nothing to do with me cutting work."

"It is funny. I hear words come out your mouth, but they stench of bullshit," she retorted.

"Your nose must be broken then," Ichigo replied robotically. "I'm not giving you any b.s." The last DVD was stocked away. He took some pride in a job well done.

"You've been distracted for weeks now. Every other word goes in and out of your ear whenever I start a conversation with you. I knew something was on your mind, but I let it go. Orihime still visited you whenever she could. Now she is M.I.A." She pouted his bottom lip. The charmingly sexy boy turned his cheek to her. It bugged her that even when he was mopping he still looked hot. "I started wondering why loyal incredibly hot girlfriend wasn't around, so I called her."

"You what?" he cried out. That disarming half grin broke out on her face. _"Great move, genius. Your whole aloof strategy fell apart and she barely had to say anything,' _his subconscious taunted him. Damn both Masaoka and his subconscious.

"I called Orihime," she repeated more slowly this time. "She didn't tell me much. But you know Orihime. She is a terrible liar. She sounded miserable. I'm going to take a wild guess and say the two of you are in a little tiff. Are you going to tell me why the perfect couple is on non-speaking terms?"

Shiori expected him hear his usual outburst, but it didn't come. She saw anger swirl in his chocolate eyes. As she was transfixed by this building anger he shut his eyelids to deny her the satisfaction. It wasn't Ichigo's usual overzealous anger or fury that came when he prepared to bicker with her. _'There was something else there,' _Shiori thought. _'It was darker than someone as young as us shouldn't have.'_

"Stay out of my relationship," Ichigo ordered.

That wasn't a request. His voice was low, but profound that her ears heard it. She was a little frightened of him. "Ichi-kun…"

"I mean it," he cut her off. "I'm not in the mood to hear a lecture. I have so a lot on my mind. This is between me and Inoue. We'll get through it on are on, not you or anyone else. Do me a favor and just worry about your own business."

"I'm concerned," she admitted. "You have been in a bad mood for weeks now. It corresponds to when Orihime stopped showing up. I recognize the signs of a couple in a fight. I offer insight on the female perspective." The sky blue eyed girl revealed her charming and bubbly smile. Ichigo's chocolate eyes narrowed darkly at her. It erased the smile right off her face.

"I said stay out of it! God you are just annoying as Keigo or Mizuiro. My relationship is my business. I don't want nor need your input."

"I'm trying to help….."

"I've had enough of your help to last a life time!" Ichigo sneered venomously.

Offended and hurt Shiori stared back at him long and hard, as if she was asking him what the hell was wrong with him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Her tone was hard and equally as hostile as his.

Ichigo had to stifle back a laugh of contempt that was roar in the back of his throat. He shook his head as if she were an intolerable toddler who kept biting at his heels. "You put my relationship in danger when you kissed me on White Day." Before he realized it Masaoka indignant grimace completely changed. Outrage took control of her face. A glare irradiated hatred that made most wannabe punks and gangs he fought in the past look like kittens.

"I can't believe you are throwing that at my face." She continued to glare at him. Ichigo only matched it, completely unaffected by Masaoka's. "I didn't know you were a couple when I kissed you. When I did I apologized to you and Orihime. I thought we put that behind us and you throw that at my face like that." For a brief moment disbelief emerged from her blue eyes. "You know what, screw this."

"Are you actually upset, because I'm not telling you about my relationship?" he asked. His voice was thick with indignation. "I don't have to tell you everything. We are barely even friends. We are work friends. We hang out with each other at work. Occasionally we'll see each other outside of work, but it never goes beyond that." A monster had awakened. It let out a primary roar that sent his empathy and compassion run away in mad hysteria. This left only his more negative emotions. "Don't give me that shit alright."

"Fuck you, Ichigo. Don't take out all your shit on me. I was trying to be a friend and help you. You feel like I crossed a line then I'm sorry. But I sure as hell won't be your punching bag!"

"Now you're playing the victim? Fine I'm the bad guy here. I'm always the bad guy."

"Grow up."

"Why don't you? I asked you not get involved and you kept pushing me. No wonder your sister cut you out of her life." Everything was silent. The cold realization set in. Did he really just throw Masaoka's runaway sister at her face? What the hell was wrong with him? How could he hurt her like that? He knew her sister's drinking problem and eventually disappearance from Masaoka's life was a sensitive subject for her and yet he went there anyway. "Masaoka…."

She turned her back to him. She walked to the room at the back of the store without saying a word. He reeked of shame. He lost control of his anger, but hurt a person who was just trying her God honest best to help him, by using something she told him in confidence. He couldn't stay at the store. It was too cruel to so after what he said to Masaoka. He journeyed to the front door.

"Where are you going, Ichigo?" Old man Nakamura came out of the back. The shouting and Masaoka running back there brought him out.

"Leaving," was all Ichigo was willing to say.

"Your shifts not over," the store owner argued. "You have missed three shifts this week alone and have been coming in late for the last four weeks. This is unacceptable. If you walk through that door and you're fired," he threatened.

Nakamura's threat did about as well as throwing a ball of yearn at the teenage boy. Ichigo's shoulders slumped and continued to stroll away.

"Ichigo! I'm being serious! You walk out you are fired!"

"I understand. I'm sorry for letting you down. I appreciate you giving me this job, but I haven't been able to give you my all lately. I think it is better if I quit."

"Quit?" Nakamura repeated dumbfounded. What was with this kid? He was the model employee not that long ago. Lately he had become so difficult to manage. He chalked it up to being a teenage problems and finals, but Masaoka rushed past him with tears forming in her eyes after a heated argument that he only got snippets of. "Ichigo, is everything ok?" Ichigo ignored him entirely. He walked out of the store for what might have been the final time.

Nakamura was short another employee and had another one engulfed by rage in the back room. This day couldn't get any better could it?

* * *

"I'm leaving," Silva stated, emotion void from her voice. Harribel simply stared out into space, not even focused on Silva. It was nauseating seeing one of the top 3 Espada in Aizen's army, a woman she had grown to admire look so lost. When she found the tres Espada she didn't know what to expect. She played out multiple scenarios in her mind, yet seeing the golden haired dark skinned beauty dazed and slothful wasn't one of them. She found Harribel and her three bickering Fraccion lofting around. Those three ear sores were hurling insults at each other, as if they were still in Las Noches. They hadn't a care in the world.

"Are you still insistent on this foolish plan," Harribel asked, just barely concealing her pity.

Silva cast an ugly glare at her. "I have no intentions of casting aside our plan. Precious comrades have already sacrificed themselves so we can escape this darkness. If I were to give up now it would be as if their actions were for nothing. We will succeed and Hueco Mundo will merge with the Human World to free us all."

Harribel snorted loudly. "If you proceed with this all you will succeed in is getting your remaining comrades killed."

"I won't allow that to happen!" the golden eyed arrancar screamed. The sudden shift in her volume startled herself, even the tres Espada's eyes widened in obvious surprise at Silva's outburst. "I will not allow my remaining comrades to fall." Her gaze fell to the white sands. She just couldn't stomach seeing the water elemental like this. "I absolutely refuse to allow anymore to, die on my watch," she said more to herself than Harribel.

"If you mean that than give up your quest," she urged the triple digit arrancar. "You cannot merge both the worlds and keep your comrades safe. In order to obtain either one you must make a sacrifice. This is a simple truth that is unavoidable."

"You are telling me that I'm required to make a sacrifice?" Silva reiterated. Her body trembled. Anger rose up to consume her without her even realizing it. It was powerful that it caused her body to quake. "Are you insinuating that we haven't made sacrifices?" The glare hit Harribel in full force. "Salvador, Esteban, Antonio, and Gild all died fighting, because they believed in their hearts that we would escape the darkness. Now you speak as if all of their efforts were nothing. How dare you make light of their sacrifices? We know full well the risks and hardship required to destroy the Spirit Keystones and merge the worlds. Each one of them laid a foundation for our shared dream to be built upon. Don't speak as if all of that was for nothing!"

Harribel steely gaze refused to leave her. If anything it was more glued to Silva. "Don't be naïve. This is our reality. Hueco Mundo is shrouded in darkness, because we hollows and arrancars are beings of darkness, not meant to live out in the sun. Your dream is just that, a dream. Heed my words. Beings of darkness cannot bring light into Hueco Mundo. It is our destiny to suffocate in the darkness."

"Have you embraced despair just because Aizen-sama, Aizen," Silva corrected herself, "discarded us?" It took her some time to cope with the revelation that Aizen had cut down Harribel and denounced the Espada. It felt like her heart had been impaled by a blade when she learned of their former master's great betrayal, but she accepted it. Harribel had reason to deceive her and Silva suspected that Aizen only respected them for their ability to advance his ambition. "Aizen has forsaken us, but that doesn't mean we are doomed. We can still go out and take hold of our own dreams. We possess the power to make our dreams a reality."

The Privaron Espada turned her back to her. "Are you truly content with leaving things as they are now, Harribel?" The water elemental's reply never came. It saddened Silva to see the woman she once admired wallow in misery. "Hueco Mundo has been thrust back into chaos. Every arrancar wages meaningless war to take control of it. They kill each other to replace a false sun and allowed the shinigami to occupy Las Noches. You have the strength to change all of this, yet you chose not to. You could have brought light into our world and gave us order, but you didn't. I cannot understand that. If I was as strong as you I would have used that strength to reshape Hueco Mundo into what I see fit. That is the difference between us it seems. Harribel, you are just a shell. You no longer have the ability to reshape the world. Wallow in sorrow for all I care. I ask you to do one thing. Wait here and watch as my comrades change everything. When the sun shines down upon us rejoice and return to the Tier Harribel that I knew. Until that day becomes a reality, I bid you farewell." Their eyes met each other. Despair had dulled Harribel's emerald eyes. Her eyes hadn't been dulled yet. They still radiated with unwavering conviction. That conviction would not be vanquished from Silva. No matter how Harribel tried to exorcise it from her Silva would not succumb. Silva departed she was met by the trio of women that became Harribel's Fraccion. They glared and sneered at her.

"Don't you dare look down on Harribel-sama!" Apacci roared. From what Silva saw the tomboyish woman was ready to pounce on her. Her loyalty to Harribel was commendable. She ignored the deer like arrancar.

Mila Rose rested her hand on Apacci's shoulder to calm her, but it had opposite effect. Apacci rough slapped her hand off of her then turned her hard glare on her companion. "What gives Mila Rose!? How can you let Silva speak to Harribel-sama like that!?" her voice's volume continued to rise with every word.

While a vein formed above her temple Mila Rose kept her anger in check. It was obvious that it required effort on the curvier arrancar's part. "Calm down, Apacci. I share your sentiments there is no need to let her words affect you. Harribel-sama has upheld her dignity by not allowing Silva's words to anger her. As her Fraccion you tarnish that by shouting and carrying about like a rowdy child."

"What?!" Apacci failed to keep her cool.

Mila Rose was however successful at keeping her cool. "It's just as I said. You are getting too worked up when Harribel-sama isn't. It tarnishes her dignity," she reiterated. Apacci was ready for another retort when Sung Sun interrupted their argument.

"You both should be used to tarnishing Harribel-sama's dignity by now," the most slender and haughty beast trio said under her breath, but loud enough for both of them to hear. Sung Sun was the object of their scorn.

"What did you say!?" Mila Rose and Apacci cried in unintended unison.

Sung Sun hid her emerging smirk behind her hand. They were such children, so easy to provoke that wasn't even a challenge. Yet it never failed to bring her amusement. "In addition to being hot headed fools who bring shame to Harribel-sama you are also deaf." The grinding of their teeth was music to Sung Sun's ears. "I said you both should be used to tarnishing Harribel-sama's dignity," she sung.

Apacci flipped the bitchy snake of a woman. "Fuck you, Sung Sun! You really are just cold blooded snake after all!"

"And you are just an overgrown steer, who lacks any semblance of femininity whatsoever," Sung Sun retaliated in the same even tone as before. Once again success was on her side. Apacci was fuming.

Silva had no time or interest to hear the trio of beasts bickering. She started leaving the arrancar.

"Where do you think you are going!?" Amazingly Apacci was able to tear herself away from her companions to continue to speak to her.

"I'm leaving," Silva replied simply.

"To stir up more trouble," Mila Rose snorted.

Silva chuckled to herself. She said no more and disappeared from sight with a loud boom.

"That bitch," Apacci growled. "She knows nothing about Harribel-sama. She has the gall to condemn her actions."

"Leave her be," Harribel voiced her opinion at long last. Her Fraccion eyes landed on her, like always they were obedient. They were silent their thoughts were no doubt running rampant. Harribel knew they didn't understand her choice to not take leadership of Hueco Mundo. They assumed she would when they returned to Hueco Mundo after their injuries were healed. After seeing all their comrades cut down in battle the water elemental was just grateful that her belief that her Fraccion were killed was incorrect.

All the fight in her had bled out when Aizen's blade sliced through her. The man who had promised to bring order to Hueco Mundo along with the Soul Society and Human World was no more than a sham. He deceived her with beautiful lies. He didn't give a damn about them and she was fool enough to believe otherwise. She always prided herself on seeing through deceit. She didn't become a Vasto Lorde by being naïve. She refused to bow down to that braggart self-proclaimed god, Baraggan. He deluded himself on his own status, but the state of Hueco Mundo. He liked to pretend it was a grand kingdom it was nothing more than a dead world. She never accepted him as her king or god despite his power. A false king who did nothing to bring his so called subjects to greatness didn't deserve her allegiance.

How could she see through a false king, but be taken in by a false sun? It was pathetic. Even Starrk had realized that Aizen was not the savior he claimed to be before the final battle ended. He at least fought with everything he had for the first time to protect them from the Soul Society and fully embraced his role as the primera. Despite giving everything he had, slowly turning the battle against the two masked shinigami with his power he still met his end at the hand of a shinigami. Starrk had more honor than Baraggan and despite his laziness there was no doubt his heart lied with his comrades. He fought with all his heart and despite being the strongest of the Espada he failed. They didn't see it. Her Fraccion thought of her as a goddess who could do anything. Silva viewed her as the long awaited savior of Hueco Mundo. How could she hope to succeed when Starrk failed to make a difference? She didn't have his strength. She couldn't even match that false king Baraggan's strength. She may have been the strongest arrancar after them, but it wasn't enough. She couldn't save Hueco Mundo. Their world was doomed by fate. God help her, but she didn't have the power to alter that.

'_Silva you can't possibly succeed. We are wretched creatures. The moment Aizen was defeated we returned to our old ways. Meaningless fights for power as means to personal ends has no meaning. None of them wish to elevate our kind at all. How quickly we have been reduced to little more than squabbling beasts. You want to change all of that Silva and bring us into the light. You foolish girl, you still think there is any worth in us. You will be sorely crushed when you realize just how wrong you are.' _

Harribel's thoughts were pessimistic in nature or realistic, she didn't know anymore. She expected Silva to fail. Why did she care if she failed though? Why did she try so hard to steer her away from her course of action? This world was doomed, so Silva was destined to meet her end in battle anyway wasn't she? Yet Harribel did care for the elder Espada. She wanted Silva to be able to keep her comrades safe from her. If she didn't she wouldn't have fought with her to help her get stronger. She could have just run away and avoided her. _'What nonsense,' _she thought. _'Somewhere in my heart I still carry some flicker of hope. Ulquiorra was right all along. Hearts have no place for beings such as us.' _She wanted to believe that. She really did. Something stopped her from fully embracing that philosophy. It urged her to cling to hope. For whatever reason she couldn't suppress that feeling. What surprised her more was she had no desire to suppress it.

* * *

Uryu was content. Not even the extreme heat could take that away from him. After weeks of grueling training under his demanding father it was a fresh of breath air for him to just hang around outside of a construction site. The young Quincy was waiting for Sado to get off work. Inoue-san was supposed to coming there as well so that all three of them could head to the Urahara Shop together.

The eccentric shop owner asked them all to come over, but wouldn't go into any more detail. Uryu predicted he was summoning them to discuss some new information he obtained about the Privaron Espada. With any luck Urahara had pin point the current location of the arrancar so that could finally launch a counterattack. He was tired of being on the defensive. If they had any hope of ending this threat anytime soon they would need a good offense.

"Ishida." Uryu turned around to see Sado. Their gentle giant was drenched in sweat. Apparently the sun had taken its toll on Sado. He shouldn't really be surprised given all heavy lifting Sado had to do on his job.

"Sado-kun," Uryu greeted somberly. Unlike Sado, Uryu was still wearing his school uniform. The hollow powered human stripped down to a white beater and an old pair of pants. The dark brown haired man's eyes moved from left to right failing to lock on whatever it was they sought.

"Inoue isn't here yet?" The concern leaked out into his words. Uryu could see that Sado's mind was going through different scenarios.

The raven haired man quickly put his mind at ease. "Inoue-san said she might be running late. Her shift at the bakery was extended to cover one of her co-workers," he explained to Sado. The giant of a man accepted this explanation readily.

"We should just wait for her here then," Sado said.

"That would be for the best," Uryu agreed.

"What do you think Urahara-san wants to talk to us about?"

"It is hard to say," Uryu started. Sado stared at him as if to ask Uryu if he thought he was an idiot. He was hanging around Sado-kun too much if he could easily see through him now. "If I were to guess I would think that Urahara-san has gotten more information on the enemy."

"What kind of information could he have?" Sado wondered aloud. "The Soul Society hasn't gotten any closer at locating the Privaron Espada in Hueco Mundo. At least that is what Urahara-san told Inoue and me that the last time we talked to him. I don't think that would have changed so quickly."

"Why do you say that?" Uryu voiced his curiosity.

"The Soul Society had recall troops back to send them to guard the locations of the other Spirit Keystones. With their forces in Hueco Mundo reduced it seems unlikely that they could have found the Privaron Espada."

"I see." The Soul Society spent fruitless months searching for Privaron Espada. Instead of dedicating more resources into searching for the enemy that could cloak their reiatsu they were wiser to focus on the Keystones. It could understand their reasoning. The Soul Society at least knew where the Spirit Keystones were and they were a stationary target that couldn't move unlike the arrancars. That strategy was most likely the best one to use, but that also meant they would have to remain on the defensive.

The Quincy crossed his arms and pondered what else they could do to put an end to this battle. "The best case scenario is that Urahara-san found a way to track the Privaron Espada in Hueco Mundo. That scenario is the most ideal one."

"What is the worst case scenario?" Sado was quick to ask. He wasn't the type of man who liked things sugar coated to him.

Uryu took a small breath before continuing, "The worst case scenario is that Urahara-san is still unable to track the Privaron Espada and that he is preparing us for the next, possibly final attack. Their next attack could be a full scale assault that makes their last one look tame in comparison."

Neither man spoke. Both of them contemplated Uryu's words. Could Karakura Town survive another attack, especially one that was larger than the last one that brought their town to its knees? The enemy's numbers was greater than their own. They stood there silent for several minutes until Orihime showed up.

"Sado-kun, Ishida-kun," she breathed out.

"Inoue-san," concern took hold of Uryu, "Are you alright?"

The auburn princess brushed aside his concern and flashed a vibrant smile. "I'm fine, Ishida-kun. I was running late already, so I decided to run here. I didn't want to make you two wait any longer than you have."

Hearing this confession made Uryu frown. "There was no need to rush over here," he said in a matter of fact tone. "It's almost 100 degrees today. If you push yourself you could suffer from a heat stroke."

Orihime just laughed and waved the Quincy off for a second time. "I told you I'm fine." To prove her point Orihime began to do some light jogging. Uryu and Sado were gripped by earth shattering disbelief. Next the proclaimed goddess did twirls and finished up with her signature smile. "See, I'm all better now."

Uryu's right eyebrow twitched furiously. He had known Inoue Orihime for almost two years now and he was nowhere near closer to understand that mind of hers. _'Does Kurosaki understand that mind of hers?' _the glasses cladded man thought.

Sado cleared his throat, drawing attention to him. "We should get going." Uryu and Orihime agreed. The trio was heading toward the Urahara Shop. Uryu filled Orihime in on what he and Sado had been discussing before she arrived. Horror slapped itself onto the healer's face. Karakura Town would be completely ravaged by a hollow invasion with far greater numbers than what originally sent to distract them.

"There must be something we can do," Orihime spoke up. Her companions remained stony faced men. "We can't just let Karakura Town be destroyed. Urahara-san must have something planned just in case," she said confidently, leaving no trace of doubt in her words.

"Considering everything he's done in the past I agree with Inoue," Sado said. "I don't think it will come to the scenario you described, Ishida."

"In any case Urahara-san will have thought of such a scenario and made preparations for it. After all he did move the entire population of the town before the last invasion," Uryu pointed out.

Orihime was about to comment when he phone rang. She reached her phone and recognized the number. It was Ichigo's work number. Her mood immediately brightened. In a flash she answered it, forgetting her manners for once and forgot to excuse herself. "Hello!" she practically squealed from anticipation. Unfortunately her giddiness was swept away and replaced with disappointment. "Oh, hello, Masaoka-chan," she said dejectedly.

"Don't sound too excited," Shiori mused.

Instantly the healer became apologetic. It was rude of her to let her disappointment show. It wasn't Masaoka's fault that Ichigo didn't call her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it," Shiori said. "I just wish I was making a social call…."

"Did something happen to Kurosaki-kun?" she spat out before Shiori could even finish her sentence. Ishida-kun and Sado-kun became interested when her beloved's name was mentioned. "He isn't hurt is he?" Panic and fear slowly filled her heart and reached her voice.

"No, he's not in any physical danger or hurt."

Relief washed over Orihime. She let out the breath she had been holding back. Thank God her Kurosaki-kun was not hurt.

Shiori continued, "It's kind of stupid, but we had an argument. I was prying into his business, trying to find out why he's been ditching work and been so moody lately. He didn't appreciate me nosing in, we got into a fight, and he walked out of the store. At first I was too pissed to care, but he's been gone for an hour and Nakamura-san told me that he said he was quitting…."

"Eh, he just walked out and quit?"

"Yes. I'm not sure if he meant it. Nakamura-san might give him another chance if he doesn't mean it, but Ichigo's chances are better if he responds right away. If you see him can you tell him that?"

"I will. Thank you for telling me this, Masaoka-chan."

"It is no problem. I hope you guys make up soon. He really seems to be hurting."

Orihime's eyes dimmed. "I do too," she said more to herself than to Masaoka-chan.

Sensing Orihime's shift in mood Shiori thought it was best to reassure her. "It's not that bad. He is still head over heels for you. I can tell just by how defensive he was being. He'll eventually talk to you about it. If I learned anything about Ichigo it is that he's not the type of man to run from his problems."

"No he isn't that type of man." The healer finished with a smile.

"Bye, Orihime."

"Bye and thank you again, Masaoka-chan." She hung up her phone. "Ha," Orihime exhaled. It was times like these when she really wished Ichigo still possessed reiatsu. She could at least find him. She could just call him, but given how distant he had been to her the following weeks she doubted he would answer her call.

Before she could dwell on her relationship problems Sado-kun brought her out of her head with a simple question, "Ichigo quit his job?"

Orihime affirmed this with a sad nod.

"Why would he do that?" Sado continued to question. He instantly wished he hadn't. Orihime's usual indomitable spirit rooted away into misery. Seeing the girl was oozing with untainted joy wearing such a long face was like a crime against nature. It was stupid of him to question her on Ichigo's motives. She was not in good standing with the bright orange haired boy than either he or Ishida were. In fact he seemed to be going out of his way to avoid Inoue.

Uryu forced himself to look away from Orihime. He hated to see her in any type of distress or pain. It wasn't right for her to go to experience such harsh emotions. She was the kindest and most gentle soul a person could meet, despite her hardships. How could Kurosaki make her go through this? He was trying hard, really hard to understand Kurosaki for Inoue-san's sake, but it as the days went on he was losing more and more patience with the ex-substitute. Seeing Inoue-san's beautiful smile crushed fueled his anger at Kurosaki. He understood why Kurosaki was pissed and fully expected him to push them all away for keeping out of the loop. He never thought Kurosaki would keep his grudge against them up for this long, at least not with Inoue-san.

This was the same Kurosaki that forgave Urahara for deceiving them about the real reason he sent them to the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki-san. He never really seemed to hold onto serious grudges against people so long as their heart was in the right place. Perhaps he overestimated Kurosaki's capacity for forgiveness or that the loss of his shinigami powers exhausted them? He couldn't worry about that idiot now. It was better to attend to Inoue-san.

"I'm sure Kurosaki is fine. You know him. He has been complaining about his job lately and not having enough time to study. The pressure finally got to him and he quit, so he could worry about the finals this week." The healer curved her lips upward in an appreciative yet still force smile.

"There is more to it than that," Orihime said. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Ishida-kun."

She forced her smile to widen making the Quincy feel disturbed. It was too alien and unnatural to be a smile. It truly didn't belong on anyone's face let alone Orihime's.

"He had a falling out with Masaoka-chan," she explained to Sado and Uryu. "It's my fault."

Uryu was quick to intervene. "Don't blame yourself, Inoue-san."

"Ishida is right," Sado quickly added.

She merely gave the two men a hollow smile to thank them for their efforts. "That is really nice of you both, but it is really my fault."

Uryu started, "Inoue-san…." The healer cut him off with a look.

"Kurosaki-kun is hurt because I lied to him about the Privaron Espada. He feels betrayed and as a result he can't connect with anyone. I knew this would happen when Urahara-san asked me to keep it from him, but I agreed to go through with it anyway. I wanted to keep him out of the battle to repay him, but I also feared he what he would do if he knew we were all fighting, while he couldn't do anything. I feared he would do something reckless. I lost faith him, even though I said I wouldn't."

"We all thought the same thing," Uryu pointed out. "Even Urahara-san and Kurosaki's own father thought he might do something rash if we told him. You can't put all the blame on yourself."

"Don't you understand, Ishida-kun? He expected that from Urahara-san, Kurosaki-san, and even you and Sado-kun. I was the one he didn't expect that from. I was the one who always believed in him no matter what. I should have told him everything. I should have believed he could handle it. I should have done what I always do and placed my faith in Kurosaki-kun. If I did then he wouldn't feel so lost now. He needed me, but I let him down. I won't let him down again."

She couldn't feel sorry for herself. That wasn't going to help anyone least of all Ichigo. Orihime banished her guilt. She hardened her resolve. He needed her now more than anything. He needed to know that she still believed in him. Regardless of her actions that she still saw him as the same man she always saw. He was still the man who would protect everything he held precious to his heart. He was still the man she loved. "I'm going to find, Kurosaki-kun."

"What about Urahara-san?" Uryu questioned.

"I'm sorry, but I have find Kurosaki-kun. I have to help him." He might not be ready to talk to her yet. She didn't want to force herself on him, but at the same time she was tired of doing nothing. Ichigo wouldn't just sit around if their positions were reversed. Orihime had to go to him. "Please tell Urahara-san I'm sorry. It is irresponsible…." Orihime was stopped by a Sado-kun placing his steady hand on her shoulder. "Sado-kun?" she voiced her surprise. The giant responded by gripping her shoulder reassuringly.

"We understand. Urahara-san will understand to. We kept Ichigo out of the loop, because we originally wanted to protect him. We felt indebted to him for everything he had done for us. We didn't want to burden him with the knowledge that a new threat emerged. We understood that he wouldn't like it and that he would be angry at us for doing it. I thought that leaving Ichigo alone was the best course of action. I thought once he had time to himself he would come back to tell us off the way he would normally. If he did that I knew that Ichigo would return to his old self, but it looks like that might take longer than I anticipated. If anyone can help him it is you." He finished by giving her a thumbs up. It was a gesture that he and Ichigo had developed during their middle school days. He thought the healer would appreciate it.

Hearing Sado-kun's encouraging words and seeing the thumbs up that he reserved for Ichigo stirred up her long dormant courage. Her task didn't seem as heavy as before. He had lessened the burdened on her. For that she had to look up to him with a small smile. "Thank you, Sado-kun."

"Hmm," Uryu grumbled, drawing their attention to him. "If anyone can help Kurosaki than it is probably you. Knowing him he won't make it easy for you. That guy is way too troublesome," the Quincy said, trying to feign disinterest. Upon seeing Orihime's hopeful and determined face his mask was faltering. He sighed. "Inoue-san, Kurosaki is in a rough place right now. Don't be too surprised or hurt if you don't get through to him."

"I can't just give up before I even try," Orihime blurted out almost immediately. She was taken aback by how forceful she had been. Ichigo was really rubbing off on her. Ishida-kun wasn't offended. She could have sworn she saw a gleam of admiration in his sky blue eyes.

"No, I don't expect you to. Just remember that you might not get through to him today, but you can still remind him that you are here for him. We'll tell Urahara-san you couldn't make it. Like Sado-kun said he will understand."

The auburn princess in her haste bowed halfheartedly. "Thank you for understanding." She ran as fast her legs could carry her, disappearing almost instantaneously. To the untrained eye it would have been as if she were a specter.

Sado's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He turned to the Quincy. "Do you really think that Inoue won't be able to reach, Ichigo?" The expression of grim made its regular appearance on the glasses cladded man. That never spelled good news.

Uryu responded, "I do not think it will be as simple as Inoue-san just talking to Kurosaki. Kurosaki is stubborn and is known to hold grudges only toward people that mean harm to him or people he cares about. We all expected he would be angry at us if he found out about the arrancars. Kurosaki is quick to forgive people as well. Take me for example. Even though I lured hollows here with hollow bait to prove the Quincies' superiority to the shinigami and put lives at danger Kurosaki not only forgave me, but urged me to work with him to defeat the hollows. That was before we learned Aizen was the reason so many hollows showed up. Kurosaki's anger at us or Inoue-san or perhaps his own powerlessness rooted deeper than we thought."

All the training was paying off. She felt light on her feet, but also moved at surprising speeds that most people wouldn't be able to see clearly. She was tempted to use her reiatsu to increase her speed, but thought it was unwise unless she wanted to draw attention to herself. She still had no idea where Ichigo went. How did he find her so long ago when she ran out of class? That's right he had Ishida-kun's help. He tracked her reiatsu to the park and informed Ichigo.

'_Wait a minute, the park. I went to the park because Sora used to take me there. It was a special place for me because of that. Ichigo-kun would go to some place that is special for him. I think I know where he is.' _Orihime altered her course to a place that was special to Ichigo's heart. She just prayed he would be there.

* * *

She rushed through the door, barely keeping herself balanced. The universe was delighted in embarrassing her she found herself the subject of every wandering eye in the ice cream parlor. Mothers shook their heads disapprovingly at her spectacle, while children giggled, and teenagers stifled back mocking snickers. None of that registered with Orihime. She only cared about one person. She was holding out hope that was present. Her eyes scanned the parlor.

"Orihime?"

His voice made her heart flutter. The goddess swiftly homed into her troublesome boyfriend, scowl and all. He was sitting at table near the back with his arms crossed. In front of him was the empty content of container with residue of light brown ice cream. The chocolate orbs that she adored were riddled with confusion. He looked so cute. She strode over to his table and took a seat before he could even open his mouth.

"I found you!" the healer stated excitedly. It reminded him of a child proud of their mundane accomplishment.

"Yeah, you found me," he repeated anxiously. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Masaoka-chan called me and told me what happened at your job today."

"That figures. She called me a few times now. I should have expected her to call you when she couldn't get me."

"She is worried about you. I'm worried about you. Did you really mean it when you quit your job?" Ichigo slide back into his impassive state. She noticed that he was avoiding her gaze. _'Ishida-kun might be right about this not going anywhere.'_

"It's no big deal. Nakamura-san is a nice guy, but I can't meet his demands any longer. He needs a worker who can give him all that time. Finals have already started and I'm struggling to find time to study now. I've been ditching work lately just to get time to study. It is better for Nakamura-san and me if I quit and he finds someone else." His voice was dull as rusty blade. Again he shifted his eyes anywhere, but on her.

"Thanks for your concern, but everything is fine," he said. She could hear how he tried to force annoyance. He went as far as to twiddle his thumbs on the table top.

She reached out to grasp his hands. Unintentionally he let out a small gasp, revealing his surprise to both of them. The chocolate shaded gaze landed on her. It was a gaze she was familiar with. It was filled with love. It was gaze she hadn't seen in quite some time. Like a silly grade school girl the mutant butterflies went aflutter within her stomach. It had been a long time since she met this gaze. Oh dear god did she miss it so dearly, as sure as she would have missed the air she breathed. _'I sound so melodramatic,' _she thought giddily. The love dissipated from his gaze. Her beloved escaped her grasp. He might as well have punched her in the stomach, because her breath was stolen from how fast he withdrew his hand from hers.

"How did you know I was here?" Ichigo questioned. Once more he evaded her gaze.

"On our White Day date you told me your mother used to take you to this ice cream parlor. It was important place for you. I thought you might come here. It being really hot also helped too." She hoped the joke would break the ice. It failed spectacularly. He was unmoved. "I wanted to talk you, let you know that I'm here for you. If you want to talk or just need me to sit here I'm here for you."

"Um….thanks," Ichigo said awkwardly. "Um…. I don't really know what you want me to say. I'm not….I mean I still not ready to talk to you yet."

"I understand. I won't force you to talk to me if you don't want to. I just needed you to know that even though we have become distant that I'm still here for you. I'm on your side."

"You have a funny way of showing it," he quipped bitterly.

"Ichigo-kun…."

"I still can't believe you lied to me," Ichigo continued. His voice rose slightly, maintaining control of it, so as not to make a scene.

"I am truly sorry for that. I know you are still mad at me. I betrayed your trust and worst of all I doubted you. I promised myself that I would always have faith in you…"

"…but you didn't," Ichigo interrupted. "All those declarations were just empty words."

"They were not empty words!" Stunned by how forceful she was the former vizard could only blink. Orihime decided to seize the opportunity. "You can be angry at me. You can even yell at me if you want, but don't ever say that my words were empty. Everything I said to you was from my heart. If you say they were just empty it is like saying my feelings…my love for you is empty. That is not true. I love you. The fact is that I messed up. You can't honestly question how I feel for you over this?"

"I….Orihime, I just….you know….. You can't switch this around on me."

"I'm not switching this around on you," she argued.

"It sounds like that to me."

"I'm not," she insistent stubbornly.

He glared at her, but she refused to back down. She actually met his glare head on without flinching. To her surprise a storm whirling around the pit of her stomach wasn't making her shaking in her boots at her Kurosaki-kun wrath. What got into her?

"Damn it. Why do you have to be so stubborn?" He threw up his arms in exhaustion. Her frame shook. She must have been really angry at him if she was shaking from anger. The unthinkable happened. She was laughing. That's right he heard her sweet, angelic laugh. _'What the hell?' _he asked himself dumbfounded. He sat there and watched her laugh. "W-what's so funny?" he finally asked, indigently.

"N-nothing," she tried and failed to contain her laughter.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "It doesn't look like it to me."

The Goddess of Karakura High tried to collect herself, but she couldn't do it. He wasn't sure if he should be offended by her laughter or if he wanted to know the source of her laughter. It was mind boggling. "What is it?" he asked again.

"It's just you are asking me why I'm so stubborn when you are just as stubborn as me. In fact you are more stubborn," she proclaimed.

"A-a-are not!" he defended rather weakly. His zany girlfriend's laughter was renewed. "I'm not as stubborn as you are," he reiterated.

"Really?" she challenged.

"Really," he repeated.

"You are always persistent that you walk me home at night even when I tell you I can do it myself."

"That doesn't count. You are a girl walking alone at night. Guys get ideas. Your neighborhood isn't a good place to be in at night alone."

"So I can fight hollows, but not normal guys?" she jested.

"Ah…You….you can't use your powers on normal people though."

"Tatsuki-chan has been training me in self-defense for years now. She tells me I fight as well as a black belt. I flipped you over one time."

He didn't need to be reminded of that. He learned the hard way not to startle her. He was just trying to help her after her breakdown in class last year when her nightmares plagued her. Not being one to give up Ichigo powered on through with his argument. "A group of horny thugs could still be a problem for you."

"You are being really persistent about this." He didn't like her tone. "You are being stubborn about this." There it was. She was trying to win the argument. It was totally different though!

"It's not being stubborn if it's true."

"Ichigo-kun," Orihime chastised lightly. It was just like old times. They shared laugh and had fun. She wondered if he missed this as much as she did. She wanted to believe he did.

"Am I different to you?" Ichigo inquired.

Orihime couldn't comprehend what he asking her. Was he testing her or trying to make a point? Her brain was running on a blank. The auburn princess asked, "I'm sorry?"

"Ha," the ex-substitute sighed. Of course she would need more to work with than asking her if he was different. "Am I different to you than how you remember me? Do you think less of me?"

"No! I couldn't think less of you." Why would even think that? Ichigo was one of the strongest and courageous people she knew. His unshakable resolve inspired her. Orihime had to admire his sense of right and wrong. He always do whatever he felt was right regardless of what others told him or some silly old tradition or outdated law said. He was honorable to a fault. "Why?"

Ichigo shrunk away. The empty cup of chocolate ice cream became much more interesting or she assumed. Her beloved's eyes were fixed on it. "I can't be the same man you know."

Again the healer was sinking in the depths of confusion. "How could you not be the same man I know?"

"I'm completely useless," he stated.

"No, you aren't?" Her smaller hands wrapped around his larger ones. Yet he pulled away from her yet again. "Ichigo-kun, please talk to me."

"There is no use in trying to make me feel better anymore. You and I both know that I'm completely useless without my shinigami powers. The reason you all kept this from me was, because you didn't want tell me that simple fact."

Frantically she denied his accusations. She never thought he was useless. He was powerless, but that didn't make him useless. He was anything but that. He was powerless when comforted her and help her fight her nightmares. He was powerless when he held her in his arms to help her fight nightmares. He the ability to make her feel so safe that she could close her eyes when they walked together, because she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Ichigo scoffed. He didn't need false reassurance. The reality of the situation was they kept him out of the loop, because he was powerless. He couldn't help them fight. They didn't want him to feel impotent. They pitted him. He despised being pitted. "I'm a big boy. I can handle it. Just tell me the truth."

"You are not useless. I depend on you."

"For what?" he spat out. "How can you depend on me? Orihime, I can't do anything for you. I can't even see a hollow let alone fight one. All I could do was run away and get out of your way when you fought hollows at the school. I almost got killed doing that."

"You almost got killed protecting Tatsuki-chan and innocent girl," she pointed out.

"Yeah, that was some accomplishment," he muttered, sarcasm radiating brilliantly. "Stop trying to spare my pride already."

"I'm not trying to spare your pride. I'm trying to make you understand that even without your shinigami powers you are someone I depend on. You are someone who protects me."

He slammed his fist down on the table, so hard that it made the table vibrate. "I can't protect you!" he exclaimed. His volume had gotten away from him. Wandering eyes found themselves staring at them. "I can't protect you as I am now. How the hell can you sit there and say I protect you? I hate this. I hate being powerless to do anything. I hate that you have to keep things like Arrancar from me just to spare my feelings. I hate being left out of the loop. I completely despise all of this from the bottom of my heart."

He expected to hear her protests, but none came. She sat there attentive. No, she was letting him express himself without judgment or interruptions. A part of him was glad she let him speak.

"I don't need your pity. I need you to be straight with me. If you ever respected me you can at least do that."

"You are right. I owe it to you to be honest. I was afraid you would get drawn into this battle. I knew without your powers you couldn't fight. I did doubt if you would accept that. I feared you would do something rash. The thought of losing you terrifies me. While Urahara-san and your dad asked me to keep it a secret I can't deny that I shared their fears."

So far so good, at least he hadn't left yet. He was sitting there and listening to her.

"I also wanted to protect you for a change. I wanted to be able to fight for you for a change. I've been training all this time to protect you. I forgot to take into account your feelings though. I didn't consider that I could wound your pride or make you feel like a child. Please know that was never my intent. If you think I still don't depend on you just because you are no longer a shinigami you are wrong. I depend on you to give me strength. When I fought against the Privaron Espada and things looked bad I always thought what would Kurosaki-kun do or Kurosaki-kun wouldn't give up, so I can't give up either. Don't you understand? You are the source of my strength. I still lean on you."

He did all of that for her? He didn't suspect that when she went out into battle that she thought of him to give her strength to go on.

Orihime continued, "You do still protect me. I still feel safe in your arms and don't worry about anything bad happening to me when I'm in your arms. I don't think you are useless. Ichigo-kun, you mean so much to me, not because you were a shinigami who fights. I love you for the man you are. That's why I don't think less of you."

"That's what you really think of me, even now?" Hime nodded yes. He inhaled then exhaled as he collected his thoughts. "Despite everything that happened and is happening now you don't think am I different than I was almost 8 months when I had my shinigami powers?"

"No. I mean you have changed in last 8 months. You are affectionate and you smile more. The one important part of you that hasn't changed is your heart."

"I wish I could think the same thing. I feel like someone else. I know how I used to feel. The sensation, the power I can remember it all, but I can't grab hold of it. There is nothing there for me to grab. It is void. That nothingness is something I'm unfamiliar with. It's not me at all. I don't feel like me at all. I'm just going through the motions."

Their brown spheres lined up with each other. Neither one of them could break the link, nor did they desire it to be broken. "It's too hard. I was getting used to being a normal human. I was content with it. I thought this isn't so bad living a normal life. Now that I know what's going on it's impossible to just think of homework or my jobs. I need to be doing more. I need to help you guys, but I can't." He balled his hands into fists. Fingernails dug deep into his skin as he squeezed his hands.

He was being swallowed by despair. Orihime absolutely hated to see him like this. It didn't suit her beloved Kurosaki-kun. She would give anything to erase self-loathing expression from his face entirely. She would do whatever it took.

"Ichigo-kun…." Before she could form the first word Ichigo was getting up. The healer looked up to her savior. They traded looks, Orihime's shocked at his sudden desire to leave, while his was akin to a wayward puppy.

"Thank you for talking to me, Orihime. I have to work this out for myself. I need to more time process everything."

"Ichigo-kun, let me…."

Ichigo dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I have to get going. Yuzu will get worried if I'm late."

"Wait!" Orihime cried.

"Hmm?" he responded.

"I need to tell you this. I want to be honest with you. I've been training with Hachi-san. Together we have strengthened my Shun Shun Rikka and I've refined my skill. We have been training so that I can restore your shinigami powers." His jaw dropped. The color left Ichigo's face. The weight of her words could crush him.

"How can you be so sure?" he managed to get out, just barely above a whisper.

"We aren't. I asked Hachi-san for help in using my powers better. It was my goal to try to restore your powers. I asked Hachi-san. He didn't have a definitive answer for me. He assures me there is a chance that I can undo the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. I didn't tell you any of this before, because I didn't want to get your hopes up in case it failed. I really didn't want to tell you until I had a better understanding of what would happen. There is no guarantee that this will work though. But even if there is only a slim chance of success I had to take it and return the smile to your face."

"Orihime," he choked out. "Can you do it now?"

"Ideally I would like to get more training done before I try it."

"Can't you try it sooner though? If this works my shinigami powers would not only return, but I could fight alongside you guys."

"Well I have improved, but I'm not sure if it's enough."

"Please, Orihime. You are my last chance. Dad and Urahara-san both told me that can't reverse the effects. It's like you said. If there is a slim chance for success than I have to take it."

"Are you sure you want me to try it now though? If you give me a little more time…"

"We don't have time," he argued. "The Privaron Espada could attack any moment. The sooner you do this the better. Please do this for me. I need to be able to fight."

He was nearly begging for her help. God she wanted to help him. She was making head way with her training this was still a lot of room for her to improve in. Maybe she was overthinking this though. Her powers were based on the strength of her will and resolve. If she had doubts there was no way she would succeed. If she believed her powers she could do this. "Alright, I will try."

They left the ice cream parlor almost immediately. They found a more secluded place in the back of it though. She suggested her apartment, but Ichigo was in too much of a hurry. He exuded hope. She prayed that his hope would be repaid. She took a breath before summoning her Soten Kisshun. The dome barrier erected itself around him.

"Ready?" she asked him.

He replied, "Ready."

Orihime started. _'I reject the Final Getsuga Tensho. I reject the effects of the Final Getsuga Tensho. I reject this reality, the reality where Ichigo-kun is powerless. I reject this powerless state.' _She used every ounce of her willpower. She imagined a world where Ichigo wasn't powerless. She wanted a world where he retained all of his powers. She would make a world where he never lost his powers. She would reject the world where he lost all of his powers. She had to. If she could revive the dead then she could do this. It was no different. She expelled all doubt and held firmly to her convictions.

She saw a world where Ichigo became a shinigami again. She saw a world where he fought to protect everyone. She saw a world where they were reunited with Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun. That was the world she wanted for both of them. This was the reality she wanted to write. Why was this not the reality they lived in? She strengthened her concentration, but there was no change. She couldn't feel anything from him. His spiritual power was still absent. She couldn't feel the pressure of his reiatsu at all. Why couldn't she do this? She knew she could do this. She was straining her power and concentration on this simple task. Nothing changed though. Nothing changed! How could noting have changed? She wanted this so bad. She did everything Hachi-san told her. She did everything and her powers had never been stronger. Yet Ichigo remained powerless. After fifteen long minutes that didn't change. She refused to give up. She had to keep going for his sake.

Minutes continued to pass by, but Ichigo remained unchanged. For brief moment he allowed himself to hope again. The jovial spirit that possessed him and chased the storm clouds away from his inner world evaporated. With its disappearance the storm clouds slowly reformed. The rain was about to begin. This was another dead end. His shinigami powers remained nothing, but a distant memory still. If Orihime's power, the power that allowed her reject reality and bend it to her whim, could not bring his powers back than what would? What if this was really permanent? That thought froze his blood. Oh god what if this was really permanent?

"Don't worry. I'll keep trying until I get it," she assured him.

Her words had little meaning to Ichigo. It was pointless. Regardless of what Orihime believed, she wasn't making any headway. It was fruitless endeavor. "Stop," he said in a weak voice.

"I can do this. I just have to try harder," she said more to herself than to him.

"Orihime," Ichigo said in the same weak tone as before.

"I can do this. I just have to try harder," she insisted.

"Orihime, this isn't working. Please stop it." God he hated how pathetic he sounded. His voice lacked strength and his words held none of its usual confidence.

"N-no! I can do this. I have to be able to do this. I can't fail you again!"

"Fail me again?" he repeated her mindlessly.

"I can do this. I know I can. I've been training for this moment. It has to work. It just has to work," she cried hysterically. "I reject this. I reject the Final Getsuga Tensho. I reject your powerlessness. I reject…..I reject all of it!"

"Stop it, Orihime!" This time it was he who pleaded with her. "You tried your best, but it failed. Sometimes these things happen. You did your best, but it's over."

She vehemently disagreed. She continued to urge him to stay put. She kept insisting that his powers would return. She curled herself with her denial. It was obvious that she wasn't going to succeed. Tears of frustration were fighting their way through. The healer tried desperately to fix what had been broken. It wasn't working at all. Why couldn't she do this? Why did she have screw things up again? All she wanted to do was return his powers to him, to return his smile. She couldn't even do that much.

"Orihime," her beloved called to her. His words weren't rough or bitter. They were soothing. They succeeded in breaking the fog that had clouded her mind. "Stop," was all he said. She didn't know why, but when she heard the word come out of his lips this time she complied. Soten Kisshun was dropped. Shame forced her to bow her head. She couldn't bear to look into those breath taking chocolate eyes after her failure. More tears were flowing out. Damn. It was all so infuriating! Why didn't it work? What did she do wrong?

Ichigo punched the building in blind rage. "Fuck!" he cursed. The mood change was sudden that it caught him by surprise. The only thing he saw was red. "So it's really over. Are you fucking kidding me? This has to be some kind of joke." So enthralled with his rage that he failed to notice knuckles were driveling blood. It didn't escape Orihime's notice though.

Her fingers wrapped themselves around his wounded hand. Ichigo snatched his hand away so fast that you would have thought Orihime had some disease. That stung. "You're hurt. Let me fix it."

"It's fine," he muttered. His words rang hollow. He was no longer numb to the stinging in his knuckles. Not willing to go back on his macho act he wouldn't acknowledge the pain. His fretted girlfriend wasn't falling for it.

"Hold out your hand." She instructed him like he was a snot nosed kid and she was his nagging mother.

"I told you it was fine. Quit nagging me."

"Please let me heal you." She could at least do that much. It appeared Ichigo wasn't going to make this easy for her. He continued keep his hand away from her. "Why are you being so difficult?"

"You're the one being difficult. I told you to just drop it. Stop treating me like I'm some kid!"

"I didn't say you were a kid. I just want to help you."

"Well then stop making a fuss over something so small."

"You're bleeding. How is that small?" she challenged.

The ex-substitute snorted. "I've had far worse injuries than this. Compared to them this is small."

"Why won't you let me help you?"

"There is no need for your help. It will heal on its own."

"I don't understand. Why are you pushing me away?" she voiced the question buzzing around in her head. "I just want to help you."

"You can't help me. This is something I have to do on my own." Both of them realized they weren't talking about his injured hand any longer. No. This discussion was never about that. "Just leave me alone for a while."

Orihime was taken aback. "Is that really what you want?"

"That's what I said wasn't it?" Smooth Kurosaki, really smooth. She was just trying to help him and he was pushing her away.

"I'm sorry," he heard her say. "I'm sorry I couldn't restore your shinigami powers."

His conscious was screaming at him for making his Hime feel like this. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't help him. He was going to tell her that, but the words never went passed his throat. He watched her tear stained face and pouting lips. The universe had to enjoy making him feel like shit, because he had never felt shitter. "Orihime, please just leave me alone. I need time alone." Wow that came out completely wrong.

"Ok," came her weepy answer.

She obeyed his wishes and left him alone. There he was alone with only his thoughts to keep him company. Those thoughts reminded him of how far he had fallen. He made her cry. He swore he would never make her cry again. This wasn't supposed to happen. He shouldn't ever make the woman he loved cry. He never wanted to make her cry. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't him. Where was the true him? Where was the man he promised he would become for her sake?

"Damn it all. I'm useless. WHY THE HELL AM I SO UTTERLY USELESS!" he screamed to the sky not giving a damn who heard or saw him. Everything was falling apart. His world was shattered into pieces and he couldn't put back together no matter how he tried.

"It seems he is still not ready yet." He looked down onto the bright colored haired man from above a light post. His head was buried in a book. "That is fine though. It gives me more time to get to know all the characters and their roles better. Inoue Orihime shares a unique bond with him. She has the biggest effect on him and can elicit so many different emotions from him. That will be useful in the future." He shut the book and flickered out of sight, leaving the fallen substitute behind.

* * *

**The chapter took a month to upload, but it was long at least. Things between Ichigo and Orihime are still shaky. Will they reconcile in the next chapter? Silva is done training with Harribel and ready to move into the next phase of her plan. What will she do? Keep reading the story if you want to find out all the answer to all these questions. Sorry for the mistakes again. **


	54. Our Lives and Hearts

**Here is the next chapter at long last. This one made me erase and rewrite more than usual. I'm not terribly sure about this chapter. I did get what I wanted to say for the most part. The chapter is transition for the final battle and explores Ichigo and Orihime as well. There are some other familiar faces that pop up in here.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto. They are my original characters.**

* * *

"You have two hours for your final examination. You will not be given a second more. If you are adequately prepared that should be more than enough time to finish. Once you're done with exam turn it into me and you are free to go and start your summer break. You worked hard all term, so enjoy your break and unwind before the next term starts in September. If there are any questions now is the time to ask." He waited for anyone to raise their hand. When no question arose he signaled the class to begin their last final examination for the term. They were off as sure as a racing horse was off the moment it heard a gunshot fired. He walked to his desk preparing for a long wait until the last student to turn in his exam at the last second of the two hour time block.

Ichigo was ready to take the stupid exam and get it over with. He had a very long week. Most students would attest with Ichigo's opinion, but their reasons for having a hard week were completely different from his. They would no doubt say final exams gave them a hard time and made the week feel like a lifetime. That wasn't the reason his week had been hard. It was true the exams were challenging he found they were more manageable thanks to all the studying he actually did. What made this week almost unbearable was unfortunately his fault. His latest fallout with Orihime left him feeling empty.

He regretted not apologizing to her right away and for letting her leave believing he blamed her for his power loss. How could he blame her after she warned him she might be able to do it? Why couldn't he tell her that? He had been so self-involved that he couldn't even reach out her anymore. For the rest of the week he had been too ashamed to even approach her. Every time he found the nerve to he would chicken out at the last minute. Naturally Orihime avoided him as well. Why wouldn't she? She thought he blamed him for not restoring his shinigami powers. She avoided him to give him time to chill out. His inability to act only reinforced her idea.

He stole a glance at the auburn princess. She was busy scribbling away. At least their fallout wasn't affecting her exams. With the way she was going he was sure she would keep her rank of third of their entire class if she didn't steal the number 2 spot for herself. He would be lucky if he could reclaim his old 23rd rank he gotten in his freshman year before all the trouble with Aizen started.

'_First I worry about this exam. When I get done I'll go to Orihime and talk things out. It's just like dad said.' _He thought back to the advice his father had given to him.

_Flashback_

_Ichigo was sitting at his desk staring blankly at Orihime's gift. It remained wrapped. He was studying or supposed to be studying anyway. His mind kept finding distraction that made studying all, but impossible. Try as he might his thoughts kept going back to Orihime. He really screwed things up with her. He made her cry and he did nothing to stop it. He was screwing up this relationship wonderfully. She apologized for lying to him and only wanted him to know that she was there for him. He pushed her into trying to restore his powers in the first place, unintentionally putting pressure on her. When it didn't work out she blamed herself and he did nothing. _

_He should have called her up or better yet go to her apartment and tell her he didn't blame her. He should make her feel better about herself, not worse. At the same time he couldn't bring himself to go over there for fear he had pushed her to the point of no return and that she wouldn't forgive him. Here he was staring at Orihime's gift hesitant to open it. Not for the first time that night he speculated what she could have given him. Would it be another sentimental gift like her good luck charm? God what if it was? He would be such a horse's ass if it was after how distant he had been to her. In the end fear won out over curiosity and Ichigo set her gift down carefully as if it was glass. It could have been glass for all he knew. _

_He heard a knock on his door. It looked like he wouldn't get as much studying done as he had hoped. "Come in." He couldn't mask his annoyance. The door opened up to reveal his father. This was odd. Usually his old man came barging in. What was with this change of pace? "Hey, dad," he greeted. His father wasn't his normal happy go lucky self. His mood was somber. There was no trace of his usual cheerfulness to be found in his eyes._

"_Ichigo," he spoke with a sense of purpose mixed with a bit of encouragement on the side. "You missed dinner. Yuzu outdid herself you know. You are lucky she stopped me from eating your share," he tried to joke. It was lost on his son. So much for breaking the ice he thought. "Ok enough tip toing around. What's going on? You've been more reclusive than you normally are and you are in an even worse mood than you were before. Did something happen between you and Orihime?" he ventured. _

_He wasn't surprised that his dad knew he something was up. His dad could easily read him like a book. He had proven that to Ichigo a number of times over the years. His old man tried his best not to intrude for the most part and let Ichigo figure out his own problems, sometimes subtly giving him advice. It was only serious times when he talked to Ichigo directly, like his mother's death and his father's attempted to comfort him. He rejected it by pretending he was fine, so his dad could comfort his sisters instead. That was the day he realized he couldn't be a crybaby anymore and had to take his role as big brother seriously._

"_You can say that," Ichigo said cryptically._

"_I'll take the fact you aren't looking me in the eyes and the way you are avoiding going into any detail with me as a yes." Ichigo didn't answer him in words, but the way his shoulders slumped slightly and the grip he had on his desk told Isshin that he was correct in his assumption. "Would I be correct in assuming you guys are fighting, because you found out she was keeping the arrancar invasions from you?" His son didn't speak again he provided Isshin with an answer through his actions. The way Ichigo's head whipped over his shoulders and eyes bulged out of his sockets told him that he was right on the money again. "Did she tell you that she was doing a favor for me and Urahara? We both told her to keep this from you."_

"_Yeah, she told me," Ichigo spoke up. _

"_So are you mad at her for listening to us or us for putting her on the spot?"_

"_I thought it was because she lied to me, but maybe it is a bit of both." _

_Isshin crossed his arms and scowled, not at Ichigo himself, but rather the wishy-washy way he was carrying himself right now. He knew his son. Ichigo was one for being in moody in these kinds of situations, but what he saw before him was a man who had given up on himself. As a result his motions held no purpose. He was like a zombie. It made him sick to his stomach to see Ichigo like this. "This is Orihime we are talking about here you know. I'm sure she has apologized to you by now. There has to be more to it then you being upset over her keeping this from you."_

"_It's complicated," his son said, as if it explained everything. In actuality Ichigo's response didn't give him crap. _

'_I thought I was a master at avoiding questions,' Isshin thought jokingly. He couldn't deny that being on the other end of it was annoying. "Oh please you are way too easy to read Ichigo. You were upset that Orihime kept the Privaron Espada from you when she usually tells you everything. Obviously you weren't expecting her to keep anything from you, let alone something like this."_

_It didn't surprise him at all when his old man read off everything that happened between him and Orihime like he was reading a list. His father was insightful, more than his children gave him credit for. _

"_Are you still upset over her keeping this from you? Or are you angry at yourself for not having your powers?"_

_This time surprise struck him hard across the face. "How did…."_

_Isshin cut him off. "You have been struggling with being powerless since you found out what was going on. You came to me begging me to show you how to restore your shinigami powers remember?" Keeping up with his evasion tactic Ichigo was silent. He wondered if his son was paying him back for not telling him about his past. "This would go better if you answered me. I know I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I have gained more than my fair share of life experience. If I don't say so myself I'm pretty damn wise." _

_To his surprise his son didn't make some smartass remark as he expected him to do. Ichigo talked to him. "I was angry that she kept this from me. I hated it, because I felt like she was treating me like a kid who couldn't do anything. She's never done that before. I mean she always has faith in me no matter what. There have been times when I have lost faith in myself and she was there to pick me back up. Her faith in me was enough to make me get back up and keep going. Now it was like that faith was gone and it hurt. As angry as I was a part of me understands why she did it. She and all of you wanted to protect me. I realize just how worthless I was to everyone. I almost got killed by some common hollow I couldn't even see. Orihime had to save me. I knew it. If I had stayed on the battlefield she would have constantly worried about me. I was a burden to her. Do you know how frustrating it is to hinder someone you love when all you want is to protect them?"_

_Isshin smiled at the irony. He understood Ichigo's frustrations better than his son realized. He had been powerless for 20 years. He still hated how powerless he was to save Masaki from the Grand Fisher. Much like with Ichigo he had given up his powers willingly to stop a great injustice. "I know that feeling well enough."_

_Noticing his father's mood become crestfallen Ichigo became remorseful. It was stupid of him to forget his father had been powerless to protect their family when hollows plagued them in the past. The night Ichigo first met Rukia and became a shinigami was probably one of the worst days in his life up there with Ichigo's mother's death. How could it not be when his old man had to have his then 15 year old son save the whole family by becoming a shinigami when he was powerless? "I'm sorry, dad. I didn't mean to…."_

"_It's fine. You need to get this off your chest." _

_His dad may have let it go Ichigo couldn't. He had been stomping on people's feelings first Masaoka, then Orihime, and now his dad. All they were trying to do was help him. "I messed up dad," he blurted out. "I pushed her into trying to restore my powers. It didn't work and I brushed her off. She thinks I blame her for not restoring my powers. I made her cry. I have no idea what to do. I want see her, but I'm afraid. What if I pushed her too far? What if she doesn't want to see me again? I'm afraid if I go over there I'm going screw things up even more."_

"_You don't want lose her," Isshin stated plainly._

"_No. I don't want to lose her," he agreed with his father. To his surprise his father chuckled. It wasn't mocking or even humorous. It was nostalgic, the same type of nostalgia that older men had when they thought back to their youth. _

"_You know I got into a fight with your mom this one time when we were dating. I was having money troubles. I told your mom it was no big deal. You know how your mom is. She always wants to help people she loves. She tried to "lend" me the money and I kept turning her down. I didn't want her to give me money when she had her own expenses to take care of. I did pay my rent at the expense of food. Your mom found out and brought me groceries. I got upset at her for not listening to me and how she just did what she wanted. She got upset at me for willing to starve before I went to her for help. It was pretty big argument. When did talk to each other for a few weeks. After my anger died down I got scared that it was over between us. We left things on a bad note and neither one of us really had contact with each other in that time."_

"_To this day I still defend my opinion that your mother shouldn't have brought me groceries without talking to me. If she were alive she would tell you how pig headed I was for not letting her help me."_

_Puzzled by his father's reminiscing Ichigo furrowed his brow. "I don't understand. You guys never came to an agreement?"_

"_Not on that argument. We made up when your mom visited me. We got into another argument before that, but when ended we knew we didn't want to lose each other. We just sort of got over it and moved on."_

_Ichigo was starting to comprehend or at least he thought he was. "Neither of you apologized? It sort of blew over?"_

"_I wouldn't say that." Memories of his late wife flashed through his mind. They were able to summon a small smile to his lips. "We both apologized for leaving angry and not hearing the other person out, I think. It was a long time ago. The details are murky now. I didn't want to lose her though and I was afraid to visit her, because I thought we would get into another fight. It's not the same as your situation exactly, but there were a few similarities in there for me to use. Ichigo, you got into fight with Orihime. It happens. As long as you sit her and sulk you're never going to resolve anything."_

"_What if…."_

_Isshin interrupted, "You're going to have to talk to her eventually, Ichigo. You are confused right now, but if you keep pushing her away things really will get worse. Don't let this argument ruin your whole relationship. The bottom line is you don't want to lose her. If that's how you feel go out there and make sure it doesn't happen. At least that is what the Ichigo I know would do." The jet black haired man curved his lip into trademark smirk._

"_Dad," Ichigo spoke softly. He felt his father's gaze on him. For some reason it cut through the fog of despair that was clouding him from the world. It felt good to see the rest of the world again. "Thanks," he spoke with more force. He returned Isshin's smirk with a true smile. _

"_Take the first step," Isshin continued. _

_End Flashback_

He needed to take the first step. If he did that he was sure he could free his Hime from the burden he had unintentionally forced on her. Ichigo could only hope that Orihime didn't finish her exam too fast or he wouldn't be able to follow her immediately and would have to wait until she returned to her apartment.

'_In that case I just have to focus on this exam and finish it as quickly as possible so Orihime doesn't get too far ahead of me,' _Ichigo thought. His mind pushed aside all of his stray thoughts to put all of its power into finishing the exam. He would finish it and talk to Orihime. For the first time in weeks his self-pity was buried and his resolve hardened, became unbendable. He was determined to make amends and nothing would stop him.

* * *

"Captain Hirako!" exclaimed a distraught Momo. The petite shinigami ran as fast as her legs would carry her into the captain's office. The reinstated captain had his nose to the grindstone, working on long overdue paper work. He neglected to follow her advice and let the work build up. Momo thought it was fitting punishment. If he listened to her he wouldn't have to deal with it.

Shinji merely grunted. He didn't even bother to look up for his papers. He promised Yamamoto that he would have all his paper work finished up by tomorrow. The old man was losing patience with him for waiting so long as he did.

"Captain Hirako, we received a report that hollow activity has grown significantly." Her captain didn't react at all to her report. If anything he appeared to be irritated. If it was directed at her or the paper work Momo couldn't tell. "Captain Hirako, did you hear me?"

"Yes, yes, I heard you Momo. Hollow activity has grown significantly. It's not exactly abnormal. Put together a team of our best officers, brief them on the details, and send them to deal with it." He didn't mean to be short with her. He still wanted to win her over and get her to open up, but he really, really needed to get this paper work done or his ass was going to be burnt to a crisp by old hot head himself.

"The number of hollows to appear in the entire Human World has increased almost a 100 fold and all divisions are in disarray!"

Shinji's head shot up. Now she had his attention. "What?" he asked flabbergasted. The number of hollows increased a 100 times in several different places in the Human World. That was unthinkable! That meant thousands of hollows were appearing all around the globe. It couldn't be a natural movement. They had never appeared in such large numbers in so many places. This was a coordinated movement. "Have there been any reports from Hueco Mundo?"

He hadn't given up on being so familiar with her. He refused to address her as Hinamori. It miffed her at how persistent he was. She couldn't think about that now. This was far more important than her person preference. "No. The last report they sent came yesterday, but we haven't heard word from them since," Momo replied swiftly.

This was bad. The Hueco Mundo team was supposed report every six hours. They hadn't heard anything from them in 18 hours! What the hell was Mayuri playing at!? The 12 division was in charge of communications. They should have reported this by now. "Don't tell me that conceited bastard didn't think to notify us?"

Momo was ready with an answer. "Captain Kurotsuchi ordered his 3rd seat and vice president of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Akon to monitor the situation very closely. Apparently windows between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo have been known to close for time to time, so it's not unusual for Hueco Mundo teams to miss reporting in on time. Captain Commander Yamamoto instructed the Captain Kurotsuchi to wait for at least two missed reports before informing him of anything."

"Let me guess they missed another report time," Shinji finished for his vice-captain. Momo gave him a nod. The vizard's face scrunched up in exasperation. "Why wasn't there a team sent to investigate when they missed their second report time?"

"The Hueco Mundo team is made up of members of the 6th, 10th, and 13th divisions. Captain Kuchiki, Captain Hitsugaya, and Captain Ukitake were selecting members to create a new team with them leading it to go to Hueco Mundo, but before they could mobilize we got this report of hollows."

"Damn," Shinji muttered. The enemy had made its move. The worst case scenario was that the Hueco Mundo team had all been killed by the enemy and sent hollows all over the Human World to divert the Soul Society's attention. The best case scenario was that the enemy was responsible for disrupting communications between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo with a device, the team was still alive only preoccupied. Whichever case the Privaron Espada was making its move. He had to be ready.

"Momo, mobilize everyone. Tell them to be on standby. The captain commander will no doubt send the order for us to be on standby soon enough. This way we are ready ahead of time." His lips opened up into his sly lopsided grin. "We'll be the first ones ready to move and we'll fight with everything we got and then some. People want to call us the white division. That's fine with me. We'll be the white division because we'll crush every hollow and arrancar we come across."

The vice-captain mirrored her new captain's mood. At last they were given a chance to redeem their division. No longer were they going to be looked in with suspicion. They were going to be the first ones on the battlefield and defeat the Privaron Espada themselves! "Yes, captain!" Momo sped out of the office.

Shinji's grin remained. This was the first time since his return that he had seen Momo's true self. He bet she didn't even realize she let her guard down just now. Who would have thought she had such a lovely smile. He hoped to see more of it. If the 5th division was successful perhaps he would get his wish.

"I hope the old man orders us to mobilize soon. I'm sick of doing all this paper work," he whined. "I hate paper work."

* * *

To his surprise he finished the exam before Orihime finished hers. He was happy that he had gotten the exam done with before she did. At least he would catch Orihime before she left. He should have been more concerned that Orihime wasn't done yet that maybe he should have double checked his answers. This was a moot point now that he turned in the exam already. His time would be better spent trying to figure out what he was going to say to Orihime. He was terrible expressing himself with words. That was how he got into this whole situation in the first place.

The door began to open. The ex-substitute's heart beat accelerated. Air abandoned his lungs, constricting his breathing. Anxiety possessed his body and its first act was to make his body submit to its power. The door fully opened he didn't see the gorgeous pure hearted healer. He saw the stoic Quincy. Anxiety was overrun by disappointment.

"Why are you still here, Kurosaki?" he asked. Ishida was expecting to him waiting outside.

Ichigo was in no mood to entertain him. He definitely wasn't going to share his personal life with that four eyed bastard. "None of your business," he spat.

Uryu rolled his sky blue eyes. It was so typical of Kurosaki. He was always in such a foul mood. If he was still waiting outside of the classroom he must have been waiting for someone. It was simple to deduce who that someone was. "You are waiting for Inoue-san then." Kurosaki clenched up. He really was easy to read. "This is surprising. I thought you were still upset with Inoue-san."

"You assume too much," was Ichigo's reply. He played it off cool. With any luck Ishida would take his lack of outburst to mean his waiting outside of the classroom had nothing to do with Orihime. The last thing he wanted was for Ishida to stick his nose in his relationship again.

"Hmm, you are not a very convincing liar," he mocked. The infamous Kurosaki scowl made its return. It didn't affect Uryu in the slightest. Kurosaki's bark was worse than his bite. "I couldn't care less if you tell me the reason you are here or not." He started his departure. "Kurosaki, if you make her cry again and you'll have to answer to me."

The tone of his voice was deep and the volume was low. It was deathly cold yet dripping in black hot hate. It was eerie to hear Ishida threaten him and mean it from the bottom of his heart. Ichigo couldn't shake off the uneasiness that he felt in his stomach easily. "I won't make her cry." He felt Ishida's icy stare on him, but he didn't care. He didn't say that to appease Ishida. He didn't give a damn what Ishida did or threaten him. He made a vow to himself. He would never make her cry again. She should never be sad ever. As far as he was concerned the universe owed her for the crap she went through in her early life.

If the universe refused to pay its debt to her then Ichigo would make sure she got what she deserved. "I won't make her cry ever again."

Uryu heard it. The bondless confidence, the iron like resolve, and defiance that Kurosaki burned with, he heard all of that in words. For the first time in weeks he saw the real Kurosaki emerging from the lost soul had been before. Now this was the Kurosaki he knew and the one he called his friend. All his worries were gone. He knew Inoue-san would be taken care of. Without another word the raven haired Quincy left.

Ishida's departure barely registered as a blip on Ichigo's radar. His chocolate eyes stared the door down. He thought maybe if he stared at it long enough he could will Orihime to come out sooner. That sounded pretty stupid. This girl had a knack for making him nuts. The truth was he didn't mind one bit.

Minutes went by and more students went through the door. After a half hour he still didn't see hide or hair of the Goddess of Karakura High. What was taking her so long? She did like to take her time and double checked her answers. He didn't think it would take her this long to finish. She could have run into to trouble. The exam got pretty hard toward the end. He wasn't sure about half the answers he gave. If Orihime was struggling against them it he should have taken more time on those questions.

Orihime came out of the door before Ichigo could even regret his answers. Her hazel eyes connected to his chocolate eyes. Both orange haired teens were frozen in place by their anxieties. Like the awkward teenagers they were they found their bodies betrayed them. They fidgeted and blushed wildly.

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime spoke tentatively. She grabbed herself and slowly caressed her arms. He hadn't spoken to her in a week and now here he was standing in front of her. She had no idea what it meant. Was he still angry at her for not restoring his powers? Was he here to breakup with her? The horror erupted within her. Was he going to break up with her!? They had a lot of problems lately. Every time she tried to do something she just made it worse. He clearly wasn't happy anymore. After their last meeting he didn't want her to help him.

One of their problems was how she tried to force her help on him, which inadvertently made him feel like a child. Their relationship was a shipwreck at this point. It was all her fault. She was about to lose her Kurosaki-kun because of her foolishness. Whatever happened she couldn't cry. She didn't want him to see her cry. She didn't want him to think she was still that same weak little girl who needed to be rescued.

God this wasn't any easier seeing her face. Ichigo's courage faltered, leaving him to face the goddess alone. He silently inhaled taking in her comforting strawberry scent. It tickled his nostrils and roused memories, their memories. The image of Orihime wearing that smile that out shined ten suns was so vivid. He could see her luscious lips curved and her brown eyes about to burst with unbridled happiness. It was nothing like the withdrawn and fearful girl who was in his presence now. They were two different people. He missed her. He missed the old giddy and bubbly Orihime. He missed his Hime. He was going to get her back.

"Orihime."

He used her given name. That was a good sign. They only used their given names when they were alone. It was their way of sharing intimacy with each other. Orihime allowed herself to hope even if it was foolish.

"I ah…..there is no way around it. Orihime, can we speak in private on the roof." It was better to do this on the roof. They wouldn't have to worry about their classmates interrupting them when they left the classroom. Plus it gave him extra time to organize his thoughts.

"Um…sure that sounds fine," the healer said. They were heading to the roof. Neither of them said a word. The silence was long and very uncomfortable. Their eyes looked anywhere and everywhere but each other. It was another indicator at how out of synch they were from each other. That didn't bode well for them in Orihime's opinion.

The entrance to the roof was staring their faces. Ichigo opened the door and being the gentlemen he was invited her to go through first. The healer accepted his offer. He followed after her. The roof was free from anyone else. A quick scan told her that. They were at least alone. Her savior didn't relish this fact from what she could tell. His face was flushed that he might as well have been a tomato.

When he saw her gaze was on him he hastily contain his apprehension, although he couldn't succeed in wearing his usual mask of disinterest. Instead it was a misplaced cross between nervousness and cracking straight face. "Um first of all thanks for agreeing to come to the roof with me." That was stupid, but he needed to buy some time.

"You're welcome." God why was he beating around the bush? If he wanted to breakup with her why was he waiting? The waiting was unbearable. She was forced to hang on to every word out of his mouth just dreading they would be the words to break her heart. This was crazy. She wasn't going to wait for this. She could speed it up. "What did you want to talk about?" Granted it wasn't the direct approach, but it defined the topic and would force him to spit it out instead of torturing her.

He was out of time. The words weren't there. It was time to face facts. He wasn't going to craft some beautiful and awe inspiring speech that would erase all the pain in some of those sappy movies Yuzu and she liked to watch. No. He was going to have to be himself and hope for the best. "I'm sorry."

He was sorry. She must have heard wrong. Breakups didn't start with I'm sorry. Or did they? In those movies and shows some breakups began with someone apologizing for the inevitable pain they were about to cause when they said they wanted to breakup. "You don't have to apologize."

He disagreed with her. "Yes I do. I was upset and took it out on you. I made you cry. That's unforgivable."

Perplexed Orihime blinked. He was talking about their last encounter. This was unexpected. Why should he apologizing for that? It was her fault for imposing herself on him yet again.

"You told me you weren't sure if you could restore my powers. It wasn't your fault they didn't come back."

"I should have been able to do at least that for you," Orihime muttered.

She wouldn't look at him. This was going great. "You are being too hard on yourself."

"No. If I had trained more with Hachi-san I might have been able to do it. I shouldn't have mentioned anything until I had more training…"

"Stop blaming yourself," Ichigo cut her off. He wasn't loud or rude, but firm. He lifted her face up by her chin. Their brown eyes connected. For a brief moment he could have sworn he saw that old spark in them. "I know you think I blamed you for not my powers not coming back, but that's not true. I was frustrated at being powerless. I let it get the better of me and pushed you away. I'm sorry for doing that. Orihime, I never want to be the one who makes you shed tears. Everything that happened between us so far since we got together," he shook his head, "no everything since we came back from Hueco Mundo I don't want to throw any of that away."

He stroked her silky orange strands catching her off guard and made her shiver. Did she have to look like a lost puppy? It should be a crime to be so adorable. "I need you to know that. Through all the crap we went through with Aizen and now you are still someone who I cherish."

Suddenly the healer became bashful. Try as she might a smile was on the verge of emerging. He didn't want to throw away any of their time together. In the end he cherished all their time together. He still cherished her even after the whole ordeal. He still loved her. Dread she was feelings was gone. It was replaced by delight. "You aren't still mad at me?"

"I still don't like you hid the Privaron Espada from me, but like I said before I get why you did it. I don't want feel like you can't talk to me. Even if you think I'll do something really stupid tell me and just talk me out of it," he said as a matter of fact.

Orihime laughed nervously to herself. "Ichigo-kun, you say that like it is simple."

"I didn't say it was simple. You have to stick to your guns and I'll back down." She was unconvinced. _'You can't blame her. You are stubborn you know.' _He frowned. His subconscious was totally against him. "Ok. Ok. I might not back down, but you do sort of have knack for getting me to rethink some of my decisions." Hell she practically had him wrapped around her little finger. She got him to sing that embarrassing photosynthesis song they made up for studying. As far as he was concerned Orihime had a dangerous ability to make him do what she wanted. He had put up a more formidable defense against it in the future.

"Ichigo-kun, I only wanted to protect you."

"Yeah, I know," Ichigo said.

"I really am sorry for making you feel like a child or make you believe that I thought you were useless. That was never my intent."

"You told me that already. I heard you then. It just didn't register then."

"I want you to know that I will always be on your side. If I do something else you don't agree with please remember that. I'll try hard to understand your feelings and talk to you about what I do in the future. The truth is I always want to be by your side."

"Even though I ignored you all this week you still want to be by my side?" he asked, mystified.

"You still want to be with me even after I lied?"

A small smile broke out. Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I still want to be with you."

"I still want be by your side," Orihime repeated. His personal smile was on her lips. It made his spirit rejoice. He had forgotten how that smile looked like. He would never forget it again. His mind etched it into his memory so he would never forget that sight again.

He planted his lips on hers. Orihime squealed, but adjusted quickly and returned the kiss. God knew he missed the taste of her lips. The yearning he tried to conceal was out for the world to see. He deepened the kiss savoring how good it felt. She was moaning now. Hormones were stirred. Desire for his Hime reignited making him bolder. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Before things could get out of hand Orihime ended the kiss.

"We're….at….school." She said that, but was breathless. Her face was burning up. It wasn't the summer heat that was for sure. He wasn't making it worse. Ugh that hunger glazed gleam in his eye enticed her. If it weren't for her better judgment screaming at her how stupid it would be for her to get lost in the kiss on their school roof. Last time they let their passions astray on this very roof they were caught by Tatsuki and Ishida-kun. Tatsuki still reminded her of it from time to time to elicit embarrassment from her. She didn't want to give Tatsuki any more ammo to use.

"Stop looking at me like that," Orihime cried.

"How am I looking at you?" Ichigo inquired.

She detected mirth in voice. "You know…" She waved her up and down as if it explained everything. "….like that," she finished.

"I'm still not sure what you're talking about."

"Ichigo-kun," she whined.

"Ok. Ok. I get it. I'll stop looking at you like that." He didn't remove his arms from her waist yet. They fit well. The ex-substitute was in hurry to detach from her. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"No."

"Do you want to go out with me tonight? We can hang out, get something to eat, and talk."

"Yes. That sounds fine. I mean great or not great, but good. Um, you know what I mean."

A large grin spread across Ichigo's face. "I know what you mean."

"Could you let go of me?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to crowd you or anything."

"No! You weren't crowding me. I really didn't mind you holding me. It's just I have to get to work."

"Oh." That was a relief. He didn't want to overstep any boundaries. They weren't as solid as they once were, not yet anyway. One misstep could cause a few cracks in their bond. "I should you let you get ready." Oh he was just smooth. He might as well have giggled like an idiot. He sounded so stupid.

"Well you know I have some time before my shift starts. I thought about going to my apartment to get something to eat, but if you want and you don't have to you could come over and have lunch." Was she being open enough or too presumptuous? They were going to eat dinner later it might be too soon for them to eat two meals after reconciliation.

As messed up as it sounded seeing Orihime was just as nervous as him made him feel better. "What you want eat?" The Goddess of Karakura High beamed up at him. She led the way, while he followed. For the first time in weeks they were going somewhere together just the two of them. For the first time in weeks he the arrancar and his lost shinigami powers were not on his mind.

* * *

"Everything is in place, Senpai," Joaquin informed Silva. They were both engulfed in Calputto's reiatsu concealing cloaks. They stood on the many cliffs in the Hueco Mundo deserts. "Thanks to Calputto's efforts we were successful in unleashing our armies into the Human World. They simply await your command to attack."

"There are no problems with any of the hollows breaking from the group and hunting for humans on their own?" asked Silva.

"There were small problems, but the more intelligent hollows are keeping them in check," Joaquin answered. "The Soul Society will have noticed them by now."

"That's good. With so many hollows appearing the Soul Society will stop their hunt for us and ready for battle. No doubt they are mobilizing on the Spirit Keystones. With our superior numbers they will be busy. Thanks to Calputto's locator we know the location of the keystones."

"Calputto has informed me that the shinigami teams are being withdrawn from Hueco Mundo. He is already on his way to reconvene with us."

"Excellent." Everything was going according to plan. The shinigami were scrambling to meet their attack, abandoning Hueco Mundo and their search for them. They knew where the Spirit Keystones were. The human who defeated Aizen was still powerless for whatever reason. Now was the perfect time to strike. Now was the perfect time to begin their new era, an era of light. "What about the Adjuchas? Are they prepared?"

"They are waiting to move out," answered the arriving Calputto. He wore his trademark smile and the same black cloak his comrades wore. "It is surprising how many of them you found and managed to convince to join us, Joaquin-san. I am very impressed."

Strangely enough Silva found herself agreeing with Calputto. At most she had hoped to find one or two Adjuchas that were willing to fight with them. The red haired arrancar found ten in addition to all the Gillians they already had.

Joaquin accepted the silver tongued bastard's compliments for a grain of salt. Joaquin was one of the few arrancar she knew who didn't let his arrogance get away from him. It's what made him a valuable asset. "It was nothing. I'm only sorry I could not get more. The other Adjuchas refused to come to our aid. Time was running short I thought it best not to concentrate too hard on the ones who weren't interested."

"A wise decision," Silva said. "You give yourself too little credit. This was made possible because of your contributions." She turned her golden gaze to Calputto. "The same is true of you as well, Calputto."

Calputto bowed. "It was entertaining, Silva-sama. The other arrancar fought over Aizen's scraps you were the one who took a different path. It was far more interesting than the others."

"Spare me your flatterer."

"I'm being deadly serious. You are the one who plans on changing the world. I look forward to see those changes."

"When you make your move on the woman?" Joaquin inquired.

"As soon as the attack starts," he replied. "That's good enough time to get my prize."

"Then let us begin, so you may get her," Silva said. Her lips curved into a knowing smile. Joaquin and Calputto readied themselves. "Guild, Salvador, Esteban, and Antonio's sacrifices all made this possible. It is time we enact our final battle and escape the darkness once and for all!"

The last remaining Privaron Espada moved out at high speeds. "Open the Garganta for the Adjuchas and Gillians to go through then order our forces to launch the assault on all the Spirit Keystones!"

"Yes, Senpai!" Joaquin shouted.

The final battle began. She had no intentions on losing it.

* * *

Yamamoto sensed his reiatsu and presence long before he heard him speak. His reiatsu reeked of terror. The captain commander of the shinigami knew this could only be bad news. "What is it, Sasakibe?"

"Genryusai-dono, the massive numbers in hollows that the Shinigami Research and Development Institute detected in the Human World are moving!"

The old soldiers tightened the grip on his cane. The enemy had finally made its move at last. "Are the captains and their divisions ready to move out?"

Sasakibe replied, "Yes. Captain Hirako and the 5th division have already gone to the Human World. I realize this was without your authorization, but considering the situation I thought it was best not to stop him."

Yamamoto growled. Hirako was too impatient, but under the circumstances he couldn't chastised him for moving out. It would save more lives for him to meet the enemy before they arrived. When the battle was over he would give him a stern talking to. "Tell the captains to move out into their designated areas. We will protect the Spirit Keystones with our very lives! You will stay here along with Vice-Captains Kotetsu of the 4th division and Vice-Captain Ise of the 8th division. We need to keep the Soul Society secure just in case this is a ruse and the arrancar move to free Aizen."

"Understood, Genryusai-dono," Sasakibe stated. "Do you believe the arrancars' goal is to free Aizen?"

"No. I do not believe that is their aim, but we cannot afford to overlook that possibility." He tightened the grip on his cane again. "We can no longer afford to overlook these shadows. They are growing, while we have been complacent in our peace. The Quincy War, the hollowfication of high ranking shinigami officers, uprising in Hell, and the disappearance of the first substitute shinigami all happened because we failed to investigate them thoroughly. Aizen nearly succeeded. The time has come for the Gotei 13 to ensure the peace of all the worlds. I've lived through too many wars. They are truly devastating and leave nothing, but sorrow. We cannot allow humans to shoulder all of the weight on themselves. We shinigami will shoulder on and do our part." Yamamoto's fiery reiatsu exploded. It reached all over the Seireitei calling all shinigami to arms. Words were not needed. They could read this display of the captain commander's battle cry.

"Have the 12th division contact Urahara Kisuke and inform him of everything, then order the Senkaimon to open and have the limiter disabled. We will need to be at our full power from the start."

"Yes, Genryusai-dono!" Sasakibe said obediently. He disappeared to relate his captain's orders and act as his right arm.

Failure was not an option. He couldn't let himself fall in battle as he had with Aizen and that poor soul he manipulated to contain his zanpakuto's power. He would keep both the Soul Society and the Human World safe. It was his responsibility as the captain commander of the Gotei 13. He had no right to rely on humans like Kurosaki Ichigo to save them. There was a reason he was still the captain commander after a thousand years after all. It was time to show some brats what Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni could really do.

* * *

**The battle between the Privaron Espada and Gotei 13 and Karakura Town commence next chapter. I wasn't sure about Ichigo and Orihime's makeup. It was hard to write. Everything sounded wrong in my head. I liked what I finally typed up. I felt after last chapter Ichigo hit rock bottom with self-pity and anger at himself. He recognized he hurt Orihime and felt ashamed of himself. He couldn't really apologize or tell her he didn't blame her for his powers not coming back, because he was ashamed and afraid he pushed her away from him for good.**

**I had Isshin there to give him a kick in the ass and give him advice. Ichigo and Orihime had a fight and they could get over it and move on or call it quits. Neither of them wanted to breakup. Ichigo was upset at Orihime for lying at him, but he learned why she did, she apologized for it, and like I said before he doesn't want her out of his life. I hope you guys find makeup believable. You know couples or been a part of a couple that get into big fight and have it sit there for a while, but it sort of blows over and they are lovey dovey again? That's what I was trying to replicate here. **

**I didn't forget about the birthday gift. It will be opened later. I'm still not sure what I want the gift to be yet. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review. **


	55. The Countdown Begins

**Here it is the latest chapter. I finally got it done. Sorry for the delay. The chapter has a little bit of everyone in it. You can enjoy multiple perspectives from not only Ichigo's group, but Silva's, a bit of the vizards, more. The chapter is setting up the final battle. There is not a lot of action in it yet, but bear with me. This chapter is necessary for the actual battles. There is some fluff in here, a fair amount of drama, a bit of comedy, and knowing me grammar and spelling mistakes. I apologize for that again. I do tend to miss some basic mistakes re-reading this to actually correct mistakes. I love irony. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way or form. I do own Silva, Calputto, and Joaquin.**

* * *

Kisuke had lived a long life by both human and shinigami standards. Rarely had he felt his age. His veins were pumped with youthful vigor. But there were times when his age would creep up on him. Right now Kisuke felt like a tired old man. The atmosphere contaminated by the hollows' stench of despair and hopelessness. Hollows were gathering in large numbers. They were on their way to the little small Human World town.

This gathering wasn't natural. The Privaron Espada was behind this. Judging from what Akon had told him this was an attack that would dwarf the last one. This time Karakura Town wouldn't be the only victim. The hollows gathered all over the Earth and like a vicious plague they were set upon an unsuspecting world ready to leave it in waste. The locations to the Spirit Keystones were without a doubt compromised. They were very much in danger. The final battle between the Soul Society and Privaron Espada was now upon them.

The shop owner's gaze rested on the cloudless blue skies. He contemplated on the coming battle and what the outcome meant for the worlds. One question that continued to nag at him was if his preparations were enough. His greatest strength was his intellect and analytical prowess. Yoruichi said many times in the past that he always thought of the worse possible scenario and planned accordingly. That didn't mean he was immune to failure. He had succumbed to failure's grasp before. Hirako and the vizards were unable to return them to their original shinigami selves even after he exhausted his best efforts. His plan to forever seal the Hogyoku in Kuchiki-san's gigai had been foiled when Aizen made his move and had her trialed as a criminal with his manipulations.

Those were spectacular failures. They led to the ruination of many lives and almost granted Aizen his victory. He despised himself for his failures. Unfortunately his great scientific mind was burdened with great responsibility. With that great responsibility came major influence over the worlds. When he failed or succeeded it sent ripples across not only the Soul Society, but the Human World as well. If he miscalculated even a little in their current situation the Human World could be completely annihilated along with all lives it housed.

The weight of this great responsibility forcefully rooted him into the ground. There was no room for him to waver or buckle. The former captain thrived on that. It kept him focused. When he was focused he was capable of doing almost anything. That's why he wouldn't fail. Even if his preparations were not enough he would move on to his next strategy. The world would not end this day. Kisuke had his fill of bitter failure. He would not fail this day!

"Hey," the familiar voice of Hiyori came into his ears.

"Hiyori-san, I was unaware you were coming over today." He flashed a board smile that he knew would make her skin crawl.

"Kisuke, this is the enemy isn't it?" She was straight and to the point. It served to remind him of the seriousness of the situation.

He wouldn't continue to tease her with his buffoon persona. "Yes," Kisuke replied.

"The Privaron Espada is going to invade Karakura Town with even greater numbers?"

Kisuke shook his head grimly. "I'm afraid it is more than that. You remember Akon right?"

An ugly frown appeared on the miniature vizard's face. "That dick is still there?"

A smirk found its way to the snow genius' lips. Hiyori and Akon had their fair share of spats. Akon never gave her the respect he gave Kurotsuchi. It annoyed her to no end. "He's the 3rd seat of the 12th division and vice president of the Research and Development Institute now." Kisuke heard her groan profoundly. "He informed me that hundreds of thousands of hollows are swarming the Human World and traveling to the locations of the Spirit Keystones. Seemingly they are preparing to destroy them to enact their plan to merge the worlds. As we speak the captains and their divisions are gathering preparing to protect the stones."

"What do you mean seemingly?" A decade with this man trained her ears to home in on key words. "You don't think they are going to attack?"

"You're misinterpreting my words. The attack itself is not in question, but the nature of it." He heard a low growl from his former vice-captain alerting him to her short fuse had been lit. Her patience for him and his roundabout way of speaking was quickly reaching its limit. "The enemy won't be so straightforward. This attack is not what it seems. If it was as simple as overwhelming us with numbers in a direct attack they would have done so already. The mere fact they waited all this time means their strategy will involve something else."

"What is their real strategy then?" She expected another monologue, but received Kisuke eying her like she was some kind of chimp in a zoo. "How should I know what their strategy is? I'm not a mind reader, Hiyori-san."

Her legs almost gave out on her. He couldn't be serious? In all the time she had known him he was never without a plan. He chose now not to have one of all times!? "Get your head out of your ass!" Hiyori launched her foot into shop owner's backside. The hat and sandals leapt into the air like a mad man. To his credit he recovered nicely, although his ass was far from recovering. His hands tended to his sore rump.

Kisuke overacted as he normally did when she assaulted him. His whimpered loudly, imitating a child who had been spanked. Even his bottom lip quivered and she could have sworn she saw tears forming. "Quit with the shitty acting already! I know you. There is no way you don't have a plan or something. Get your ass in gear and come up with something already!" She finished with a huff and crossed her arms, giving her authoritative aura.

Either this girl was going to be the death of him or his salvation. The scientist in him was curious to see which it would be. "You misinterpreted my words again, Hiyori-san," he mumbled sadly. "I never insinuated I didn't have a plan. You asked me what the enemy's plan is. Currently I don't know. They haven't unveiled it yet."

The little vizard scowled menacingly. "You always overcomplicate things with all your double meanings. You and I both know you have an idea on what their strategy could be. If you didn't you couldn't exactly have a counter in place" Hiyori's frown transformed into a smirk. Her logic was flawless. That pain in an ass had to concede.

"Indeed you are correct in that assessment. The hollows won't breach into the city this time around. Tessai-san, Yoruichi-san, and I placed more pillars all around Karakura Town. We can erect a powerful barrier that will repel any and all hollows. We don't intend to let them set one foot into the city this time."

The playfulness was shed from his words. Hiyori was shaken by how sudden he made the change from bumbling clown to solemn sage. That near instantaneous shift between moods would always feel unnatural and alien. Nevertheless she couldn't resist the pride rising from within her. She knew he had a plan. Kisuke was a lot of things, but he would always be remembered for his keen ability to predict multiple outcomes and plan accordingly for each outcome. Although, she thought her pride was misplaced. It wasn't like she had thought of a way to defeat the enemy herself. Still he was her captain before they were exiled. The prospects of serving under him a century ago churned her stomach, but he proved himself a semi-functional captain. As a vice-captain she learned to take some measure of pride in his successes. This pride she felt for him was perhaps the result of their time together.

"Will you go to Aikawa-san (Love) and the others?" he asked her.

"Do you need to ask?" she quipped.

The bastard had the nerve to curl his lips into self-satisfied half smile. She hated that smile. No, what she hated was how that smile made warmth spread across her cheeks. It always succeeded in putting her mind at ease. She wasn't going to fuel is teasing. Eager to put distance between them Hiyori strode over to the door. His voice stopped her from going through. When did she yield to his voice?

"I was wondering if you would indulge an old man and battle alongside me just this once, Hiyori-san." He wasn't much of a captain to her. He would admit that. If it weren't for him she wouldn't have found herself out on that fateful night her life was forever altered. He failed to protect her that night, but he could protect her today. The past was done. He could make a difference in the present though. He could protect Hiyori this time.

He was acting weird. Why wouldn't she fight alongside him? They were allies after all. It only made sense that she would fight beside him. "Hmm, you are being such a dumbass. I'll fight alongside you of course. As if I could do anything else. I'll watch your back if you watch mine. There ain't no way I would let some hollow kill you. If you were killed by small fry then I look bad, because I was your vice-captain. I would have to make Orihime bring you back to life and kill you again myself for being so pitiful."

"I suppose you would," Kisuke mused, wearing a board smile. Unknown to him Hiyori was also smiling. These moments were rare between them. When they happened Kisuke relished them. It was these moments that made him think he at least did something right during his time as a captain. For a split second they were back in the 12th division wearing their shinigami robes. She went off to the unknown for his sake. He watched smiling at her. The universe was a mystery. History repeated itself. She left once more for his sake. Once more he was smiling at her departure. One thing would be different at least. This time he would make sure she was safe and sound. There wasn't anyone or anything that would change that.

* * *

The day had come to an early end for the students of Karakura High. Finals were officially over and students were reaping the benefits of their hard work with fun in the sun. Hunger plagued many of them. They journeyed to places to quench their hunger. Uryu and Tatsuki followed suit. Tatsuki had finished her exam about the same time as Uryu did. The black belt was feeling extremely confident about passing her exam.

Tatsuki brimming with jolly met him in the hallway. Driven by her good mood she invited him to lunch. Being the gentlemen he was Uryu accepted her invitation. The raven haired girl's spirits burned even brighter than before if that was possible. She couldn't stop smiling at him. Her confidence in her test taking abilities must have been greater than he originally thought if she sprouting an Inoue like smile.

She took him to a nice little burger joint that opened up a month ago. Despite a minor dispute over who would treat who they came to a nice compromise and agreed to split the bill. The two raven haired teens found themselves enjoying each other's company and having a quaint lunch. Conversation had been light and carefree. Almost inevitably it became dominated by the topic of orange haired pair.

"Ichigo is finally making up with Orihime?" Tatsuki asked. The student council president responded with a nod. Tatsuki exhaled in obvious exhaust, while slowly shaking her head. "Well it's about damn time. I've never known him to hold a grudge for so long, at least not with his friends anyway."

"It wasn't Inoue-san he was angry at or at least not entirely. Kurosaki can't stand the situation he's in. He is powerless and unable to go into battle himself. I believe that's why he was unable to forget or forgive Inoue-san and the rest of us for concealing the Privaron Espada from him." Arisawa's expression turned sour. It didn't belong on her face in his opinion. He would much rather see that enchanting smile grace her lips.

"You're right, but still it's not like Ichigo. He is the not that type of man to hold grudges," she pointed out. Ichigo was no saint. He had many, many faults. He was rude, crass, pushed people away, and the most stubborn man she had ever met. For all his faults Ichigo was a man who had a big heart. With it came the great ability to forgive people, friends and enemies alike for any transgressions. To see him repeatedly give Orihime, her pseudo sister and his girlfriend, the cold shoulder for weeks was unnerving. It wasn't the Ichigo she knew. "I knew when he lost his powers he would be bummed out. He tried to hide it, but he has a horrible poker face. Anyone who knows him well enough can see right through that fake smile of his. I thought he was over it. I mean he stopped looking so depressed and started to be happy after a while."

"Everything returned to normal. Ichigo adjusted back to normal life well enough that he actually stopped missing his powers. I thought he went over the rough patch. I can see now I was wrong." Tatsuki trailed off and let her thoughts run away from her. It ate at her that she couldn't help her best friends. First Orihime's nightmares exceeded her ability to help. The best she could do was encourage Orihime to talk to Ichigo and arrange for Kuchiki to meet with Orihime. Now with Ichigo all she really did was offer him some advice that didn't take or the very least ignored until he was ready to talk things out with Orihime himself.

She wasn't Ichigo. She didn't have a compulsive need to save everyone around her. That didn't mean she could stand idly by and watch as her friends suffer either though. She thought knowing what was going on with this supernatural world and the role her friends played in it would satisfy her. It was the exact opposite. If anything knowing what they were doing only made her worry more. Tatsuki knew Ichigo and Orihime were a part in this world where good and evil fought for the fate of the world. That knowledge made her realize how sickeningly insignificant she was in all of it. She couldn't do a damn thing to help effect the outcome. The second strongest girl in Japan couldn't do that how could she ever hope to help her friends?

Sensing the lively girl was being crushed by wave of sorrow made Uryu frown. It was simple to deduce the source of her sadness was Kurosaki's situation. He was one of her oldest friends. While she put on a charade of barely being able to stomach that idiot it was just that a charade. Seeing him suffer was the last thing she wanted. Not being able to offer more than advice when she was every bit the capable martial artist and fighter as Kurosaki himself was probably frustrating.

"Kurosaki will find a way to cope with things," he said in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah, I know," she responded dispassionately. "It just sucks I can't help him out more. Hat and sandals told me everything and I stupidly felt like I could lighten the burden for them, even if it was just a little bit. I see now just how wrong I was." She felt something touching her arm. Unsurprisingly she found out it was his hand. Ishida's grip was rather loose. One look at his sky blue eyes told her how unsure of himself he was. At the same time he mentally asked her if he was overstepping his boundaries by touching her. Oh sweet lord did those big round eyes remind her of a puppy. It tugged at her heart strings. Damn he was adorable and she hated to admit it, because she sounded so girly.

"Your support did help Inoue-san through her ordeal in Hueco Mundo. Just because you can't fight hollows doesn't mean you can't help Kurosaki and Inoue-san." The words he should have spoken to Kurosaki were being given to Arisawa in his place. The Quincy found it both fitting and out of place at the same time. "Being there to offer support is often more beneficial than people realize."

She almost snorted at how cheesy that sounded. That didn't make it less true or wise mind you. What stopped her from actually snorting was the fact that he was correct. "You play the part of wise old man well for a guy who's only sixteen," she joked. To her shock the raven haired boy cracked a smile at her joke. Tatsuki took one final bite finishing off the last of her burger.

"Do you have any plans for the break?" she asked after swallowing. "Work in hospital with your father?"

As if on clockwork Uryu's humor was absorbed by the mention of Ryuken. Now that the term had ended he expected to spend more time with his father for their training sessions. That was about as pleasant as getting your teeth pulled. Enduring his father's company and harsh criticisms were truthfully relatively small prices to pay for the ripe fruits their labor bore. His father knew techniques that Uryu had been ignorant on. It only hit home just how incomplete his training with his grandfather had truly been.

"I suppose I will," Uryu replied.

"Are things still rough between you two?" The last time they talked about his father Ishida told her that he had been instructing him personally. She took it as a good sign that the father and son were slowly reconciling. If Ishida's glum demeanor was anything to go on her belief was misguided.

"We've never seen eye to eye for as long as I could remember. That doesn't just go away after a few months of spending time together." It especially didn't go away when your father spat on their family legacy and resented the man who held Uryu's admiration. Did Ryuken even care that his grandfather, Ryuken's father died?

Tatsuki was unsure of how to approach the subject. Her relationship with both her parents was stable for the most part. She didn't think it was her place to advise Ishida how to handle his father. It looked like she would put his support theory to the test. "Maybe things between you guys are bad right now, but if he is taking you under his wing that's proof he cares about your wellbeing right? Maybe in the future you two will be able to see things from the other's perspective and make up."

Arisawa-san was trying her best to help him. Her efforts were appreciated, but it did little for him. His grandfather had told him something similar a long time ago. He always hoped that he would learn why Ryuken was the way he was, but the more time passed the more Uryu was convinced Ryuken genuinely despised being a Quincy for its lack of profit. They would never to see eye to eye if that was the case.

A deathly chill crawled up Uryu's spine. Color and warmth were drained from his body. The hot summer day turned into frightfully frigid that surpassed any winter day in Karakura. Arisawa-san's body started to spasm uncontrollably. Maintaining his composure Uryu was able to take hold of the raven haired girl's arms and channel his reiatsu into her. He hoped to provide her some protection or the very least bring her body back under her control. He found limited success. Her spasms ceased, yet her face remained white as a ghost.

"W-wh-what is this?" Tatsuki barely croaked out the words. She found her lungs on fire contrasting the chill that overtaken the rest of her body.

"Hollows," Uryu put it simply. "There are a great number of them convening here as we speak."

"H-how many?" she managed to croak out again. His failure to answer her fed her fears. Tatsuki posed the question once more.

"From what I can tell there are hundreds or possibly thousands." Out of the corner of his eye he could see the terror Arisawa-san felt. He couldn't blame her. They were in for a fight this time.

A grim faced Sado gasped. To think that the Privaron Espada could amass such a large number of hollows, it was downright terrifying. Could they repel an attack on such a grand scale without the Soul Society providing any assistance? Could the town hold up to another massive invasion?

'_Work is going to have to wait today,' _Sado thought. Immediately he ran toward the Urahara Shop just as they were told to do when the next invasion was about to begin. Quickly he whipped out his phone and searched for Ishida and Inoue's numbers. He settled on Ishida's number first. The phone barely rang once before a voice answered, "I sense it too, Sado-kun."

Of course he sensed it. He would have to be thick not to sense all those hollows. "Where are you right now?" Sado quickly asked.

"I'm with Arisawa-san at the new burger place. We're heading to Urahara-san's shop. Have you talked to Inoue-san?"

"I was about to call her after you, but she will sense what's going on and head to the shop herself."

"You should call her immediately. She was with Kurosaki. He won't be able to sense the hollows' reiatsu. If he's not with her then…"

"Got it. See you at the shop." Sado hung up and dialed Orihime's number.

"Sado-kun!" exclaimed the healer.

"Inoue, is Ichigo still with you?"

"Yes. We're on our way to his house and check on Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan."

"So you'll bring them over to Urahara-san's shop?"

"That's what we were thinking…." She stopped mid-sentence. Panic set in. Was she being attacked now? He thought they had more time before the hollows actually made it to Karakura. Shit things were going south already!

"Inoue! Inoue! Are you still there?!"

To the silent giant's relief he received a reply. "I'm still here. Sorry, but Kurosaki-kun just reached his father. He told us to head straight to Urahara-san's shop, while he secures Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan's safety."

"I'll see you both there then. Be careful, Inoue. This feels like the arrancars are trying to make this their final stand. They don't look like they are holding their punches anymore. There is still that one arrancar who was after you. He might try something."

"We'll be careful Sado-kun," Orihime reassured him. The two friends ended their phone call. She would be ok. He saw how much progress she made with his own eyes. Inoue had been in these battles from the start. She could handle herself, but that arrancar that killed his own comrade was still a big unknown. His interest in Inoue was disturbing.

* * *

They scrambled together when Orihime felt the presence of the approaching hollows. The carrot top teenagers ran out of her apartment. Their objective was to go to the Kurosaki Clinic to fetch Karin and Yuzu to bring them to the Urahara Shop for protection. Karin's budding spiritual power would be bait for the hollows. Thankfully while she talked to Sado-kun her beloved had reached Isshin at the clinic. The elder Kurosaki assured them that the girls would be safe and told them to go straight to Urahara-san's shop.

The timing for the attack couldn't have been at worse time. They had just reconciled after weeks of separation. Just as they were getting reacquainted over lunch at her apartment the arrancar decided to make their move. The sheer number of hollows felt almost endless. The magnitude of the incoming invasion was enormous. Orihime feared that they might not be able to stop all the hollows and protect Karakura Town. Their forces were minuscule compared to thousands of hollows under the arrancars control.

Urahara-san had come through for them last time by removing all the innocent citizens with no spiritual power from the town, which both saved them and allowed them to fight without fear of harming them with their full powers. Urahara-san could have another gambit in place. What was she thinking? This was Urahara-san after all. If there was one thing Orihime had learned about the hat and scandal man as Tatsuki insisted on calling him was that he always had a plan ready to whip out. No doubt he was prepared for this scenario as well.

She stole a glance at Ichigo running beside her. He hadn't said a word since he got off the phone with his father. The ex-substitute wasn't scowling or brooding. On the contrary his face untarnished by any emotion. It was frozen in a passive state that was both unsettling yet not out of place. The healer pondered what was going on in her beloved's head. Although, she desired the insight into his psyche she didn't dare pry. They made up, but it didn't magically erase everything that happened. She didn't wish to force herself on him in a mistaken presumption that it was for his good. If he wanted her to know he would tell her. She would wait until he decided to confide in her again.

"You are pretty quiet." Ichigo's voice had put an end to the silence. The auburn princess couldn't suppress the surprise she felt. She most likely thought he wouldn't speak until they reached the shop.

How was she was supposed to respond to that? It was a statement that didn't leave a lot of room for a discussion unless there was some underlining meaning to it. Did he want her to answer a certain way or perhaps this was a test to see if she would hide anything from him? She didn't want to mess this up. The best option was to answer truthfully. "I didn't want to pry and force you to talk about anything you didn't want to share with me."

She was being overly cautious he thought. Then again she did have an uncanny talent for only prying when he needed to talk to someone. The rest of the time she was content with waiting until he came to her. "Are you worried about me?" The moment the words left his lips he knew this was the wrong thing to say. Orihime only validated his conclusion by the wounded look she gave him. In addition to being hurt there was a part of her that looked offended at being questioned if she was actually worried for him. "I meant are you worried about my safety." That did little to clarify.

"I'm worried about your safety, but that hasn't changed at all. Even when you had your powers and fought in battles I was always worried about your safety. Please don't misunderstand my worrying for lack of faith in you. I believed in you and your strength. I couldn't help worrying about you all the same though. I hated to see you get hurt."

"I understand. I felt the same way when you were in battle against all those hollows in the last invasion."

"Ichigo-kun, I'm sorry." Puzzled by her apology Ichigo turned his gaze to Orihime asking her to elaborate. "I'm sorry for making you feel powerless and doubt how I see you. No matter what happens or how much things change I will always remember you as the man who saved me when I needed him most. That will never be tainted."

Oh man she sounded so sappy that a part of him wanted to crack a chuckle. A larger part of him was touched by her words and the sentiments behind them. "I already told you that I heard you the first time. I know you're sorry for keeping the arrancars a secret. Stop worrying about it, so you can keep your mind on the arrancars. I don't want to burden you. I damn sure don't want you going into battle thinking I'm still angry at you. I'll support you and help lighten your burden anyway I can. Remember that, Orihime."

Much to his amusement he watched the milky white face flare up and become very rosy. The dazzling brown eyes never lost their shine. They also wouldn't leave Ichigo's brown spheres. His Hime adoration and affection spilled over. He readily ate it up. If he couldn't be on the battlefield to help her he would help her by being a pillar of strength for her.

Ichigo admitted he still wasn't comfortable about his new role. He still wished he could do more, but this was the hand life had dealt him. Ichigo would just have to play them with as much skill as he possessed. If he stayed strong for her she could go into battle without worrying about him. That was the best thing he could do for his Hime.

* * *

"Captain Hirako, are you certain that it was wise for us to mobilize?" asked a timid and short shinigami.

Shinji let out an over the top and long drawn breath. God his men were such whiners? That was the at least the hundredth time one of them that question. He thought they would all be as eager as Momo was when he told her to mobilize the troops. Instead they were all wobbling kneed and teeth chattering wimps. "Look we've been over this. The R.D.I. detected this hollow gathering across the entire globe. The old man gave each division a location for each one of the 13 divisions to protect from the enemy's attacks. Now why would he tell each division which area they were to protect ahead of time?" He paused in hopes one of them would provide him with the answer.

None of them so much as opened their traps let alone give him an answer. They were so hopeless! How did the old man expect Shinji to operate with such spineless division members? The former de facto leader of the vizards was about to bash his skull in until Momo finally stepped in.

The vice-captain had fed up by the lack of initiative. They were more like frightened children afraid of getting caught breaking the rules than shinigami officers charged with protecting both the Soul Society and Human World. "It's obvious that the captain commander told each division their specific location to protect is because he wanted us to mobilize as quickly as possible to counter the enemy's inevitable attack. We are doing exactly what he intended us to do. The captain selected you all because you are the best our division has to offer as such you should understand this better than anyone else." Momo finished by casting a powerful glare at the shinigami who posed the question in the first place. As she expected he stood down swiftly. This was the best her division had to offer. It took a tremendous amount of self-control for her to not roll her eyes. Apparently it was a self-control that her new captain lacked as he did roll his eyes. Momo's lips curved slightly before she realized it. Before he lips betrayed her she stuffed the smirk down. A good vice-captain shouldn't smile at her captain's actions, no matter how silly they were.

Momo was a godsend. Sure the girl was still uptight as they came, but at least she had a backbone. Plus he always got a good laugh at seeing her scare the men shitless with a single glare. It was a talent he lacked really. "Momo is at least using her brain," he quipped. Naturally that brought the glare on him. This only brought out Shinji's foxy grin. She already way more fun than Aizen ever was. "The Spirit Keystones are what keep the worlds in place. If they are destroyed then there is nothing keeping them in place. If Hueco Mundo touches the Human World it could cause a big cataclysm that wipes out all life in both worlds. That will throw the balance out of wacky and lead to the end of all existence. Compared to all that breaking the rules by moving out before the captain commander gave us the order is so quaint it's idiotic to worry about."

"Be that as it may, Captain Hirako, but it is still reckless for us to have gone out without Captain Commander Yamamoto's orders," another shinigami voiced her opinion. Shinji took note of her. She was slender and easy on the eyes. Best of all she had gray almost silver eyes. It gave her an exotic appearance that the reinstated captain just loved. She began again, "I understand why you mobilized us captain, but please consider that moving out without orders looks suspicious."

"The 5th division housed all three shinigami traitors that spawned the arrancar threat. From outside perspective it looks too odd for the entire 5th division to go out on its own during such a colossal hollow gathering. Perhaps it would have been wiser for us to wait for orders."

"That's exactly why we had to move out as soon as possible," Shinji spoke in a cryptic tone. "We're seen as the white division cause of Aizen. You're all trying your hardest to prove you aren't all Aizen flunkies. That's why we are here now. We are going to meet these hollows head on and we all beat them down until they can't ever get back up! When where done with them we'll be called the white division because of all the hollows we take out!"

Murmurs were spreading out. Some of them expressed doubt, some expressed dissatisfaction, and others he couldn't make out. One voice however expressed approval of his reasoning. Momo stood by his side and with enthusiasm he had never seen in her before she threw her fist into the air. "Don't you understand? Captain Hirako is giving us a chance to prove ourselves! We can prove to everyone that we are not Aizen's personal soldiers! All of you have done nothing except distrust him. We are shinigami of the Gotei 13. We should have faith in our captain at the very least just as he has put his faith in us. How can we expect the other divisions to trust us, if we can't trust each other?"

Left speechless for the first time in ages Shinji watched the diminutive girl. Who was this Momo and what did she do with the old one? He didn't care. The old Momo could stay gone. She wouldn't be missed. This new one was passionate. Finally here was a Momo he could get behind. This was a Momo not tainted by Aizen. _'What do you know, she didn't say Captain Aizen this time.'_

"Well said, Momo," he said with a smirk. "I believe I told you all on my first day that if you have a problem with me as your captain you could request a transfer. That offer still stands. You can go back to Soul Society right now. I don't need reluctant soldiers here. The stakes are too high. Run away with your tail between your legs or stay here and fight with me as your captain and help make the 5th division return to her former glory." He unsheathed his blade and raised it into the sky. Momo drew her sword and pointed it upward. Next the silver eyed girl did the same, much to his utter delight. Before the vizard knew it more and more blades took their right places. While there were stragglers who were slow to raise their zanpakuto, but they did so nonetheless. The reinstated captain's toothy grin widened. This was more like it.

He could put his back to them without fear that they would abandon him the second he took his eyes off of them. Their spirits were ignited. He pitted the poor hollows who would be fool enough to meet them in battle. "Time to show them all what the true meaning of white division is eh, Momo."

"Aye, we'll definitely show them, Captain Hirako." When he used her given name her first instinct was to correct him by reminding him to use her surname. This time that instinct was numbed. She didn't mind he was being familiar with her. Despite his laid back demeanor and snarky comments Captain Hirako care about the future of the 5th division. He was determined than any of them knew. Momo found herself respecting that. She could overlook his using her given name just this once.

"We are the white division!" Shinji shouted.

"We are the white division!" chorused the 5th division. They were determined to turn that accursed name into a title of pride! Finally the 5th division had unified along with their new captain ready to face whatever came their way.

All over the globe figures garbed in black robes materialized across the skies. The Senkaimon opened its doors between dimensions. At the head of the black robbed soldiers stood one wrapped in white haori.

"Be ready for anything. We are the last line of defense for the Spirit Keystone. Don't get careless, Matsumoto," the snow white haired boy ordered.

The full grown voluptuous blonde woman standing behind him overshadowed him in height. The sight of a young boy giving orders to an adult woman would have been odd to humans, but for the members of the 10th division it was mundane. "Right, captain," she said.

Under the leadership of its captain Sui-Feng the 2nd division was in place. Several members of the Onmitsukido laid in wait of the shadows under her command. The trained assassins perfected the art of stealth centuries ago. They knew the best way to kill their foes was to strike when they least suspected it. The poor unsuspecting hollows wouldn't realize what had happened before they were dead. Sui-Feng and her vice-captain Omaeda placed themselves in front of their division determining the spot to be ideal for striking first and fast. These were two things that Sui-Feng prized as an assassin.

Kenpachi was on edge. His body was itching something fierce. He always got this way when he was about to head into battle. God he hoped some of these hollows would put up a fight. They were usually so boring because they were too weak to put up a decent fight no matter how much he handicapped himself. But he never fought so many hollows at once. The prospect excited him. The sheer numbers in addition to his handicaps could make this fight pretty damn interesting. The maniacal twisted grin made its appearance on his face.

"Ken-chan is getting excited!" cheered an elated Yachiru. She latched on to her captain and father figure's shoulder as always. "I don't think a bunch of hollows will give Ken-chan a good fight though."

"You're probably right, but still…..Hundreds of these things might make a decent match against me. Maybe I'll get lucky and get to fight some Menos."

"Can you be sure to leave some for the rest of us, captain?" Kenpachi and Yachiru were drawn to the bald and muscular shinigami that was the 3rd seat of the 11th division. "After all it will be boring as hell if you steal all the opponents again and make us watch," Ikkaku said.

"I concur with Ikkaku," Yumichika announced. "Everyone knows you do tend to hog all the fun, captain."

Kenpachi snorted at the pair. "Why the hell should I leave any to you? If the opponent is just a hollow I need at least a thousand to keep me from keeling over from boredom."

The 11th division hollered with laughter at their captain's greed. He desired for a splendid battle and would do anything to obtain one. They also realized not even their captain could fight every hollow at once, which would mean they could help themselves to some while their captain was preoccupied with killing of the ones he got his hands on. Sure he would be pissed at them, but the 11th division was the battle loving division.

One by one each of the 13 divisions arrived into the Human World. From Kyoraku, Unohana, Mayuri and Byakuya to Rose, Sajin, Kensei, and Ukitake the captains lead their forces into battle formations. The inhabitants of the mortal realm would remain ignorant to the battles that would decide their very fate. The captains would do everything within their power to make sure that no mortal blood would be shed on their watch. There would be not a single drop of human blood due to these hollows! Yamamoto would not allow for them to fail this time! The captain commander of the Gotei 13 would protect all of the worlds from the naivety of a bunch of bratty arrancar kids.

Yamamoto exuded an incredible fortitude. It blanketed the all his charges, revitalizing their resolve and igniting their fighting spirits. The old soldier could in turn feel their courage and will. Together they were an unmovable wall that block any and all that approached all with reckless regard. He became aware of a presence that arrived directly behind him. Instantly he recognized the presence, but he didn't let that put him at ease. A battle could breakout in moment. He needed to remain vigilant.

He didn't speak, still waiting for him to grant his permission. He was always a fine soldier. "You may speak, Genshiro." Yamamoto kept his back toward his 3rd seat officer. It was folly to turn his back on the direction he expected the enemy to come from.

Kneeling behind Yamamoto was a man who had been ravaged by the effects of time and age. His hair had long since lost its color. However, there was a streak of blackness on the right side of his head. His upper lip was covered by a gray mustache. The wrinkles engraved on his forehead and cheeks. "Sir, we've been given confirmation that the limit was removed from Captain Hirako and Vice-captain Hinamori when they went through the Senkaimon. The Research and Development disabled the limit when Captain Hirako left in anticipation that we would mobilize."

"I see," Yamamoto grunted.

"In addition we've been given confirmation that Urahara Kisuke completed the project you have requested."

Yamamoto went to Urahara months ago to request he create a powerful barrier to protect all of the Spirit Keystones. The scientist modified his old pillars that were used to transport Karakura Town into the Soul Society and exchanged it with a replica that the 12th division had created. These new pillars were supposed to cut off any object or person inside of their protection from the world around them and lock them into a special subzone or dimension. In theory it made it impossible for anyone to harm what was inside, because it would be in another dimension.

"Have you retrieved it then?" Yamamoto asked trying to suppress the urgency in his tone.

Genshiro replied, "The pillars are already in our possession, sir. Shihoin Yoruichi delivered them to the Soul Society only a little while ago. The pillars were distributed to all of the divisions. As we speak each of them are setting the pillars around the keystones. I have already sent some of the best officers the 1st division has to offer to setup the pillars around the Spirit Keystone we are protecting. Please forgive me for be presumptuous, sir."

"There is nothing to forgive. We are on standby for battle. If we waited for every order to act we would risk being inefficient. We need to be as efficient as possible to deal with the threat at hand."

The skies were flooded with creatures of all shapes and sizes. The one thing that all shared was the white mask attached to their faces. New creases materialized on the aging Yamamoto's face as he glared at the incoming hollows. Genshiro's judgment was wise indeed.

"Sir!" called out the 3rd seat officer. Genshiro jumped back to his feet and readied his sword. "We await your orders."

"Have everyone stay back for now." He didn't need to look at Genshiro to know that his old subordinate was caught off guard by this order. Surprised by the order or not Genshiro obeyed him. He held all of the men back. After Chojiro there was no other person Yamamoto would want at his side than Genshiro. The three of them made an excellent team. The captain commander walked over to the quickly approaching hollows. The wooden cane shed from the sword it protected. The oldest member of the Gotei 13 unsheathed his oldest ally and companion, Ryujin Jakka.

Flames engulfed the blade. Yamamoto continued to stare out into the sea of hollows threatening to swallow him and all the members of the 1st division present. With a single swing of his arm the flames erupted, spreading across the blue skies under its desire to grow as large as it could. The wild firestorm consumed the masked menaces completely incinerating them before they could comprehend what happened. The sea of hollows was no more than ashes. The shinigami of the 1st division couldn't contain their awe of their captain's power. It was rare sight to see Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni demonstrate his power in battle. None of them were present for his battles against the Arrancar and Aizen. It was a sight to behold.

The flames were only a mere memory along with the hollows they had incinerated. Yamamoto stood firm and sturdy. To him it appeared as if nothing had occurred at all, at least to the members of the 1st division.

"More will be on the way," Yamamoto declared, shaking his men out of their stupor. "Ready yourselves! We will hold the frontlines and protect the Spirit Keystone at all cost!"

"Yes, sir!" they chorused. Shinigami drew their zanpakuto and unleashed all of their reiatsu. By the end of this day it would all be over one way or another! The declaration of war had been signed. The forces of two ancient enemies clashed worldwide in such a fashion that hadn't been seen in thousands of years.

* * *

"The battles have begun, Senpai," Joaquin informed Silva. The two former Espada shed their cloaks. They watched the hollows go through the portals leading to the Human World.

"How does the battle go?" the golden eyed arrancar asked. Right away she knew it was going wrong. Joaquin bit down on his lip, refusing to say anything. His reiatsu gave him away with its fear. "Joaquin, please tell me what is going on." She wasn't angry or disappointed. It wasn't a demand. Joaquin could hear gentleness she reserved for only her closest allies.

"An entire unit of hollows was killed as soon as they met with the shinigami. It was one shinigami who wiped them out with flames."

"Flames?" she repeated. Joaquin quietly confirmed she had heard right. "No doubt that was the captain commander of the Gotei 13. Aizen did inform us of his ability. I didn't expect him to have any problems with common hollows from the start. The battles are going on though right?"

"Yes, they are continuing."

The former primera felt both relief and happiness. Everything was going according to her plan. The battles were raging on they could implement her next phase. "Is Calputto in place?" The crimson haired arrancar responded favorably. "It is time to move out. With the shinigami distracted this is the perfect time to move." The two arrancar departed to parts unknown to anyone except for themselves.

* * *

The old shop was filled with chattering. People were discussing what to do about the current situation that had befallen Karakura Town. Tessai watched the shop in case they received an ordinary citizen who sought an item from the shop. Jinta and Ururu aided him in their own way. Jinta howled at Ururu for some imaginary offense, while she endured it all in strides. It was up to him to knock Jinta back in place. A good smack in the head got him off of poor Ururu. When he directed his anger at him a good evil eye from Tessai was enough to shut him up.

The former Kido Corps captain succeeded in keeping the peace at the shop at least. With some luck the boss and the others would be able to do the same. In the back of the shop the group held its meeting. Urahara sat at his favorite spot while the teenagers circled around him or stood to the side. Kisuke saw the usual faces there was a few he hadn't expected to show up, such as Arisawa-san, Kojima-san, Asano-san, and even the shinigami representative, Kurumadani. How did the afro shinigami find out about the meeting anyway? He slipped Kisuke's mind when he assembled the others.

Arisawa-san was accompanied by Ishida-san, while Sado-san had brought Asano-san and Kojima-san along with him to offer them protection. Both Isshin and Ryuken were absent, but that was to be expected. They would most likely show up on the battlefield when their services were needed. The four Karakura defenders were up front in center, even Kurosaki-san despite his power loss. The chattering had died. All eyes were on him. They waited for his insight. Wasn't that different and special he thought sarcastically.

"Um, so I know I'm new to this whole hollow thing, but shouldn't you do something about the army of them coming here?" Keigo took a risk and voiced his concerns. He didn't want to telling people who had apparently been keeping the balance of the whole world in order since before he was born how to do their jobs. But the memory of the last hollow attack was vivid. Keigo didn't want a repeat of it to happen.

"Don't worry Asano-san. Thanks to the combined efforts of Yoruichi-san and Tessai-san a barrier was erected around Karakura Town. The barrier sealed off the entire town into a subspace we created. This makes it inaccessible to anyone outside of the barrier, because they are in an entirely different space from us." Asano-san's face scrunched up. The brunet was struggling trying to follow what he was saying. The shop owner should think about simplifying some his explanations.

"The barrier locks the town into man made dimension that is separate from the rest of the world." Asano-san's face was free from confusion. He should have gone with this explanation in the first place.

"Can hollows really not reach us here though?" Mizuiro expressed doubt.

"They can't reach us directly. The only way they can get pass the barrier is by destroying the pillars that create it," Kisuke continued to explain.

"Which means we have to guard the pillars so that Karakura Town doesn't get dragged into the fight?" Sado asked.

"That is correct, Sado-san."

Ichigo and Uryu grimaced. Neither one of them liked the fact that their home town was only being kept out of the conflict as long as pillars remained intact. To keep the pillars safe that meant their defenders would have to outside of the town and its barrier to fight God knows how many hollows.

"Wasn't there more efficient method to protect Karakura Town?" Uryu asked. Their mentor's face turned dark, alarming the Quincy.

"I'm afraid this was the best solution I could come up with in a short amount of time. It is true that the pillars are out in the open and relatively unprotected themselves."

Uryu raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean by relatively unprotected themselves?"

Ishida-san would forever be the most analytical one of the group. It tickled Kisuke at least. "Ah, you see the pillars protect Karakura Town, while the pillars themselves are protected by our guardians."

"Our guardians?" muttered a baffled Uryu. Then it hit him. There was one group that was absent from the meeting.

Outside of the town the vizards guarded the pillars that enveloped the human town from hollow attack. They agreed to guard Kisuke's pillars without hesitation. Hiyori relayed the request to the rest of them and they were off. Love stepped into the vacancy Shinji had left and led their group into battle. Hiyori objected to following Love's lead, but reluctantly followed him. Mashiro worried for Kensei's wellbeing chose to help the 9th division's battle. No one stopped her realizing it was futile to discourage the bubbly girl when she had her mind set. The four remaining vizards were confident they could prevent any harm from coming to the pillars.

"The vizards are protecting the pillars," Ichigo spoke up. The worry knot was unraveled. If it was the vizards guarding the pillars then there was nothing to worry about. Ichigo's old comrades were too strong for any hollow to defeat.

Tatsuki didn't like the idea of a few people protecting these pillars on their own. Surely they shouldn't be expected to be the only ones fighting out there? "It won't just be them out there fighting thought right?"

Kisuke supplied an answer, "Of course not. While the vizards will guard the pillars the rest of us will fight the hollows head on. They will be the first line of defense, the vizards the second line, and the barrier itself is the last line of defense."

Tatsuki felt a little better, but still frowned on the idea of so few people fighting an army. She appeared to be the only one who had fault with it. Orihime, Ishida, and Sado didn't show any sign of misgiving. Did they have that much faith in their own skills or in the hat and sandals? She looked to Ichigo he didn't appear to object either, but he didn't seem as on ease as the other three were.

"Urahara-san," Orihime politely called. The gray eyes were on her. "Will the barrier fall if only one of the pillars is destroyed?"

"I'm glad you asked, Inoue-san. I modified the pillars so that the barrier will remain so long as one of the pillars is in place. However, for each pillar destroyed the weaker the barrier will become. The stronger the hollow is the easier it will be for it to get through a weakened barrier."

"So we can't be careless about overlooking the pillars," Uryu added. The shop owner acknowledged him with a nod. The glasses cladded young man got up. "We should start moving out then." Orihime and Chad followed suit.

"Be careful out there guys," Tatsuki warned. Orihime flashed her megawatt smile at her. It gave Tatsuki some piece of mind. Sado just gave her a head nod. Ishida shared a modest smile with her, which made her feel better.

Mizuiro wished the group luck. Keigo uncharacteristically stopped with a hand shake for Ishida and Chad and innocent hug for Orihime. There was more to their hyperactive friend then he lets on. Ichigo wished Chad luck and threatened Ishida to make it back in one piece or he would kick his ass. The two rivals snorted at the false threat and shared a smile. When it came to Orihime though he couldn't find the good natured humor he had for either Ishida or Chad. The pit of his stomach sunk.

They just made up and now he was seeing her off to battle. Fuck this didn't get any easier. He had no clue on what he wanted to say to her. There was still so much that needed to be said, yet he couldn't say it. His mind was running a blank and tongue was tied at the same time. It had to happen now of course. It's not like he needed to say anything important. God the universe needed to stop screwing with him. "Ori….Inoue…."

"Kurosaki-kun, I'll be careful. I promise I will be safe."

"That's not what I wanted to say. I mean I do want you to be safe. It's just I want you to know I'll be out there with you." How cliché could you get? He was real boyfriend of the year material.

"I know you are." She pulled out her moon necklace. Ichigo fought back a zealous smile.

"You are still wearing that even though we were fighting?"

"Of course, it is very important to me. It connects me to both Masaki-san and you."

On impulse he meshed his lips to hers. What he couldn't say in words he could express in this kiss. It wasn't chaste at all. Passion was unleashed. Ichigo summoned his hopes, affections, encouragement, and even his strength all into it. He wanted her to have all of it, to know all of it. When she was out on the battlefield she would know how he felt about her. He wanted to erase any doubt she might have had about their relationship. The kiss ended at long last. A bashful Orihime giggled. It should be a crime to be so adorable. Oh great another cliché hit him.

"I love you," he whispered to her.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

He was fortunate his girlfriend loved clichés. The healer pulled herself away from him. They stole another glance at each other. She walked off with Chad and Ishida. Ichigo became painfully aware of the gaping hole in his heart. His friends were leaving him behind. He couldn't follow after them, because he lacked the power to. His thoughts interrupted by a blaring ring. Soon he was forced to put his hands over his ears. He wasn't the only one. Everyone in the room rushed to protect their poor eardrums.

Urahara lazily strode to what looked like a computer monitor. With a push of the button the obnoxious ringing ended. Damn bastard took his sweet time.

"Urahara Kisuke!"

"Hmm, why if it isn't little Akon-san!" he cheered. "I wasn't expecting you to call me again so soon."

"I don't have time for this!" screamed the voice identified as Akon.

"Now, now, don't be so rude. After all we are old colleagues. We should at least make small chat."

"I already told you we don't have time for that!"

Keigo leaned into Ichigo to ask, "Who is that other guy hat and sandals is talking to?"

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea who this Akon was. Without hearing the other end of the conversation he couldn't even make an educated guess. "You got me," the ex-substitute uttered. "It's not like I can hear who is on the other end."

A blush came on Keigo's face. He forgot that Ichigo couldn't see or hear the person on the monitor. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It's Hueco Mundo! It's no longer in its own space! It's drifting toward the Human World! We got it wrong the arrancars weren't targeting the Spirit Keystones in the Human World, but the ones in Hueco Mundo!"

**Silva accomplishes her dark dream? The countdown to stop Hueco Mundo starts now!**

* * *

**Yes, Silva used the attack as a distraction so she could find and destroy the keystones that keep Hueco Mundo in place so it will crash in the Human World. No, it wasn't her plan from the start. She intended to destroy the stones in the Human World, but after they found the one near Karakura Town and they discovered how to locate them she thought why not find the ones in HM. She used Calputto to find them, gathered an army to attack the HW to keep the focus off of HM. Now we've got a Hueco Mundo floating off to the Human World. Shit has hit the fan big time. Our heroes have to deal with HM drifting toward the Human World. Don't worry our human heroes will get their time to shine. I needed to mention the shinigami and show what they are doing during the crisis.**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner guys. I wanted to say thanks to all the people following my story. It's been a long ride, almost 3 years to be exact. Now that we're near the finish line I'm starting to get kind of sad. I definitely need to go back get a beta to correct some of this though. Once again I'm sorry for grammar and spelling mistakes. For the sequel I'll make it point to find a beta to correct the crap I seem to regularly miss. I hope you enjoyed another long winded chapter. Please review.**


	56. Return to Hueco Mundo

**I got the chapter done in a week. I'm happy with myself for getting this chapter done so quickly. It sucks Bleach is on break until September, but at least you this. Ok, so it doesn't compare to the real thing, but it's better than nothing right? Yeah, I don't have anything else. The chapter covers a lot of material, but it really moves things along story wise. **

**In the last chapter Silva enacted her real plan by destroying the Spirit Keystones in Hueco Mundo to throw her enemies off guard. This chapter is how the heroes deal with it. There are references to some things mentioned way back in HM arc. You don't have to re-read the whole arc to get it, cause its' so small you would probably wouldn't even care. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. This is purely for fun.**

* * *

They got it wrong. They were protecting the wrong keystones. They plotted on how to protect the keystones in the Human World. They neglected to even think about the keystones in Hueco Mundo. This little oversight unfortunately had horrifying consequences. They had to deal with a runaway Hueco Mundo. Akon hadn't the faintest idea on what to do. His first thought was to contact Captain Kurotsuchi, but that idea was cast out almost as soon as it came to him. His captain left him in charge and left specific instructions on what to do if the worst happened.

It was a pity the instructions didn't include Hueco Mundo drifting toward the Human World on them. Even if he called his captain he would still need time to think up a solution to fix the problem. Akon feared time wasn't on their side. If he didn't have a solution and if Captain Kurotsuchi needed time to think of a solution then there was one other person who might have a solution. Knowing Captain Kurotsuchi there would be some nasty repercussions for calling him. Oh well. He would have to endure it. Akon alerted his former captain and 1st president of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Urahara Kisuke.

Why did he sense he was going to have a headache by the time this was over? The first president teasing him by referring to him as little Akon-san as he did a century ago pretty much proved his premonition about the headache was right on the money. "I don't have time for this!" he screamed.

"Now, now, don't be rude. After all we are old colleagues. We should at least make small chat."

Ugh! Urahara was so infuriating. Only he and the captain could get under his skin like this. "I already told you we don't have time for that!" Thank the Soul King the first president didn't start up with him again. He must have realized the urgency of this call at last. "It's Hueco Mundo! It's no longer in its own space! It's drifting toward the Human World! We got it wrong. The arrancars weren't targeting the Spirit Keystones in the Human World, but the ones in Hueco Mundo!"

'_The countdown to the apocalypse starts now,'_ Akon thought grimly.

Panic struck the room. Keigo didn't completely understand everything about these different worlds like this Hueco Mundo place that hollows lived, but he was sure that if it crashed into the Human World (their world) that something life threatening would happen. He gulped then let out a squeaky yet masculine squeak. "Please tell me I'm overreacting and this isn't as bad as I think it is?" First his gaze went to Chad, but the sour faced giant gritted his teeth. Not a good sign. His eyes reached Inoue, but fear held her tightly in its clutches. His nerves were itching now. Finally he checked with Ishida, but the scowl he was making was strike three.

Keigo's fears were justified. Oh god his fears were justified. They were fucking screwed! He was going to die a virgin! Life was so unfair. "Are you telling me this is the end?"

"Of course not, idiot," an indignant Tatsuki said. She wanted muster more force behind her words, but was unable to. She couldn't help thinking that there was a small chance that Asano was right to panic. This could actually be the end.

Mizuiro informed Ichigo on the latest development. The ex-substitute cursed under his breath. Things had escalated to this level. How the hell could they combat the enemy if their freaking world was on a crash course to the Human World? "Urahara-san, what do we do?" This was odd. Fear and worry ruled everyone's faces, except for his old master. Urahara didn't look fazed by the news of worlds crashing in the slightest. That cunning bastard must have had another trick up his sleeve.

The worst possible scenario had occurred. The Spirit Keystones were destroyed. The ones in the Human World were untouched, but their counterparts in Hueco Mundo were gone. The worlds meant to be separate were in danger of meeting. The results could lead to the utter destruction of all life in both worlds and the balance forever shattered. This was the worst possible scenario he could think of. His lips curved into a sly grin. It was a scenario he had planned for accordingly.

"Akon-san, how much time do you estimate we have should Hueco Mundo collides with the Human World?"

Akon ordered for an estimation time. Within minutes he got his estimate. "At the current speed at which it's falling we estimate that we have at least 3 hours. We should have much more time than this though. The Privaron Espada destroyed the keystones sooner than we realized. They most likely did it when we were preparing for the invasion of the Human World."

"No. For us to only have 3 hours can only mean they destroyed them much earlier than that. More likely they destroyed a few stones at a time to let Hueco Mundo slowly drift away from its proper place without us realizing it until this moment then destroyed the last remaining ones to completely detach it from its normal space."

"Is there any way to stop it?" Akon asked. The first president didn't let him down. When he saw him nod his head the 3rd seat let out a huge breath of relief.

"I planned for the event of one or more of the Spirit Keystones being destroyed during the battle. I created something that could serve their function temporarily." He pulled out a bright white orb out nowhere that fit in the palm of his hand. "These orbs simulate the same spiritual power that the genuine keystones give off. If they are placed in the same positions as the ones that were destroyed they will anchor Hueco Mundo back in place."

"How were you able to create something that could replicate the same spiritual power as the keystone?" Akon asked both impressed and envious. The boys at the lab wouldn't be able to create something like that without studying one of the stones themselves. Yet here was Urahara Kisuke who just made an orb that could function as a keystone. This didn't add up. Urahara Kisuke was the greatest scientific genius in the Soul Society (he would never say this in Captain Kurotsuchi's presence of course, unless he wished to be strapped to a lab table), but even he needed to have seen/studied a stone first to be able to simulate one. There it was that devious smirk. The first president hadn't actually seen one up close had he? That lucky bastard!

"Let's just say I was fortunate enough to have seen one of the keystones myself." Kisuke said no more on the subject. He didn't want to be on the bad side of the Soul Society after having his crimes cleared recently. "I gave the orbs to Yoruichi-san to deliver along with the pillars. You should have them at your disposal."

"I understand." One thing bothered Akon. "You said these orbs are only a temporary solution. How long do you think they would be able to hold Hueco Mundo in place?"

"I would say they should at least last six weeks if left to their own devices."

Akon felt his heart's pace slow down to normal. Things were looking up. "That should give us enough time to find a permanent solution."

"I already found a permanent solution, little Akon-san." He couldn't help himself. Seeing Akon irritated was very amusing.

"If you've already got a solution why didn't you mention it before!?" fumed the 3rd seat and vice president.

He was wrong. It was very, very amusing to see Akon irritated. Kisuke left his seat without answering, which probably added to Akon's irritation. He returned with a pretty red head girl in toe. A clueless Akon stared at the girl. Was she supposed to explain the permanent solution to him? God damn it! Urahara Kisuke was the only man in either world who was as eccentric as Kurotsuchi Mayuri. "Um, what do you want me to say, Urahara-san?" the girl asked. It wasn't just Akon who was left in the dark at least.

The first president came up beside the poor baffled girl. "Inoue-san is the solution of course."

"Eh?" both Akon and Orihime yelped.

"The orbs will keep Hueco Mundo in place, while she uses her Shun Shun Rikka to restore the original Spirit Keystones," he explained.

"Does this girl possess that type of power to restore the Spirit Keystones?" The expression the girl was making didn't exactly inspire confidence. _'Please don't let the first president be off his rocker. Please tell me there is more to his solution than this.' _Akon wasn't sure who he was praying to, but it couldn't hurt.

"Urahara-san, I'm not sure I can do that." Her failure with restoring Ichigo's powers flashed through her mind. If she couldn't restore her beloved's power how could she even hope to restore the Spirit Keystones? They held worlds together. Could her power compare to objects with the power over worlds?

The ex-captain comforted her with a good old fashioned pat on the shoulder. When those big beautiful doe eyes were upon him the old man graced her with an encouraging smile. "Your abilities will be able to restore Spirit Keystones. Your training with Hachi-san has developed your power more than you realize. I have the upmost confidence in your abilities, but if you have doubts then this won't work."

"I know, but….."

Ichigo appeared before her and intervened, "He's right, Inoue. You've gotten a lot stronger since the war. You are a lot stronger than you realize. Don't let one setback keep you down. Remember when you told me that you admired me because I never gave up and kept trying to move forward? That's what you've done all this time. No matter how bad things get or how much crap life hands you, you keep moving forward with a smile on your face and believe things will turn out good."

Once their eyes connected with each other everyone else evaporated. They were the only ones left in the world. Her concentration was on him and his words alone. He was honored to be held in such high regard by her. "We need that power now. If you use it then I know you can repair the Spirit Keystones. I have faith in you, Inoue."

"Ichigo-kun," she mouthed wordlessly. Her voice was stuck in her throat. His eyes hardened as they did when he entered battle. His unshakable spirit took hold of her. Its intensity was simply too much for her to withstand. It swallowed her whole and strengthened her determination. The fog of doubt was slowly lifting. Suddenly Ichigo was no longer the only person she saw. Next to him was Tatsuki with her trademark grin. Sado-kun and Ishida-kun were in her sights as well. There was more, Asano-kun, Kojima-kun, Urahara-san; even the shinigami representative emerged from the fog. Each one of them was giving her their own little sign of encouragement.

These people helped her in their own way. They helped pick her up and guide her out of the darkness she found herself lost in nine months ago when she left Hueco Mundo. When she found herself down again they each offered her a hand. They were willing to be there for her. This wasn't a time to doubt herself. There was no excuse for it when these amazing people shared their strength with her. She inhaled their courage and exhaled her ridiculous fear.

The haze eyes hardened with a renewed resolve. It wasn't a matter of if she failed. She had to succeed because people were depending on her. "I can do it," she asserted.

Ichigo loved that look in her eyes. Nothing was ever going to keep his girl down. "Of course you can," he boasted.

Kisuke redirected his attention back to Akon. "As you can see Akon-san, Inoue-san will be enough to restore the Spirit Keystones."

Akon wasn't entirely convinced, but from what he heard from Captain Unohana the human girl Inoue Orihime's power went beyond healing and stepped into something else beyond her realm. The first president fully backed her as well. Perhaps the girl could do it. He gave in. "Urahara, I'll leave the restoration of the keystones to you. We on this side will inform Captain Commander Yamamoto and await his orders. Be on standby for further instructions." His image left the screen.

The snow blond reached out to the three human fighters. "I brought a change of clothes for all of you from your homes. I thought you might not want to fight in your uniforms, since they can a bit restricting. If you want to change now you better do it now, because you won't have another chance to." A shiver crawled up his spin. Boy was it chilly. What the hell caused that in the middle of summer? He discovered the cause was Ichigo casting an ominous glare at him. "Uh…..Kurosaki-san, why are you…..glaring at me as such?"

The former vizard grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt roughly. The chill spread through his blood now. Things were looking increasingly worse by the looks of them. "Ku…Kuro….saki-san…." He stuttered.

"Hey," Kurosaki-san spoke in a very low yet dangerous tone. "You just went into Inoue's apartment and took her clothes. You just happen to know where she keeps her clothes and didn't need to do any searching?"

Holy shit he realized what he did. The genius would have rather fought Aizen over again ten times than to be there in the present. His pores secreted sweat profoundly. "I….um….well you see….." He was silence by a sharp tug. His hat nearly slipped off by how hard Ichigo was tugging.

"You had to search her closet and drawers for clothes. Tell me you didn't happen to find her panties did you?" Ichigo made sure no one could hear them. He wouldn't humiliate Orihime like this.

"Well in my search I may have hypothetically run across her undergarments, but I swear I didn't search through them. I immediately sealed it shut and continued searching elsewhere." His confession did little to sate ever growing anger of the ex-substitute.

"Why don't I believe you at all you perverted old man?"

"It is the truth! I would never go riffling through a woman's undergarments! I left her panties and bras alone I swear to you."

"I didn't even mention bras. You twisted pervert! You did look for them didn't you!?"

"Eh, well perhaps there was a fleeting wave of curiosity that went through my mind for only the faintest of seconds. My stronger moral integrity prevailed in the end…." A fist rammed itself into his mouth and knocked him off his feet.

"Bastard!" exclaimed Ichigo. He took perverse gratification in seeing his old master riving in agony on the floor. He couldn't careless that it earned him shocked stares. It was totally worth it.

* * *

The battle was as chaotic as to be expected, yet there was an eerie beauty to it. The combatants' strikes were like a work of art in itself. It took a warrior to appreciate the unique beauty battle possessed. Others only saw the ugliness of it. At the end of the day regardless of the cause battles were so senseless. Battle both appealed and appalled Yamamoto. He witnessed both the beauty and ugliness of battle over his thousands of years. Regardless of senselessness or meaning battles were fought to shape the world around them. This battle was no different.

They fought the hollows and cut down as many as they could. Comrades fell as well, but it wouldn't be pointless. Their contribution was to keep the worlds safe as they had always done. Yamamoto would ensure that. Kurotsuchi's 3rd seat informed him of Hueco Mundo falling out of its space. The enemy's strategy was sound. This battle served as a distraction to keep them away from Hueco Mundo, while they destroyed the Spirit Keystones there. No, it was more to it than that. Even if they had suspected Hueco Mundo was the enemy's target if they sent soldiers there it would have left the Human World and the keystones there open for attack. They covered their bases with this one.

However, they weren't the only ones who prepared. Urahara Kisuke made yet another one of his inventions to act in the keystones' stead if one of them was destroyed. They had the means to undo the Privaron Espada's mischief. The arrancars wouldn't come to this battlefield. They would remain in Hueco Mundo to protect it from the Gotei 13. It was tactical for them to remain and assume the shinigami could reverse the damage. The brats weren't armatures as he assumed, but if this was the extent of their strategy they were in for a rude awakening.

"Contact all of the captains immediately."

"Yes, sir," Akon said over the communication network.

The communication unit opened the connection to the divisions with such speed that it caught the elderly shinigami by surprise. "Listen clearly, we don't have much time. The Privaron Espada targeted and successfully destroyed the Spirit Keystones of Hueco Mundo. It is now falling toward the Human World. However, we have a means to repair the damage. Urahara Kisuke has created a device that will simulate the spiritual energy of the keystones and replicate their effects. We must act swiftly. Hueco Mundo will crash into the Human World in less than 3 hours. We will send four captains to Hueco Mundo to deploy Urahara Kisuke's invention and neutralize the threat of the Privaron Espada. I need volunteers."

"I will go," Ukitake blurted out. He was originally going to Hueco Mundo before the invasion. Their units stationed in the hollow homeland hadn't been heard from in hours. The fates of the division members he sent there plagued his mind. He couldn't live with himself if they suffered Kaien's fate.

"Jushiro, you are to remain with your division. The 13th division is without a vice-captain. It cannot afford the absence of its captain on the battlefield."

Jushiro wanted to protest, but his old sensei's reasoning was difficult to refute with. His two 3rd seats were competent shinigami, but he couldn't burden them with leadership during a battle of this magnitude. Running the division in the Soul Society was vastly different from leading them in battle. To abandon them in battle would be no different than when he let Kaien fight that hollow alone. With a heavy heart the elder captain withdrew his name.

While Ukitake was refused Zaraki was accepted. The battle loving captain jumped at the chance to fight against an arrancar. They made more of a challenge than these sorry hollows that was for sure. "Ha, ha, this is getting my blood going," Kenpachi mused.

Captains Hitsugaya, Otoribashi (Rose), and Sui-Fang decided to join the Hueco Mundo team. The S.R.D.I sent the orbs to the four captains and prepared to open a Garganta for inter-dimensional travel.

Rose finished slashing through a hollow with his golden whip. The 3rd division was more than holding its own. He was glad to see that Ichimaru had at least kept the 3rd division strong in his absence. Who impressed him the most was Izuru. Rose had only been back with the Gotei 13 for about four weeks, but managed to win over the 3rd division quite easily. They welcomed his warm personality. Well the music nights he started probably helped a bit. While his new officers latched on to him he found himself most drawn to his new vice-captain. They complimented each other nicely actually. Best of all Izuru inspired him to compose some of his best stuff in the last decade. What more could a man ask for?

"Izuru, you heard everything right?"

"Yes," answered Izuru who had just beheaded a hollow.

"I'm leaving command to you." The vizard resealed his zanpakuto to sheath it. The black rift between spaces appeared several feet away from the captain of the 3rd division. "When I get back you have to tell me how the battle went. I want to know all about how your rhythm changed the melody of the battle."

"Good luck, Captain Otoribashi." Izuru saw his captain walk through the portal. The captain's reiatsu completely disappeared along with him. "Be careful captain."

"I'm trusting you to push the enemy back. You better not screw this up," Sui-Feng barked at Omaeda. He enthusiastically claimed that he would do her proud by slaying all the hollows. She scoffed at this. He was such an arrogant good for nothing. At least she could trust him to lead the division and the Onmitsukido against mere hollows. "Be sure not to die or you'll give both the 2nd division and Onmitsukido a bad name." Sui-Feng officially left everything in her vice-captain's hands. God help them all.

Kenpachi and Hitsugaya were already traveling through the Garganta themselves by the time Rose and Sui-Feng entered the portal. It wasn't long before the four captains met up with each other. Rose and Sui Feng were forced to shield their faces from Kenpachi's poor reishi path. It was a miracle that the path was even holding together to carry Kenpachi across. Reishi broke away from the so called path almost as soon as Kenpachi's foot left it. The debris blew into Rose and Sui-Feng's faces.

Sui-Feng seethed trying to keep her temper in check. She tightened her fists while counting to ten to defuse her anger. It didn't work. When shards of spiritual particles kept smacking you in the face you found it impossible to not hold on to your anger. "This is ridiculous," she fumed. "Zaraki, get control of your reiatsu and refine your pathway!"

The 11th Kenpachi replied, "I'm no good with that reiatsu control crap."

She looked outraged. "You're a captain! You should at least be able to control your reiatsu better than this!"

"Quit bitching about it! If you don't like just get ahead of me!" Kenpachi didn't give two shits about Sui-Feng and her complaints about his reishi path. As long as it did the job he didn't care. Looking pretty wasn't gone help kill anyone or anything.

She opened her mouth to hurl insults, but was stopped by Otoribashi. "It can't be helped," he told her. "Captain Zaraki, would you mind letting us pull ahead of you then?" Rose used his most dignified voice. He heard mutterings of pansy asses annoying him Kenpachi pulled to the side leaving room for Sui-Feng and he to pass. The assassin took the invitation without a moment's hesitation. Rose waited for her to pull ahead before he followed. It would be rude to jump in front of woman after all. "I give you my thanks, Captain Zaraki."

"Whatever. If you want to thank me then move your ass so we can get there sooner. I've been itching for a good fight all day."

"It looks like you'll get your chance sooner than we thought, Zaraki," Hitsugaya said. The young captain pointed ahead. They all focused their vision onto a figure far away. The figure appeared to be dressed in white. As they closed the distance between them they were able to make it out a man with long snowy blond hair tied in a ponytail. His lips curved into a U shape smile.

Jovial at the sight of the arrancar Kenpachi's reiatsu pulsed violently. "Now we're talking! He's mine."

Only Zaraki would go out of his way to call dibs on a person to fight. Hitsugaya couldn't understand why or how one man could get so ecstatic over fighting. The 10th division captain held no real interest in the arrancar. If Zaraki wanted to fight so be it. He imagined Otoribashi and Sui-Feng shared his sentiments because they didn't object to Zaraki's proclamation. The four of them stopped across from the white foe.

"Hello there captains. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Calputto." The arrancar bowed before the shinigami much to their surprise.

"Are you mocking us?" Sui-Feng sneered in contempt.

"Not at all, captain. I was simply being courteous." His words said one thing, but the meaning was far from sincere. Sui-Feng didn't like it.

"Tell us why would you meet us in the Garganta?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"It doesn't matter," Kenpachi stated. "I'll fight him here if I have to. It might make things more interesting. He has the advantage here."

Calputto gave a whimsical laugh. "You captains are colorful characters. I must agree with the one with the eye patch. It doesn't matter." Away from the black enemy he discretely dropped a small black cube. "I was charged to keep shinigami out of Hueco Mundo until it crashed into the Human World."

A haughty laugh escaped Rose's lips. "Are you arrogant enough to believe you can fight off four captains at once, arrancar?" To his annoyance the arrancar continued to smile. He couldn't stand the sight of it. It was obvious it was false. Nothing offended his sights more than a cheap imitation.

"Don't be absurd, captain. It is impossible for someone like me to defeat four captains at once. I doubt I could defeat one of you if I'm honest. Fortunately I don't have to defeat you. You see I just needed to stop you long enough to be ensnared you in our modified Caja Negacion." The black cube expanded toward the captains quickly sealing them off from escape. Surprised the captains froze as the blackness swallowed their entire bodies.

"Damn!" Hitsugaya uttered.

Kenpachi slashed at the darkness only to discover his blade cut through nothing except air.

"Move back!" Rose ordered. He donned his bird mask. Hitsugaya and Kenpachi moved out of his way. Rose charged a ball of crimson energy. "Cero." He unleashed a large burst of energy, but like with Kenpachi's slash it hit nothing. "So even that is useless," Rose deduced as his mask dissolved.

"Your attacks won't make a difference. Caja Negacion was created by Aizen to imprison our Fraccion by trapping them into an alternate dimension for eternity. Of course for a being that possesses the reiatsu level of an Espada or captain it won't hold them for eternity. At best it could hold someone of that level there for three hours more or less."

This was how he would delay them. They were imprisoned in a completely different dimension. A simple sword slash wasn't going to free them. None of them were versed in Kido that could split dimensions apart.

"I modified it a bit to hold shinigami as well as hollows. I laced the Garganta with Caja Negacion so any shinigami who use them will be imprisoned. I apologize, but you must remain imprisoned here until Silva-sama's design reaches fruition. Farewell, captains."

When the arrancar's voice died they guessed that he left. "Is there truly no way to escape this place?" the boy captain posing the question in hopes of one of them coming up with a way out of this.

"The appropriate reaction left to us is to send word to communication unit," Sui-Feng suggested.

* * *

Rose sighed. "It's can't be helped." The elegant vizard opened communications with the S.R.D.I. He relayed everything that the arrancar told them. The results were less promising than the captains had hoped for. The scientists needed more information before they could offer their services. The type of information they wanted was composition of the field, reishi manipulation, and reiatsu levels. To both parties frustration this was information the captains were simply unable to give. Without that vital information the scientist might as well have been trying to decipher ancient magic.

Akon slammed his fist on the control panel so hard that the entire frame vibrated. "This is impossible!" he roared. His colleagues in their desperation calculated projected figures they hypothesized based on the captains' limited descriptions. _'A lot of good that will do them,'_ he thought. They were trying to put together a puzzle with limited pieces! It was simply impossible to devise a way to disable this Caja Negacion with such limited information. The worst part was the arrancar had littered Garganta with them. Even if they sent a team to investigate they would be imprisoned before they could get a sample. Not to mention that the Garganta was still completely new to them. The first and second presidents learned the secrets of how to open one both still working on manipulation of it. It was far different from Dangai.

"Vice president, we are receiving a call from Urahara Kisuke."

"Put him through." The stressed out vice president massaged his temples searching for any way he could relieve himself of this god forsaken headache. "What is it, Urahara?"

It was easy to see how wary Akon was. The man was in no mood for jokes. Kisuke would abide for his sake. "My scanners detected a disturbance in between Human World and Hueco Mundo. There were four people with captain class reiatsu going through there, but then they just disappeared. Do you know what happened?"

"The Privaron Espada was one step ahead of us again. Turns out they had something that can imprison even captain level shinigami into an alternate dimension for hours. They spread it over the space in between Hueco Mundo and Human World so that any shinigami that uses it will also be imprisoned. We can't even take a sample of it to analyze. Four of the captains are trapped between worlds for three hours."

"You said it can capture captain level shinigami. Does it only capture shinigami?"

"No. From what we learned it was form of prison Aizen created to imprison arrancars and hollows. The arrancars modified it to work on shinigami too." He didn't see where Urahara was going with this.

"Isn't there still some units stationed in Hueco Mundo?" questioned Kisuke.

Again Akon was at a loss as to what the first president was getting at. "Yes. There were officers stationed in Hueco Mundo to quell the Arrancar Civil War. We lost contact with them for 18 hours now though. We haven't heard anything from them lately. Even if they are still alive we can't use them to setup the orbs to stop Hueco Mundo from falling because they won't have them."

"No, but if we sent people there they could get them." Kisuke's foxy smirked materialized.

"Haven't you been listening? We can't send anyone through the Garganta, because of the trap."

"You can't send shinigami, but if we send humans there should be no problem."

"Uh, the humans….." He forgot about them. Now that he was thinking about them he felt idiotic for forgetting them when they stuck out like a sore thumb. They could travel through Garganta. Their bodies would be converted into reishi in order to get to Hueco Mundo, but their fundamental reiatsu would be the same and quite different from a shinigami or arrancars. It was possible they could bypass the arrancars traps and make to the other side. "That's brilliant!" he bellowed.

"If the humans bring your orbs with them and successfully meet up with some our forces that are already stationed there…."

"…they can work together to restore Hueco Mundo to its proper space," Kisuke finished. "That's assuming the shinigami stationed there are still alive."

Urahara was right of course. He usually was about 90 percent of the time right. The communication unit still had no luck with establishing contact with the team. That didn't bode well for the Hueco Mundo team. "We'll just have to make due."

"You'll have to send me the coordinates of the Spirit Keystones in Hueco Mundo. I'll relay it to them."

Akon said, "I'm sending you all the information that the captain commander gave us. It should get you any moment now."

The information flashed on Kisuke's monitor. Quickly he scanned the contents finding it remarkable on how little information the Soul Society had on Hueco Mundo in the past couple of centuries, yet somehow had detailed information on the keystones locations in the hollow homeland. The ex-captain always got the feeling the higher ups kept selective information away from the public. At least he certainly didn't believe that only he and Aizen were the only ones to discover a way to travel to Hueco Mundo in all this time. How would they know about Vasto Lorde if that was true?

He downloaded the information into one of his own personal cellphones. It was an updated version from the one he gave Uryu. In addition to being able to communicate with the shop and the Soul Society, it could also connect to his personal laptop and be used to open a Garganta. The last feature was made to avoid the incident where Aizen closed Garganta to imprison his enemies in Hueco Mundo, while he left for Karakura Town. The latest feature he was installing would give the exact locations of the former Spirit Keystones and track their specific spiritual energy. He made enough for all three of them.

"Received it, little Akon-san."

He wanted strangle Urahara, but if his old captain went back to his overly cheerful demeanor it meant things were looking up for them. "When will they be there? Time isn't a luxury we have."

"I'll ready the Garganta myself. It won't take more than twenty minutes."

"This is our last option, Urahara. If this fails…."

"We'll make it work. Don't underestimate them. They may only be kids, but they've proven they can carry more than their fair load." They trained for this very moment, the battle that would decide everything between the Privaron Espada and the forces of Soul Society. Relying on human youths was unconventional he knew, but they were a wildcard that most people wouldn't expect. This was a situation that required a wildcard.

* * *

With Tessai's help Kisuke was able to shave off ten minutes from his projected time. Each time he opened a Garganta it was getting easier and faster than the previous time. He almost had it down to a science. Everyone moved to the underground training room beneath the shop. Uryu, Orihime, and Sado waited patiently for their bizarre benefactor to open the gates to the nightmarish land where they were all nearly killed nine months prior. Each of them experienced their own emotions, but one thought they all shared was that they would do better this time. They had to. There would be no captains coming in at the last second to save them. There would be no Ichigo to lean on if they got into trouble. They were for the most part on their own.

Uryu was thankful Urahara brought over his Quincy uniform and equipment, but it didn't stop him for being miffed at the shinigami for violating his privacy by pilfering his clothes from his room. He even managed to get his hands on more Seele Schneider. Ryuken wouldn't be happy about it. The thought of his father's annoyance brought a perverse smile out. They all said their goodbyes already, but it didn't stop their friends from seeing them off. He got done talking to Arisawa a little while ago. She wished him luck along with Asano and Kojima-kun. Currently she was conversing with Inoue-san along with Kurosaki, while Asano and Kojima-kun were with Sado-kun.

Like him both Sado and Orihime had changed out of their school uniforms. Sado wore a pair of faded jeans and long sleeved olive green shirt. It was practically form fitting by how his muscles nearly bulged out of it. The healer had forsaken her usual skirts in favor of jean shorts that stopped right before her knees. She wore a short sleeved dark pink shirt. You would never know the three of them were going to battle judging from their attire. But it was less restrictive than their school uniforms at least.

Against the last remaining Privaron Espada they would need every advantage they could get. The last remaining ones would be the strongest. Uryu recalled his encounter with the red haired arrancar. All he could do was put up a mediocre defense against him. The arrancar hadn't even used his full power. If the other two were as powerful as him or more so they would have to throw everything they had against them if they wanted to attain victory.

'_I'll be ready for you this time arrancar.' _The raven haired boy would avenge his defeat from last time. The pride of the Quincy was riding on the line along with the fate of the Human World. He would make his grandfather proud of him.

"Get ready!" announced Kisuke. "The Garganta will be opened."

"Chad, good luck," Mizuiro wished one last time. Keigo bumped fist with Chad.

Tatsuki embraced Orihime unable to resist hugging her best friend one last time. She chastised herself for even thinking this could be the last time she saw Orihime. She would pull through. She was tough. "You better come back in one piece or else I'll slug you myself."

The thought of being hit by Tatsuki made her sweat. Tatsuki's hits were hard. She couldn't have that. "I'll come back in one piece." The second strongest girl in Japan wouldn't relinquish her hold. The healer attempted to wiggle out of the hug only to fail. "Um…Tatsuki-chan, can you let go?" Aware of the lingering embrace Tatsuki released Orihime. The raven haired girl was tainted by a forlorn shadow.

Seeing how torn up Tatsuki was at Orihime's appending journey awakened sympathy from Ichigo. He didn't like the idea of one his oldest friends worried with grief. He would snap her out of her funk. "Stop looking so pitiful, Tatsuki. You act like you'll never see her again. You know she'll make it." He put the finishing touches by huffing. That would piss her off enough. He loved being right. The next thing he knew Tatsuki was verbally sparring with him as usual. Her mind was off of Orihime for the moment.

"Please don't fight," Orihime pleaded. Ichigo put the fight on hold for her. They said nothing to each other. They said everything that needed to be said. Ichigo felt if he said more it would be like saying he would never see her again. He couldn't believe that. Orihime would come back to him. He supported her. She could do it. She would fix the Spirit Keystones then with Ishida and Chad helping her they would stop the Privaron Espada together. Everything would be fine.

'_They can do this. They don't need your help. You just have to believe in them. Orihime will definitely come back. She survived that place once and she can do it again. Even though she shouldn't have to go back to that place, she'll survive it,' _he told himself. The lump forming in his throat was becoming worrisome.

Kisuke channeled his spiritual energy into his right hand readying the spell. "My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left hand is the blade that binds reality. The black haired shepherd is hung from a chair." Energy flowed from his hand and into the wooden post across from his position on the opposite of the rock formation he was on. "Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis." The rift opened up into an oval portal large and wide enough to cover both rock formations.

"The Garganta will lead you outside of the arrancars fight for control based on Soul Society's last report on where the fighting was occurring, but that information could be outdated. Be prepared to fight as soon as you come out to be safe. The phones will lead you to the Spirit Keystones. Try to find any of the Hueco Mundo team if you can, but remember you only have about two hours and twelve minutes until Hueco Mundo crashes into Human World. If you can't find them in twenty minutes or so just drudge on your own."

"You don't have to set all the orbs out to stop Hueco Mundo from crashing. Just setup one orb and it will stop it from falling. Everything is riding on you three, but I know we are in good hands." The man looked on them with pride gleaming in his gray eyes. "Get going."

The trio jumped head first into the portal. They didn't look back. From there they would only move forward. They would win. The alternative wasn't an option. They couldn't fail not after Ichigo's sacrifice to bring them peace. It was their duty to maintain his peace.

"Urahara-san," Ichigo summoned weakly. It was a small wonder his old master could hear him.

"They'll make it," Kisuke said plainly. "Have faith in their strength, Kurosaki-san."

That wasn't what he was going to ask. What he wanted to know, what he couldn't bring himself to ask Orihime was how could it be right to send her back into that world of darkness? He loathed himself for having to send her back there without him.

* * *

Familiar darkness surrounded them. The only light emitted was the reishi they manipulated to use as a pathway. For Uryu it was second nature. The trek was simple. Orihime's precise control of her spiritual energy made reishi manipulation almost as easy as it was for Uryu. Sado didn't have the fine control as his friends, but there was noticeable improvement from the last time he traveled through Garganta. His path was more defined and less fragile than before. Uryu's sights went toward the goddess of Karakura High for an instant.

"Inoue-san, are you really fine with going back to that place?" the Quincy asked. He wanted to be tactful, but they were on their way to the place Orihime was abducted to. Being tactful wasn't what was best for her all things considering. The light blue eyes were dimmed. They didn't discuss her feelings about going back here after everything she endured. They took it for granted that she would come and be alright. Well not all of them. Kurosaki was worried, but didn't bring it up. He caught his rival looking at Inoue-san with a mix of pity and concern that was nearly palpable. It was easy to deduce what he was thinking.

She expected someone to ask her how she felt about coming back. Hueco Mundo was the place where she was forced to go to under the pretense that Aizen would spare her friends' lives. It was the place where she was made a hostage and asset to Aizen. It was the place where her friends chased her to save her at personal expense to them. It was the place where she saw Ichigo die. It was the place she saw his dark resurrection into a hollow who desperately wanted to protect her. It was the place that haunted her nightmares for the better part of four months. Now she was plunging back there. She would be lying if she said those memories were a distant dream. They came back racing through her mind just as the memories of Ichigo comforting her.

The memories of being held in his arms, the promises that Ichigo would protect her, their vows to be there for each other followed those bad ones. It wasn't just Ichigo. Tatsuki and Kuchiki-san's kind and reassuring words helped bring back. Ishida-kun's concern for her wellbeing and Sado-kun's belief in her strength made her realize she had more strength than she knew. Orihime needed to go back there. She had to face down her demons for not only herself, but her friends.

"I will be fine." The words weren't for Ishida-kun. They were to remind her of how far she came along. She refused to go backwards. She would keep moving forward as per her new mantra. "Thank you for your concern, Ishida-kun. You won't have to worry about me. I won't be a burden. I'll help this time."

"You were never a burden," Sado interjected. "You are our friend and a comrade. We didn't come to rescue you, because we thought you were weak. We came because we wanted to from the bottom of our hearts. Neither Ishida nor I doubt your strength. Don't be afraid to lean on us if you need to and we will lean on you if we need to."

"It goes without saying, but I feel the same way as Sado-kun."

She loved her wonderful friends. They would always have her back. _'I hope you can see this, Onii-chan. You won't have to worry about me anymore. I have wonderful friends who will be here to help me. I will lean on them and in return I'll make sure they can lean on me.' _

"Thank you," Orihime said with a bright smile. Despite stepping back in to this world of darkness she had a tranquil countenance. A white light illuminated her. It was poetic to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Her heart absorbed its radiance and kept the demons away.

They emerged from darkness only to be greeted by more darkness and death. The white deserts were the same as they remembered. The dead moon that greeted them was the same lifeless color as last time. They returned to same dark and dead Hueco Mundo. Now it was up to them to stop it from crashing. First they would have to stop themselves from crashing. As soon as the exited the portal gravity took hold of them.

"Not again!" cried Uryu.

The trio plummeted toward the ground screaming at the top of their lungs. Urahara Kisuke was a genius, but his landings were always crash course for them. Usually there was something or someone to catch them. Lady Lucky apparently forgot to order them a ride. As the ground became dangerously closer by the second a light bulb went off in Orihime's head.

"Santen Kesshun!" The three fairies combined into their triangular formation. The shield caught the three teens, but the sudden stop wasn't what one would describe as pleasant. In fact each had parts of their body aching with pain. She had to work on sudden landings with Santen Kesshun to avoid the pain. Her backside was killing her. Still was better than Ishida-kun who landed on his shoulder or Sado-kun who landed straight on his back. The air was probably knocked right out of him.

"H-how can he never improve the landings?" Sado managed to get out. Lungs were an inferno. He needed some refreshing oxygen to cool them.

Uryu tended his sour shoulder. "I think he purposely doesn't correct it because he gets a sick laugh out of it," he grumbled.

"Urahara-san wouldn't do anything like that. I'm sure he is trying to figure out how to make the landings better," Orihime defended. Uryu and Sado conveyed their misgivings with a stare. Once they got settled in and actually set foot on the ground they used the cellphones to locate the nearest Spirit Keystone location.

"Let's see. According to this the nearest one is located north of here." Uryu decided to be the navigator.

The gentle giant frowned at the direction Uryu has chosen. "I sense a lot of different reiatsu coming in that direction."

Uryu and Orihime focused their sixth sense as well. They felt the pressures wash over them. There wasn't an enormous pressure, but several pressures that ranged from small to a few large ones. Spiritual pressures were also fading out like lights. "I sense them too. Only a few them are disappearing," Orihime said.

"There is a battle going on in that direction," Uryu reasoned. "I don't feel anything similar to the Privaron Espada, but feel shinigami reiatsu."

Sado added, "I sense arrancars and hollows as well. There seems to be more of them than shinigami."

Orihime frowned. She felt the shinigami reiatsu fade away. They were in trouble. "We have to help them."

"It's probably one of the Hueco Mundo teams," Sado said. "If we hurry we can rescue them"

"Ah!" a man wailed. He had his eye gauged out by ravenous wolf like hollow. His face was only saved by one of his comrades jabbing his sword into the wolf's skull, instantly killing it. "My eye….my eye….MY EYE IS GONE!"

"Calm down!" screamed another of his comrades. "I know it's painful, but you need to pick up your sword and keep fighting."

"Did you hear yourself!? I just lost my god damn eye! Do you really think I'm in a condition to fight?"

"We are getting pushed into a corner here. We need all available hands. You either pick up the sword try to put up a fight or stay on your knees and wait to die. You'll get killed by hollows either way!"

The arrancar held a sadistic glee. He so did enjoy the sight of blood on his sword. He never felt more alive than when he spilled blood. The invigoration was enough to make his bones quake. It was pure adoration for the blood and the blade. "You shinigami will all die just like your comrades." He liberated his blood soaked sword from the corpse. The dead shinigami's face riddled with cuts, which completely desecrated it. He was unrecognizable. "This is what you get for trying to take control of our world."

"Shit," cursed the first shinigami. He was a part of a group of six that was once 26. They had been separated from the rest of their team in ambush by several hollows and 2 arrancars. They were massacred. They would all be dead if one of them hadn't sacrificed themselves to take out one of the arrancars. That bought them time to retreat. They split up to increase their chances of survival. Things went horrid for them. The blood lusting arrancar cut down many of them until they dwindled down to just six. One of the six was wounded.

The sadistic arrancar's smile broadened. "You know what? I'll kill you six myself. Why should the hollows have all the fun?"

"To me everyone!" cried the lead shinigami. What little remained of the forces reconvened to his side. They were bloody, crippled with fatigue, and wary of spirit. The shinigami were outnumbered by horde of monstrous hollows and one sadistic bastard of an arrancar. "We make our last stand here."

"If only we could have lasted long enough to meet up with them," seethed a female shinigami.

"Doesn't look like luck was on our side today," muttered the leading shinigami.

The sadistic arrancar strolled back and forth like a child in a toy shop trying to pick out a toy. "I've decided." He pointed his sword at the female shinigami. "I like women's faces better. They look so much better stained in blood!"

"Bastard! Fight me first!" the lead shinigami challenged.

"Nope. I'm killing her first." The sadistic arrancar charged right for the woman. She readied her sword in hopes of at least maiming the sick bastard for her comrades. The arrancar was feet away from her when his head was split open by a blue flash of light. The woman, the leading shinigami, and their comrades stood frozen in astonishment and confusion. The once sadistic arrancar now lay on the ground dead.

"What happened?" the one eyed shinigami voiced their shared astonishment. In a flash the horde of hollows were all obliterated. Some could make out a golden streak, others swore they saw a blue light, and others saw white stream of light.

"How is this possible?" the lead shinigami asked himself.

"Are you ok?" To baffle the group further a woman with red-orange hair waved down to them. Her identity was a mystery to them. She wasn't alone. Two men accompanied them. One wore glasses and dressed in white. The other one towered over the trio, had dark skin, and dark brown hair. All three of them had great amounts of reiatsu. They dwarfed their own reiatsu.

"Who are you people?"

"Where allies for the moment," Uryu said almost distastefully. Despite all the battles he fought alongside the shinigami he still had mixed feelings about calling himself their ally. He justified teaming up with them as a temporary arrangement. If he wanted to honor his grandfather's wishes he would have to drop the attitude and fully acknowledge himself as a shinigami ally. It was the only way to achieve the shinigami and Quincy union. "We were sent here by Urahara Kisuke to help repair the destroyed Spirit Keystones and fight the Privaron Espada."

"You're allies then?" asked the skeptical female shinigami. They couldn't reach Soul Society for close to 20 hours. It seemed convenient that miraculous angels came from the skies to save them. They didn't appear to be arrancars, but they weren't shinigami. In fact they almost looked human. She was aware the Soul Society had a few human allies. She just wasn't prepared to rule out this was a trick from another arrancar faction that opposed the one who tried to kill them minutes ago.

The Quincy furrowed his brow at the distrust. The shinigami were right to distrust them. If he had been in their shoes he would feel the same way. It was perfectly reasonable, but it still struck a wrong chord with him.

"We were told you would help us." Orihime gave them a friendly smile. She thought it would help ease tensions.

"We aren't just going to blindly trust you, just because you saved us. Arrancars are tricky. They've imitated our officers to lure us into traps before. How can we trust you?"

Uryu was about to rebuttal when, "You don't have to worry about them. They are allies of Soul Society." Two people appeared before the two groups. One was a tall man who exceeded six feet. He had long, unruly, bright crimson hair, reaching past his shoulders. He kept it tied by a band. He wore a maroon colored headband that covered his entire forehead. He dressed in black robes, carried a sword on his hip, and maroon wrist bands.

Beside him was a petite and short woman with short raven hair. A single bang hung from her forehead. The rest was cropped up in a bob. She possessed violent eyes. She too was garbed in black robes and carried a sword on her hip.

"The arrancars are tricky, but they can't mimic reiatsu. These three are genuine." The red haired man happily stated. His voice vibrated with mirth.

Uryu, Sado, and Orihime wide eyed at the appearance of the two shinigami. Soon their shock gave way to happiness or in Orihime's case unbridled happiness. Her face lit up. "Kuchiki-san! Abarai-kun!" The healer couldn't hold back her smile for the life of her.

Rukia returned the gesture with a bright smile of her own. "It's good to see you again too, Inoue."

* * *

**That chapter had a lot going on I know. I hope you could all follow it. First things first, it might seem like Silva is becoming the new Aizen with her sending Calputto to set up that trap. This isn't the case. The issue was that in order to get the Karakura Team to fight the Privaron Espada without the captains getting involved. It makes no sense they wouldn't send people to HM to fix it and rely on humans with stakes this big. That's why I used Caja Negacion. I remembered Grimmjow used it to trap Ulquiorra for a few hours, so he could fight Ichigo on his own. I thought if it could keep someone as powerful as Ulquiorra in check for hours that I could reuse the concept here with the captains without it being too cheap.**

**I already established Calputto is a bit of tinkerer and scientist that it would make sense for him to modify it to trap shinigami as well. I tried to hint at this earlier by mentioning Silva had him doing projects for her. This was one of those projects. Urahara panties gag not sure if people will be upset at me for suggesting he peeked. I wanted comedy to lighten the mood and Urahara stated he was perverted man once or twice. No he's not riffling through women's underwear drawer for kicks. I just thought it was a funny nod to pervert side he had and he would eccentric enough to at least peek. If you had a problem with it I'm sorry. Just please don't flame me for it over it. **

**Yes, Renji and Rukia will help the Karakura Team. I like them and they're part of the team anyway. It was connected to previous established earlier in the story. Rukia told Orihime she was stationed in Hueco Mundo with Renji and Rangiku. Rangiku got called back to the 10****th**** division before Silva jump started her plan. They have their new looks, but this before Rukia was promoted to vice-captain. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter that I got up fast. Sorry, but I'm still happy I got it done so quickly. I know it's not the real deal, but I hope you enjoy it. **


	57. Reunion with Death

**Last time the chapter ended with us meeting Rukia and Renji. Rukia hasn't been seen since chapter 20 and this is the first time Renji appeared in this story. Like I said at the end of the last chapter they are going to help out Uryu, Orihime, and Sado in Hueco Mundo. We'll see them in this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any form or way. This is just for fun.**

* * *

Rukia still had a hard time trusting her eyes. She thought she felt vaguely familiar presences, but chalked it up to lingering sentimentality that was inappropriate considering she and Renji were trying to find survivors of the Hueco Mundo team. When Renji told her that he sensed familiar reiatsu her heart skipped a beat. She concentrated harder and their reiatsu became as clear as a bell. Before Renji could say another word she was already racing toward them. He followed after her with a quip. It barely registered with her. The only thing she could think of was why her friends were there. Her first reaction was happiness, but it fell quickly. For them to be in Hueco Mundo could mean something horribly wrong was going on.

However, despite this realization when her human friends came into view Rukia was overwhelmed by happiness. Until that moment she hadn't known just how much her heart truly ached for them. The sight of the auburn healer particularly made her heart weep with joy. She must have felt the same about her and Renji. Those brown eyes lit up just like the humans' grandest cities she saw on television programs during her stay there. Inoue's reiatsu beckoned them to her. It was a welcome contrast to when it pushed others away the last time she met the healer. Thankfully the ice elemental's visit had helped her. _'She's back to normal. I'm so glad,' _Rukia thought.

"Kuchiki-san! Abarai-kun!" the kind hearted healer cried.

Rukia's face betrayed her. A wholehearted smile broke through the frown that seemed almost prematurely frozen. "It's good to see you again too, Inoue." It all happened so fast. One moment Inoue stood there smiling at her. The next moment Rukia found herself being crushed by the taller woman's unnatural strength as she embraced her. How could such delicate looking creature possess such strength? Even taking into the fact that Inoue was bigger than her Rukia's shinigami training hardened her body to withstand the monstrous strength of hollows. All of it was for not against Inoue it seemed.

"Inoue…." Rukia fought against the younger woman's steel like grip. "….happy to…." It was a good thing her small size made it easier for her wiggle out of such situations. "…..you but….." She was almost there now. If she scrummed a little bit more. "….suffocating me…." The healer released her. Thank the Soul King! She inhaled as much air as she possibly could. To Inoue's credit her cheeks were as crimson as an apple.

Orihime fidgeted impulsively while shrinking away. "Hehehe, I'm sorry about that. I was just happy to see you," she said sheepishly. Her body language revealed she was embarrassed her affections inflicted harm. The shinigami found her smile renewed. This was without a shadow of a doubt the old Orihime she knew and loved.

Renji beamed down at the two women. He would take pleasure in teasing Rukia later for how she nearly suffocated by Inoue. If a person had to go they could at least go happily being suffocated by Inoue's bountiful breasts. For now he would let her enjoy the little reunion with Inoue untainted. Instead he walked up to Ishida and Sado. Like Rukia his lips melted into a welcoming grin.

"I see you two have gone through some changes since we last met. Sado, you got some stubble on your chin. You plan on growing a beard?" Sado's lips curved upward. He held out his hand for the vice-captain to grab. Renji happily accepted. "Ishida, you seem a little taller. Finally changed your hair I see."

Uryu growled lowly at Abarai's backhanded compliment. Didn't he realize the compliment had the undertone of an insult? Or did he just not care? The broad grin the red haired man sprouted told Uryu that the older man was having fun with him. He forgot how annoying Abarai could be. At the same time he found himself sharing the shinigami's smile. He was getting too sentimental. The old him would have retaliated with a sharp quip of his own. They acknowledged each other with head nods. "Abarai," Uryu greeted.

"Vice-captain Abarai," one of the shinigami called. "Are you absolutely certain these are the allies that you know?"

Renji's lips fell down. Annoyance claimed his eyes. The shinigami cowered back. Uryu theorized that Abarai's temper flared up regularly around these shinigami for the man to back down from a mere glance. If their communication with Soul Society had been cut off for 20 hours as Urahara informed them it was reasonable for him to lose it every now and again. After all he was most likely the highest ranking officer stationed here now. Command would fall to him with no orders from their superiors. At the same time the officer was right to question Abarai. In enemy territory it paid to be too cautious than to be too trusting.

"Like I said the arrancars can't mimic reiatsu. These three are most definitely our real allies," insisted the 6th division vice-captain. He took a defensive stance that both conveyed his desire to end the conversation and challenging anyone to dare question him. Uryu felt a slight shift in his reiatsu. The aggression enticed fear from even him. He couldn't imagine what it did to the shinigami who felt it.

Out of nowhere the crimson haired swordsman had a pair of arms wrap themselves around him. "Abarai-kun!" squealed a delighted Orihime. This was priceless to Rukia, Uryu, and Sado. Not used to the healer's excessive affection Renji instantly became awkward. He had no clue on how to defuse the situation before him. Clearly he was conflicted on not hurting the pure hearted beauty, but didn't want to his charges to see his embarrassment.

While Renji deliberated with himself on how to handle Orihime, Sado and Uryu turned their attention to the petite raven haired shinigami. "It's good to see you two as well," Rukia said. She tried to maintain the poise instilled in her as a Kuchiki, but she herself was failing miserably. This was disgraceful. As a noble woman of the proud Kuchiki clan she should control her emotions better than this. Her beloved brother might disapprove of this, but she found herself not caring about maintaining the Kuchiki image in this moment. These were her friends after all. She was sure Byakuya would understand that. Uncharacteristically she followed Orihime's lead and hugged the two men catching them by surprise. Naturally she let go of them after a few seconds. She shot them a glare that said if they brought this up again she would murder them. She couldn't let them think she had gone soft after all.

If it got back to Ichigo she would never live it down. Suddenly she realized who was missing. Happiness subsided to gloom. That was one friend she couldn't see. It was one thing that Aizen stolen from her thanks to his damn scheming. Part of her had hoped his condition wasn't permanent as Urahara had described. The idiot's absence didn't contradict the old shopkeeper's words. _'Ichigo,' _Rukia thought sadly.

Both Uryu and Sado noticed the abrupt shift in Rukia right away. They shared a look between them. Neither was sure how to approach her or if they should. Thankfully the issue became moot all together when Renji drew attention to himself by escaping Orihime's grasp.

"Inoue! I get you're happy to see me. Don't get me wrong I'm happy to see you too, but we have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with." The lively woman didn't take offense thankfully. Rukia told him just how affectionate Inoue could get. At the time Renji thought she was exaggerating, but now fully understood what Rukia was talking about. If anything she might have undersold it. With all of their attention on him it was time to discuss the topic on hand. "You guys said that Urahara sent you here. If that's the case then you are here for a reason. Tell us why exactly you're here."

It was Sado who was the first to respond. "We were sent here, because the Spirit Keystones in Hueco Mundo have been destroyed. Now it's on a collision with the Human World in about two hours."

"What!?" Renji cried.

"The arrancar have actually done such a thing?" Rukia gasped in horror. Her violet orbs searched around the group. Their grim expressions spelled out the ugly truth for Rukia. Guilt ate at her. They were stationed in Hueco Mundo to quell the arrancars to prevent them from causing trouble in Human World. It was their responsibility to end any and all arrancar threats to the humans, but they failed spectacularly. Without their knowledge arrancars had destroyed one of the most sacred objects that kept balance between the worlds. They should be ashamed of themselves. They should have been able to keep the peace in Hueco Mundo. If a human such as Ichigo could defeat Aizen then they as shinigami should at least be able to maintain the peace he gave to them.

Orihime continued where Sado left off, "Urahara-san sent us here with special orbs he invented that can take the place of the Spirit Keystones to return Hueco Mundo back to its proper place. The Privaron Espada set a trap in the space between Hueco Mundo and Human World. Four of the captains tried to come here, but a trap sealed them into an alternate dimension."

"The trap was only designed for arrancars and shinigami. That's why Urahara-san was able to send us here," Uryu added. Murmurs echoed among the small band of shinigami. He could only make out stunned gasps or curses at how they failed.

"Of course he would have something up his sleeve," Rukia said. She was extremely grateful for how encompassing the ex-captain's foresight truly was. It offered them a chance for redemption. She for one would snatch it gladly.

"Yeah that guy is something else," Renji joined in. Like with Rukia the gratitude irradiated from his word. "We weren't told where the Spirit Keystones were located here. It could take us days or even weeks just to find the location of one of the keystones."

"That won't be a problem." Uryu pulled out the latest Urahara gadget. "Urahara-san thought of that as well and programed these to locate the spiritual energy the Spirit Keystones give off. We were tracking one down when we came to their aid." Uryu pointed out toward the wounded shinigami. At this point Orihime started to heal them. The newly one eyed shinigami was discovering his eye missing was being regenerated.

At the mention of phone Rukia's interest was piqued. "Can those phones be used to communicate with the Soul Society?" she questioned the Quincy. The fellow raven haired man affirmed her question.

"We were told if we found the Hueco Mundo team that we should allow them to call to the Soul Society." Uryu handed her the phone. Rukia worked to open the channels. "What cut off your communications in the first place?"

"We are unsure how our communications were disabled exactly," Rukia answered. She could hear a ring on the other end. Urahara could get annoying at times, but he always pulled through in the end. Leave it to him to create something that could lead to a sacred object and communicate between worlds as well.

"_Hello,"_ a voice same into her ear. Finally they had reached through to communication unit. "This is Kuchiki Rukia of the Hueco Mundo team," the violet eyed woman identified herself. "We are reporting in with one of Urahara Kisuke's communicators. Our own have been rendered completely unusable. We suspect this is the doing to the arrancars, more specifically the Privaron Espada."

Rukia was dealing with the communication unit's questioning. With Rukia preoccupied with communication network Uryu turned to Renji for answers. Rukia would be busy for a while. The communication network would have thousands of questions for her. Being out of touch for over 20 hours would make them fear the worst for the team. "Are these the only survivors of the Hueco Mundo teams?" His voice was riddled with disbelief. The enemy had been so strong they reduced a team of highly skilled shinigami to six? Apparently it was the wrong thing to do because all shinigami became hostile toward them.

"No," Renji said. The vice-captain was thankful he had some good news to report after all the crap he had to deal with today. "Rukia and I just came back from the other survivors. They had trouble dealing with arrancars and hollows, but we were able to turn the tide. The hollows were killed and the arrancars ran not when faced with our combined forces."

"After the arrancars fled we found a secure place to regroup. When we sensed the others reiatsu disappear we hurried off to help them before it was too late." Renji took this opportunity to stop. He had seen a lot of good shinigami die that day. Some of those shinigami were his 6th division members. They were trying to do their best to uphold the 6th division's honor. Some of them were also trying to lighten his burden. He would never forget the officer who impulsively jumped in front of him to block an arrancar's zanpakuto. The poor kid didn't hesitate for a second. He smiled and said he was happy to finally get to help Vice-captain Abarai.

God this day had truly been horrible. Seeing old friends again was just the thing to lift his wary spirits back up. It was a welcomed morale boost. "How many survivors did you leave to come here?" Sado questioned.

"We left fifteen back there. With six we found here that brings us up to 23 including Rukia and me. Only 23 out of a hundred," he finished the last part bitterly.

"23 are better than no one," Sado pointed out. They were limited in number compared to the hollows and arrancars.

Renji gave a hollow chuckle. "If I had only gotten there sooner I could have saved more people. No, I had to take Rukia out to follow up on a lead."

"What lead?" asked Uryu.

"Hollows were gathering somewhere for weeks now. Every time we tried to follow them we were ambushed by damn arrancars. We always lost the trail. It wasn't until yesterday that we were able to pick up on it again. Instead of following them in force I decided that Rukia and I were enough to track them. We suppressed our reiatsu and followed. I didn't even realize it was a trap." Renji mentally cursed his own gullibility. He should have known better. If it sounded too good then it was a trap. That was so basic.

"While we were away those bastards swooped in and attacked the rest of the team. By the time we realized what had happened the team had broken up to into two groups in hopes of splitting the hollows' forces to have a better chance."

"That must have been when the Privaron Espada disabled your communication," Sado reasoned.

"Yeah," Renji replied. "They got us off balanced and kept us like that. I don't know if they made alliances with the other arrancar factions or if they only manipulate them into fighting us, while they act on their own without any distractions. I'll give them this they were cunning. While we were chasing our tail they divided and conquered. We weren't even aware what they were really doing."

Orihime finished healing the last shinigami. They bombarded her with praise and worship that made her uncomfortable. She only did what anyone would do. The man who had his eye restored was her biggest admirer. She supposed having his eye completely restored after it had been gouged out would do that for a person. He had rough exterior with creases on his face from scowling so much. It reminded her of Ichigo only he had stubble on his chin and ordinary dark brown hair. It struck her as odd to see the man's lips curl up into a smile. She didn't imagine he smiled often.

The miraculous healer as they deemed her was able to slip away from them and return to the group just as Renji described what happened to the team in the last 20 hours.

"Now we're in this mess, because I overlooked what was really going on." He volunteered to stay in Hueco Mundo, because he wanted to make a difference. During the war he was dead weight. At best all he did was defeat small time hollows and arrancars. Against the Espada he was treated as a helpless child. All his power was easily swept aside. He had to be rescued by others constantly. Even Rukia managed to kill one of the Espada before she went down. To think he wanted to surpass Captain Kuchiki, it was laughable at that point. The last straw was when he heard how Ichigo defeated Aizen with the use of a dangerously powerful technique that stripped him of all his shinigami powers.

The fact that Ichigo resorted to such a technique made Renji respect him even more, but also made him realize how weak he really was and just how short sighted his goal was. He had to change. He was the next generation of shinigami in the Gotei 13. One day he could be called to replace a captain. He couldn't rest on his laurels. Renji started training as soon as injuries were fully healed. His goal was no longer to just surpass Captain Kuchiki. That was too small. His goal would also be to surpass Aizen. He would shape himself into becoming a true leader and tactician. Being one of the commanding officers of Hueco Mundo team was the perfect opportunity to hone his leadership skills. His captain encouraged him (in his own way).

Just as he thought he was making strides he learned how little progress he actually made. He was a joke. Most of his men were dead, because of him. He was a joke. This wouldn't have happened to Captain Kuchiki. This wouldn't have happened to Ichigo. They would have found a way to come out of it without any losses. He couldn't compare to them at all.

"The situation isn't hopeless though," Orihime added hopefully. Seeing Renji berate himself reminded her of how hard she was on herself for her shortcomings and failures. If it weren't for her friends she wouldn't have had the strength to move on and try again. It was her duty to provide the vice-captain with the same encouragement out of principle. Abarai-kun did what he felt was best. He shouldn't be punished just because it didn't turn out well. She wouldn't let him give into self-loathing. "We have the orbs. We can undo all the damage. It's just like Urahara-san said we only need to put one orb in place of the Spirit Keystone to stop Hueco Mundo from crashing. Once we do that we can take our time to place the other ones in the remaining places," the healer reasoned.

"It won't be that simple," Renji stated. "The Privaron Espada will no doubt learn that you went through the Garganta soon. They'll guard the where Spirit Keystones were located to stop any attempt to keep Hueco Mundo from crashing into Human World. You said you came here because it was on the way to the nearest Keystone?" The human trio confirmed this with nods. "The enemy will have followed our movements at least. If that is the case they will definitely know you are here and will move out to the position of that Keystone. It's best we go to the location of another Keystone."

Uryu disagreed with Renji's course of action. "We are on a strict time limit. If we change our direction now we may avoid the Privaron Espada, but we may also risk not making it in time to replace the Spirit Keystone. If the enemy deduces our change of course they could meet us there and stall us."

Renji should have realized that. If they followed his plan they could have lost valuable time. It was a good thing Ishida was here. He was going to have to do better if he wanted to be a better tactician. A small hand found its way on his shoulder awkwardly. He was taken aback to see the owner was Rukia. She wasn't usually the type to do such things. She usually punched you in the arm or smacked you in the head before finishing up with inspiring words to snap you out of yout funk. Her hand was limp, adding to how awkward it was, but seeing his old friend adopt a method different from her usual one to help him made him think maybe he wasn't such a failure.

He went out to touch her hand Rukia removed it hastily. Hoping not to draw any attention to her actions she decided to jump into the discussion. "That's not all. We still have to regroup with the others." Rukia returned Uryu's phone to him. "There were some who were wounded. We can't leave them there."

Renji nodded his head in agreement. He recovered from Rukia's 180 changes in seconds. "We only have two hours before Hueco Mundo crashes. We can't afford to move as a group to where the others are and then go back to where the Keystone was. We would lose too much time."

"The obvious solution is to split up," Sado recommended. "One group will go for where the Spirit Keystone was located in. The other group will go to where the other members of the team are."

"I'll lead one group back to where the team is located," Rukia volunteered. Renji smirked smugly at her. It made Rukia ill. Ever since Matsumoto went back to Soul Society he had tried to force a leadership position on her in the most obvious way possible. It caused her more than a fair share of headaches. Some members felt she was being put into the position due to her Kuchiki name. Renji the misguided dope being the vice-captain to a Kuchiki captain only supported those claims in the eyes of many. She denied Renji's "subtle" attempts to make her his number two not seeking to be alienated by the rest of the team. The arrangement worked. The rest of the team didn't give her icy glares, but none of them provided Renji with the support or insight a leader needed. It made battles difficult with only one commander in a group composed of a hundred.

When it became obvious the group needed a number two to help run things she reluctantly found herself serving as Renji's deputy commander, much to everyone else's disapproval. They gave her a hard time at first. They thought she was just noble handed a position instead of earning it. She couldn't blame them for it. When Byakuya adopted her she was automatically given a position in 13th division without finishing up the academy. Obviously it rubbed other shinigami who did graduate and earn their position. Eventually she proved her worth to them to her division and again with the team. Rukia coordinated the team out on the battlefield. That wasn't Renji's strong suit. It maximized their effectiveness. She supported Renji in and out of battle to the best of her ability. They were impressed by her battle prowess and leadership skills. They not only accepted Rukia as deputy commander, but pushed for her to continue. Whenever Rukia would lead Renji would smirk at her. It made her ill to her stomach every single time she saw that smirk, because a part of her hated she thankful for him forcing her into this role.

"Kuchiki-san, I'll go with you. You said there were wounded. It makes more sense for me to come and heal them."

The petite woman's lips spread upward. The prospect of the two of them working together again excited the shinigami. They never did get to fight together thanks in part to Aizen abducting Inoue. "I hope you haven't gotten rusty. I would hate to have to get you back in shape," Rukia teased. The healer shuddered for reasons unknown to her. Perhaps Inoue was coming down with a cold.

Rukia was ignorant to how her unforgiving training had mentally scarred Orihime. The goddess didn't want to go through it second time. "Don't worry, Kuchiki-san. I've been keeping up with my training."

"Good," Rukia stated. Again Inoue laughed uneasily. The raven haired woman could only raise an eyebrow. Why was she so nervous?

"Kuchiki." The shinigami with the restored eye made his voice known. "I'll be in your group. I promise to lend you all of my strength."

"Toyoda." This was the first time Rukia had seen him take initiative.

He bowed to the ladies catching both of them by surprise. He turned to the auburn haired human. "I will repay my debt to you."

Orihime didn't like when people felt indebted to her. She didn't heal him so he would repay her. She tried to discourage his declaration, but he would have none of it. Eventually Orihime had to accept him. Rukia looked amused by the situation. That annoyed Orihime a bit. Uryu agreed to be a part of Renji's group. The other 5 shinigami decided to aid Renji. They didn't like the idea of their commander facing powerful arrancars alone. Uryu suspected they weren't all entirely on board with the human team just yet. That left only Sado.

"I'll go with Kuchiki and Inoue." For a second time Rukia and Orihime were caught off guard. Neither of them expected Sado to offer his services. They weren't the only ones. Uryu and Renji were flabbergasted a bit over the giant's decision.

"Are you sure, Sado-kun?" Orihime was quicker of the two to ask. "Your strength might be better served with Abarai-kun's group."

"There are only three people in your group. If you are attacked by large numbers it could get difficult for you alone." The truth was he didn't trust the lone shinigami who signed up to help Rukia and Orihime. He was probably a competent shinigami, but against arrancars or Menos Grande that skill could be worthless. At least with Sado being there he would provide a strong third that both girls could depend on. Besides if his hunch was correct then it would be a good idea to tag along with girls.

"There is no time to debate this," Renji said firmly. "We'll head on to the spot where the Spirit Keystone was destroyed, while Rukia's group goes to the remaining members in hiding. Once you two are done healing the wounded," he pointed at Rukia and Inoue, "you meet up with us and if need be our backup."

"Understood," Rukia said. She turned to Orihime. "I'm glad you decided to come with me. I can use Kido to heal, but I'm nowhere near the level of the 4th division's healers. Your Shun Shun Rikka will be able to fully restore all of them so they can fight."

"Is it a good idea for them to fight again so soon?" Orihime asked out of concern for the officers.

"I'm afraid they'll have to. Until we find a way to disable the trap the Privaron Espada set in between worlds we won't be able to get any backup. We are outnumbered here as it is. The arrancars are strong. I'm not sure how powerful the Privaron Espada will be."

"They are very powerful," Sado informed her. "We've fought them a few times before. The members we battled were not only strong, but had dangerous abilities."

"I see. If we were to compare them to the normal Espada how would they fair?" Rukia was very interested in this. She never encountered these former Espada during their first siege of Las Noches. The intelligence they were given hadn't been helpful. They only said the arrancars were the strongest ones after the Espada. That description was so vague it made her uncomfortable going in blind into enemy territory where they were already greatly outnumbered.

Sado took his time to reflect on Rukia's question. He was one of the few people who had fought both the latest generation of Espada and the Privaron Espada. He had a fair grasp on the two groups strengthens. "They aren't as powerful as the Espada, but are on another level compare them to the average arrancars. Do you remember the big arrancar, Yammy?" The ice elemental gave a nod. "In his human form he was the weakest of the Espada we encountered, but compared to the Privaron Espada I battled he would be the strongest firmly."

The disastrous encounter with the overbearing Yammy was something Rukia wasn't likely to forget for a while. She was unsure if Renji, Sado, and she alone could defeat him even before he they learned his secret of being the highest ranked Espada. They only believed they stood a chance because of his relatively weaker reiatsu in comparison to the other Espada they encountered on their mission to rescue Inoue and that went out the window when he released his she thought.

"I should warn you that the Privaron Espada we fought were the weakest ones."

Of course they were the weakest ones. Rukia was unsurprised by this. The strongest ones were keeping hidden until this moment. She still held out hope they were weaker than Aaroniero, the 9th and weakest Espada she encountered.

"The strongest one we encountered in the last invasion was the former number six of the Espada. I was able to defeat him without much problem back then, but Inoue and Ishida encountered ones stronger than him."

"We believe those were two of the four strongest," Orihime finished. Kuchiki-san remained unfazed. The healer admired the shinigami's ability to remain calm in face of this information. "Kurosaki-kun told me the one he encountered was so powerful he had to use his bankai to defeat him." This time Kuchiki-san gripped her sword tightly. Kuchiki-san was courageous, but was not stupid. She knew exactly what it meant for Ichigo to have rough time against an opponent. "But we've been training to fight opponents as strong as the Espada. We'll do our best to defeat the Privaron Espada."

Rukia liked the confidence radiating from Inoue. The expression the healer wore wouldn't accept failure as an option. Sado shared the same opinion. Their training had done wonders for their confidence. Their chances against the enemy were unknown to her, but with these people behind her she was confident that they could succeed. _'They aren't the only ones who've been training. I've pushed myself as hard and as far as I could. I wanted to become stronger for Nii-sama, Kaien, Inoue, and Ichigo. I didn't want them to have worry about me. I'll show them my strength.'_

"Well said, Inoue. The five of us will combine our power to defeat the Privaron Espada and save the Human World. Let's move out you two!"

The Toyoda felt incredible awkward. Kuchiki had forgotten about him. She said the five of them. Were the other officers and he not counted for intentionally? They were highly trained shinigami after all. They could contribute. "I feel like I'm just fodder," he muttered. His complaint didn't reach Kuchiki. She led the two humans out without informing him. With a sigh he ran to catch up to his group.

* * *

Everything was going according to her plan. Calputto returned to report that the Caja Negacion was successful in imprisoning the shinigami. The fact it ensnared four captains without trouble was icing on the cake. By the time they were freed it would be too late. The worlds would be merged and they would at last escape the darkness. For once in a long time the future was bright. Their comrades' sacrifices hadn't been in vain. Everything was going right. Yet a small voice kept screaming at her that something was wrong. For the life of her she couldn't understand what it was. Perhaps she was just being paranoid. It was in her nature. When she tried to ignore the voice it became louder. The golden eyed arrancar trusted the voice. It had never led her astray so far. It wouldn't lead her astray now.

"Why are you so glum, Silva-sama?" Calputto hid his true character behind the false cheery expression. "You're plan was successful. The shinigami won't overcome the Caja Negacion in time to stop Hueco Mundo from crashing into Human World. Your plan was short of brilliant."

Usually when she heard his praises it was all she could do not to roll his eyes. The arrancar was so insincere that she never took him seriously. His tone was still forced pleasantry as it normally was, yet there was underlining sincerity beneath his words. Calputto thought her plan was good. "We can't assume we've won until the worlds are merged. The enemy won't give up that easily."

"You believe they will try something else then."

"I do," she confirmed.

Silva was cautious. It was one of her strengthens. In this instance Calputto thought she was being paranoid. The Spirit Keystones were all destroyed, Hueco Mundo had been slowly creeping out of place for weeks without Soul Society being the wiser, she had him modify Caja Negacion just to trap shinigami who came here, and now it was only hours before the worlds merged. Nothing short of miracle would be needed to stop them. "If you are concerned about the shinigami still here in Hueco Mundo most of them have been dealt with by the other arrancars. They won't pose much of a threat, but we could finish them off to ease your concern."

He was being surprisingly helpful. She assumed Calputto's good mood was due to the fact that he would now be able to retrieve his prize. She had no more use for him she saw no reason to keep him there. He was wise not to make any transgressions against her after he killed Salvador at least. He earned some trust by doing everything she asked of him. It was time to let leash out a bit. "Aren't you going to retrieve your woman?"

The smile widened becoming twisted for Silva's liking. "Why yes it is. I should be picking her up now. I'm sure she's battling the hollows we sent to Karakura Town."

"You would be incorrect." Silva and Calputto were both caught unaware by the sudden appearance of Joaquin. They didn't lose their composures. "Senpai, the humans are here."

"Oh, so they've come here to Hueco Mundo under their own power," Calputto said almost playfully, clearly amused by this development. There was something to be said about Silva's cautious behavior after all.

"One of our allies discovered three humans saving the shinigami," Joaquin continued, ignoring Calputto's playfulness.

"I see," Silva said more to herself than to her comrades. The enemy found a way around their little trap. She admitted she hadn't accounted for the humans. She thought they would be in Human World valiantly protecting their town. Soul Society decided to use them in place of the shinigami that couldn't come over. They wouldn't send the humans there unless they had a way to stop them. The voice was right yet again. "If the humans are here then they have a way to stop the worlds from merging."

"How could they stop the worlds from merging?" Joaquin dismayed at the thought. After months of hard work things couldn't just end like this. They lost too many people for the humans to stop them now. They were too close to returning to the sun for it to end like this. "Without the Spirit Keystones Hueco Mundo cannot return to its original space."

"You forget about Urahara Kisuke. That man was a brilliant scientist and inventor in his own right. Even Aizen himself acknowledged that and also why he warned us to handle that man with caution. If anyone could find a way to keep the worlds apart it is him." After meeting the man in person she understood why Aizen had been worried about the man. He gave off the impression of fool the way he was able to switch into a deadly hyper competent mode within seconds was unexpected. Beneath the overly foolish exterior the man wore was intellect that rivaled Aizen's genius. "We cannot take them lightly. These humans were able to defeat the others. We must act fast. We cannot allow them to stop us now. We are too close."

She felt Joaquin's reiatsu swell. Instantly it hardened. The soulful warrior was unrecognizable. Alarmed by the abrupt change to her friend Silva watched him carefully. She caught a glimpse of equally astonished Calputto. "Joaquin," she said somberly.

The crimson haired arrancar paid no mind to his senpai's uneasiness. Nothing else mattered except stopping their enemies. This was not the time to be passive this time around. There was need to move quietly. They had beat down everyone who stood in their way until there was nothing left! "I will deal with them, senpai. I promise you I will not allow them to ruin our future! I will fight them with everything that I have."

"Remember to stay composed. Your strength has always been your ability to remain composed." She knew what he was feeling better than anyone. He despised living in this world of darkness more than anyone. His strong desire to escape it was perhaps unmatched even by hers. He wouldn't be denied when victory was within their reach. If they were going to win they needed to keep their emotions in check and think rationally. First thing Silva did was search for the human's reiatsu. The task was simple. Their reiatsu stood out like a sore thumb in a world full of hollows.

"It would appear they have split up. This could work to our advantage."

"Silva-sama, allow me to handle the woman."

Calputto's one track mind was highly amusing. His eyes remained firmly on his prize. "Do as you wish. Just make sure you deal with everyone else as well."

The words he longed to hear were spoken. Goose bumps formed. She was here and would be his. The thresholds of new evolutions would open up to him. A new world with secrets would be upon him! That thought invigorated him. All that stood between him and his prize were humans and shinigami he would just slaughter all of them and take it. It was simple really. He might even get a few laughs along the way.

"Senpai, allow me to fight as well. I will defeat them and protect our dream. I won't allow our comrades sacrifices become meaningless."

"I know you won't. We will make sure of that together." She smiled at him. "The time has come for me to enter the battlefield. I promise you I will fight with everything that I am. I will avenge our fallen comrades and protect our dream." She had been training for this moment. Now she had the chance to make it up to all of them for not being there when they needed her. Harribel was wrong. She could protect her comrades and achieve their dream. She had to be able to protect both of those things or else who would? She had to be strong for their sake. She had to win for their sake. She would never back down.

* * *

Waiting was the worst part about being powerless. Ichigo wasn't sure if he could get used to doing it. Waiting gave him too much time with his thoughts. His thoughts were cruel. They showed him every fear he held for his friends back to back without reprieve. He forced the thoughts back into the shadows only for them to return, creeping back. How long would he have to wait until his friends returned? For that matter how long had they been gone?

It was vexing! He didn't like waiting. He hated not doing anything to help his friends more. Why wasn't this getting any easier? How did Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro deal with it? Keigo was doing what he did best, running his big mouth to the afro shinigami. He wasn't sure how his friend met the shinigami exactly. They did seem to go together in unholy yet surprisingly good way, like ice-cream and pickles. He really was spending too much time with Orihime if that was the first comparison to come to mind. Mizuiro had his face buried in his phone as if everything was perfectly in order with the universe. You would never know another world was going to crash into them looking at the phone obsessed boy. Last, but not least Tatsuki sat there looking cool as a cucumber.

Her way of dealing with the stress was taping her foot as she was leaning on a rock. There was no sign of the fear or anger she held when she confronted him about Orihime when Ulquiorra kidnapped her. Did knowing everything make Tatsuki feel better? Why were they the opposite in this regard? Knowledge drove Ichigo mad by reminding him of his powerlessness to help anyone. Yet, the knowledge tamed Tatsuki from who she was nine months ago. His gaze must have lingered than was appropriate because she looked at him.

"What?" she asked visibly annoyed. He was staring so hard that he could have burned a hole in her. At first she was able to ignore it, but the longer he lingered the harder it was to ignore. It was agitating her to no end. Ichigo barely reacted to her. He had this dazed yet almost withdrawn look etched to his face. It disturbed her to see Ichigo so far away. "Ichigo," she spoke in a more encouraging tone.

"It's nothing." He brushed it off as he always did. It was typical Ichigo. She supposed they were never the open type of friends, not since his mother passed on. The second strongest girl in Japan let him be. This wasn't easy for him. Ichigo would come to terms with it on his own. All she could do was, be there for him if he decided to talk about it.

Ichigo retracted his sights from Tatsuki. Instead he set them on his old master and shop owner. Urahara was in conversation with the Soul Society. As soon as Ishida, Chad, and Orihime went through the Garganta he opened communications back up on his laptop to report that his friends had been deployed.

"The battle is going well then?" Kisuke questioned.

Akon responded, "Despite four of the captains' absences their divisions are holding up well without them." That was good news at least. "The rest of our forces are holding up. The 1st division is easily cutting through the enemy as expected with the captain commander, but the 5th division might have them beat. They're viciously beating the enemy back." That was more good news for Kisuke. "Although…." The good news ended there. "I don't understand the point in continuing the battle at this point. It's served its purpose in distracting us long enough for them to destroy the Spirit Keystones in Hueco Mundo. The sub-space trap they set will ensnare any shinigami who attempts to crossover. They've essential won already, keeping their attacks on Human World up now feels senseless."

"The Privaron Espada doesn't want to take any chances. The attack served as more than a distraction, but insurance. If they failed to destroy all the keystones in Hueco Mundo by destroying at least some of them here in Human World would dislodge it from its original space and bring it closer to Hueco Mundo."

"They're just being cautious then," Akon scoffed. Those arrancars were something else alright. "The hollows won't stop…."

"…until they have succeeded in their mission or are stopped," Kisuke finished. "Has Yoruichi-san made it through the Senkaimon safely?"

"Yes. She should be in Karakura Town now as we speak."

"Good. I'll be able to analyze the reishi and reiatsu wave of the Garganta thanks to my special phones Ishida-san and the others were carrying. I created them to collect data and analyze as well. This function will help us study the dimensional prison the captains are trapped in. From there we can devise a way to undo it."

The first president's foresight never ceased to amaze Akon. The special phones he designed in addition to finding the Spirit Keystones and communicate between worlds, but also collect data and analyze it automatically was a testament to Urahara Kisuke's scientific and strategic mind. The once impossible task of gathering a sample of the enemy's Caja Negacion was already done.

"Everything transferred to my database just fine. I'll take a look at this later."

"Huh?" Akon blinked helplessly. Why the hell was the first president not looking at it now? The faster he studied it the faster they could free captains.

"Well I'm off. Bye, Akon-san."

"Wait! Why are you leaving? You need to analyze the data as quickly as possible. We need to free the captains and clear the space between worlds so we can send backup to Hueco Mundo! The Hueco Mundo team is down to 23 people out of a hundred!" To his disbelief the first president wasn't paying him any attention. He found that stupid fan he carried more interest. He was examining it as though it were a lost artifact. "Urahara Kisuke!" he shouted.

"Yes," answered the former captain.

"Did you even listen to a word I said!?" Akon continued to shout, with his volume rising.

Urahara patted his hat. "I heard you, little Akon-san. I'll get to it later."

"You can't just brush this off!"

"I won't brush it off. Listen to you. When have I ever blown a project off?" His cool demeanor got under little Akon's skin. The poor boy needed to learn to take it easy or the stress would kill him. He was too young to die. "I would analyze it right away, but without Ishida-san, Inoue-san, and Sado-san our defenses over here are weaker. I'll have to participate to strengthen it."

He wanted to scream at this infuriating, hair pulling, and irritable man. No. He wanted to reach out the screen and strangle him! But he had a point. Karakura Town housed a Spirit Keystone of its own meant it had its own army of hollows to fight off. They couldn't spare any officers to help them out. Urahara taking part in the battle made sense. The 3rd seat submitted to his old superior. "You could at least send us a copy of data, so we can begin working on it." The first president agreed with him. The data was in their database. While the S.R.D.I held no scientist with half the genius of the first president, they were still some of the most brilliant minds the Soul Society had to offer. With all of them might find a solution.

"This is perfect. We'll get started right away." Akon ended the transmission. Kisuke was relieved. Little Akon-san was eating away at his time. Hiyori and the others were holding their own at the moment, but that could change. He had to get out of there fast to join them.

"Tessai-san, I'll leave the shop in your capable hands."

The former Kido Corps captain materialized out of thin air. The kids jumped at the unexpected appearance. "Understood, I'll watch over the shop," Tessai promised. The snow blond acknowledged his old friend with a light smile. He prepared to leave, but couldn't help noticing Kurosaki-san remained mute. He didn't raise a single question like he expected him to. One look told him of the internal strife plaguing him. He avoided Kisuke's eyes. It was most likely an attempt to conceal his pain from Kisuke. He respected the former vizard's wishes and left without talking to him. If Kurosaki-san still possessed reiatsu Kisuke positive it would be drowning with misery.

Ichigo sighed, feeling ten years older than he really was. His fingers closing around Orihime's good luck charm. The magic wasn't working. His mind wasn't at ease. He didn't feel any luckier like he did before whenever he took hold of it. It reminded of his auburn Hime and how he sent her off back to that place without him. He hated himself, because he knew she hated that place. Her nightmares took her back to that place for months. She conquered it. Now she was back there without him there for her. _'Orihime I'm sorry I can't ever keep my promises to you. I'm sorry I can't protect you.'_

* * *

Renji's group ran through the white deserts. They were going at a quick pace, but Renji and Uryu held back their speed so the others could keep up with them. It was decided to move as a unit. According to Renji hollows were known to attack without warning. Occasionally arrancars would attack as well. Uryu didn't object. Their speed was good enough. They would still make it to the keystone's location with time to spare at the rate they were going.

"Are we still going in the right direction?" Renji asked.

"Yes. The direction hasn't changed at all. It appears to be a clear shot," Uryu answered.

"This might be easier than we thought," one of the shinigami said.

"Don't any of you let your guard down," Renji scolded. "We cannot afford any more slip ups. This close to our goal there is no way the enemy will let their guard down."

"Right, Vice-captain Abarai," the same shinigami replied respectfully. After this day he wanted the vice-captain to be wrong. He was sick of seeing people die. If they could get a break and get through this as painless as possible he would thank God. _'I just wan…' _In the instant he was swallowed by yellow stream of energy. His upper body was completely disintegrated.

"Yama!" cried a shinigami.

The group froze. They watched a torso-less pair of legs fell to the ground. Their hearts were pure filled with unbridled terror. It was just an instant. All it took was an instant to erase their comrade. They prepared to die at any given notice. They were trained for such an event. The cold hard truth was no amount of training ever made you get used to seeing a comrade killed.

Not another one. Not another one of his charges died. Yama was still just a kid. He was dead. Renji's body quavered with fury. This ended now! "Where the hell are you!? Show yourself you bastard! Fight someone up close!"

"You should have kept up your guard." The culprit came into view. It made Renji's rage grow. Unsurprising he was an arrancar. He possessed bright red hair and purple eyes. "This is a battle after all."

Uryu sneered. He never would have thought the arrancar could be capable of such a heinous act. Never had he displayed this cruelty in their encounters.

"You are here, Quincy," the arrancar said almost like an afterthought.

"This isn't becoming of you, arrancar," Uryu grumbled.

"Don't make assumptions based on our limited encounters," he sneered. "This time my mission is to kill all of you. I will cut down each and every one of you with my blade."

Renji went for his zanpakuto when Uryu grabbed his arm. "What are you doing!?" he screamed. The red haired shinigami lost any semblance of composure.

"Go on ahead. He is only here to stall us. Our mission hasn't changed though."

"You expect me to just leave this bastard here after he killed one of my comrades?" Renji asked incredulity.

"I'll deal with the arrancar. You have to go ahead."

"Fuck that! I'll deal with him."

"The way you are now you won't be able to fight him with a cool head. As you said we can't afford to make mistakes now," Uryu argued. Renji was far from convinced. "I'll avenge your comrade. I swear on my pride as a Quincy I will avenge him."

"You're telling me you'll actually avenge a shinigami?" Renji barked.

"A Quincy fighting to avenge a shinigami, don't be ridiculous. I'll fight to avenge a man that was killed in cold blood. The fact he was a shinigami is only a coincidence." He looked directly into Renji's eyes. Icy blue eyes looked into the fiery brown eyes. An understanding was made. Renji knew that the Quincy would do everything within his power to bring the arrancar to justice. The rage subsided if only a bit. Uryu threw Renji the phone. The crimson haired arrancar sped toward them. In a fluid motion he unsheathed his zanpakuto. He prepared to strike down the Quincy. Uryu was too quick. He evaded the blade and put distance between them.

"Ishida…."

"I can handle this, Abarai. Go on ahead."

Renji smirked. Ishida was made of tougher stuff than he let on. He was different from the kid he defeated in Human World, yet at the same time he was still the same. He was still butting in someone else's fights. "Let's go. We have our mission."

"Vice-captain, shouldn't one of us stay here to back up the human?"

"No. He's right. We have to go ahead. There is no telling who will be waiting for us along the way. We'll have put our trust in him. Don't die out there, Ishida." He and the rest of the team left. Only the two white cladded warriors remained. Each warrior stared the other own down. They refused to back down.

"This won't be like last time, Quincy. I'll come at you with everything I have. I'll kill you then chase down the shinigami and kill them too. I won't allow you to ruin everything and condemn us to this hell."

The arrancar was different. He always so controlled before. The man who stood before Uryu now was storm of concentrated fury. It wasn't wild as one would expect. All the fury was focused. His reiatsu irradiated with serenity. It was all encompassing tranquil rage. If he made one wrong step it would incinerate him. He had to get serious too. Uryu summoned his spider web like bow. "Your actions could destroy Human World and Hueco Mundo. You put all of us in danger, including yourself. Hueco Mundo and Human World are meant to be separate."

"Shinigami and hollows were also thought to be separate. Yet when the boundary that separated us was broken down we hollows evolved into arrancar and regained our humanity. How do you know the worlds are meant to be separate at all? There is only one way to know for sure and that is to do it. Shinigami and humans are so fearful that you allow us to exist and kill us hollows for being what we are."

"Hollows devour souls. You hunt down the innocent and kill them!"

"We devour souls because it is our nature. It's no different from humans killing and devouring animals. I fail to see the difference. You kill us for doing what every living being does. Is that how you justify it?" he sneered.

"No. We protect people we care for. I don't know about shinigami. I do know my ancestors were hunted down and killed by hollows for their spiritual powers. We became the Quincy to defend ourselves and avenge our loved ones. It's a moot point. The fact is you and your comrades are willing to endanger Human World for your own gain."

"Quincy, rid yourself of your self-righteousness. You know nothing of our pain. Even now the shinigami fight to control our world. Today we strike back to prove we deserve to exist. If you aren't willing to do everything within your power to change things than you are weakling who will always have others decide your fate. The strong will make their fate."

The arrancar drew his second zanpakuto. With a sword in each hand charged his reiatsu readying for a finishing strike. The speed demon proved himself worthy of his name. He closed the distance between Uryu and himself. The raven haired man used reishi to accelerate his speed. He nearly missed the blade. However, the arrancar refused to yield. With a loud boom he faded out of existence and reappeared in front of Uryu. "Too slow," he said. He swung his right arm, but like before the archer dodged it. The second blade was thrust into his chest. The once icy cold blue eyes were infected with fear. "I told you I wasn't holding anything back this time. You're dead."

To his surprise the Quincy's lips curved up. "Are you sure about that?" Before Joaquin could question him the Quincy's body was wiped out of existence. Fear crept into Joaquin's heart. He attacked an afterimage. Where was the real one? In haste he turned around to find his enemy hovering behind him with his bow outstretched and an arrow ready. _'How did he move so fast?' _Joaquin pondered. The human smirked. He didn't even see him fire the arrow. It took everything he had to thrust Sonido to escape it.

Fortune smiled at him. Joaquin shot down to the earth without incident. He just barely escaped from the danger. He congratulated himself only to watch a blue arrow pop out of his chest. An arrow was sticking out of his chest. Slowly be surely pain coursed through his wound. It quickly turned into excruciating. How could this happen? He didn't see the Quincy move at all. His eyes shot up to where he dodged the Quincy. Unsurprising the Quincy was nowhere to be found. Again he turned around and again he found the Quincy standing there.

'_This speed was too much for me to follow. He wasn't this fast the last time we fought. Is he faster than I am now?' _

Uryu readied another arrow. He saw it. He saw everything. He saw the arrancar charge at him. He was shaken at by his opponent's speed. Speed was one of the arrancar's greatest strengths. As the arrancar charged at him he could only think how sluggish he was moving now. Hirenkyaku allowed him to evade him with ease. The speed at which he swung his sword was slow. He left an afterimage in his place and the arrancar was unaware of his trickery. Uryu couldn't believe this was the same opponent whose movements were so fast he couldn't even see him flinch.

'_Constantly dodging his arrows actually paid off after all,' _he thought. He had to thank Ryuken for the evasive training after all. The archer released the arrow. The arrancar took the skies, but his eyes captured all of his movements. Within seconds Uryu zipped right beside his foe.

'_I missed it again. I completely missed the Quincy's movements again.' _He swiped his blade at thin air. The Quincy threw himself out of his range before the blade could even move. Another arrow embedded itself into his body. This time it hit his left shoulder. Three more struck like lightning. His right knee cap, his right forearm, and his right shoulder had arrows sticking out of them. Joaquin's whole body howled from the raw pain. Sheer force of will he kept from crying out. His wounds would make moving his body more difficult. He didn't need to be any slower in this battle. "Damn it," he muttered.

"How did you gain this type of speed?" Joaquin asked. "Before you were incapable of reacting to my top speed, but now your speed exceeds my own."

"It wasn't anything special if that's what you're thinking. All I've been doing is training."

"Are you telling me you increased your speed to this degree by simply training?" It had only been four months since they last fought. The human actually surpassed his speed in only four months. Who said only his speed increased? The Quincy's other abilities could have gone up just as dramatically. Killing him wouldn't be as simple as he thought it would.

"You said the strong make their fate. Let me ask you, what if someone stronger decides that fate is undesirable?"

"Are you implying you're stronger than I am? That won't make a difference. I'll keep fighting no matter what. I will stop all of you from disrupting our plans. I promised my senpai I would do just that."

"I swore I would avenge the man you slaughtered."

There it was those same ice cold blue eyes, devoid of any emotions. It would strike fear in the hearts of lesser arrancars. He wore that look well. "Neither one of us will forsake their mission. Only one of us will walk away from this battle alive. I do not intend to die here, Quincy." He jumped into the air. His white enemy followed after him. He hovered to the air and the Quincy mimicked him. _'Reishi manipulation has grown as well. He can manipulate reishi to such a degree that he can create strong surface to support his body in the air. He's not the same man I battled in Human World.'_

"My name is Joaquin Reyes. I am arrancar number 102. My mission is to kill all people who intend to stop our dream. My duty is fight for my comrades who have fallen to make our dream a reality. I fight for my senpai."

The arrancar was honor bond. It was a virtue rare with his kind. Despite being mortal enemies he was compelled to respect the hollow-shinigami hybrid. "My name is Ishida Uryu. I am a Quincy. My mission is to defeat the Privaron Espada. I will protect the Human World from hollows and arrancars. On my pride as a Quincy I vowed to avenge the shinigami you killed. I intend to keep that vow. I fight…." Images of Inoue-san, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, Abarai, and Kurosaki flashed through his mind. The grip on his bow tightened. He thought of Asano, Kojima-kun, and Arisawa-san back home. "…for the ones precious to me."

Joaquin Reyes rose his swords up above him. He took a special pose. It could only mean one thing. _'He's going to release his zanpakuto.'_

"Rain upon the Earth, Caida de un Rayo (Striking Lightning) and Estrellandos Trueno (Thunder Crashing)." Electricity sparked around the twin zanpakuto. The charge grew in strength until crackling could be heard by Uryu who was good distance away. It discharged into the air seemingly traveling upward until naked eyes could no longer see it. A great roar sang from the heavens. A lightning bolt hit swords as if they were a lightning rod. A bright light burned the raven haired man's retinas forcing him to shut them close.

When sound of roaring thunder died down he risked stealing a peak. The blinding light was gone. Joaquin remained there with a new appearance. He wore dark blue armor on his chest. His stomach was coated in black thicker armor. Both his arms were transformed. They were both encased in same dark blue armor. The right arm had retractable short blade. The left arm had bulky and thick triangular shield mounted on it. On his shoulders two rods sprouted out. His straight laced short red hair grew in length. It reached his shoulders. Two horns stuck out his forehead. Electricity crackled around his whole body forming a sphere. The pressure his reiatsu produced made his hairs stand on end. The air seemed petrified by the reiatsu. All the arrows that were embedded in his body were gone along with all the wounds they inflicted.

The arrancar extended his blade. Blue lightning danced around it. He pounced achieving speeds that was worthy of lightning itself. Uryu focused on the arrancar's body. Despite the new found speed he was able to keep up with Joaquin. The blade was closer to his body than he would have liked it wasn't unmanageable. Uryu sidestepped out of the blade's path.

"Not good enough," Joaquin claimed. His words took effect. The electricity jumped onto Uryu's body. His entire body was filled with high volts of electricity. His brain was overloaded with pain. A blood churning scream escaped his lips and filled the air as his body began to spasm.

He retained enough control of his body to retreat as far from the lightning wielder. Thanks to his spiritual energy he was able to counter the effects of the lightning based attack rather quickly. His right arm shook a bit. The pain was persistent much to his dismay. "His attack reached me even though I dodged his blade. The electricity reached me because I was still in its range."

"You'll have to be faster than that if you wish avoid my lightning." In burst of speed Joaquin appeared behind the Quincy. "You'll have to be faster if you wish to avoid me." He brought his lightning charged blade down. The Quincy's speed proved itself once more. The human appeared several feet away from him. This time he cleared the range of his lightning.

"You'll have to be faster than that if you wish to hit me," Uryu threw the words right back at his opponent. In quick succession a barrage of arrows threatened to strike Joaquin. Fear never emerged from the arrancar's royal purple eyes. Blue lightning generated from the triangular shield, wrapped itself around his body just as the arrows hit. The reishi arrows were instantly stopped. They were dispersed just as instantly. This wasn't good. If his arrows could be stopped that easily even long range attacks were useless.

"Your arrows lack power to break through my defense. It doesn't matter if you can match my speed if you can't attack me."

"I concur. Perhaps I should try something else." He summoned as much reishi as he could to his body. It was child's play with how much reishi he could draw to himself now. In mere seconds he collected a large quantity of reishi. Combined with innate reiatsu the most powerful arrow he crafted came into existence.

"Not this again." Joaquin had seen this technique enough times now. He could avoid a large barrage of arrows if he needed to.

"Licht Regen!" Uryu unleashed 1200 arrows at once completely flooding the skies.

The arrancar took a sharp breath. He expected a large barrage of arrows, but this was unexpected. There had to a thousand arrows or even more. As fast as he was there was no way he could outrun all of the arrows. His shield wouldn't be able to stop all of them. He was left with no other choice. "Crashing Thunder!" The rods on his shoulder conducted electricity. It expanded into a large electric dome around the 102nd arrancar. The sea of arrows halted as soon as they came into contact with the electric dome. Not a single one of the 1200 was able to breach it. All of the arrows were electrified and destroyed.

Uryu's heart sank to his stomach. Even the Licht Regen failed to reach him. His options were quickly becoming limited. He hadn't anticipated that the arrancar could produce such a powerful barrier that even 1200 shots couldn't penetrate it. _'I'll have to use that after all.'_

"Nice try, Ishida Uryu, but your arrows still lack power." Lightning erupted from his blade. The electric charge whined loudly. It reminded Uryu of the way of dog would whine when it longed for its freedom. "As I told you once before your arrows won't reach me."

The Quincy didn't despair. There was an unfounded sense of accomplishment and arrogance surrounding his aura. When he looked into those blue eyes beneath the glasses he saw no doubt he would win. Those were the eyes of a man who was about to claim victory. What was the source of this confidence? Why did it a chill crawl up Joaquin's spine now? Was this fear? Did he fear the Quincy? The human aimed his bow at him, preparing for a strike or so he thought. Did the bow get smaller? Yes. Yes it was getting smaller. It was half its original size. It lost the web design that made it stand out. The blue energy was altered into a solid object colored white decorated with a blue design.

'_The bow transformed,' _Joaquin thought.

"I'll show you the power of my new bow."

* * *

**Did you like it? I used Google Translator to get the name for Joaquin's zanpakuto. The long awaited rematch between Uryu and Joaquin started. We've seen this two times already. Forgive me if it might seem too similar to the previous two fights. That's kind of why I rushed the fight to get to new stuff like Joaquin use his resurreccion to make it different or show off the results of Uryu's reishi manipulation training with his father with him walking on the air or his new solid bow. I don't know a whole lot about Uryu's new bow. When I wrote this chapter Uryu's new bow was briefly seen and used near the end LSS arc. A lot of it is unknown at the moment, like its name or how powerful it is. I just assumed it is stronger than Uryu's previous bow since he busted out this new one. If I used it later is inconsistent with future showings of it, please forgive me. **

**I'm going off on that belief that physical bow is stronger than the energy bows Uryu used earlier in the series. Ryuken uses a physical bow and Uryu now uses a physical bow too. For the purposes of my story Uryu uses new solid bow as a trump card like bankai or arrancar's resurreccion. It's why he didn't bust out as soon as the fight started. Next chapter we should see other fights. Calputto is determined to have Orihime for his purposes. Silva vowed to avenge all her fallen comrades. The battles should heat up. Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Please review. **


	58. The World Comes Crashing Down

**School has started back for me. The chances are my updates may become less frequent. I'll try to update as fast as I can. We're so close to end at this point. I do hope to end the story before 2014. At the same time depending on class schedule and work load it might not be possible. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way or form. I do own characters, Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto though.**

* * *

"I'll show you the power of my new bow." Uryu finished with a sly smirk that was equally as devious. He couldn't control himself. He knew he shouldn't be smirking like a child who got a new toy, but Uryu couldn't help himself. This bow was everything to him. This bow was the culmination of endless sweat, sore muscles, and weeks of advance reishi manipulation with his father. At long last Uryu was able to manifest a physical bow. It was similar to Ryuken's bow. His fingers were itching to pull back the bowstring. He knew he was acting childish. It didn't stop him from indulging this less than virtuous quality just this once. This would be his first real battle with his new bow. He would see how it matched up against the second strongest of the Privaron Espada. Now he would see if all his hard work would pay off and defeat the arrancar who had become his personal rival.

Joaquin eyed both the Quincy and the bow. He was unwilling to let either out of his sight even for a moment. The human's new found speed proved it could match and even surpass his own. With this new bow as the Quincy called it there was no way of telling just how powerful it was or what it could do. He wagered it didn't fire anything, but the trademark reishi arrows. The question was just how strong would the arrows this new bow produced would be?

'_The human, Ishida Uryu is still as resourceful as I remember him to be. It was foolish of me to think I would be able to defeat him swiftly. The difference in his current bow and the previous one he was using before is more than cosmetic. Quincies fight using the reishi around them. The stronger the Quincy the greater their control of reishi is. If this is true then manifesting their weapons could indicate their skill of reishi manipulation. Before his bow was crude and shaped into a bow, but now it's as if he was an artist who breathed life into a bow.' _This was Ishida Uryu's true power. Not only was he cunning as a fox, but just as deadly. This battle would not be an easy one. It didn't matter. He would win for his senpai.

Aizen viewed them all his pawns to further his ambition. He gave them hope, even if it was false, it was hope none the less. Without him the world of darkness became unbearable once more. He sank into the darkness when she pulled him out of it. She gave him new hope, true hope for a future in the sun. He would give his entire soul to her for the woman who had taken him under her wing, taught him how to fight as an arrancar, and bonded with him. He would be her sword and shield. "Do not become conceited. When I was among the Espada I was given the rank of segunda. I will not be tossed aside easily."

Almost as if it could understand its master's words Joaquin's blade rushed to his aid. Its cries grew louder demanding the archer heed its master's words. The Quincy wasn't the only one with a prized weapon. The crimson haired arrancar threw his blade forward. The lightning eagerly jumped off his blade looking for its next destination, which as it turned out just happened to be a blue eyed and raven haired Quincy.

The hairs on the back of Uryu's neck were standing to full attention and the electricity hadn't reached him yet. The power of Joaquin's lightning based attacks had no set limit it seemed. The lightning took shape of a blade. It was aiming for his heart. It would be sorely disappointed. Uryu became scarce. Thanks to the reishi drawn to the bottom of his feet he was able to effortlessly evading the lightning. He over took Joaquin from behind. The lightning arrancar was not caught unaware this time. Joaquin turned to face him, already charging his blade for the next assault. Really it was astonishing at how the hollow-shinigami hybrid matched his movements without breaking a sweat. Only there was one problem with his form. He needed time to charge his lightning. Uryu had no such problem.

The arrow was given life before the electricity could even cackle on Joaquin's blade. The royal purple spheres belonging to the arrancar swelled with fear. He wouldn't get his attack off in time to stop Uryu. They both knew it. The former segunda had to switch tactics. The lightning rose from his shield to bathe him, forming a barrier. He was safe from the Ishida Uryu he thought. The lightning barrier didn't concern Uryu enough to change his tactic. He released bowstring, driving the arrow straight to the crimson haired arrancar.

Joaquin wasn't sure if the speed of the arrow or irrational fear that commanded him, but he found his body already moving as soon as the arrow left the bow. However, his speed was not quite enough. The arrow punctured his barrier and grazed the rod mounted on his left shoulder. While the arrow only grazed the rod it left noticeable damage. Who would have guessed he would be indebted to primal fear for saving his life. Not only had the arrow broke through his barrier, but damaged his armor. He took solace that he at least had an idea of how much stronger Ishida Uryu's arrows were.

BANG!

His eardrums nearly burst from the mighty rumble that erupted. _'Shit!' _Joaquin thought in earnest. Sparing a glance from behind he witnessed a great explosion in the distance that came from the impact of Ishida Uryu's arrow. It reached high in the skies. The blue light colored the blackness that plagued Hueco Mundo's skies from the distance. The impact vibrated through the air waves. He could feel them even from this distance. If the arrow could cause such a great explosion it would inflicted some serious damage if it hit him directly. "Ah!" the arrancar gave a battle cry. His blade cut through the air faster than the human eye could see. An arc of pure electricity spread across the open space.

The Quincy shot up further into the air as a result, once more missing the lightning, only leaving a white blur in his wake. Joaquin refused to be made a fool yet again. Armed with knowledge of Ishida Uryu's arrows' true strength he couldn't lose track of the human. He launched himself upward like a rocket seeking to escape the atmosphere. Nearby hollows decided to stay hidden after sensing the two great powers, in an act of self-preservation. The blows the two great forces made ignited the sky. Bright flashes of blue light illuminated the creatures of darkness, causing them to recoil in disgust of the dazzling display of power.

The deathly silence of the hollow world was shattered by this storm of power. Like lightning that a thunderstorm produced the skies were bathed in light. Like a thunderstorm a great rumble came with the lights. Hollows of the area retreated further as children would in fear of the storm. Their fear was far less irrational than children's. If they got too close the two great forces could crush them in their struggle for supremacy. The hollows possessed no desire to forfeit their lives this day.

Joaquin narrowly dodged yet another arrow. He retaliated quickly, sending an arc of lightning at the human. Ishida Uryu embodied grace and precision on this day. The Quincy not only evaded another blow from his Caida de un Rayo in a show that could only be described as elegance in its purest form, but also returned fire without missing a beat. He was determined not to be outdone by Ishida Uryu. With Sonido as his ally the arrancar it made thing considerably easier to avoid the speeding arrows.

Uryu pursued Joaquin, refusing to let him go. Reishi gathered to the soles of his feet so naturally at this point that Hirenkyaku was almost a reaction than action. The two white cladded forces hounded each other, neither willing to give an inch. Streaks of lightning and arrow of energy roamed the air. Both white colored warriors danced around each other. They moved with such speed there almost as if there were hundreds of men in the sky. The longer the battle lasted the more advantage shifted toward Joaquin. The electricity's range could cover as much as Joaquin desired. This in turn made it harder for Uryu to find intervals where he could shoot off an arrow. Hirenkyaku made it possible to move faster than lightning at least. Unlike the arrancar's Sonido it didn't produce a thundering noise when he initiated his technique giving him an edge in launching silent attacks.

Joaquin found an opening after the Quincy stumbled avoiding a blast of lightning. He threw himself at the human. He brought his lightning charged blade down on him. Uryu cursed mentally. There was not time to completely avoid it. Fortunately he prided himself on keen intellect. An idea formed before the blade could even touch his flesh. The sharpness of his reflexes caught him off guard. He unsheathed Seele Schneider, activating its blade of blue energy. An unusual sense of nostalgia flowed through both parties. They reenacted a scene from their very first battle.

'_He'll stop my slash, but lightning will still hit him regardless,' _thought Joaquin confidently. The two blades met at last. The discharge of lightning zapped Ishida Uryu as he predicted. Satisfaction coursed through Joaquin's veins. Yes. He was successful at hitting the damn evasive Quincy! While Ishida Uryu's howls echoed, he endured. "Just how much can you endure, Ishida Uryu?"

Through sheer force of will Uryu suppressed the excruciating agony his body was in to speak, "Enough." Puzzled by his words Joaquin raised an eyebrow. His puzzlement turned into full-blown mystification when the electricity dissipated from Uryu's body. Royal purple orbs widened. The look alone made Uryu's plan worth it.

"How are you doing this?"

"My hypothesis was correct after all," Uryu proclaimed.

"Your hypothesis?" repeated Joaquin questioningly.

The raven haired man shot him a mocking look. "You really haven't notice then?"

Joaquin frowned. He despised the arrogance lacing the Quincy's words. The arrogance was unfounded or so he thought. A flash of bright blue light hit his eyes without warning. Where did the light come from? He had his answer soon. Ishida Uryu's Seele Schneider was shining so bright that it could be a beacon for wayward travelers. It wasn't just the heavenly glow that caught his attention. The fact that his lightning was being held back by blade of energy is what really amazed him. He had no idea how Ishida Uryu was doing this. His human rival saw an opening made possible by his wandering mind. He brushed Joaquin's blade away then slashed his chest, successfully cutting through the thick armor and into his flesh. Before his foe could press his advantage Joaquin retreated backward.

The stinging in his chest was a reminder of how lucky he was. If he had been slower Ishida Uryu could have sliced something more vital. To think the human could cut through his armor and his defenses so easily. He assessed the damage to his armor was minor considering the Quincy blade cut through it. It was a clean cut. Hell, he admired Ishida Uryu for his precision. The question of how the human held off his technique gnawed at him though. From what he knew of the weapon it was used to weaken bonds between reishi and absorb them to strengthen it. However, taking that into account his armor was thick. It would take a while before Ishida Uryu could not build enough power in his blade to cut through his armor nor did it explain how it could unexpectedly hold off lightning.

Seele Schneider charged almost instantly. It was not possible even for someone as skilled at reishi manipulation as Ishida Uryu was to absorb that much reishi so swiftly. Yet the blade built up power quickly as if it had another source of power. Wait! That was it! "Now I understand. You channeled your own innate reiatsu into your Seele Schneider to increase its power more quickly in addition to drawing in reishi."

He didn't have the entire thing figured out, but Uryu was still impressed with Joaquin's deductive reasoning. The arrancar proved he was able to see through his techniques and strategies.

"I'm surprised you would choose to use such a tactic. It is exactly how shinigami fight, channeling their reiatsu into their zanpakuto, Quincy." When he saw the icy blue eyes flare with anger his lips curled upward. The shinigami comparison had struck a nerve. Seemed even if he was allied with the shinigami the Quincy still took offense when being labeled similar to them.

"Don't misunderstand the situation. It was a bit unsavory of me to use a similar style to the shinigami, but in times of crisis or to uphold our pride we Quincy will resort to such methods even if it is similar to shinigami methods. I swore on my pride as a Quincy to avenge the man you murdered." Uryu stared down Joaquin. "It would more disgraceful to not keep my vow by not doing everything in my power to fulfill it." He was both unyielding and unrelenting. In his left hand held the silver dual weapon that doubled as a sword and arrow. In his right hand held the white bow. He raised both taking a battle stance. His reiatsu reflected his battle hardened spirit.

The sudden release of reiatsu caught Joaquin off guard. Emotion overflowed with it. Ishida Uryu's anger over the killed shinigami and the urgency of his need for victory were the two most prominent emotions that shone through. There was another emotion buried deep down in it. He couldn't make it out, but it bled through to the other emotions. For some unknown reason Joaquin felt connected to the mysterious emotion. He couldn't dwell on such thoughts. The human wasn't the only one who needed a victory. Sympathizing with him wasn't going to help him at all. If he didn't learn how the Quincy stopped his technique defeat was all, but certain for him.

'_How could he stop my lightning with his blade?' _The analytical arrancar's focus fell to the Seele Schneider. Its blue blade still burned an intense hot blue. It was soaking up as much reishi as it could to grow stronger. With the fresh cut in his chest part of his reiatsu was being taken into the blade itself. _'That's right his Seele Schneider absorbs both reiatsu and reishi. That's the reason he could channel his reiatsu into it to strengthen the blade in the first place. If it could absorb his reiatsu could it have also absorbed my own? My lightning is still created from my reiatsu. When he stopped by strike he wasn't just trying to hold it off. He was trying to absorb the reiatsu from my lightning!'_

It fit. All he would have to do was endure the electrical attack until he could absorb enough reiatsu to render his attack too weak to affect him. If he used his reiatsu he could cancel out the effects of the lightning completely and create a defense. The damn boy was really a leech. Electric current consumed his blade once more. Let him try to absorb all his power. The Quincy would learn there would be consequences to stealing power.

"Try stopping this." With a single swing of his sword narrow almost fissure like bolt of lightning appeared. As if on clockwork the raven haired man twirled blade around, slowly sucking up the reiatsu in Joaquin's attack. Distance which had been his protector before turned against him. The narrow bolt lost more and more of its size as it lost its strength. When it came within range of the human it dissolved from a great bolt of lightning to a pitiful electrical shock. Ishida Uryu easily cut it in half.

"That will no longer have any effect over me," Uryu boasted proudly.

"As you once told me, how can you be certain?"

What did he mean by that? A jolt burst through his chest then expanded to his legs and arms. Control of over his body was gone. It violently shivered uncontrollably. Pain receptors were being hit two times over. "How could…." Now even his tongue could no longer function.

"My reiatsu is electrical in nature. Even if you do absorb it that nature won't change. There is a limit to how much you can absorb without getting backlash. I command all lightning and electricity even if I don't produce it myself. It was a simple task to use the electricity in the reiatsu you absorbed from me to shock you. It may not have the full power of my attack thanks to you converting it for your own use, but it's enough."

How could he have overlooked this? This was no time to panic. If he channeled his reiatsu through his body he could cancel out the effects. Thankfully electricity only affected his physical body and not his spiritual energy. The celebrations would have to be put on hold. Joaquin charged his blade. Didn't he ever run out of power? Unable to move he could only watch the arrancar trace five circles out of electricity. The pain subsided and unwelcome spasms were fading, but not fast enough. The arrancar's blade was thrust forward. Five electrical circles formed cones and shot off, earning their lightning name. Uryu continued to watch in horror as the projectiles headed for vital organs. His blood froze, stomach sang to depths he was unaware of, when mobility returned.

'_I can move!' _he thought triumphantly. Uryu fled without a single sign of grace he was known for. That was too close for comfort. One second later and he would be dead now. Absorbing the arrancar's reiatsu would require him to be more mindful lest he wanted to be shocked again. Once he found himself on solid ground again he made plans to counter his opponent.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

He looked up to see Joaquin above him ready to strike him down. His body wasn't able to react in time. The blade pierced his right shoulder. Unforgivable coldness of the steel was only felt for an instant before the jolt kicked in again. Joaquin pumped his body with as much electricity as he could produce. Uryu's mind was overwhelmed by pain. He wasn't even aware if he was screaming or not. Everything stopped working, even his vision was blurred. It had been another trap. The last attack was merely a distraction, while Joaquin set up this assault. He failed to see this until it was too late.

What was he going to do? How could he get out of this? Why was he blanking when he needed to come out with an idea now? If he didn't do anything soon he would die. Was that going to happen? Was he going to die?

'_Have you given up already?'_

'_I-I can't think of anything.'_

'_So, will let yourself be killed instead?'_

'_I-I'm trying to think.'_

'_You are going to die if you don't do something soon.'_

'_Don't you think I know that?! The pain is too much. I just can't concentrate!'_

'_In the heat of battle what separates the victor and the vanquished is their ability to keep their mind clear. If you allow your thoughts to be dominated by worthless fear or blinding anger you'll be killed.'_

'_You're saying what I already know!'_

'_Knowing this and applying it are as different as earth and heaven. You are smarter than this. Assess the situation and you'll see how to get out of this. You don't want Kurosaki laughing at you do you? Or do you want to prove your father was right about you being talentless and unsuited of being a Quincy?'_

'_Like hell I would prove him right! I still have to surpass that man. I have become the true successor to sensei. I have to fulfill my vow to Abarai. I have to help Inoue-san and Sado-kun. We have to be able to do this without Kurosaki. I have to be able to win!' _Resolve reformed. Uryu forced his vision to return. The image of the hybrid became clear again. He was within arm's length. He could spit on him if he wanted to. He was close enough for him to stab….

His grip tightened on the sliver rod he miraculously still held onto. If Joaquin's blade was rammed into him then he could easily ram Seele Schneider into him. Immediately he cast aside his hesitation. There was no place for it. He jabbed Seele Schneider through the right side his chest. The armor gave away to the empowered reishi blade as it cut through it. He feed it as much reiatsu as he could. The feedback of energy burst out of the other side, going through Joaquin.

He could hear the gasps of the arrancar. He paid his rival back at least some of the pain he felt. It was enough to force Joaquin to stand down. What a relief it was to have the blade not digging into his shoulder or the volts of electricity destroying his body. It didn't alleviate the agony his body was in. His body was still shuddering. His lungs were screaming for air. His breathing was quite heavy. One look at his wound told him the cut was deeper than he would have liked. It was a good thing that bleeding as profoundly as he thought he would. He could still move his arm at least. If he just bandaged it he could hopefully limit the amount of blood he lost. His enemy was in no better shape. The hole in one of the pectorals was not a minor wound no matter how you looked at it.

"I must say you're always so resourceful." The injury robbed him of vitality. His voice was weak. It burned when he tried to talk. His hand was coated in red thanks to his bleeding. This would not end him. He absolutely refused to let this end him. "We arrancars have greater durability than you humans."

"I'm well aware of that, but you must submit to the fact that your wound has taken much out of you."

"You're one to talk," he shot back. He even went as far as to raise an eyebrow. "Can you even raise that bow in your hand?" The Quincy did just that by aiming his bow right at him. Perhaps he did it out of spite or to prove himself that he could. The point was the human ignored his pain to raise his arm up. He wouldn't back down soon.

Both of them had taken major blows. Both of them were wounded. The labor in both of their voices was a testimony to it. Both of them would ignore their bodies' pleas to continue on. It was a battle of wills. How much could their bodies take before they were forced to succumb? By studying Joaquin's exterior he could see no concern or fear lurking behind the corners. There was aura of confidence around him. This was not a man who was reaching his limits. He had something in reserve, something he reframed from playing yet. The battle would most likely be decided when he used it. Whether Joaquin was successful or Uryu could stop it the battle would be decided when Joaquin used it. Could he defeat Joaquin's ace in the hole? He would cross that bridge when he needed to. The graver matter was how to defeat Joaquin. A few ideas were formulating. An old trick could suffice. It might just work. The battle needed to end quickly before Hueco Mundo crashed into Human World.

* * *

"This is where Renji and I left the others," Rukia said. Their journey had been uneventful much her delight. No hollows or arrancar ambushing them was a gift from the universe. It was a gift Rukia would wholeheartedly accept.

Orihime, Sado, and Toyoda stood behind the ice elemental shinigami. Orihime took in the sights around her. When she was taken to Hueco Mundo by Ulquiorra and the other arrancars they came to Las Noches immediately. She was given a room that was really a cage for most of her time there. Unlike Kuchiki-san and Sado-kun she never explored Hueco Mundo beyond Las Noches and above the dome when the final battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra took place.

The area they were in was like everything else she had witnessed on their journey so far, dead. Despite being in a forest of they were surrounded by nothing, but leafless tress and bear branches. The bark was sickly if that was possible. Her first impression of Hueco Mundo was spot on. It was nothing, but dead and bleak. How could anyone wish to dwell in such a place by choice? She understood why Aizen went out of his way to construct a palace with a fake sky. She imagined even a man like him found these lifeless skies uninspiring for his bright if twisted ambitions.

Rukia led the party through the so called forest. According to her there was a cave in the heart of it. The forest had been man made apparently. Some arrancar with the power of forestation made it for a lair, but the arrancar disappeared recently. This was the information Rukia had gotten out from two arrancars the Hueco Mundo team had defeated and apprehended. None of the arrancars or hollows used it since it the shinigami defeated the two arrancars that used it as a lair. It became an area the shinigami patrolled regularly before the team was nearly wiped out. She and Renji thought it was a good place to leave the remaining teammates.

"Kuchiki," Toyoda called her. "Just how far away is the cave you and the vice-captain found?"

This news came as bit of surprise for Orihime. "Toyoda-san, haven't you been in this forest before?"

The elder shinigami shook his head roughly. "I wasn't one of the units who patrolled the forest."

"We divided the team into ten units to go out on patrol to areas we had gained control of," Rukia interjected. "Each unit was made up of ten shinigami. It was the maximum number of officers we could afford to have in a single unit and deem it strong enough to at least fight off arrancars and hollows, while giving us enough units to patrol multiple areas of Hueco Mundo at once. The idea was for us to take control of Las Noches to get the arrancars under control, but when that failed we had to battle to expand our control by taking over areas and holding them down. One hundred shinigami were divided into ten units. One unit is made of ten shinigami for that purpose. As we gained control over areas more officers were to be sent here to help us maintain that control."

"Was such a plan possible?" asked Sado. "Urahara-san told me the Gotei 13 didn't have enough manpower to seize total control of Hueco Mundo."

"I'm afraid he was right. The hollows outnumber us alone. Aizen created more arrancars than we anticipated and that's not counting the natural arrancars he modified to make stronger for his army. This civil war the arrancars have I fear is the only reason we were able to gain as much control as we have."

Orihime furrowed her brow not fully comprehending what Rukia meant. "What do you mean by that, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia turned her head to face Orihime. "The arrancars being divided keeps them from focusing all their attention on us. It's not uncommon for some factions to help us take down another faction to eliminate a rival indirectly. They all want power and are willing to go to any lengths to obtain it. Beings such as they will not easily surrender even to the Gotei 13. It wouldn't be a problem for us to handle normally. Once Aizen was apprehended we were content to let Hueco Mundo run itself as it always had. We originally thought with Aizen deposed the natural order of Hueco Mundo would return. We never fathomed that all the left over arrancars would attack the Human World or go after Ichigo in a bid to became the new ruler."

"Because some factions are attacking Human World to cement their power you have to get involved," Sado clarified.

Rukia nodded yes. "Exactly, if they are left alone they could attack Human World. They are able to amass large horde of hollows to do their bidding. They could disrupt the natural order and harmony of Human World. We as shinigami cannot allow for that to happen."

"It's our duty to protect the Human World," Toyoda spoke passionately, while shaking his fist. "Although, it seems our efforts were meaningless. The first major counter offensive we encountered and most of our numbers are dead."

Rukia wanted to reprimand him, but couldn't. Toyoda was right. Hueco Mundo team had taken more territory gradually. It was a slow process for sure, but she thought they were accomplishing something. It took the team months to gain 40% control over Hueco Mundo. In less than a day the Privaron Espada erased all of that progress, reducing the team from a hundred to 23. The team was made of some of the best and brightest the 6th, 10th, and 13th divisions had to offer. They needed more vice-captain level shinigami or captains for true headway, but they couldn't spare them. Every time one faction was dealt with two more took its place to fight over the then unoccupied territory the Soul Society had just given them. Until this Civil War was won by one faction she doubted this would end anytime soon.

"That may be," she said, "but it is our responsibility." She massaged the bridge of her nose.

Sado and Orihime exchanged worried stares with each other. They both could see Rukia's normal vigor had been strained. The fire in her violet eyes was dampened if not out. They were both concerned if the ice elemental could hold out given how little manpower Soul Society gave her and Renji to take control of a world with millions if not billions of inhabitants.

Orihime searched for any words of encouragement that might renew her friend's strength. Her brain just couldn't find any words strong enough for the task. The healer decided to just wing it. You never knew. The right words might come to her as she spoke. As she opened her mouth when something very heavy and thick drown out everything else around her. Kuchiki-san, Sado-kun, and Toyoda all tensed up. Like her they sensed the new sensation. There was no mistaken it. This was the reiatsu of an arrancar. It was a powerful one.

Sado balled his hand into a fist. Rukia's hand went to her zanpakuto. Even Orihime prepared her Shun Shun Rikka. "Damn it! Another attack," Toyoda cursed under his breath. He had already drawn his zanpakuto. The forest was supposed to be abandoned. Did word of the shinigami's defeat travel that fast? Were arrancars already seeking to reclaim this forest in less than a day?

Sado couldn't shake this feeling that he sensed this spiritual power before. It was like a dream you half remembered, but couldn't picture the whole thing no matter how hard you tried to remember. He could picture a person, but the face was blank. "This reiatsu feels familiar," Sado stated.

"Could it be one of the Privaron Espada?" Rukia suggested uneasily.

Three sets of eyes were on the giant of a man. He didn't answer verbally, but the grim expression that attached itself on his face told them everything they needed to know. This was a bad position to be attacked. The sea of trees limited their mobility. They also hid the arrancar from their view until it was too late. How long had the arrancar been here? Did he discover the injured shinigami resting in the cave? If so they were in no condition to defend themselves. They would have been defenseless against him. _'This was bad. If they were attacked while we were gone,'_ Rukia thought.

The deputy commander role Rukia had been forced to kick her into gear. "Sado, Inoue, you two spread out. We'll take at least three sides so we can see him coming. Toyoda, you go down there." She directed the shinigami with her hand. "That way you'll be in a position to back any of us up."

"Right," they all responded. They followed Rukia's instructions unquestioningly. The petite shinigami was impressed with how all three carried out her orders. She was really coming into leadership role.

A figure came out into the open. Rukia was taken aback. She expected the arrancar to try to take them by surprise. Instead he came right out in the open. He must have been very confident in his power to make such a bold move. The arrancar was tall. He wore the standard arrancar uniform. His most distinguishing feature was his large orange afro. The raven haired shinigami's ears picked up a gasp from Sado.

"Gantenbainee Mosqueda," said Sado clearly.

"Sado Yasutora," the arrancar identified as Gantenbainee announced. His eyes widened making his disbelief visible. "What are you doing back in Hueco Mundo?"

Disbelief was contagious, because Sado's face became infected with it in seconds. "You don't know?" The afro arrancar shook his head negatively in response.

The rest of the group was at a loss as to what was going on. It was Orihime who voiced their confusion, "Sado-kun, how do you know him?"

"Gantenibainee is a member of the Privaron Espada. He was the one I fought in Las Noches when we came to rescue you."

Rukia glared daggers at the arrancar. "So you are the enemy!"

She said that, but Gantenibainee didn't act like an enemy. He made no move against them. When Rukia drew her zanpakuto she noticed the man didn't draw a weapon. He looked completely uninterested in her. The petite shinigami was baffled. What was this man's game?

"Put your zanpakuto away, shinigami. I'm not your enemy nor did I come here looking for a fight."

"You're lying!" Toyoda declared. "If you are a member of the Privaron Espada then you are the ones who had our allies killed!" The venom festered in his words. The arrancar remained un-flinched by them.

"I had nothing to do with killing any shinigami," Gantenibainee stated.

"If that's true then why are you here?" Toyoda challenged. The area had been abandoned until recently. The only way for this arrancar bastard to be here is if he knew the surviving shinigami were recuperating there. He would only know that if he was the enemy. It was flawless logic.

"I'm here because I was passing through," said Gantenibainee simply.

That lying bastard! He was lying through his teeth! Did he really think they would fall for such a lame line? "You aren't fooling anyone you know! If you're going to lie at least come up with a better line then that!"

"It's no line. It's the truth," the arrancar reiterated. He blocked out the unsightly shinigami temper tantrum. It was unbecoming of man of his advance age to be reduced to that. He placed his attentions on Sado and the auburn haired woman. He instantly recognized her as the woman Aizen had brought to Las Noches. "Why are you here, princess?"

"Princess," Orihime repeated. She wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. There was no malice or disdain hidden underneath his words. At the same time the princess title seemed like a joke the arrancar used to refer to her. It could also be a reference to her name.

Sado spoke out, "Gantenibainee, are you really not with the other Privaron Espada anymore?"

"We all went our separate ways after Aizen-sama was defeated. I haven't seen anyone since Gild approached me months ago. He was trying to get everyone back together on Silva's behalf. I refused though."

Rukia silently asked Orihime about this Silva with a mere look. The healer was happy to oblige. "Silva is the leader of the Privaron Espada."

"I get it. Silva and others made a move against you huh? You're here to fight with them?"

"Yes," Sado replied.

"She actually tried something," he said with a smile. Aizen was done and out yet Silva was still going on to try her own thing. She was always like that. She was the perfect candidate for being Espada number one. Not only was she the strongest among their generation of Espada she was also a natural protector who could inspire the troops. Being demoted by strongest arrancars hadn't taken that away from her.

"Excuse me, Gantenibainee-kun," Orihime said politely.

The afro arrancar stifled a laugh. "Gantenibainee-kun," the former Espada whispered barely unable to contain a grin. This girl was too much. To think she would be so polite with him when he was one of her captors was unreal. The rumors of her kind heart and forgiving nature were not exaggerated.

Orihime continued, "Why didn't you join with the others? Aren't they your friends?"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I had no drive to fight another battle. All I've been doing is fighting since Aizen-sama's fall. Every arrancar wants to replace him. They are doing whatever they think will win over everyone else. A lot of them picked fights with me because I was a former Espada. They most likely thought if they could defeat me it would prove their strength. I accepted everyone who challenged me and I defeated every single one with ease. With every victory I obtained the more hollow I felt. These battles were just so dull. None of my opponents had any true spirit. None of them even have a vision beyond ruling Hueco Mundo. They fight for power, but lack true power. They are quick to make alliances they'll sever those alliances without a second thought to gain a small advantage. It ensures that whoever wins will be a weak and ineffective ruler who can barely keep his subjects in line. They'll never replace Aizen-sama without a true spirit. I'm the same. I have no vision or power to rule, so I didn't bother to make a claim. I refused to ally myself with these ridiculous factions, so I disappeared. I traveled around aimlessly until another Privaron Espada, Gild approached me. He told me of Silva's offer to return to her, but I turned it down. I thought she was just trying to lay claim to Hueco Mundo. I wanted no part in it."

"This forest was created by one of my old comrades. He was also a member of the Privaron Espada, Salvador."

Orihime jumped slightly at the mention of Salvador. Memories of the cruel and emotionless arrancar went flashing before her eyes. His abilities could easily create a forest like this. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of him when she learned the forest was man made. His disappearance was most likely when that one arrancar killed him during her battle with Salvador.

"I supposed instinctively my mind brought me here looking for something or someone familiar." Gantenbainne wouldn't admit it, but there was a yearning in his heart. After months of solitude he needed the company of someone besides himself. On a subconscious level he hoped to reconnect with someone from his past. How desperate was he?

Rukia searched the arrancar extensively. She sensed no deception in his words. No deceit was carried in his reiatsu, only a deep seated sorrow. After a brief internal discussion with herself she decided Gantenbainne's words were true. He was not the enemy. She sheathed her sword.

"Kuchiki!" cried Toyoda.

The petite woman silenced him with a well-placed glare. Orihime dreaded being on the receiving end of that glare. It was frightening. She pitied Toyoda-san. Toyoda-san possessed more wisdom than she thought. He dropped the subject. It was best not get in arguments with Kuchiki-san. Ichigo and Abarai-kun refused to accept that fact and continued to argue with her with little hope of actually winning.

"He's not our enemy," Rukia said aloud. "Let's get going. We don't have much time left." The group went on their way, except for Sado. Gantenbainne placed a hand on his shoulder, halting the hollow powered human.

"If you are fighting the other Privaron Espada you need to know how powerful they are. They may not be as strong as the most recent Espada, but they are still by far strongest arrancar after them. You defeated me, but I was one of the weakest ones. Silva is the strongest by far. Compared to her and some of the others I'm nothing. Do you really think you can win against them?"

"It's not a matter of if I think I can win or not. The fact is that if we lose both Human World and Hueco Mundo could be destroyed."

The arrancar was dumbstruck at the revelation. This cemented his story for Sado. If he lied to them this news wouldn't have shocked him. "We have to win. I need to be strong enough to fulfill a promise I made to two people who are important to me." If he couldn't keep the promise to Ichigo and Orihime then how could he ever hope to face his abuelo again?

"Is this promise you made worth all the trouble? You remember the last time you came here to help one of your comrades, the princes? You were nearly killed twice by the Espada. That could happen today as well. Knowing that is fulfilling your promise to your comrades worth all of that? Is it worth your life?" The human grabbed his hand. He squeezed it tightly. The sheer strength of the human was mindboggling.

"My comrades, my friends are worth giving my life for." The human spoke in a low dangerous tone. "I'm not strong at all compared to people like the Espada, but if I give up then I will be despicable. My friends wouldn't give up on me. I won't give up on them. They give me reason to fight. They are the only reason I fight and seek strength." He let go of the stunned arrancar.

Gantenbainne stared into his eyes. He saw it. He saw what all those would be challengers lacked. He saw an unshakable resolve and undying spirit. He saw a true purpose. He couldn't look away. Sado turned his back to him and followed his comrades. Gantenbainne envied the human. Sado had a purpose, while he had none. "Seeking strength for ones comrades, that was just what Silva did. Is that something she is still doing?" What was he doing? Where was he going to? Wandering around in a forest of dead trees in hopes of being reminded of an old comrade was pathetic. After minutes of standing there contemplating Gantenbainne had reached a decision. "I must be out of my mind." The 107th arrancar went in the direction the odd group of shinigami and humans went. He told himself he wanted to see what they would do. If he watched them maybe he could remember his own purpose.

"You must be if you are going to side with them."

Trepidation took hold of him. That voice, there was no mistaking it. Why did it have to be him? He closed his eyes tightly, praying that his ears were playing tricks on him. That was possible, right? He didn't feel any reiatsu. Yes. If it was **him** he would feel his reiatsu. It had to be his ears playing tricks on him. When he turned around he would see nothing, but thin air. He would laugh it off. Slowed by apprehension eating at him the 107th arrancar turned around at snail's pace. He found the courage to open his eyes. To his dread his ears weren't playing tricks on him. The nightmare was a reality. Calputto was standing before him wearing a black cloak.

"You turned down Silva's offer, but now you are going to join the humans and shinigami?" Amused Calputto smiled at his former comrade.

It was a smile that held no warmth or joy. It was unnatural. It made Gantenbainne feel an upending sense that was foreboding. Of all the people to run into he had to run into Calputto.

"The fact that you would ally yourself with people who killed our precious comrades is sickening."

That expression Calputto wore made him nauseous. Who was he kidding? His words didn't match his emotions at all. He couldn't care less about their comrades. The smile was nothing, but lies. "Don't give me that. You were never the affectionate type. That hasn't changed a bit."

Calputto's smile widened. "You're right. I don't care that our comrades were killed. I'm only here to run an errand for Silva and a side project of mine."

"A side project?" the 107th arrancar recited.

"Oh, yes, I forgot you weren't around. You see my interest is the woman."

"Why are you interested in the princess?"

"Her abilities caught my interest," answered the snow blond. "I do like that name, princess. It fits considering her name," he joked. "What will you do? Will you side with them against your own kind? Will you side against me?"

He was always a piece of work. Words were pleasant and cheery, but they cut him as if they were blades. His whole body wouldn't stop trembling. Looking into those turquoise eyes was like staring into a void trying to suck him up. Every part of his body told him to run. If he had any sense he would heed their warning and leave. The fire he saw in Sado Yasutora was burned deep in his brain. The fire had been missing from Gantenbainne's life ever since the fall of Aizen. The human reminded him what it was like to fight with purpose. For doing that he owed him immensely. "You know I never did like you. You were always conniving bastard. There is no way I could side with someone like you again."

The broad grin fell. Calputto sulked mirroring a little boy who had just been denied his favorite playmate. He really did give Gantenbainne the creeps. "I am sorry to hear that. I'll just have to remind you why you were ranked 7 and why I was rank number 4." The merry mask was shattered. His true face was revealed. The inner darkness he concealed from the world engulfed both arrancars. "The time of your death has come."

This was completely idiotic of him, but if he was going to die, at least he would die fighting for something real again. He swallowed every ounce of courage his body produced. "Let's go, Calputto!" He bull rushed the 104th arrancar. He threw his fist hoping it had the power to aid Sado Yasutora and his friends even just a little.

* * *

Hiyori cut open a hollow killing it instantly. The former vice-captain watched it died. She lost track of how many hollows she had actually killed. She and the other vizards got in place as they agreed to. They didn't have to wait too long before the near countless army of hollows was upon them. In all her life time Hiyori couldn't recall ever seeing this many hollows appear in one place. Even the first invasion didn't host this many hollows. What they lacked in strength they made up for in numbers. It wasn't terribly hard to kill them, but having to avoid the attacks of several hundred hollows when you killed one kept her on her toes.

To think she even had to release her shikai to deal with these small fry. It was a good thing that dick Shinji wasn't with them. He would never let her live this one down. Serpent hollows circled her. They lunged at her hissing and all. She cast a threatening glare at these upstarts. Obviously they didn't know who she was. The little girl vizard lopped their heads clean off.

"You bastards got some nerve attacking a lady like me." She rested her zanpakuto on her shoulders. This was going nowhere fast. As many hollows as they cut down ten more were ready to take their place. The others weren't doing much better than she was.

Lisa's acrobatic maneuvers mowed down at least a hundred hollows and were still going at it with no rest. Her area was no safer for her actions though. Hachi erected barriers to around Kisuke's pillars to keep the hollows at bay. Now if one of them got by the vizards the barrier would keep them out until they were killed by one of the vizards. Even with that they were having a difficult time keeping track of all them. Love released shikai as well to burn all those little bastards and they were still coming! What the hell would it take to put squash all of them? Where the hell was Kisuke? He was supposed to backing them up as well.

As much as it pained her to say they could use his power. Gillians were a part of this invasion as they were in the last one except there were even more of them now. Five of those heartless beasts were beating at Hachi's barriers. The round vizard was busy dealing with five different Gillians himself. Love and Lisa were fighting in the heart of the masses burning and cutting the beings of darkness respectively. They were too far away to get there in time. That left everything up to her, as usual.

"This is so typical," she muttered. She donned her mask. The pig tailed vizard pushed off against the ground and shot right through the masked beasts. Already her zanpakuto was resting in one hollow's skull. Hiyori freed it and moved to her next victim. She shoved her knee straight into another hollow's neck. The blow sent it flying. She was on it in seconds. Her fingers wrapped themselves around its neck. Her hollow endowed strength allowed her to easily rip its head off with a simple tug.

Continuing her rampage Hiyori opened her mouth. Bright crimson energy sphere materialized. The former vice-captain super sped to the next group of hollows hacking away at the barrier. She stabbed one in the hollow's weak spot, while she unleashed cero on the one next to it. She turned her head spraying cero over hollows until there was no more. Hachi's barrier was safe. Admiring her work Hiyori grinned cheek from cheek beneath her mask. Maybe they didn't need Kisuke and the others after all? She undid her hollowfication.

"I bet you hollows weren't expecting that, were you? Next time you'll think before you try to go up against me again."

Love rolled his eyes. If Hiyori's head got any bigger it would float off her little body. She needed to deflate soon. "Yo, don't get carried away over there!" he called out.

"Me, get carried away, as if I would do something like that." She was a totally awesome, kick ass lady. She knew not to let it get to her head. Hiyori would keep focused on battle. There was no telling how bad things would get if she was knocked out. Hiyori could make a career of life saver. She was incredible.

"HIYORI!" shouted Love.

It was too late. Hiyori was smacked right in the cheek. The power behind it was enough to blow her several feet away. She skidded across the pavement and into a nearby tree. Her whole face was numb. No common hollow possessed that type of strength. It had to be a Gillian. If the Gillian wanted to play she would play. "Time to…." The vizard paused. Crimson light shaded her whole frame. _'Cero,' _she thought. The beam of energy hit her full force.

"Hiyori!" shrieked Lisa. Anxiety buried itself into her heart. She had to tell herself that Hiyori was strong enough to survive a cero. She wouldn't be as weak as to be killed by something like that. Standing there looking petrified wasn't going to help anyone. She decided to be constructive and followed where the beam came from. Her sights fell upon a pair of hollows. One was giant eagle. The second one was a giant bull. The bull had a hole in the center of his torso, while eagle's hole was on the right side of his chest. What set these hollows apart from the other ones was the enormous amount of reiatsu they gave off. It overwhelmed the Gillians' reiatsu.

"So even Adjuchas are fighting for them?" she mused.

"We were told there were strong opponents here, but this is a joke," the eagle Adjuchas sneered.

The bull chimed in, "These shinigami are weak. Here I was excited to get a good fight. I thought fighting this lot could help us evolve into Vasto Lorde." He locked onto Lisa. "Another weak little girl is on the battlefield. For your sake you better be stronger than the other girl was."

"Who are you calling weak!?"

The Adjuchas expressed astonishment, while Lisa snorted. The debris cleared, revealing Hiyori wearing her hollow mask. Her left coat sleeve was ripped off. Her right sandal was missing. The rest of her clothes was ruffled and singed. She was extremely pissed. "My clothes are ruined because of you dick heads! I'm going to kill you both!"

Adjuchas were frozen in place. Neither one of them knew how to respond or act. The girl being alive they could handle. That would mean she was strong. What perplexed them was the fact she was wearing a mask similar to their own. Reiatsu was dark and vicious as theirs was. What was up with this shinigami?

"They mimic us," the bull said with disgust. He dug his heel into the ground. "I won't stand for shinigami mocking us!" He charged his cero between his horns. "I'm going blow that fake mask off your face!"

Hiyori scoffed at such a claim. His cero was probably not much stronger than his partner's. She could take it without her mask so much as getting cracked let alone broken. "Try it!"

The bull prepared to take her up on her challenge until an arrow pierced through his head. Death claimed him before he even hit the ground leaving both Hiyori and the eagle Adjuchas surprised. The eagle Adjuchas took flight. Rage took full control of his body. Whatever killed his partner would not catch him unaware. As soon as he found his partner's killer he would avenge him by teaching the bastard the true fear of death before killing him. He would rip off their limbs then eat his liver and eyes out. The bastard would know the true meaning of fear! He contemplated the punishment he would dish out he failed to realize a figure gliding just above him. The figure unleashed a large wave of white energy that reduced the Adjuchas to ashes. The poor guy didn't even register he was being killed before death claimed him.

Hiyori couldn't believe her eyes. Both Adjuchas were taken out by two people she had never seen before in her life. "Who the hell are they?"

"I told you we were late, Ishida," one of the men said. Hiyori's blood boiled at sight of the man. The black robes and zanpakuto could only be a shinigami.

The other man who dressed in a white rolled his eyes and shook his head. To Hiyori it was as if she was watching a scheduled skit. "You were the one who insisted on waiting for Urahara, Kurosaki."

When her ears picked up the name of her former captain realization hit her. These guys were also Kisuke's allies. Just how many people did that dick know anyway?

"Hiyori-san!"

'_Speak of the devil,' _Hiyori thought. Kisuke's ears must have been burning or something, because there he was. Kisuke was waving at her like overly cheery man child. Beside him was Yoruichi.

"Sorry we're late, Hiyori-san. We had last minute changes to revisit our plan."

"Hmm, last minute changes? What happened?" the former vice-captain question. Kisuke explained the situation to her. The former captain and vice-captain duo exchanged a comical back and forth with occasional screaming from Hiyori and witty one-liners from Kisuke. Love, Lisa, and Hachi gathered to listen to Kisuke's explanations. Isshin and Ryuken joined in.

Love punched his hand letting his frustrations get the best of him. "The Spirit Keystones in Hueco Mundo are already destroyed!"

Kisuke urged the former 7th division captain to relax. "Ishida-san, Inoue-san, and Sado-san are already in Hueco Mundo. They're working on the problem as we speak. Let them worry about Hueco Mundo crashing. We'll worry about dealing with all the hollows."

Love didn't like at how casual Kisuke was being about one world crashing into another. All life in two worlds ridded on his protégés not only beating the Privaron Espada, but stopping Hueco Mundo from crashing in Human World in the matter of hours. It was no big deal according to Kisuke.

"You really are putting a whole lot of faith in the kids," Isshin remarked. The lesser seen aspect of him, suspicion flared up. Kisuke was an old friend and a person Isshin could trust with his life, but the man was as sketchy as they came. If there was one undeniable truth about Urahara Kisuke it was that the man was always planning for something. He opened his mouth to continue, but was stopped by the little girl.

"Who are these guys, Kisuke?" Hiyori pointed at Isshin and Ryuken. "Why is a shinigami helping us?"

"Isshin-san is Kurosaki-san's father."

"Wait! That guy is Ichigo's father! I didn't know he had shinigami in his blood by relation!" exclaimed Hiyori. The vizards examined the shinigami carefully. After Kisuke mentioned it they could see resemblance between this man and Ichigo. He produced a monstrous reiatsu that would make any captain envy. It explained a lot about Ichigo. For a shinigami to have a human son could only be possible if the shinigami was exiled.

Kisuke continued, "This is Ryuken-san. He is Ishida-san's father." Love and Lisa recalled Ishida the Quincy. Both of them were intrigued at the thought of another Quincy still walking around. "They are here to help us defend Karakura Town. They're our reinforcements."

"Some four eyed Quincy in a suit and tattered shinigami are our reinforcements?" The skepticism dripped from Hiyori's voice.

Isshin furrowed his brow. He wasn't ratty. His uniform was just old. Ryuken chuckled to himself. "Such an overbearing girl," the Quincy stated.

"What did you say!?" Hiyori challenged. Ryuken closed his eyelids. He had no desire to get into an argument with this little girl. Yoruichi stepped between the vizard and Quincy before a fight could break out.

"They may not look like it, but both of them are very powerful. They'll be able to help us push back hollows. You just saw them easily dispatch two Adjuchas."

"We have bigger things to worry about," Hachi stated. "Combing our powers could be just what we need to tip the scales in our favor."

"Where's Mashiro?" Yoruichi questioned after noticing the former vice-captain was absent.

Lisa replied, "She went to help Kensei and the 9th division."

"We're down one person," Isshin uttered. "Things would be dull if we had all the advantages."

Infamous and famous cheeky grin appeared on the Goddess of Flash's lips. "We need to liven it up a bit, since they're just hollows."

One of the most mixed match group of people ever to have assembled. Four vizards with bizarre sense of fashion, three ex-shinigami captains, one a shop owner, another one being the doctor of a small clinic, and a doctor part of the near extinct Quincy clan, stood together as a team. The eight warriors readied their weapons. They were the only ones standing between the legion of hollows and Karakura Town. The hollows didn't stand a chance.

Hiyori threw an ugly glare at Isshin. The midnight haired shinigami was at a loss for her hostility. "You think you can keep up with us, shinigami," she jeered. "Exile can make one get fat," she teased.

A robust laugh escaped Isshin's lips, shaking his whole frame. "Don't confuse me with one of those shinigami that sat on his ass and did nothing when I was with the Gotei 13. I was powerless for twenty years, but my skills haven't dulled that much yet. Besides Karakura Town is my home now. It's the place I raised my family. I won't let anything happen to it. It's my duty as a father."

"You've been living in Human World for twenty years. So you are a kid compared to us. So did Aizen have anything to do with your banishment too?" Hiyori inquired.

"Something like that," Isshin replied. The girl's nasty attitude toward him evaporated. Perhaps finding a common ground involving Aizen made it easier for her to not view him as the shinigami that hunted for her and the other vizards for decades.

This was a bunch of misfits. Love thought he would only see such odd combinations in manga he read. Times had changed drastically from a century ago. If someone told him he would be fighting alongside exiled shinigami and Quincies a century ago he would have deemed them nuts. "Vizards, shinigami, and a Quincy against thousands of hollows, yeah this is straight out of the pages of manga."

"Reality is often stranger than fiction," Lisa offered her insight.

"Guess you do have a point," submitted the former 7th division captain. "It's time to get started." The white bone like mask materialized on his face. "Can't hold back either," said the dual voice of Love. The eight of them sprang into action. If you knew they weren't a team you would not know it by watching them. They moved like a well-oiled machine. Hiyori went to the front lines and decimated the hollows. Kisuke put it upon himself to back her up. He eliminated any threat Hiyori might have overlooked as she killed other hollows. Hachi and Yoruichi used her speed and his own brand of Kido encamp them, so the Goddess of Flash could finish them before they could recover. Isshin and Love took to the air where they would have fewer restrictions on their rather destructive techniques. Lisa hoped to recreate a partnership with the elder Ishida. Her hope was well founded. She discovered Ryuken and she found their grove at once. He shot down enemies from a distance and without even so much as a glance expected her to defend him from the close range enemies. Together they managed to bring down every hollow that was even close to the sealed pillars. It would appear she had a knack with working with Quincies. The endless hordes were being waddled down bit by bit. Things were going nicely on their end. It was up to the others in Hueco Mundo to put an end to this once and for all.

* * *

A woman lay on her side. Her skin became so pale that the color matched the sands themselves. There was a hitch in her breath. She clenched to her sides unwilling to let go. Part of her robes opened up showing the poorly healed skin that was remnants of where her stomach was cut. She moaned sickly. Rukia was able to close the wound, but it was so badly infected with the enemies' reiatsu it was far from being properly healed. It was threatening to open back up. The loss of blood sapped most of her strength. If she wasn't given proper treatment she knew she wouldn't make it.

Sorrow tarnished Orihime's face. She sat beside the dying shinigami. Seeing a person suffering made her heart weep. Who could hurt someone like this and not feel bad? The poor woman's moans were weak. Patches of the sand the woman was resting on was painted red from her blood. This wasn't even the worse one. Most of the shinigami in the cave were in the same condition as this woman before Orihime or in even worse. If it weren't Kuchiki-san's treatment in closing the wounds they would be dead.

"I told you my healing isn't on par with the healers of the 4th division," Rukia said. The violet eyed shinigami remained close to Orihime in case she needed anything. "I wish we had requested healers. What were we thinking?" she criticized both herself and Renji. "We've been in enemy territory for months now and we never once thought that our enemies could injury us. We should have had a few healers for incidents like this."

"Kuchiki-san, you are being too hard on yourself. If it weren't for you I'm sure most of the people in here wouldn't have held out as long as they did." Orihime tried her best to reassure her friend. Kuchiki-san didn't see her way. The scowl remained present.

"Still…."

Orihime interrupted not wishing to hear Rukia speak ill of her effort. "Remember what you told me? Don't think of what ifs or what might have been because they didn't happen. If you are unsatisfied with what happened in the past do something about it in the future." She never forgot those words. Those words inspired her to move on with her life after she had been too afraid to move forward. They made her realize that no matter how many mistakes she made as long as she kept trying she could change them in the future. She hoped Kuchiki-san would find the same reassurance Orihime did when she heard them.

Using her words against her was some nerve. Rukia didn't expect Inoue to remember words Rukia spoke months ago. They must have resonated with her if the healer was quoting them now. The petite shinigami cracked a small smile. Inoue shared a smile with her as well. "You've grown even more since I last saw you." For the first time she noticed the change in the taller woman's hair. The bangs were gone, showing her full face to the world. It made her look more grown up. "It suits you."

The healer became bashful. "I haven't grown that much. I'm still mostly the same." The ice elemental gave her look that said she was crazy.

"Is that so? How are things between you and Ichigo then?" There it was the never ending smile that told her everything she needed about the orange haired couple. "You made your relationship what you wanted to." Knowing smirk formed on Rukia's lips. Inoue tried to avoid her stare. She started healing the woman. If she thought that would get her off the hook she had another thing coming. A twinkle captivated Rukia's stare. Was that a necklace? It was! "What's this?" She carefully tugged on the chain. The younger woman's face became redder than Renji's hair. "Did Ichigo give you this?" Inoue said something inaudible. "What was that? I can't hear you."

"Yes," Orihime said louder. Her face was still flared up. She loved Kuchiki-san, but she was even worse than Tatsuki when it came to teasing her.

"Tell me everything," Rukia demanded.

"Eh, is this really the best time for that?"

"You can tell me, while you heal. Besides this is the first time we've seen each other five months. If Ichigo is giving you jewelry then of course I'm going to have to hear what's going on," she said in a matter of fact tone. Sensing her nervousness Rukia put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm being serious, Inoue. Tell me what's going on in your life. I won't make fun of you. I just want to know hear how you are doing. I want to know how Ichigo is doing."

Not hearing the usual playful tone Orihime knew Kuchiki-san was being serious. She could talk, while she healed. Part of her was very eager to tell Rukia everything that happened after her last visit to Karakura Town. Rukia wanted to hear what was going on her life. Orihime started spilling out everything that happened since January as the fallen shinigami was being restored to heal.

Outside of the cave Sado and Toyoda elected to stay to watch guard. Toyoda wasn't the talkative type, which suited Sado. He wasn't one to make small talk either. The older man did try to a conversation or two, but it was about the Privaron Espada and what he could expect from them. The man was professional at least. Sado wondered how he was like when not on duty. He imagined the strong silent type he saw before him now was his shinigami mode for when he was on duty. He could be a regular chattering box like Keigo was.

"Are you sure we can trust that guy not betray us?" Toyoda asked.

"He's an honorable man. When I fought him he didn't pull any underhanded tactics. After I defeated him he tried to warn me about one of the Espada without any reason to do so. I believe Gantenbainne was telling us the truth when he said he wasn't helping the other Privaron Espada."

"But do you think he'll rejoin them now that he knows what they are planning?" Toyoda persisted. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sado, but with their low numbers being what it was now they couldn't afford the enemy getting reinforcements.

That was one thing Sado didn't know. Gantenbainne was lost. He was searching for a purpose. Telling him about Silva and the other Privaron Espada could have given him just that. "I don't know," he said truthfully.

"Don't you think we should try to find that guy then just in case he blabs where we are to them?"

"It makes no difference at this point. I'm sure the enemy will find us whether or not Gantenbainee tells them where we are."

What the hell kind of response was that? This colossal human was too wishy-washy for his tastes. Who knew if stopping the arrancar from blabbing to the others could was useless? It could buy them a little precious time that could come in handy in the future.

"It makes no difference anymore," Sado said plainly.

"How do you know that though? It's our responsibility to at least try if there is even a slight chance it can help us."

"That's not what I meant. I can't sense Gantenbainee's reiatsu anymore. Even we wanted to find him now without his reiatsu to give us a trail we'll be searching blind. It would separate us from the group. It's better to stay put and watch their backs," he reasoned.

He made a good argument. Toyoda lost track of the arrancar's reiatsu as well. He didn't like the idea of abandoning Kuchiki or Inoue alone. He did owe the latter for saving his life. He had no choice, but to consent to Sado's plan. The two men would stay where they were. If the arrancar went crawling back to his old friends they would probably be long gone from here before the arrancars showed up.

Something came crashing down from the sky making Toyoda jumped out of his skin. Sado, also taken unaware, became rigid. "What was that?" Toyoda voiced their shared question. Upon closer inspection they discovered that it was a man who fell from the sky. He was curled up in the fetal position. Numerous cuts and scrapes covered his whole body. The white he wore was colored in red. His lip was blooded and swollen along with half his face. This arrancar was in pretty damn bad shape. If it weren't for his chest going in and out he would have assumed he was dead. He heard Sado inhale deeply.

"Gantenbainee!" shouted Sado.

This was Gantenbainee? Toyoda couldn't recognize him at all. His face was so beat in and swollen he looked nothing like the handsome arrancar they met not even twenty minutes ago. How could he have gotten into this shape in a short amount of time? He wasn't a weak arrancar either. He had a strong reiatsu from what Toyoda could sense. It was much stronger than most of the arrancar he had encountered before. "Who could have done this?"

"That would be me I'm afraid." Sado and Toyoda beamed straight into the sky to find another arrancar wearing a black cloak. His expression was gentle, smiling even, but he gave off no reiatsu. He looked tame compared to Gantenbainee, yet his presence made Toyoda break out into a cold sweat. The arrancar continued to speak, "Unfortunately he decided to side with you, so I had to take of him for betraying us." He descended to the earth, across from them.

Sado didn't recognize this arrancar, but he did recognize the black cloak. For him to have defeated Gantenbainee meant he was powerful. It had to be one of the remaining three that Urahara-san had told them about. That soft expression on his face and smile on his lips were wrong. There something off about them. The arrancar's eyes were bearing down on him. They were devoid of any happiness despite his demeanor.

"So this is the human who killed Gild. You are much bigger than I thought you would be." He tore his gaze off the human and put them on the shinigami frowning at him. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea who you are, shinigami."

Toyoda kept staring at the arrancar unwilling to let him think he feared him. "This guy….I get a bad vibe from him."

"If you are here, Sado Yasutora then she is here as well," he said.

The unsettling smile and the interest in Inoue meant that this was the arrancar she met three months ago. This was the arrancar that stabbed her in the chest. He tightened his fist. It looked like his hunch had been correct. He did come after Inoue. He wasn't going to get her. Sado would make sure of that. His right arm was encased in its black and magenta armor/shield.

"I've heard about that arm from Gantenbainee and Gild. It is unusual compared to a shinigami's power at least. Ultimately it doesn't look like anything special. I hope you do not think you can defeat me with that. I'm not like those two you defeated."

"Sa…Sado…..Yas…utora….." stammered a beaten Gantenbainee. Toyoda rushed over to the afro arrancar. Sado remained standing between the devil of an arrancar and them. He panted hopelessly. "Do…..don't….f…fight him…..too…..too….stro…strong…." He wanted to say more, but warm liquid filled his mouth. Shit, this was his blood wasn't it? He couldn't find the strength or will to speak.

"You should listen to him. I may not look like much, but I am very powerful," the arrancar said merrily. "I am Calputto Grey the 104th arrancar. The gap between Gild and I is enough to put an ocean between us." The human kept gazing at him. "It makes no difference. Even if you were to surrender I would still have to kill all of you for Silva-sama's behalf. I would have to kill everyone except for my prize for Silva-sama's behalf."

This bastard was something else. The way he talked to them as if it was a forgone conclusion that he would be victorious. Toyoda wanted bash his stupid face in he couldn't move his legs. His body knew something that he didn't know. It was like his body knew he couldn't possible win against this guy.

"104th arrancar," Sado mumble.

"Yes. You are correct," Calputto said cheerfully. "If you surrender I will make your death as painless as possible. If you try to fight back I'm afraid I'll have no choice, but to treat you the same way I did poor Gantenbainne. The choice is simp…." Sado rammed his fist straight into his mouth, shutting him up. He felt his feet leave the ground. Calputto found himself being thrown into the lifeless trees. His back collided into the white bark. It did little to break his fall. He went through several tress; leveling them until his momentum finally died. He forced his body back up he saw he was several yards away. The human and shinigami looked tiny from where he was. His hand went to his mouth to nurse the injury. He hadn't accounted for such power.

Sado had this much power? Toyoda watched the giant of a man with awe. He blew away the arrancar with a single punch. "Toyoda," Sado spoke. Still coming down from his awe the shinigami did answer the human. "Watch Gantenbainne and tell the girls I'll keep this away until Inoue can finish healing everyone. Please ask her to heal Gantenbainne as well. Don't worry about me. I think I can beat this guy."

"Right." He picked up the half conscious and battered arrancar. He moved carefully as not to cause any unnecessary harm to the beaten man. He jogged off into the cave. When they were gone Sado used his super speed to close up on Calputto.

"My, my, Sado Yasutora, I didn't expect you to as rude as to attack me while I was talking." He continued rub his mouth.

"Sorry, but time is a luxury I don't have. We'll have to hurry this up. If you leave more openings for me I'll take them."

"Oh my, you really are mean. I'll have to make this painful after all. You…." Sado threw punch at him. Calputto had to sidestep out of the way. The dark brown haired man quickly rerouted himself. He caught up to Calputto. The arrancar's eyes bulged out of their sockets from shock. The black armored fist hit him square in the stomach. The blow stole his breath away.

"YAH!" He poured as much of his spiritual power into his right arm. Reiatsu enhanced his strength even further. He threw the arrancar several more yards away. The 104th arrancar continued to skid through the branches until he left the forest. He landed on his face. The arrancar's Hierro couldn't withstand that blow without taking at least some damage. He appeared outside of the new opening of the forest that Calputto had newly created. The unmistakable sound of laughter filled Sado's ears. He didn't expect this reaction.

Calputto returned his feet. His giant smirk was visible. "That really hurt you know. Your strength has exceeded my expectations. To think you are fast enough to catch me unaware as well. You can cause me pain. I will share it with you."

* * *

**This chapter is mostly all fighting. I did tried to add some other things light hearted moments like Orihime and Rukia's brief little girl talk, while she was healing people. The rest of the chapter was mostly the battle and setting things up for the future of the story and Bleach universe. Where at the point in the story when this story will somewhat connect with LSS arc, except for the obvious changes that will take place. The romance will take a break for a while as the battles go on, but the bonds of the characters have with each other will get focus in the upcoming chapter though. **

**The main focus will be Orihime, Rukia, Sado, Uryu, and Renji for a while. The chances are if you are still following this story then I'm confident that you are fans of Ichigo's group and are actually interested in them getting spotlight without Ichigo coming in to save them at the last minute. It's probably not an extremely popular choice to have the main protagonist not take a combative role in a story as he usual has in the actual series, but it does make more sense to my story to have Ichigo be left out of the action to fuel his desire to regain his powers and protect his friends and family. He is in the backseat at the moment I believe I did a good job developing both Ichigo and Orihime throughout the story. If you are just hating seeing Ichigo down in the dumps and not fighting to back like he usual does I can only ask you stick with me a little longer. The next story will revolve around LSS arc, which will have Ichigo in a more combative role. If you are worried it will be a rehash of the actual arc in Bleach I can at least say there will be fair amount of changes that will keep it from being an exact rehash and I hope capture people's interests. Thank you for reading guys. Thank you for your patience. We're almost done. I will try to end the story to match the real Bleach universe as best I can. **


	59. The World Comes Crashing Down 2

**The chapter is done at last. It's hard to believe this chapter 59. I really appreciate all the people reading my story. I wasn't sure people would read this story when I posted it 3 years ago or even like it. I look at today and actually have people telling me they'll miss the story now that's coming to an end. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto though.**

* * *

This was a fine day. The sun was out. It wasn't too cloudy. The sky was a vivid blue that made a person who saw it thank God for allowing them to live to behold such a sight. It was a beautiful day, yet it was anything, but that. To an ordinary person the skies only held the glorious sun and blueness that stole ones breath. However, to the spiritually aware eyes the sky was littered with endless supply of horrific monsters of various shapes and sizes. They flooded the sky, casting a foreboding shadow below the earth. The only thing standing in these monsters' path of destruction and chaos were the officers of the Gotei 13. The shinigami of the 9th division did battle with their ancient foes, the hollows.

Early on the shinigami had gotten the advantage. They managed to bat everything the hollows threw at them. The hollows fell like rain drops. The poor bastards never set a foot passed the line the shinigami had set out. The 9th division rejoiced at their seemingly easy victory. It was short lived when countless number of hordes returned with Gillians leading the charge. Despair dominated them and caused many to lose hope. Victory wasn't dangling in the teeth of defeat, but was resting on its tongue as it sucked all the flavor of it. The shinigami resigned to their fate, except for their new captain, Muguruma Kensei and their vice-captain Hisagi Shuhei. Together the still newly founded team was able to slay waves of hollows between them. Their coordination and tactics reignited the rest of their spirits.

With each dead hollow the bolder the officers became. They jumped head first without much as a second thought to their own safety. Their valor empowered them. The 9th division ceased to exist and in their place was an impenetrable wall. Even being outnumbered did little to the breach the wall. Hollows' bodies became decoration to empty valley below them. If they had any say in it by the end of the day the valley would be full to the brim with dead hollows.

Shuhei threw one of his dual weapons at an incoming hollow. It sliced right the hollow's skull, killing it before it even got close to Shuhei. Without turning around the vice-captain swung his second weapon behind his back, cutting another feral hollow in half. "Unfortunately for you I've been trained to always pay attention to my surroundings," said Shuhei in low yet even tone. With all the force he could muster he swung his first weapon around by its chain. The kusarigama effortless waved through the air dissecting many masked beasts with a destructive grace unique to a weapon meant only for killing.

With a mere flick of his wrist the kusarigama returned to his hand. The reluctant slayer quickly scanned the area to find where he was needed most. His fellow division members were holding their own very nicely against the hollows. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th seats had formed a type of brigade. Together the four men beheaded them within seconds. From what he observed they had their own system. The 4th and 6th seats would lure the hollows in, while the 3rd and 5th seats came at the hollows from behind to decapitate them. It was a rather efficient system if Shuhei did say so himself. It was clear he wasn't needed there. His eagle eyes continued to travel back and forth. None of his division members were in any dire situations. One glance at the captain told him all he needed to.

Captain Muguruma put it upon himself to deal with all the Gillians. The captain's only order to him was to fall back and give support to anyone who needed it. The captain reasoned that Shuhei's shikai was versatile enough for sneak attacks and long range attacks needed to support any division members in trouble. Some of the division had misgivings about the order. They didn't like the idea of their new captain fighting alone. Shuhei was the exception. Unlike the other division members he had witnessed Captain Muguruma's power before. The man could easily slaughter Gillians in his sleep. He had proven that much when he almost effortlessly killed the Gillians that Aizen's monstrosity somehow created.

Knowing his new captain could handle the Gillains and seeing him utterly annihilating them with his own two eyes was as different as day and night. Captain Muguruma released his zanpakuto immediately. The very air and wind around them became an extension of the captain's blade. The vizard ripped apart Gillians without his blade ever touching them. Shuhei found himself contemplating if the Menos Grande level hollows could even see their demise or if the wind based attacks remained invisible to them. If he strained his eyes he could catch a glimpse of the captain's reiatsu manipulating the air. The dreaded Gillians that all students at the Shinigami Academy were told to never take on alone, were being bisected in droves by the captain alone.

The captain hadn't even pulled out his hollow mask to deal with them this time. The difference between captain class shinigami and regular shinigami was once again made apparent to all the members of the 9th division. Vice-captains were trained to take down Gillains on their own if they needed to. Shuhei wasn't terribly concerned about facing one alone, but he couldn't slaughter them on a whim as the captain did.

Captain Muguruma was a spectacular sight to behold. He waved combat knife and let the wind hack up the Gillians. The scowl was ever present on his rough exterior. It conveyed the pure essence of the captain. He was a hard man, stubborn and unyielding. Perhaps it was that indomitable will that allowed him to take command of untamable wind. In a way his zanpakuto was an expression of this. He was a warrior through in through. He was so different from his old captain, Tosen. Captain Tosen's philosophy had been how ugly battles were. They were an unnecessary evil to uphold justice and order. He never found joy in battle nor did he seek glory in battle. He feared battle as Shuhei did. Captain Muguruma didn't fear battle though. He embraced it as an old friend. He never saw fear in the silver haired man's eyes. Instead he saw a bondless courage that seeped through his pores. It in turn fed the division members. It gave them strength to fight on in the battle at the hopeless odds. It was the reason why they were winning without suffering as much causalities. The fear of battle was absent from Captain Muguruma. That inspired all of them. While he embraced battle it was not for the joy or love of it like with Captain Zaraki and the 11th division. He embraced it as an ally, because it was needed to bring order and justice to the world. It was this quality more than anything else that drew Shuhei to the reinstated captain.

Captain Muguruma was different from Captain Tosen. It showed in how they ran the 9th division. Captain Muguruma was harsher on them, but in a tough love way. He never asked for anything they couldn't do. The captain's heart was in the right place. Shuhei knew that from his own personal experience when the captain saved him when he was a boy. The words were rough and scowl frightening Shuhei took his advice to heart. Captain Muguruma was the reason he tattooed 69 on his face.

"Captain Muguruma," Shuhei called out. The silver haired vizard's gaze went straight to him. The scowl didn't melt away though. He was reminded of the difference between Captain Tosen and Captain Muguruma again. "The battle goes well. We've managed to keep all the hollows from the Spirit Keystone. Since the area isn't heavily populated with humans wet were able to evacuate and erase their memories."

Captain Muguruma's brow remained furrowed, but Shuhei was learning to read his body language. For this instance his captain continued to scowl, but his shoulders slumped slightly and the creases on his face lessened a bit. "Good job, Shuhei," he complimented. "Now that we have the advantage we'll keep pushing forward. Gather our 3rd through 6th seats officers. The six of us will go to meet the enemy head on. We'll push them back, while the rest of the division will stay here to hold the line."

"Right," he stated. "I'll relay your orders to the rest of the division." The vice-captain disappeared. He had mission to accomplish. He would follow the path with least bloodshed as he always done. He would do his part to establish the justice that both Captain Tosen and Captain Muguruma believed in. He appeared before the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th seated officers. The foursome dealt with another failed hollow attack.

"Vice-captain," the 3rd seat spoke solemnly.

"The captain wants us to start pushing the hollows back. We're going to keep them as far away from the Spirit Keystone as possible. We need to back up the captain to start pushing."

The 4th seat snorted loudly. "Is that all the captain wants? If he wants us to start playing hard ball we'll play hard ball," he bragged.

The 6th seat spoke up, "That's right. If the five of us join the captain on the frontlines we'll blow those hollows so far back they'll be in a different continent."

The 3rd seat shot both of his comrades a disapproving glare. "Don't underestimate the enemy. Just because we are winning now is no reason for us to get cocky. The battle could shift at any time," the 3rd seat lectured.

The others groaned at their 3rd seat's preachy approach, except for Shuhei. Everything the 3rd seat said was completely correct. One thing Shuhei had learned over the years was that overconfidence could be your undoing. Most of his division members didn't fight in the actual Arrancar War. They only heard stories of the shinigami coming out victorious over Aizen's arrancars. They had never actually experienced the power of the arrancars themselves or the Menos Grande hollows. Underestimating a Menos Grande was akin to flirting with death herself.

As if to prove his intuition correct a furious wave of fury consumed them. It drained all of the color from his comrades' faces and made his heart stop. This reiatsu was nothing like the hollows they had been fighting up until now. It utterly devoured every positive emotion in his heart, leaving nothing, but unimaginable darkness to swallow him whole. Years of vigorous training took control of his body. The vice-captain frantically searched for the source of the dark reiatsu. The only thing he captured was a shadow for about a blip of a second. When he returned to where he saw it there was nothing, but air.

His search was fruitless until an anguished wail alerted him that the danger was among them. Shuhei turned around to find their 4th seated officer fall to the earth. His blood splattered dangerously free from his chest. He watched as life slowly evaporated from the man.

"HIRO!" screeched the 5th seat. The sensation of disbelief overwhelmed him. How could this be happening? It wasn't even a minute ago that they were all about to rally against their know-it-all of a 3rd seat. They weren't best friends. They were co-workers who spent time with each other during work. That didn't mean they had no bond. That didn't stop him from feeling a boiling rage at seeing his comrade fall. "You damn hollow! I'll kill you!" He released his zanpakuto in the blink of an eye. He charged head first against their masked enemy.

Shuhei couldn't believe what an idiot this kid was. He was charging before he even got a glimpse of the hollow. With the monstrous reiatsu radiating from the hollow it was clear it was no common every day hollow. "Wait! We need to assess the situation before we go rushing blindly at it!" But his warning fell on deaf ears. He wouldn't listen. The only thing running through the 5th seat's mind was revenge.

The shadow ran right passed the rash shinigami. His zanpakuto was broken while his side was cut open. Blood spilled out just as it had happened with their 4th seat. "Not again!" Shuhei heard the 6th seated officer.

Their party dropped from five to three. There was no longer any doubt in Shuhei's mind on what they were facing. A hollow with the strength to fell two seated shinigami officers and move so fast that they were only able to catch its shadow, there was few choices of who their attacker was. "Keep your guard up. This isn't just some hollow. It's a Menos Grande."

"A Menos Grande! I thought they were all fighting the captain!"

"Evidently not!" cried the 3rd seat.

"Don't lump in with those mindless beasts."

The gods of death tracked the voice and found the elusive hollow with their own eyes. They weren't prepared for the sight that beheld. It wasn't gigantic as most of its brethren. It was not much bigger than a normal hollow. It had stubby little legs that weren't much for speed they witnessed. Its whole body was covered in an overgrown spiked shell. The symbol of hollows, the white bone-like mask attached to its face. Attached to the back of the mask was a wild dark orange fur. The right side of the mask's cheek was a triangular shape present. While its appearance was a drastic step away from hollows' usual forms there was at least one feature it shared with it brethren, those black dead eyes.

"What type of hollow is that?"

It was a fair question to Shuhei. There was no mistaking it for a Gillian, but it was still worlds apart from the more common stalk of hollows. With a reiatsu that great and the intelligence it had to be at least a Menos Grande class. "Adjuchas," Shuhei said under his breath. How could the enemy have even persuaded Adjuchas to fight for them? What did their appearance mean for the battlefield? How was it able to slip by Captain Muguruma's watchful eye?

Unbeknown to Shuhei the silver haired vizard was also at a loss as to how the turtle hollow had gotten past him. _'Shit! The Adjuchas went after the others! I have to take it now,' _Kensei thought. He tightened his grip on Tachikaze. The wind submitted to their power. It waited patiently for Kensei to direct it, so that it could unleash all the pent up fury it had. He would literally blow that turtle bastard away. Right when he was about to bring his Tachikaze down some force snatched his forearm. It was keeping his zanpakuto in place. He didn't have time for this. Thinking on his feet was a skill he long mastered. Kensei already repurposed the wind swirling around the blade to slice open whoever was stupid enough to grab him.

"Big mis….." A massive black hand made contact with his cheek. The force of the blow caught the reinstated captain by surprise. He was thrown to the ground.

"Captain!" cried Shuhei. The bastard of a Gillian took advantage of Captain Muguruma when he was trying to come to their aid. The Gillian didn't stop there. He began beating his fists against the earth over and over again. He wished he could say the attack was random display of savagery, but Shuhei knew better. It was attacking the captain. Against that relentless barrage he feared even someone as strong as his captain wouldn't walk away from it. Shuhei rushed to his captain's side without a second thought.

All he needed to do was attack the Gillian. The assault didn't need to be successful or not. As long as he was able to strike at it then it would distract it from attacking Captain Muguruma.

"Vice-captain Hisagi, look out! It's attacking from behind you!"

Shit! How could he have been so stupid as to forget about the hollow? He was barely able to turn around in time to see the Adjuchas had retreated into its shell and launched itself right at him. It was all he could do to use kusarigama to block it. It did nothing to lessen the incredible power. Shuhei was steamrolled. Conjuring his reiatsu on the heels of his feet did little to reinforce his body. The hollow's spiritual power was disrupting his reiatsu, making it impossible to get a stable grip.

For his troubles he was rewarded by being thrown into the earth. Tomorrow morning his back was going to be killing him. The turtle Adjuchas wasn't letting up. It came galloping downward in his position. With no time to properly recuperate Shuhei's legs were already moving as fast as they could. He narrowly avoided the incoming attack. The debris and dust from the rocky terrain swept over him, completely blinding him.

"Perfect, just perfect," he growled. He would never see the hollow coming in all of this. He would have to rely on his ears and sixth sense for the next strike. If only he was as proficient as Captain Tosen was he wouldn't have to worry. The hollow's speed was remarkable. Damn it all. Weren't turtles supposed to be slow?

The rustling of the air alerted him. The deadpan shinigami evaded another attack. His body twisted in such an awkward way he was surprised he didn't dislocate anything. Thank the Soul King that the damn hollow couldn't freely change his direction in midflight. Shuhei jumped skyward. If he could position himself better he could land a direct blow. It wasn't surprising that the turtle was chasing his heels.

"You want me? Then come and get me you!" He twirled his scythed weapon in hopes of enticing it. If it was a success or not he'd never know, but the turtle fiend did speed up. He fell for it. Shuhei threw one of his kusarigama straight for it. Naturally it bounced right off the hard shell, but it did wrap itself around the shell at least. It didn't notice that little fact though. With a simple pull the vice-captain was able to use his foe's momentum to pull him forward. He proved his acrobatics once more. Shuhei avoided the spikes on the shell and placed himself on it with no complications.

'_I didn't think my weapon could break this shell, but I knew I could entangle you with it. All I have to do is wait for it to stop then get out of its shell to launch another attack. Once he does that I'll ram by blade straight through his skull and kill it!' _The plan was sound. The question was would it work? He was already struggling to keep his grip on the hollow as it was. Their opposing reiatsu was working against him. It made it extremely difficult to keep hold of it. The wind became an enemy. It kept beating him as if it was trying to knock him off. This was not one of his better ideas.

"Do you think I can't feel you on my shell, shinigami?" Apparently he wasn't a stealthy type of person either. "I told you I'm not the same as those mindless beasts. It will take more than such a simple tactic to kill me." It proved its point effectively. One of its spikes impaled him straight through the chest.

He didn't think the turtle could fire off the spikes as projectiles. If it had been a little more to the left that would have hit his heart and he would be dead. While it didn't claim his life it did claim most of his strength. The wind was too much for him. Shuhei was pushed off the Adjuchas.

Another thing he had in common with his new captain was he fell like a stone when freefalling. If he didn't keep it together he was dead. He had no desire to die yet. Shuhei channeled his reiatsu to slow his descent and ultimately subverting it. The gaping hole in his flesh would not be as easily subverted. Now he was in worse shape to fight with an Adjuchas class Menos Grande. The wretched turtle was glaring at him. _'So arrogant he left that shell of his to look me in the eyes,' _he thought bitterly.

"You shinigami aren't as powerful as you think you are. I was able to strike down four of you with one blow."

It took the others down as well? With Captain Muguruma preoccupied he was the only one left to fight the turtle Adjuchas. If only his weapon had more power than he could break the troublesome shell open and drag his ass out.

The turtle Adjuchas sneered in obvious disgust. "Looking at you makes me sick to my stomach. DIE!" He retracted into his shell. Knowing what was coming Shuhei readied his weapons to defend. He was losing too much blood to dodge effectively anymore. The turtle initiated a new trick. It spun at rapid speeds.

"What?" If it was spinning that fast he doubted he could block it successfully this time around. His strength was already lacking enough as it was. The situation went from bad to worse.

The hollow spoke, "By rapidly spinning like this I can increase my offensive power. With all the spikes on my shell I'll be able to drill right through anyone. This is the end for you, shinigami." It dashed toward the black robed man.

There was no time to dodge. The speed was too much for him now. If what he said was true then blocking with kusarigama was useless. _'Sorry, Captain Tosen, Captain Muguruma, I got to careless.' _There was nothing he could now except wait for death and accept it gracefully. Yet, it didn't come. Death hadn't claimed him yet. Why did she ignore him though? He opened his eyes, not even realizing he closed them, found a green haired girl wearing a full white body suit and bright orange scarf all that was between him and his shelled foe. Those curves and bright lime green strands registered somewhere in his memory.

It was hard to recall his memory with brain feeling woozy from the bleeding he was doing. He should have learned some healing Kido like Kira. His mind was not as sharp as it normally was, but his eyes worked. He saw the girl stopped the Adjuchas with her hand and kept it at bay. This girl possessed immense physical strength! "Mashiro Kick!" exclaimed the girl. Shuhei marveled at the true depths of her strength. The hollow was sent flying of as if it were a ball kicked. The turtle Adjuchas was thrown so far away that it became a speck.

He couldn't process it completely. How could he? He got tossed like a rag doll when he attempted to block the Adjuchas' charge. This girl not only stopped him with her hands, but then kicked him into orbit.

"YeeeeeeeeeeAAAAHHHH!" hollered the girl at the top of her lungs.

She made a pose from those old children superhero programs he had caught a glimpse of during missions in the Human World. Shuhei's eyes bugled out of their sockets. His memory came flowing back to him. The girl's image became as clear as crystal ball. The girl was Kuna Mashiro, one of the vizards who helped them against Aizen. That explained her incredible strength. Kuna faced him and gave a victory sign. The white insect mask rested on her face no doubt hid the victorious smile she wore underneath it.

He was at a loss of how to react. He merely nodded his head dumbly. He was sure it made him look like a jackass. "You're Kuna right?" he managed to say after a short while.

"Yep, that's me," she said brightly. She invaded his personal space. Her masked face was inches away from his bare face. Discomfort set in Shuhei. The mask concealed her eyes, but he was completely bare to her. He felt her unwavering gaze examining every little thing about him.

She touched his vice-captain badge tied to his arm. "You're Kensei's vice-captain?" she asked. Her tone was hard to discern. It sounded disapproving, defensive, and bit hurt at the same time.

"Ye-yeah, I'm Hisagi Shuhei," he breathed out. He was losing a lot of blood. He had to do something to cover up this inferno wound.

"You don't look all that special at all, Tattoo-chan!"

"T-ta…tattoo-chan," he repeated. She actually called him Tattoo-chan. If anyone else heard her he would never live it down. Rangiku would hound him forever if she ever heard it. Knowing her she would spread it all around Seireitei. Everyone would be laughing behind his back!

The vizard stuck her chest out to pout. "Why would Kensei want someone like you? It makes no sense at all!" He didn't know how he should react. He was being insulted by a woman he didn't even know. At the same she saved his life. He was conflicted on to tell her off or hold his tongue.

"Where is Kensei?" she asked aloud.

"The captain is…." Shuhei shoved the lime green haired vizard out of the way hard.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. He blocked out her objection and concerned himself with the incoming spikes. His body screamed at him for putting it through more strenuous activity, but it complied with him. Together they were able to swat away all three spikes. He took solace in the minor victory. He hoped it was worth the lumps he got.

The Adjuchas glared menacingly at the pair. He could feel its killer intent barring down at him. He wagered that Kuna could feel it as well. A crack manifested itself on the once formidable fortress. It was a sign of good fortune. "Don't think you can throw me around, shinigami!" The reiatsu around its body intensified. The spikes increased their length. The hollow was readying for a final strike. It wasn't holding anything back this time. "By charging up my reiatsu I can produce an aura that's impenetrable and increase the cutting power of my spikes. You won't be able to stop this attack. It's my absolute strongest technique. No shinigami or hollow wannabe can stop it!"

"What are we going to do now?" Shuhei turned to Kuna. She took another of those ridiculous poses. His first instinct was to chastise to her, but before he could open his mouth she charged her reiatsu. The volume left him speechless. She wasn't just fooling around like he thought.

"Tattoo-chan helped me so I'll help him," Mashiro declared. "I'll blow him away with one blow!"

"Blow me away with one blow?" the Adjuchas sneered. "Don't take me lightly!" He retreated into his reinforced shell and launched right at them for a second time.

Kuna charged right for it, taking off like a rocket. He witnessed as the two speeding forces were on a collision course.

"Mashiro….." All the reiatsu she had been charging was being focused into her leg. "….Super…." The masked opponents were nearing within each other's reaches. "…..Kick!" She planted her foot on the shell so hard that Shuhei could hear rumbling from where he was. Within seconds the shell cracked opened. Its resident was thrust into the world without warning. To its horror Kuna's kick didn't stop there. Her foot went right through its skull, splitting it open and traveled through the rest of its body and tearing it asunder.

He knew the vizards were powerful. Shinigami with their powers enhanced by hollow powers could only produce a powerful being. He never conceived that a simple kick from a vizard could rip an Adjuchas apart though.

"I told you I would blow him away with one blow!" she boasted.

"Yeah, looks like you weren't just bragging." He tore part of his robes to wrap around his wound. It would have to do until he could get something better. At least he was in better shape than the rest of his division members. He was going to call in a request for some healers pronto.

"Are you going to be ok, Tattoo-chan?"

He physical cringed at his new nick name. "Yes. Don't worry. I just need a good healer and I'll be fine. We have to worry about the captain. He's in trouble."

"Kensei is in trouble?" Shuhei informed her of the Gillian that got the jump on Captain Muguruma. Together the polar opposites rushed to his rescue. They soon found their efforts were unnecessary. By the time they reached the Gillian the silver haired vizard stopped its massive fist with his superior strength. The captain was unblemished. Anger marred his expression.

"You're starting to really piss me off." Kensei rammed his zanpakuto into the massive hand. The Gillian was ripped into shreds by the wind right before their eyes. Man the Gillian worked his last nerve. As bad as it's the assault was it didn't enrage him nearly as much as a certain lime green haired woman in a white body suit did. He had to take a second glance. His eyes weren't playing tricks on him. It really was Mashiro standing beside Shuhei. "Mashiro." He couldn't keep the surprise out of his words.

"Kensei, you idiot, how could you let yourself get beat up by a Gillian?"

The surprise turned into annoyance that only she could provoke. "What was that?"

"I said Kensei is a big idiot." She put her hands on her hip for emphasis.

"You added the big idiot part just now!"

"You're a big idiot," she reiterated. "You're big idiot! You're a big idiot! You're a big idiot!"

"You're the idiot!" he rounded back at her.

Sensing an argument about to breakout Shuhei put himself between the two vizards. "Captain, please we don't have time for this. The Adjuchas took down many of our seated officers."

Shuhei was right. He couldn't let Mashiro make him forget the bigger picture. "Send a request to Soul Society. The healers should be on standby. Once they get here have them heal the officers with the most serious injuries first. Everyone else can wait." Shuhei followed his orders without question. It was refreshing to have a subordinate that acted professionally for a change. He was different from Mashiro. The girl was still wearing her mask. Hadn't she learned anything? "Take off the mask and give yourself a rest," he ordered. "You may be able to stay hollowified for 15 hours normally, but if you exhausted your power during a fight your mask will shatter and leave you vulnerable. It's better to rest yourself in between fights."

She wasn't listening. It was in one ear and out the other. Why did he even bother with her? "Why are you even here?"

"That's a stupid question," Mashiro claimed.

He wasn't going to explode. No. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He was calm. He was perfectly calm and collected.

"I came here to help you," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She came all this way just to help him. For the first time in a while he really looked at Mashiro. Her mask dissolved (she actually took his advice). In those big bubbly brown eyes he saw concern. She was worried about him. They fought like cats and dogs. She got under his skin like no other ever could, but it didn't change the fact that for over a century they had stuck together. Arguments broke out between them the truth was the ditzy brat wormed her way into his heart. The feeling was mutual it seemed. Seeing her again brought back memories. He actually missed her pissing him off.

"She helped us out," Shuhei spoke up. "If it weren't for her that Adjuchas would have killed me."

A bright smile appeared on her face. She really was a child at heart. "Tattoo-chan saved me too."

Kensei stifled back a laugh. His new vice-captain grumbled. Shuhei didn't approve of Mashiro's nickname. "It looks like you saved my vice-captain. You think you can back me up? Shuhei is going to have to wait here until the 4th division show up to heal him and the others. They're going to need us to keep hollows at bay until their finished getting healed. What do you say?"

The lip fell back into place and his former vice-captain frown turned upside down. "Let's do it, Kensei! You rest here Tattoo-chan. Kensei and I will keep hollows off your back!"

"Captain, are you really going to be fine with just the two of you? You can still take the officers who weren't wounded to help you."

"No. It is better that they stay here to protect the wounded and hold the line just in case some get pass me or Mashiro. You sit back and get healed then come and back us up." The tattoo faced shinigami nodded in agreement.

"Good luck, Captain Muguruma, Kuna," he said. Shuhei watched the two vizards fly off to face the nearly endless horde of hollows alone. They would fine. Those two would hold the line alone until he and the others could join them. When they all reunited they would show all the hollows the strength of the 9th division.

* * *

Sado didn't like the smirk on Calputto's face. The arrancar just got thrashed and he treated it like he was losing a game. It reminded him of Gild in a way, except there something more sinister to Calputto's jovial. Blood stained the arrancar's lip, yet he didn't let it bother him at all. _'I have to be on guard, but I also can't let this drag. If I kill him before he can use his resurreccion I can end it now.'_

The 104th arrancar unsheathed his zanpakuto and discarded his black cloak. He had to get at Calputto now before he released his zanpakuto. Sado broke out into a run until Calputto embedded his blade into his heart. The human stopped in his tracks. Terror moved onto his face. Calputto killed himself! He had no idea what possessed the arrancar to do such a thing.

"Sever, Masoquismo." The arrancar was engulfed by dark crimson substance. It was thick as it could be, almost appearing to be paste like. It spared no strand or flake to Calputto. His entire body was swallowed whole. Sado cursed himself for stopping. Sado should have known he would only stab himself to initiate his resurreccion. Berating himself wouldn't solve anything. Sado decided to be more productive. He summoned his sleeker, white and red armored left arm. If the arrancar was going to use his full power he might as well do the same.

The crimson substance dissipated suddenly instantaneously. The man who was once inside of it was exposed to the world once more, along with his new appearance. The white hakama were replaced by wore dark gray pants. The white jacket he wore was open, revealing his chest. In the middle of his chest was the hole that all hollows and arrancars possessed. The sleeves were missing and exposed his arms. White wrapping adorned his stomach. The pony tail was unbounded. His snowy blond hair overflowed with lusciousness. His gorgeous mane wasn't the most striking feature. His arms, chest, and even his face were covered by what appeared to be thin pin like needles. It was a rather bizarre mixture of piercings and acupunctures. Attached to his back appeared to be a square shaped appendage. It was attached by two large needle-like blades buried into his shoulders. A heart shape crest was in the middle of the square appendage. The irises of his eyes were turquoise and pupils were pitch-black. The remnants of his mask resting on his forehead remained unchanged.

This was Calputto's resurreccion. The changes were not nearly as drastic as Gild's or Gantenbainne's. Or at least the physical changes were not as drastic as they could have been. From what he had learned from battle stories of the war the arrancar with the least physical changes in their resurreccion were the often the most dangerous ones. The reiatsu emitted from the hollow-shinigami hybrid pulled his heart out of his chest. He could both feel and not feel it at the same time. He got the sense that there was immense pressure, but it felt it was only taking up space. It was a vacuum that sucked everything in its path up. Sado wanted to look away from him out of fear he would be swallowed up if he kept his gaze locked on the arrancar. His more logical side scolded him for being so fearful. The silent giant kept his gleam locked on Calputto, yet it didn't erode his fears completely.

"This is the first time I've had to go into my resurreccion in a long while," Calputto mused. "To be honest I don't like to use it unless I absolutely have to. I wanted to try to fight you in my human form a bit more to see if I could win before resorting to this."

"Why did release your zanpakuto then?"

The former Espada answered the human with a meaningless shrug. "Your words were compelling. You've made it perfectly clear that you don't intend to hold anything back. I have feeling that if I hold back against you I'll end up dead. I'll fight you at full power." He flexed his left forearm. Out from his wrist one of the needles grew in length and width. His fingers wrapped around it. In one swift motion he drew it, unveiling its full length. The truth was more of a sword then it was a needle at this point. "There is no time to waste."

Calputto dematerialized leaving no trace of him to the normal eye. However, Sado's eyes were able to track his every movement. The arrancar stepped behind him. Calputto flung his makeshift sword down on him. Sado spun around before the arrancar could touch him. The hollow powered human blocked it with his shield. The arrancar was unprepared for that. Sado took advantage of his surprise by pushing him back, which also made him losing his footing. Sado continued to reap the benefits. He punched Calputto into the abdomen with his offensive arm. The arrancar lifted into the air thanks to Sado's herculean strength.

Not to be undone Calputto recovered quickly. He flickered in and out of sight with Sonido. What he failed to realize was that his human opponent was able to follow and keep up with his speed. The arrancar attempted another strike from behind it ended in failure for a second time. Instead of blocking it Sado caught the blade with his hand. His lips curved into a prideful half smirk.

Calputto matched his smirk. Out from his left hand a second needle blade emerged. Much to Sado's horror it was aimed right for his head. On the skin of his teeth the giant of a man craned his neck, only losing a few stray hairs as oppose to his whole head. Immediately he retaliated with a head butt. The unconventional tactic dazed his arrancar foe, allowing him to finish up with an uppercut that was guaranteed to leave him simmering.

At least he had made knocking Calputto off his ass into a game. He would be lying if he said he didn't take any satisfaction in the pain that Inoue's attacker was in. He did stab her in the chest after all. It wasn't long before the former Espada came crashing back down to the earth, albeit on his face.

"My, my, your strength is even greater than before." Sado frowned. Calputto didn't sound like a man on the losing end of fight. He still sounded like he was enjoying himself at the day at the park. He got back up and dusted himself off, despite his upper lip was bleeding. "Your left arm has more power than your right despite it being sleeker. No, I should rephrase that. Your left arm doesn't have more power only its power is being used for mostly offense, while your right arm's power is mostly going to its defense. I must admit you are a balanced fighter. I wasn't expecting your speed to at my level."

"I'm glad to hear that. I've been working to build up my speed."

"It shows," Calputto complimented. "You should be proud of yourself. While I'm not the fastest of the Privaron Espada my speed still surpasses the most."

The hollow smile returned to his face. It was unsettling. "I'm still not as fast as my mentor wants me to be yet," Sado said.

"Your mentor is too harsh then. Your speed is excellent."

"You think so? The truth is I can only now just see some of her movements when she stops going easy on me. Even now I can't even react in time."

"Who is your mentor if I may ask?"

"Shihoin Yoruichi," Sado stated.

The Goddess of Flash was his mentor! He heard of her legendary speed from Aizen himself. Even his former master praised Yoruichi's speed. If the human had trained under her it made perfect sense why he was able to keep up with him. The humans were stronger than he gave them credit for. He didn't expect Sado Yasutora to give him this much trouble. It would be wiser to not underestimate him. 'This doesn't change anything. With my ability I will crush this human.' The thin lips curled into a smothering smirk. "My speed cannot compare to the Goddess of Flash, but don't let that put you at easy. I haven't begun to show you all of my capabilities." He shot speeding needles from the palm of his hands.

Unimpressed Sado used his shield to stop them. They weren't powerful enough to break his shield. Calputto fired off two more, four more after that, six, eight, ten, and twelve. Sado defeated each and every shot fired at him. They didn't gain any more strength than the first needles Calputto shot at him. If this was his resurreccion ability it was a weak one or weak compared to the level Sado was on now.

Deciding to counter he unleashed a might stream of spiritual energy through his right fist. His right arm wasn't meant for attacking it could still be used to a decent attack. Calputto to his credit evaded the blast without much effort on his part. However, Sado was chasing after him. As strange as it sounded it felt like the sand was helping give him an extra push to increase his speed. The two hollow powered enemies were standing face to face. Calputto tried to slash him, but only collected another failure. Sado dodged it, while simultaneously landing a strike on his cheek. Not letting up he unleashed a series of strikes all over the 104th arrancar. Calputto was unable to react at all. All he could do was take the abuse. Blow by blow his face, abdomen, cheeks, and even his mouth were forced to endure. It came to an end when Sado finished with a straight jab at the chest, bringing the mighty arrancar to his knees figuratively. Literally he was thrown on his back after skidding across the white sands of Hueco Mundo.

He wouldn't get up after that assault for a while. Sado took a much deserved breather when his foe returned to his feet as if nothing had happened. If it weren't for the bruises on his face, engraved fist marks on his chest, and spilled blood on his lip you wouldn't have known he had just taken a beating. He was used to fighting tough opponents, but this was something else.

"Are you shocked?" Calputto questioned. The human remained silent he knew he was. "My resurreccion turns off my pain receptors. It is impossible for me to feel any pain at all in this form."

He was lying. He had to be. There was no way he couldn't feel pain. He had seen many powers that suspended his disbelief over the year since he got his powers the ability to eliminate pain felt too fictional to be real.

"Don't believe me? Why do you think my resurreccion is named Masoquismo? I've endured so much pain during my times as a human and hollow, physical, mental, and spiritual abuse has numbed my brain to the sensation of pain. It is only fitting that my resurreccion should replicate that effect and use in on grander scale. If you don't believe me then come at me with everything you've got. You won't be able to knock me unconscious. The only way to defeat me is to kill me."

"Then nothing's changed," Sado said boldly. He charged head first at the inviting Calputto. The arrancar even went as far as to wait for him with open arms literally. If this was how he wanted to play it who was Sado to disagree? He bombarded the smug arrancar. A good left hook actually caused Calputto to spin out of control before he landed on his backside. When he connected his right fist with ribs he could feel them break under his strength. Yet Calputto let out no cry or scream of agony. He laughed it off. He just laughed and laughed with every hit that landed on him. His face was a disaster. It was swollen and bloody that he couldn't recognize Calputto.

"See. I told you I can't feel anything." He stopped talking when Sado punched him in the chest for what was probably the twentieth time. He skipped away from the tiring human. "Since you are tired I'll take a turn." A bright crimson of energy shaded Sado. The human furrowed his brow as the Cero fully formed out of Calputto's mouth. Once it was fully charged he unleashed it fury upon the human.

He wasn't afraid. He had seen Cero so many times already during his training with Hiyori that it was downright boring. He sure as hell wasn't going to lose out to a Cero. True to his word he brushed the discharge of energy to the side to show Calputto what he thought of the arrancars' favorite fallback technique. He released his own burst of energy and unlike the Cero his reached Calputto. The arrancar did what he done best this entire battle, get blown way. Parts of his skins had been burned by the heat of the blast.

"Such power," Calputto said. "Not only did you swat away my Cero, but you also released a massive blast of spiritual energy. That Cero I fired would have been powerful enough to incinerate Gild's Mayor Ponder completely. You managed to stop it without so much as glistening. Bravo on your remarkable improvement in just three short months. However, this isn't enough to kill me. You'll have to do more than that if you hope to win."

'_How much can his body endure before he dies? His resurreccion eliminates pain, but it shouldn't increase his durability though. He trying to wait me out until I exhaust myself then he'll attack me. With all my training with Yoruichi-san and Hiyori my stamina has improved a lot. I can keep this up before I exhaust my body or reiatsu. The advantage is still mine. I expected more from him. He is supposed to be one of the top four arrancar of the Privaron Espada. His resurreccion is so lackluster. All of his abilities have gone up, but is techniques are so ordinary. Is he just this weak or have I surpassed him this much because of my training?'_

"Come, come, Sado Yasutora. If you just stand there I'll take advantage of it…" Calputto appeared above him. "…just like this," he finished. Two new longer needle swords extended from his forearms.

He was able to escape Calputto's reach. He never felt this fast before in his whole life. It felt like there was a real spring in his step that let him get the jump on his opponent. The speed Calputto was proud of simply wasn't enough. The arrancar was the victim of Sado's speed. Calputto blocked Sado's fist with his face as always. As always he witnessed the arrancar skid across the desert as pebble in skidded across water. "Is his speed actually going down?" That was no cause for concern. He merely turned off his pain receptors, but that wouldn't mean his injuries wouldn't slow down his body even if he can't feel it. That was logical. Why did it make his skin crawl?

On cue he got back up. His right shoulder looked dislocated. He wasn't even moving his right arm at all. The annoying smile hadn't lessened in any sense of the word. Sado couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking into a trap. What else could he do? He couldn't just leave and move on. There was no telling what this man would do if he turned his back on him. He had to kill him in the next blow. If he killed Calputto before he sprung his trap there would be no reason to worry.

The battles were in full swing now. Rukia could sense the Ishida and Sado's reiatsu battling the familiar presence of arrancar reiatsu. She hadn't sensed this high level of reiatsu from the arrancars before. Her human friends were right about the Privaron Espada being the strongest bred of arrancar after the true Espada. There was a noticeable difference between Ishida and Sado's opponents and the normal arrancars. They were as apparent as a pond and an ocean. These would be opponents not easily defeated. As impressed as Rukia was of the Privaron Espada she was equally impressed by Ishida and Sado. They were both strong. The last time she was them they had surprised her by how much they improved. The level of power they attained recently put their old ones to shame. They were seasoned warriors with both the technique and power to carry them through battles of this caliber. They were valuable allies to Soul Society.

"Do you sense that too, Kuchiki?" Toyoda ventured.

Rukia snorted. She would have to be blind, deaf, and stupid to miss high level reiatsu like this clashing. "Fool, of course I do. Judging from the increase of power it is safe to say the arrancars have released their zanpakuto."

Toyoda had seen the release of arrancar zanpakuto. He even fought some of them. He got used to them. What he was sensing now. It wasn't the reiatsu of arrancar who had gone into their resurreccion. It was a vortex of pure energy. He could only comprehend section of a larger painting. If he was the entire painting he feared his inability to process it would shatter his mind. His bones were being crushed by the pressure of the clashing reiatsu. If he gotten any closer would he even be able to blink? Kuchiki stood there like nothing had happened. He both admired and envied her. She wasn't the only one. Inoue was unaffected by the pressure either. She had just finished healing the last of the shinigami and the rogue arrancar Gantenbainne. Both parties were not only 100 percent, but they were exactly the same condition and shape as they were before they are injured, even their clothing.

"Kuchiki-san, I recognized Sado-kun's opponent. He is the same person I fought in the Human World."

"You actually fought that freak?" Toyoda asked, squirming.

Orihime nodded. "He was strong."

"I don't doubt it," Toyoda interjected. "The guy gives off bad vibes."

"Whoever he is, Sado is winning against him," Rukia stated. Both Orihime and Toyoda's eyes went to her. "Sado's opponent's reiatsu has been gradually worn down, while his has stayed mostly the same. Ishida's battle appears far more even."

Toyoda rejoiced. Sado was too much for that freak to handle. "He'll win for sure."

"If things continue to go this way Sado will win," Rukia agreed. She had seen enough abilities and techniques from the arrancar to not underestimate them.

Orihime had her own misgivings. Sado-kun was strong. She knew he wouldn't go down easily. She didn't doubt his ability to win. She had got a feel for this particular arrancar. She was only exposed to him for a little, while she never forgot how made her feel. He was a devilish figure. Devils didn't go down easily. They went down kicking and screaming, determined to bring you down with them. "Something's not right."

"Nothing is right." Gantenbainne walked up to the group. "Calputto is too dangerous for someone like Sado Yasutora to fight alone."

"Are you kidding? Sado's reiatsu hasn't gone down at all, but your old buddy's reiatsu going down like it's out of style. I'm sure he has a few tricks up his sleeves, but Sado is close to finishing him," Toyoda bragged.

"You people don't understand a damn thing!" he screamed, startling the group. "Calputto's not dangerous just because he is strong. His ability will turn the whole battle around."

"What ability could do that?" Rukia demanded.

"Calputto's ability lets him…."

The lightning like reiatsu charged in the tips of Sado's fingers. He balled his hand into a fist. The cackling filled the air waves, displaying the true power of devil arm. He flooded it with as much reiatsu as he could spear. Calputto had gotten up from everything else he threw at him. The longer this drew out the more likely it was for him to fall for Calputto's trap. The moment of truth was here. They would find out how he dealt with Sado's strongest technique. He shot off like a bullet.

He closed in on Calputto he could see the whites of his eyes, or greens of his eyes in this case. He pulled his arm back and mental chose to target his abdomen. The former Espada chuckled away. He didn't even attempt to get out of the way. His instincts screamed at him to back away, but if he hesitated then he knew his attack would fail. He fortified his resolve by expelling all stray doubts residing in his heart. "La Muerte!" shouted Sado. He hit the arrancar as hard as he could. Calputto's whole body quaked. Sado's lightning like reiatsu tore away at the body, splitting open the skin all over his body. Blood quashed out from all directions. The precious life red liquid dyed everything. The hybrid was on his knees. His entire body was wrecked beyond use. The heart crest went unnoticed by Sado. He didn't know the crest was a bright red. He didn't suspect what this development meant. His enemy's leer remained.

"Calputto's ability lets him turn his pain into a weapon," explained Gantenbainne.

"What does that mean?" Orihime asked.

"All damage he takes, every wound inflicted on him, and every injury he sustains is stored up on the crest on his body. The more damage he takes the more his crest fills up. When the crest is full it will be a bright red color. That's when he unleashes feedback."

A wave of bright red rushed out of Calputto's chest. Sado was flooded by the redness. Piece by piece he could feel his skin ripped off. His bones were lit on fire. His brain had every sensation and thought was burned away. In his brain's wake was only one piece of the brain left unharmed, the part that registered pain. It was overloaded. He couldn't make a sound because his lungs and tongue were seared.

Gantenbainne continued, "The feedback is sum of the pain inflicted on him. Once he unleashes it all of injuries will be undone. His enemies will consumed by every attack they used on him. It's poetic justice in a way. Calputto escapes unscathed while his enemies are killed by their own hand.

Sado glued on his back. The armor on both his arms was brittle and worn out. The shield was broken into three large pieces. The right side of his face was bleeding heavily. Twitching caused excruciating pain. It was a wonder he retained consciousness.

"I'm sorry, but I actually lied when I said my Masoquismo turned off my pain receptors. I felt everything you did to me. It was excruciating. My Masoquismo's true power is to throwback every wound inflicted on me. As you can see it leaves completely healed. Oh, dear are you still alive? I did tell you I would share my pain with you."

Renji and his team were nearing the location of the former Spirit Keystone. Their journey was met with no complications. None of the hollows wanted to risk their lives to fight them. Renji was thankful not having to waste his time on hollows.

"Vice-captain Abarai, when do you think we'll get there?"

"We shouldn't be much longer. I estimate were about five minutes out according to Ishida's phone." Renji had to hand it to Urahara. The man came up with the best gadgets. "When we get there we'll have to deal with one of the arrancar. I want you all to hold back unless I order you to do otherwise. We can't afford to make any mistakes." This would be a good test for his training.

"Vice-captain, there is something up ahead!"

He could make out a person, but no characteristics yet. When they got closer he could see that it was a woman. She wore the standard arrancar uniform and had long straight jet black hair. "Remember what I said. Don't get involved unless I order you otherwise."

"Yes, vice-captain," they answered in unison.

The team of shinigami stopped in front of the arrancar. Renji pulled forward, leaving the rest of his team to watch from afar. "I take it you won't let us pass will you?" he asked. She didn't say a word. "I don't usually like to fight women. If you stand down I would appreciate it."

"No," she said.

"So you do talk," he quipped. "You should know I have to defeat you and stop Hueco Mundo from crashing into Human World."

"You should know I won't allow that to happen," she said.

The vice-captain drew his zanpakuto. "This can only end one way."

"In your death," she finished. Silva drew her zanpakuto.

* * *

**Renji meets Silva. Chad has been defeated by Calputto. Uryu is locked into battle with Joaquin. The clocking is ticking. Hueco Mundo draws closer and closer to Human World. What will happen next? I hope you guys enjoyed the 9****th**** division battle. I wanted to show glimpses of all the vizard captains bonding or working with their vice-captains. I showed Shinji and Momo and had one scene with Rose and Kira. I had to show Kensei and Hisagi. I added Mashiro to the bit to show her bond with Hisagi for a bit. I'm not sure how many of you guys read the manga, but for those of you that do I try to tie in a few of my developments with the manga. I'm where I want to be with this story. The battles are going. Some will end and other will begin next chapter. I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter up. Mid-terms are coming up and soon finals will be in December. I'll try to get another chapter up before October ends, but can't make any promises. A lot of people seem interested in Flowers and Strawberry and not all of you have an account for me to pm you. I'll tell you where to go in this chapter.**

**Go to Adult Fan . The site will just ask for your date of birth or it will ask you if you are 18 or older. Just give your answer and the site can viewed. You just take these steps:**

**1. Go to the anime/games archive tab on the top of the site.**

**2. Go to the Bleach section. It is one of the first options you will see.**

**3. From there you see a summary of different and the latest stories. Ignore them and look at the upper left hand corner. You'll see a box that says Bleach. Click on to it.**

**4. That will take you a new page with 8 categories like AU-Alternate Universe, Crossover, or Het-Male and Female. Click om Het section.**

**5. You'll see on the very top that there are pairings listed. Click on the Ichigo/Orihime section.**

**6. You will see Flowers and Strawberry. You just click on it. **

**I hope you guys like the chapter and please review. **


	60. The World Comes Crashing Down 3

**It was busy semester. I didn't have a lot time to write. Now that I'm on break I have the time to write. I present to you the first chapter of 2014. **

**I don't own Bleach in any way, shape, or form. I do own the characters, Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto.**

* * *

Renji tightened the grip around his zanpakuto. She wasn't like any of the arrancars his team had encountered since they were stationed here. She was inflexible and indomitable. She wouldn't submit to him or anyone else. The aura emitted from her body tried to repel him. However, he wasn't a man who backed down so easily himself. He stared into the arrancar's alluring golden eyes. Alluring was the right word. The arrancar was an exotic beauty.

She had ivory skin with long waving jet black hair extended all way down her back. It was stunning. Even the remnants of her hollow mask that existed as a crown of three white strips above her head couldn't detract from that. There was no wrinkle, blemish, or scar on her skin. It was untarnished, creamy even. She was adorned in a white and black arrancar uniform with some customized features. Her form fitting jacket was shorter than the standard version. As a result her lean, but muscular stomach was exposed along with those feminine curves. He wondered if she purposely left her midsection uncovered to distract the male eye. He could make out the small swell of muscles in her arms through her sleeves. He was willing to wager her legs were every bit as muscular as her arms were. Yet the muscles did nothing to subtract her grace. If anything it added to it, giving her an Amazonian beauty. Those small, but far from dainty wrists were adorned in black armored wrist guards. While his eyes rested on her forearm they naturally caught her unique zanpakuto.

Hers was attached to her forearm. The blade was retractable, so she could call upon it whenever she needed to. The length was short of his zanpakuto by a foot. It looked sharp enough to slice clean through steel itself. Clearly the arrancar took very good care of her blade. She was an exotic beauty alright, yet he had never seen such a deadly predator before him. Someone like her had to be this Silva person Ishida and the others had told him about. This was the face of the enemy, the strongest that Privaron Espada had to offer. The prospect of facing an opponent of her caliber ignited the flames of his fighting spirit locked away deep down in his soul. His time with the 11th division had given him a small infatuation for battle. Captain Kuchiki knew of this small infatuation of course. The captain was always quick to reprimand Renji whenever he let his passion for battle get the better of him. Duty always came first the captain had told him. It was the major difference between the 6th and 11th divisions.

Renji understood his duty well. He had to stop this woman at all cost to protect Human World. Unlike his former division members he would not put his love for battle above completing the mission. As the commander of the Hueco Mundo team he could do nothing less. At the same time he also knew that this battle would allow him to test the results of his hard training. For nine months he sought harness his true potential and become a combatant that could face someone as powerful as Aizen himself. He knew nine months wasn't enough time to achieve such a goal, but he would like to think it was enough to face a demoted Espada. He would like to know he was gaining ground on the captain.

Renji leapt forward, rushing down his enemy with the ferocity of a stampeding bull. He swung his sword with force just as great hoping to strike her down, only for her stop it with her own blade. All the force he had mustered had been drained entirely. Her zanpakuto didn't quake, nor did she bow to his power. She was as imposing and mighty as an unyielding oak tree before a woodsman. Renji was impressed. "You didn't seem the type to enjoy long winded introductions, so I figured I'd introduce myself with my sword." She didn't speak, only stared at him with a look he couldn't discern. "I'm the vice-captain of the 6th division and commander of Hueco Mundo team, Abarai Renji." He thrust his zanpakuto at her yet it was for not. He watched her block it again with her zanpakuto.

"I know who you are," she replied. Silva finished blocking his strike for a third consecutive time.

"Did you know from spying on my team in Hueco Mundo or did Aizen inform you of everyone who came here to rescue Inoue nine months ago?" he asked as he circled the golden eyed arrancar.

"Both," Silva replied. "Aizen informed us of who you were, but not the details of your abilities or techniques. I took it upon myself to observe you all when you entered Las Noches." Her eyes were locked on to him, unwilling to let him go. He wouldn't catch her off guard so easily.

Renji charged head first a second time. The former Espada proved his strength was as effective as a toddler seeking to tackle his elder sibling. Every time their blades clashed it told them something new about each other. She knew he favored his strength and wasn't one who calculated his every move before attacking. He knew she preferred to learn her enemy's strengthens before attacking first and devise counter strategies. "You are a cautious type aren't you? That's never really been my style."

"How surprising?" she mocked. The sarcasm bled through her words. "You don't seem the type to prefer brute force," she continued to jest.

Renji shared her humor and grinned. He backed off her in hopes that a change of tactic could break this stalemate. This time he waited for her to attack. The wait was a short one thanks to her super speed. As soon as she was in motion she managed to get behind him. He counted himself very fortunate he was able to meet her blade before it impaled the back of his neck. She was unlike him. Her blow wasn't meant to overwhelm him with strength, although it didn't lack strength at all. His trembling Zabimaru was a testimony to her great strength. Her style relied more on precision. If she had impaled the back of his neck as she had wished he would be dead. Strength was meaningless when it came to attacking a vital point.

Silva twirled around him, a move that surprised Renji It looked like it belonged in a dance rather than a battle. It was unnecessary flare in his opinion. He would have told her so, except her zanpakuto was inches away from his throat. Luck stayed on his side. Renji hastily blocked the strike. Silva was light on her feet. She made her way to his front losing none of the rhythm she had set for herself. Fearful that he wouldn't be able to stop a third blow he fell back on Shunpo and retreated as far away from her as he could.

Her fighting style was something Renji hadn't fully expected. Her movements seemed unnecessary, yet they didn't cause her to lose a beat. Her speed was uncanny yet fluid. She favored precision above brute force. Her attacks were something he hadn't seen from any of her brethren. It almost reminded him of how his captain battled. That was it. The enemy wasn't only strong, but elegant. It was as if she was dancing with him instead of fighting. It was a style he lacked. Against this style he left too many openings for her to exploit and she wasn't afraid to exploit them.

"Impressive, your speed that is," she clarified. "I don't remember you displaying such speed when I watched your battle against Szayel Aporro Granz."

"I've been training hard since that battle. My Shunpo is at a much higher level than it was nine months ago."

"You've been training since the war ended as well."

So she had been training just like him. They had taken similar paths. Whose training would prevail in the end was still unknown. Zabimaru howled at Renji for questioning their victory. As far as the vice-captain's zanpakuto was concerned their victory was assured. They had been training too hard and long to lose to Silva. Renji found himself agreeing with them. The shinigami and zanpakuto harmonized their spiritual energy. The combined reiatsu roared loud and proud. She retaliated with her own impressive display of reiatsu.

Overcome with confidence and excitement Renji's thin lips curved into a wicked smirk not befitting a hero. He would call it almost villainous. "Let's see what you've got."

"Pray that you will be able to see it," Silva said. She heard him chuckle.

"Don't underestimate me just because you saw my battle in the past. As you saw I'm not the same as I was back then," he declared with unwavering conviction. "I have no intentions of losing."

"You should listen to your words, vice-captain. I will not be so easily defeated." In an instant she had made the distance between her and Renji nonexistent, their zanpakutos sang throughout the eternal night of Hueco Mundo. The vice-captain was living up to his boasts. He successfully blocked each strike and thrust, though with difficult on his part. The arrancar's speed was more than what he experienced in their last dance.

He hated to admit it, but with her speed and rhythm Renji was forced on the defensive, which was not one of his strong suits. He wondered if she had picked up on that and continued to her relentless attack to break his defense. It was almost as if she was attacking him at all sides. One moment he was deflecting a strike from in front of him the next moment he was pushing his body to spin around to block her sword from his right.

Now he understood what she meant when she said he should pray he could see her. Didn't she ever tire? If this kept up there would be no way for him to snatch a victory. Renji swung his zanpakuto impulsively. It failed to hit her, but it did succeed in disrupting the unending pattern. _'Yes! Now's my chance!' _he thought. Renji continued to slash away at his new foe.

Silva didn't miss a step though. She transitioned back into her defense smoothly. He cursed her fluid motion. She flowed as naturally as water. Both Zabimaru and his strength were easily offset by the small nudges of her zanpakuto. Brute force held no meaning with her, yet he wouldn't fall into despair. If she thought brute force was all he had to offer her she was in for a rude awakening. The crimson haired warrior summoned a quick burst of speed. The cold golden eyes were tainted with fear. His blade was too quick for her now. It went passed her sword and onto a path that would cut through her face.

'_Gotcha,' _Renji thought triumphantly. The fear evaporated and the arrancar's impassiveness returned. She grabbed his sword with her bare hand without hesitation. "Damn…." A blow to the cheek forced him silent. His body was tossed aside so fast that he was barely able to catch a glimpse of a foot that had landed the blow. The vice-captain crashed into sand hard. He hoped the ringing in his head would stop soon.

"Did you forget about our Hierro? With that even I can stop your blade with just my bare hands." She wouldn't make it a habit to stop with her bare hands though. The shinigami had more power than she realized. He almost broke her Hierro. The palm of her hand stung. She watched him recover.

"Here I thought I got you. You leave quite a sting." A big stupid smirk emerged from Renji's lips. The whole left side of his face was killing him. She was smaller, but had just as much strength as he did if not more. "It's been a while since I fought an arrancar whose Hierro could stop my sword." She was a former Espada after all. She was a league apart from the arrancars he and his team fought.

The shinigami obeyed their commander's orders. They stood perfectly still and observed the battle taking place. They were left in awe at the two combatants. "A-amazing…." one shinigami muttered. "I knew Vice-captain Abarai was strong, but this reiatsu is something else. Every time he swings his sword it feels like its thundering."

"Well he is supposed to possess a bankai," another shinigami reminded. "It makes sense for him to be this strong."

"As strong as the vice-captain is that arrancar has been able to match him. This battle won't be decided anytime soon. We need to do something soon or Hueco Mundo will crash into Human World," a third shinigami spoke.

"Remember what Vice-captain Abarai said. The moment he gives the signal we'll move out to where the Spirit Keystone was located and use the orb to take its place." When they left the Quincy their commander gave them the orbs to hold on to. He thought that they would get held up by another of the Privaron Espada, so they planned for him to battle with them, while the rest of the team would race for the former Keystone location to replace it with one of Urahara Kisuke's orbs. Vice-captain Abarai told them to wait for his signal before they were to act. They needed to have the arrancar immersed in the battle that they could flee unnoticed. He only hoped they could see the signal between these two super powers.

The crimson haired death god slashed away at his more nimble opponent. Zabimaru was continually denied the arrancar's flesh. Silva's counterattacks fared no better, but they were becoming more fierce and rapid with each passing second. Renji just narrowly evaded a sword swipe to the face. She was more agile and flexible than he was any day of the week. It was becoming painfully obvious that in close combat he was at a disadvantage. His physical strength wasn't producing the results he desired and his sword style relied too much on physical strength for it to be effective.

Silva batted his zanpakuto away before trying to stab the shinigami in the chest. He pulled out of her blade's reach, but she hurled her foot straight into his chest as hard as she could. His sturdy frame prevented him from flying off, yet he was left staggering. That gave her enough time to kick his head. The blow pushed him further into a daze. Confident he wouldn't be able to respond to her speed anymore Silva went for his heart.

Her belief that his speed was dulled was well placed. Renji was unable to block the sword strike completely, but he was able to displace her aim with desperate thrust of Zabimaru. The sword failed to impale his heart, but did impale his left shoulder. Both cursed their partial success. Renji took advantage of their locked embrace to knee Silva in the abdomen and forced them apart. The arrancar's impassive expression made him speculate that her Hierro made his blow seem like a flea bite.

'_My shoulder is going to slow me down. I'm going to have to close wound before I lose too much blood. Too bad I suck at Kido. I could benefit in learning some basic Healing Kido like Rukia,'_ he thought. Captain Kuchiki would scold him for thinking of things he couldn't do to fix his problems and not on things within his ability to fix the situation. He wasn't a skilled practitioner of Kido, but he was a vice-captain. His badge was proof of that. Upon looking at his badge his something in his brain clicked.

'_Ikkaku!' _he mentally exclaimed. When he was made commander of Hueco Mundo team Ikkaku gave him special medicine ointment that would stop bleeding as a gift. The 3rd seat reasoned it might come in handy in the hollow home world. Renji had stashed away the bottle of ointment by tying it the back of his badge so he wouldn't misplace it. He wanted to laugh at the bald bastard's foresight. He tore his badge off with reckless abandonment, reclaimed the ointment, uncorked it, and poured it onto his wound. It burned like there was no tomorrow, but it was fast acting. He thought it was a fair tradeoff.

"You might have stopped the bleeding for now, but the longer this fight last the worse that wound will become." The arrancar stood before him as spec and spam as when the battle started. Her unblemished person served as reminder to how little damage he actually inflicted. "Your left arm will eventually become useless," Silva continued.

"That will only become a problem if I can't beat you before my left arm gives out. I'll just have to beat you before that," he stated. He hoped his words didn't betray any weakness. He didn't want to give her anything to latch on to.

"Or," the ivory beauty began, "I just have to kill you before it becomes a problem. You won't have to worry about anything ever again." Silva pounced at him. She rocketed toward him with ferocity and grace of a lioness. Did her speed increase from earlier? If she got any faster he was sure he would be fighting two arrancars.

For once that god like speed of hers would be used against her. Renji swung his Zabimaru. The blade transformed into a six-part segmented and wider form before it swung down. Zabimaru continued to change, the segments stretched out, and the blade crashed into Silva and sent her away from Renji.

"The vice-captain released his zanpakuto!" exclaimed one shinigami. The officers mobilized without further word just as they were commanded to do once their commander released his shikai. His shikai bought them time. The Privaron Espada's leader would be too concerned with the vice-captain to even think about going after them.

Renji spared a glance to the others. He was happy to see they had already gotten a fair distance away from him and his dance partner. It was a good thing they followed orders without question. They would be able to put Urahara's gadget to use and eliminate time as a factor. That left the Privaron Espada to be dealt with.

"AH!"

All thoughts of Silva were banished the moment his ears picked up on that blood churning scream. One of his officers been skewered by enormous arm of a hollow that was equally enormous. To his horror the hollow carelessly flung the unmoving officer off its arm like an unwanted rag. He couldn't feel the officer's reiatsu any longer, signifying his death.

The rest of the team was locked in battle with a group of hollows. They were off to a bad start. One of them was dead already. "Surely you didn't expect me to come here alone." His gaze returned to Silva. The only noticeable difference was the shallow red gash just below her breasts. Hierro was more than formidable. It was almost impenetrable.

Silva spoke, "Hollows are also protecting the areas where all the Spirit Keystones were located. Whatever you were planning I assume you need to get to the Keystone's locations to implement them. That will not happen."

"Don't be so sure," Renji growled. He hadn't foreseen that little snag. Fighting another prolonged battle was not in their best interest. The chances that he would defeat Silva anytime soon were getting slimmer. None of the others were heading his way. Ishida was still engaged in battle as well. Rukia's group was pretty far from them, but he thought Inoue would have healed everyone and they would be on their way by now. Did they run into trouble as well?

"Tell me, vice-captain, how much time do you have left before Hueco Mundo crashes into Human World?" He didn't answer her. "It's almost been two hours. You have little more than an hour and the Spirit Keystone's location is still a good distance from here. Time is not on your side. You should realize by now that I'm not an opponent you can defeat quickly…."

He cut her off with his zanpakuto. The blade stretched itself. She was able to block it with her zanpakuto. "You're right," he said. "Time isn't on my side. I don't have time to stop and chat." He pulled his sword turned whip back and lashed it. Not expecting this Silva hastily retreated. However, the vice-captain played her for a fool. With nothing, but a flick of his wrist his zanpakuto slashed at her right shoulder blade. Blood gushed out of the new wound. She fully expected him to push his advantage, but he called back his weapon.

The mirth smile he had worn melted into vicious frown. The jovial gleam that twinkled in his eyes since they met was gone. It was replaced a malevolent glare. For a second fear sprung out of Silva's heart. In that second she wasn't staring at a shinigami, but a devil. "I'll crush you with my Zabimaru as fast as I can then go and stop Hueco Mundo from crashing." His words were laced darkness that would draw any respectable hollow to it.

Her opinion on the vice-captain would have to be revaluated. He pushed his feet off the sandy terrain and reached incredible heights. He flailed his sword-whip right down on her. He wanted to keep his distance from her. She could deal with that. Silva jumped away. The vice-captain's extending weapon ricocheted off the sand back to her trail. She swatted it away then tried to go on the attack until a searing pain in her back stopped her. His zanpakuto was driving into her back. The challenge in fighting this zanpakuto would be anticipating how it could bend and stretch while in motion.

He didn't push his advantage again. The whip recombined into its sword form. She doubted he called off his strikes by choice. He had her in his sights. He must only have been attack three times consecutively before he had to recombine his zanpakuto. She just had to stop three attacks and he would be wide open. Silva charged.

The sword-whip stretched its way toward her. This time she was prepared. A dash to her left allowed her to escape the first strike. The vice-captain flailed his arm, bringing it back at her from behind. She hopped out of the second strike. It bent for its third and final time in her direction. Silva batted it away. Her predictions were correct. The vice-captain pulled back his sword. Again just as she predicted he was left wide open. The former primera threw her leg forward. A white energy projectile shot from her foot. This was the first in a series of strikes.

Renji dodged the first two Bala strikes with Shunpo. The third Bala hit him. It stunned him just long enough to be barraged by three more. The impact of the blasts was strong enough blow him off his feet. While he tried to cushion his fall the arrancar channeled her reiatsu into the edge of his blade. She swung and unleashed a thin white beam of energy. The crimson haired man readied himself right side up the beam collided right at him.

Renji managed to shield himself with his forearms, but not without consequences. Both forearms were now scarred. The fact his arms were still in place and not cut off was something he was thankful for. His bones were quivering. It made him worry that they were about to break.

"You are durable, vice-captain. If you weren't your arms would have been lopped off." The dark haired hybrid raised her zanpakuto. He mimicked her action. "I'll have to take the direct approach and remove your head."

"Good luck with that one. My Zabimaru is tired of losing and I feel the same way." They were tired of tasting defeat and having to rely on others to win for them. They were tired of having to rely on Ichigo to win. This was their chance to prove themselves. This was their chance to start repaying Ichigo and his Zangetsu for everything they had done, from rescuing Rukia to defeating Aizen. If he and Zabimaru couldn't do this much then they deserved to die here.

The clash resumed. Two warriors on opposing sides of the spectrum collided head on. Both were desperate to claim victory. Both knew only one would walk away. Yet in the clash they weren't a shinigami and an arrancar. They were two warriors who had to win no matter what.

* * *

Consciousness was escaping his grasp. Sado couldn't move an inch without his scarred and battered body screaming at him. His brain had shutdown. It was scrambling to restart everything. From what he could recall hitting Calputto with his strongest technique. Why was he the one on the ground then? A loud and very annoying buzz flooded his ears. It wouldn't stop. Against his better judgment he forced his eyelids open.

He was greeted by the image of the man who was responsible for his body's anger toward him. He saw Calputto's lips moving and assumed the annoying buzzing coming from him. His brain's shutdown made it impossible for him to make out the words. How did things turn out like this? He thought if he finished things off as fast as possible that he could defeat the arrancar before he fell into his trap. Obviously that didn't happen. Now he lied on the ground defeated and he was unable to help his friends.

'_I'm sorry Inoue. I couldn't stop him.' _It was his last conscious thought. Unconsciousness had taken his mind.

"Finally lost consciousness I see. That is to be expected after experiencing my Masoquismo. It would be more correct to say this is expected after experiencing you're the fury of your attacks. I should kill you, but I couldn't care less if you live or die. Even if I do nothing you'll most likely die from your wounds." One lone human wouldn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Silva's plan was too far along for them to stop. All that remained was for him to at last collect his prize.

"Farewell, Sado Yasutora. I doubt we'll meet again." He turned to walk away just when he heard, "BASTARD!" His eyes went to the source of the voice from above. They bulged out of their sockets from shock. Gantenbainne in his resurreccion was rushing down on him. His legs were unresponsive and his brain had stalled. The shock of it all kept him in place. He stood frozen as Gantenbainne slammed his fist into him and releasing a powerful burst of light that engulfed both arrancars. Dust and sand debris spread far and wide blanketing everything within their path, forming a giant dust ball.

He was able to make out Calputto was on his knee. A sensation pride swelled from in his chest. It was satisfying to see the man who had put him on death's front door humbled by his own hand. "Are you insane?" Calputto questioned. There wasn't a hint of amusement in his tone this time. "Ambushing me after what I did to you is utterly senseless. You know the difference in our power. I do not believe you could have made it up in short amount of time since I defeated you."

There was no argument in that fact. Gantenbainne definitely couldn't beat him. Landing a sucker punch was one thing, but delivering an attack that would kill Calputto was an entirely different thing. Unless you killed Calputto in a single attack you had no chance of victory. Why was he doing this again? "You're right. It makes no sense for me to be attacking you at all. I must be insane."

The amusement found its way back on Calputto's face. "You say that with such pride. You are ill, Gantenbainne. Death will be a more merciful fate than to leave as you are." A needle burst out of his hand. "I'll make this quick and painless." The former cuatro materialized in front the afro haired arrancar. Gantenbainne didn't have time to react. The needle was inches away from puncturing the 107th arrancar's neck when a golden orange barrier intercepted and blocked it. The unexpected development astonished Calputto and relieved Gantenbainne. The former had to retreat.

Calputto surveyed the area, but the sand and dust was still swirling around. He couldn't see anything that wasn't near him. His sight was still obscured, but he could still feel the pressure of her unique reiatsu. How could have missed it? Giddy as a child who had been given a treat Calputto's whole body shivered with pure elation. His prize was here!

The sand and dust receded. The blanket had been torn off and revealed everything it once hid. Unsurprisingly the fallen human warrior was encased in a golden orange dome. Standing vigil over him was an unattractive middle aged shinigami and a beautiful young woman. He barely gave the shinigami much thought once his gaze fell onto her. Finally after long months of having to abide by Silva's command to leave her alone he was at long last in the presence of the woman who had the possibility of altering reality and bending fate. "Orihime-chan," the name passed from his lips so smoothly and soft that it was hypnotic to his ears.

"He's looking right at us," Toyoda growled. "Maybe we should have taken up Kuchiki on her offer to come with us."

"No," Orihime said firmly. "It was more important for Kuchiki-san to go to Ishida-kun. We have to finish these battles as quickly as possible. That's why it was important for Kuchiki-san to help Ishida-kun finish his battle quickly and why we have to finish this battle as quickly on our own."

"I get that, but his ability pretty much makes any attack we throw at him useless," Toyoda continued. Kuchiki's Sode no Shirayuki could have been an asset because of its ice power. They might have been able to neutralize the guy and leave him to deal with later to avoid his power.

"Gantenbainne-kun said that if we can defeat Calputto in one strike we wouldn't have to worry about it," she reminded him.

Toyoda laughed before he could stop himself. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the situation. This guy outclasses me and the arrancar on our side can't beat him either. I'm not sure if all three of us attack at once that we could beat him in one attack." A glance went to a slowly recovering Sado. "Maybe if we keep him busy until Sado is healed that all four of us could attack at once to ki…." Four needle projectiles ran buried themselves into Toyoda's torso. Blood seeped through his lungs and muted him.

"Toyoda-san!" cried Orihime. She watched in horror as the shinigami fell on his back. Fright for the elder man soon turned into anger. She turned it on to the despicable arrancar who attacked him. The man was looking on with glee at her. Anger would do Toyoda-san no good. She urged her Shun Shun Rikka to extend to the soldier. Both Toyoda-san and Sado-kun were recuperating within Soten Kisshun. She let out a breath of relief. Neither man's life was in danger now. Her Shun Shun Rikka would ensure everyone would be ok. She had to focus on the enemy.

"That is such mean look on your beautiful face." She remembered he said the same thing to her the last time they met. On that night he had done similar despicable action by killing Salvador in cold blood. Just as on that night Orihime couldn't keep her hatred of him at bay. He was truly vile.

"That leaves you, Orihime-chan, Gantenbainne, and me. That is easily rectified though. I'll just kill Gantenbainne and it will be just the two of us."

"Don't be so sure, bastard!" Gantenbainne threw a punch. Calputto maneuvered out of the 107th arrancar's sights. He slashed Gantenbainne across the chest.

"You should have shut your mouth and you would have hit me again." Calputto kicked his ex-ally away. The former septima was thrown to the unforgiving and hard ground. Unrelenting, Calputto prepared to jab a needle into Gantenbainne's heart. Instead of seeing Gantenbainne's lifeless eyes he saw his right forearm fall on the white sands. Pain didn't register until his mind processed what happened.

His arm had been blown off and he hadn't even realized it until after it happened. The pesky demon known as fear possessed him. He was a fool. He had been too lax and paid for it with his arm. Frantically he turned to the culprit. Sure enough there was Orihime practically announcing to the world of her guilt. Her face scrunched into an ugly scowl. Calputto could swear he felt his throat being slit by her hatred of him. Seeing those hazel eyes swallowed by such loathing enticed and frightened him. How would this affect her lovely powers?

"I was wrong. The animosity and burning hatred doesn't detract from your beauty at all. They enhance your loveliness my beautiful, Orihime-chan."

His eyes caressed every inch of her body. It filled her with disgust. This vile man had committed nothing, but wicked deeds. He hid behind false smiles and spoke with artificial pleasantries. He seemed to revel in it all. He was a man who would kill his allies without a second thought. There was no way he would spare any mercy for her friends. He was an enemy she had to fight without any restraint. She deployed Tsubaki once more.

Nourished by her intentions of victory and harming the vile man Tsubaki stormed through the air. His mistress' intentions were clear and unburdened by doubts. Her convictions empowered him. Now his very power and speed crackled the air around them. He knew he would break that stupid arrancar's Hierro again. This time he would take more than just an arm.

The target sidestepped out of his way. Tsubaki cursed himself for not being fast enough. The bastard went after his mistress before he could turn around. He wouldn't make it in time to save her. _'Shit! I shouldn't have missed him! I won't make it time!'_

She refused to back down. Orihime drew her spiritual power to her feet. She accelerated to superhuman levels. She not only met the Privaron Espada head on, but was able to strike first. Her elbow rammed itself into his stomach. She heard him gasping for air. Yoruichi's lectures of showing no mercy echoed. Orihime threw her foot into the side of his head then followed up by kicking him in his side, bruising some ribs. Thanks to her spiritual enhanced strength he fell to his side.

"The last time we met you were unable to follow my movements. Now look at you." Calputto returned to his feet. Her power blossomed into something wonderful. It would move along his experiments nicely. She overwhelmed his Hierro, took his arm, and left his gasping for air at one point. Humans were fascinating. "However, even with you improvement you can't defeat me. I'm sure Gantenbainne told you of my resurreccion's power. All these injuries you inflicted on me will be used against you. You'll just share my pain. Why not surrender, Orihime-chan?"

"I'll never surrender to someone like you." Orihime looked right into his black eyes. "I'll accept that pain so that everyone else will be spared of it."

"Aren't you noble," he taunted. "Unfortunately your friends here will all die. Offering up your body to protect them won't change that. They killed too many of our comrades for Silva to let them live. I don't see reason behind this useless sentimentality. You and Silva are bleeding hearts. It's almost sickening really. You even got angry at me for killing Salvador even though he was your enemy. If you want to offer up your body to protect others you'll find it beaten and battered." He shot off a series of needles not at her, but at the wounded Gantenbainne.

Santen Kesshun manifested over the arrancar and kept him safe. Calputto smirked at her response. "He was your enemy at one point and you're worried about his safety to the point of leaving yourself exposed." He fired a needle, taking advantage of her exposure. The human woman countered with her offensive technique. Orihime's attack annihilated his own and was coming straight at him. Fear welcomed him back into its clutches. The 104th arrancar gaped.

"I don't care if you mock me. I don't care if you spit on my heart. I don't even care if you think I'm weak." Tsubaki pierced the arrancar's right pectoral. He tore into him and escaped through the back. The pain was so great it caused his eyes to go inside his head. "But if you underestimate me, underestimate my heart, underestimate my resolve, you are going to get hurt."

* * *

**Orihime pushes on the attack and deals a critical blow. Calputto is on the losing side of the battle so far, but his Masoquismo is storing up all the damage. Can Orihime overcome its devastating power? Renji has his hands full with Silva. The battles are still being waged, but there is only one hour left until Hueco Mundo crashes into Human World! Can the Privaron Espada be defeated before it's too late? **

**This is the first chapter of 2014 and I'm feeling good about it. I got all the battles going now and everything is set up for the final battle. Next chapter should show the outcome of one battle. I know Ichigo has been absent for a while now, but I've been busy trying to get the battles going both in Hueco Mundo and Human World. I haven't been able to fit Ichigo into this last batch of chapters.** **I can only say I'll try to fit a scene with Ichigo to see how he is dealing with being on the sidelines, but I can't make any definite promises. For you people sick of battles and wanting for it to go back to relationships I can tell you that after the battles are over we will see Ichigo and Orihime reunion, how the outcome of the battle effect Soul Society, Human World, and Hueco Mundo, some romance and friendships scenes. Thank you for sticking with me guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and belated happy New Year.**


	61. The World Comes Crashing Down 4

**The long wait comes to an end. The next action paced chapter is here.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but I do own Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto.**

* * *

She watched as Tsubaki shot through Calputto's body. She saw his eyes go inside his head, while blood poured from the newly formed hole. As the blood spilled from his body so did the spiritual energy he possessed. The once dense reiatsu he emitted became lighter, losing much of its density. Orihime knew she had dealt a critical blow. In most battles she would have won with that blow. In most battles that wound would have been the enemy's downfall. However, this battle was quite different from most battles. Calputto's ability made such a wound an asset.

The heart crest on his body was half dyed in blood colored red. It was a little more than half full. He was storing up all the pain for one devastating attack. From what she witnessed with Sado-kun it would leave her in a critical condition in the arrancar's place, while he would walk away in perfect health. She wondered if the technique would also reattach limbs. If it did that would she be the one missing her right arm? Tsubaki, Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily returned to her as quickly as possible. Their fears and concerns were of the opposition's less than honorable tactics leaving her injured or worse.

Orihime knew he wouldn't kill her. He wanted her for some reason. Her Shun Shun Rikka spirits weren't feeling any better at this prospect. Tsubaki hated how the arrancar's eyes roamed over his mistress' body. He despised thinking about what Calputto's intentions for Orihime even more. He told his mistress to keep him close by to keep the sick son of a bitch, as Tsubaki deemed him, from going anywhere near her. Orihime disapproved of Tsubaki's language, but did appreciate his sentiments. Despite his frustrations with her over her gentle nature he was still very protective of her.

She would return the favor. Her resolve would remain unshaken in order to keep Tsubaki strong and safe. It might not have been killer intent, but her intent to harm to protect her loved ones did empower him enough to breach the arrancar's Hierro. If her resolve and will remained strong then maybe she could bring out her Shun Shun Rikka's full potential.

Calputto was reeling. Pain reverberated through his whole body. He couldn't believe she pierced his Hierro. She did it so effortlessly. It was no minor injury no matter how he looked at it. He still hadn't regained his footing yet. To think she could cause him such pain. To think she could let him experience this addictive sensation. It was pure elation! His lips parted, curling up into a twisted smile that was every bit a sinister as he was. The arrancar beamed at her unable to leash jubilation.

"Magnificent. This is what your offensive power is capable of. From our research on you we discovered your offensive power was weak, however as I can see its power is clearly underrated. Or perhaps this is the result of all your training, regardless the fact of the matter is your offensive power is simply magnificent, just like all of your powers." He tore his gaze away from the grim beauty and locked onto the two men within her golden orange dome. Their wounds were disappearing at accelerated rate. It was much faster than what he had witnessed from her nine months ago. "I must thank you for continuing to develop this wondrous power. I'm more convinced than ever that you are the key to the next evolution of the soul. Now it is finally within my grasp. Thank you, Orihime-chan."

How could he take all of this in stride? It was as if the hole in his chest was a minor inconvenience at best. Did pain have no meaning for him? Those eyes roamed all over her form with unabashed hunger. It made her skin crawl.

"Let me feel it once more. Let me feel your power once more. LET ME FEEL THAT MAGNIFICENT POWER OF YOURS ONCE MORE, ORIHIME-CHAN!" Calputto charged at her at supersonic speeds. The healer reacted with speed matching his own. She evaded him. Her agility no longer surprised him. Calputto resumed his assault. He lashed at her again and again hoping to get his hand her.

The auburn healer weaved in and out of his reach. She wouldn't even let him capture a strand of her hair. Her feet appeared to be constantly in motion, never planting them on the ground for too long. Yet, her rooting wasn't compromised. She channeled both the fortitude of a tree and the nimbleness of feline. The fact he was reduced to one arm was her advantage. She latched onto his remaining arm, ending his assault abruptly. With a strength that was unbefitting of her small frame she held him steadily. He couldn't break her vice grip. Locked in place he couldn't stop her elbow from hitting his stomach nor could he stop the blow to his face. Amusingly enough she still refused to release him. It wasn't until she kneed him in stomach that she let go of him. She literally stole his breath away he thought humorously. The healer delivered a perfect roundhouse kick to head to end her strike and sent him crashing on his back.

Orihime-chan was benevolent indeed. He asked to experience her power and she granted his request splendidly. The healer watched the arrancar closely. She saw his body shake. First she thought it was from pain, but then she heard him giggling without a care in the world. Her frown deepened. The arrancar's eccentrics disturbed Orihime to her core. He thrashed on the ground and giggled uncontrollably. The emotions of joy weren't forced as he previous emotions were which disturbed her more. Why was this man so unattached to human emotions that his smile felt forced, yet experienced true happiness from experiencing pain?

Calputto slithered his way back up. A broad smile was etched into his lips. The shaking didn't cease. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking into another chorus of unhinged giggles in second. "Yes that's it. Let me experience all of it my lovely Orihime-chan." He ran his hand over his wound. He traced a circle around it playfully. The tips of his fingers were coated in blood yet it did little to detract from his playfulness. "You've become so vicious. I didn't believe it was in you nature. I love it. Show me more of this new side of you. Show me more of this vicious nature."

He brought his fingers to his mouth. His tongue danced around his soiled digits. A disgusted Orihime shuddered at the sight. He noticed and his wicked smile grew even wider. "Please don't tell me you find me repulsive. We'll be spending a great deal of time together. It would be less problematic if you weren't repulsed by me."

"I won't be spending any more time with you than I have to." The one armed man let out hearty laugh.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice in that matter my dear. You are very important to me. I need you and so I will have you, every part of you." The glare she cast him could shatter stone. Not even Esteban's stone could withstand it. It gave him chills. "You even appeared here of all places right when Silva's victory had been solidified. It is almost as if it's fate. I dislike that term. Fate implies an unchangeable outcome determined by a mysterious force. It's an excuse for ignorance. You will be mine because I deem it so. No amount of glaring will change that."

She hated the way he spoke. It reminded her of how his former master. Aizen was made it perfectly clear through Ulquiorra that he saw her as nothing more than a pawn, an object for him to use in any way he saw fit. That belief Aizen, Ulquiorra, and Calputto had of her had overstayed its welcome. She was the only one who shaped her fate.

Orihime rushed the hollow-shinigami hybrid with speed that her master, Yoruichi would be proud of. The healer unleashed a fury of blurry barrages that her opponent had difficulty responding to. For every blow he stopped she landed two more successful ones. His body twisted and turned in apparent pain that she had grown frighteningly familiar with in last few months. Every time her eyes met his she saw glee emit from them. It was a reminder of how ineffective her blows were.

Calputto stumbled backwards. His whole body wobbled as a drunk, only one misstep away from collapsing. Those unholy black eyes hadn't lost an ounce of its luster though. "Yes. Oh, yes, this power is most splendid. I cannot wait until I unlock of its secrets. However, you can't defeat me like this. You're still too weak, Orihime-chan."

His taunt wasn't subtle. He wanted to goad her into attacking him by hitting her need to prove herself strong. His technique wasn't ready yet. How long did she have until he finally unleashed it on her? According to Gantenbainne when the crest on Calputto's body was bright red it is when he could use his technique. Before their battle started Orihime made sure to locate the crest. Periodically she would check it so as not to be caught unguarded. Currently the crest was nearly full. From afar it looked full, but closer observation there was still space before it was completely full. She expected that he only needed to take only a few more blows before it was full.

'_Once the crest is full he'll use his feedback technique to attack me just like he did with Sado-kun. He can't beat me any other way. In that brief moment when he unleashes his technique is when I strike. I can defeat him with one blow then.' _If he wanted her to keep up her attack she wouldn't disappoint him. The goddess of Karakura High returned to her attack. The arrancar stood his ground, presenting himself to her. He wouldn't move or defend himself. He waited for her to strike him.

"Who would have thought the princess could fight like that," Gantenbainne said aloud. He had meant to rejoin the battle to help her, but he was shocked by the human's battle prowess. She countered all of Calputto's attacks without so much as getting a scratch on her. She even took one of the bastard's arms. His admiration for the princess had grown much more than he thought possible. While he took great joy at seeing that bastard get pounded he knew it was a shallow victory. The only way to kill Calputto was to do it in a single strike. He had made that abundantly clear to her. Yet she attacked him without restraint. Either his warning fell on deaf ears or she simply wasn't strong enough to kill him in a single strike.

"The princess is tough, but as it is she's just feeding Calputto's ability. She'll lose the fight. Looks like we didn't have a chance after all," Gantenbainne muttered dejectedly. He was a sorry arrancar to be downed by a simple slash to the chest.

Within Soten Kisshun an apprehensive Toyoda observed the fight with clenched teeth. He was healed in almost no time thanks to Orihime. The problem was that despite being healed he had no way of getting out of the dome. There were no openings anywhere. When he tried to force himself through he was thrown backward. He couldn't help his two time rescuer until the barrier disappeared. That wouldn't happen until Sado was finished healing. He could only sit and watch. "I can't believe how powerless I am. If only I could get out of here I could help her. Who am I kidding? I was taken out so easily by that arrancar. I doubt I would be any help to her."

Before he could dwell on his powerlessness Toyoda heard Sado beside him stirring. He turned around to see the giant rise. Both armored arms had been restored to their full glory. The right side of his face stopped bleeding profoundly; although there was still small patch that covering it. He was a pleasant sight to the old shinigami, who couldn't help, but grin. "It's good to see you up and running."

That was debatable. Sado's head was still killing him and his bones were on fire. His legs were not happy with him trying to rest his weight on them. The dark haired man had to sit down quickly. He needed a minute to get bearings. He was aware that Toyoda was right beside him. Warmth flowed through his body rejuvenating it. This sensation could only come from Inoue's Soten Kisshun. She must have been healing him or rather healing both Toyoda and him. "What's going on?" he questioned.

"We're being healed, while Inoue faces that arrancar who almost killed us," Toyoda informed.

It was coming back to him now. Calputto deceived him about the true power of his resurreccion. It didn't negate pain for him. It stored up all the pain and injuries he sustained and unleashed feedback that crippled him. He thought he was being smart by trying to finish the battle fast to avoid falling into his trap. The reality was he played right into Calputto's hands. He didn't know if he was angrier at himself for falling for the ploy or for failing to avenge and protect Inoue. _'Inoue,' _Sado thought. She was fighting him now. He had to warn her before she made the same near fatal mistake he did. Ignoring his still sore body's angry protest he forced himself back up.

Calputto and Inoue were easy to find. Their battle hadn't taken them far away from them. Expectedly Inoue was thrashing the arrancar, who was doing nothing but enduring the attacks. Seeing his friend repeat his folly he ran toward her only to be stopped by the golden barrier. Damn he forgot about that. Not to be deterred the behemoth pushed against it. His efforts proved futile. The barrier didn't so much as repel him. There was nothing there as if he was fighting against the very air around him.

"That's useless," Toyoda remarked. "I've tried everything to get out of here and nothing works." Sado ignored his advice. "I'm telling you it's no use."

"I have to get out of here and warn Inoue," he said seemingly ignoring the shinigami's words. "He is letting himself get attacked. His power…."

"We already know," Toyoda interrupted. Sado heard him say that at least. The human's gaze was directed at the shinigami. "Your afro pal told us everything about his ability after he was healed. He told us the only way to defeat him is if you kill him in one blow."

Confusion wrinkled Sado's face. "If you know about his feedback technique why is Inoue just thrashing him?"

The shinigami shrugged. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. My best guess is that she was stalling for time until we healed so we could combine our efforts to try to kill him in one go. That would explain why we're still stuck in here, while she's fighting on her own."

Toyoda's reasoning made sense. Inoue wasn't dumb by any means. If she knew about the feedback technique than she knew it was a mistake to try to defeat Calputto by bombarding him. If she was buying time for him to fully heal it could still backfire. The arrancar was not only missing an arm, but had a hole in his torso. He sustained major injuries while he was unconscious. He have might even accumulated enough damage by now. Shit, they didn't have time to wait for him to get fully healed. "Inoue!" he called. "Let me out! I'm healed enough to fight! You can let me out now!"

He watched her strike the man in cheek with her palm than trip him with a sweep of her leg. "Damn!" Sado exclaimed. Inoue couldn't hear him. She was too far away. The Shun Shun Rikka wouldn't let him go until they completed their mistress' command to heal him first. Inoue had caused Calputto too much damage. If she didn't let up he would use that damage against her. His friend was in danger and all he could do was watch. How could he still be so fucking useless? The hollow powered human did the only thing he could and continued to strike out against the barrier. No matter how powerful the punch or how burst of energy he released he couldn't feel any of it connecting at all. Had Inoue's barriers always been this powerful or was this a result of her training with Hachi? Ironically he found himself wishing that Inoue had slacked off in her training so he could breakout of Soten Kisshun to help. He never would have guessed her training would work against him.

"Ah!" cried the arrancar as the human's foot connected to Calputto's back. He fell on his face. Fatigue was getting to her. Her breath was labored. A quick rest would do her body some good. She doubted she would get even that. Calputto got back up. He was just as stubborn as Ichigo was, maybe even more so.

Calputto's breathing was ragged itself. At least she knew fatigue was claiming him as well. "Or….Or….hime-chan….you have t…..to do better….than that," he wheezed out. Accepting his challenge she kicked him into his chest, using her reiatsu enhanced strength to throw him away from her. She watched him fall over himself and roll around in the sand.

On cue he got up again. His persistence was very annoying. He was wearing that same smug grin. She couldn't stand being around him. He was taking so much of their time. His fighting style was the absolute worst for them given their current situation.

"Bless you my precious, Orihime-chan. You have shared with me the extent of your power. It was every bit as exquisite as I dreamed it would be. Now allow me to return the favor. Allow me to share my own delicious power. Share my pain. Share every last bit of MY PAIN!"

This is what she was waiting for! She channeled her reiatsu in preparation. A wave of crimson energy burst from Calputto's chest. Its width and length were great enough to consume five of her.

The three men were possessed by their fears and dread. The pure hearted woman they each had been connected to through unrelated events, was going to be overwhelmed by the crimson wave.

"INOUE!" cried a frantic Sado. His body became limp. His mind went blank. The need to escape He failed. He failed again. He failed her. Inoue disappeared into the crimson death yet Sado couldn't lift a finger to stop it. They had trained side by side since the beginning. They made a vow to grow stronger together and become true comrades in arms. In the end this was all he could do for her. _'I'm sorry Inoue,' _he thought.

Calputto's body regenerated instantaneously. His amputated arm had been fully restored to all its glory. It never failed. His Masoquismo always defeated his prey. So long as he endured and didn't succumb to death he would always be the victor. That was the beauty of the feedback technique. He had to act fast to save his little Orihime-chan before she succumbed to its cold will. He was confident he could stop the bleeding and keep her alive until he could get back to his makeshift lab.

He was devising every little experiment his twisted little mind could think to run on his newest toy when an outpour of golden light exploded. "What the hell?" The golden light flooded over his body. He could feel his skin boil off his bones, as if his Hierro was nothing more than paper. At the same time he could feel his body being torn apart. He couldn't tell if he was being burned or cut. Could it be possible he was being burned and cut? The only thing he knew as an undeniable truth was pain. There was nothing, except his body and soul being ripped bit by bit. True pain wasn't simply bodily harm nor was it mental anguish. It was something else entirely. It was glorious.

As with all great works of art it was brief and when it was over it was over. Calputto stared into the lifeless black sky, not even aware that he was lying on his back. He couldn't feel anything except the afterglow of his brush with oblivion. He was unaware that the lower half off his body had been torn off. One word formed within his mind and made its way through his lips, "How?"

Sado shared the arrancar's sentiments. It all happened so fast that he could barely comprehend it. Calputto had been on the verge of victory. What stopped him? The golden burst was identical to Inoue's techniques, but she had no technique that could unleash such a powerful blast. It looked too radical to be Koten Zanshun.

"Such a powerful blast," Toyoda said with a mixture of admiration and astonishment. "I didn't know she had this kind of power."

"Neither did I," Sado said. He averted his gaze from the enemy and put on Inoue. She was unharmed. Calputto's technique had failed as well. She was behind her trademark golden shield or at least he thought she was. There was a difference within Santen Kesshun. It was slight, but it looked like it was three dimensional instead of its standard basic triangular shape. _'When did Santen Kesshun change? Is that the reason she was able to make a blast that powerful?'_

Calputto forced his head up. He had to see the one responsible for creating such a devastating blast. "Santen Kesshun blocked my Masoquismo huh? I underestimated its defense. What was that blast you created? It didn't feel like your Koten Zanshun."

"You don't understand," Orihime stated.

"Obviously, that is why I asked," he grunted.

Orihime shook her head in disappointment. "What I mean is that for someone who claimed to control my fate you don't seem to understand me or my Shun Shun Rikka at all. You said it offering my body to protect others was useless, but my Shun Shun Rikka is part of my soul. They represent my desire to protect others. If you mock that then you can't possibly understand my powers. This isn't Santen Kesshun. This is my new technique, Shiten Koshun."

"Shiten Koshun," Sado repeated.

Orihime continued, "I incorporated Tsubaki-kun with, Hinagiku-kun, Lily-chan, and Baigon-kun into a new formation. Shiten Koshun adds the defensive power of my Santen Kesshun with the offensive power of my Koten Zanshun. When it's attacked it disperses the blow by exploding outward then counters the blow. Hinagiku-kun, Lily-chan, and Baigon-kun protect Tsubaki-kun and keep the blow from reaching him. This allows him to disperse the force of the blow with opposing force and counters it, which also provides Lily-chan and the others. They reinforce each other and make up for the weaknesses of Santen Kesshun and Koten Zanshun respectively. While you were preparing your feedback technique to use against me I intended to use it against you by redirecting it back at you with my technique."

The princess actually got one over on Calputto. Gantenbainne thought she had been incapable of following his instructions she turned out to be following them in a way that neither he nor Calputto expected. "Using his feedback technique to fuel her technique to defeat him in a single blow is pretty damn tricky. That technique is scary."

"A-amazing!" exclaimed Toyoda. "She defeated that feedback technique with one of her own!"

The one who was most mesmerized by Orihime's accomplishments was Sado. "This is the result of Inoue's training." Hachi's instruction really made a difference. All she needed was someone who understood her abilities to help her bring out their full potential. He chastised himself for underestimating her. The goddess of Karakura High had everything under control. Pride of his friend's strength crept into his heart. Inoue wasn't going to stumble any time soon.

A counter that absorbed and redirected blows as explosives was not something Calputto had expected from her. It rendered his technique useless. He took all of her attacks under the belief that he would turn it all against her never suspecting that she was using that belief to her advantage. It was poetic justice that his own tactics were used against him. If he had the strength he would have laughed aloud at his predicament. Her assessment about him not understanding her abilities was correct. Such a shame, he wanted to study her so badly. "Orihime-chan." His eyelids closed as his life flickered out.

Sensing his reiatsu fade away Orihime knew that Calputto had passed away. She turned away from the lifeless body. Enemy or not it didn't change the fact that he was dead by her hand. Hachi-san's words replayed in her mind. It wasn't cold blooded murder. She killed him to protect others, good people in Hueco Mundo and Human World.

"Inoue," she heard Sado gently call out. "Are you alright?" She could feel the concern caress her skin. It nudged a small smile out of her. There was no time for her to stow over misguided guilt. "I'm fine, Sado-kun." She was able to shower him with a sincere smile, which he returned with one of his classic half grins. Sado-kun and Toyoda had just finished healing. Their physical bodies were back in perfect condition and their reiatsu was quickly returning to their original levels. Mentally she recalled Shun'o and Ayame and directed them to Gantenbainne. "As soon as I heal Gantenbainne-kun we'll go where the Spirit Keystone is located." The 107th arrancar's wound wasn't critical. She could heal it in no time. Sado acknowledged her with a simple nod. With one Privaron Espada defeated that left two more. With any luck Ishida-kun would defeat his opponent soon and they could all head toward the last stone together with Abarai-kun.

* * *

Renji found himself flung away like some unwanted trash. He was sick of getting tossed around. He wasn't a ragdoll! His thrower didn't appear to share his belief. Silva kept knocking his ass down every chance she got. He was on his ass more times than he cared to admit. She on the other hand hadn't been knocked down yet. To his displeasure the Privaron Espada leader had learned the inner workings of Zabimaru, which made its whip form completely ineffective against her. He was stubborn enough to keep trying.

The vice-captain picked himself up and got ready for the next round. If the damn ringing would stop he would be ok. He whipped Zabimaru straight ahead at thin air. Silva had disappeared before the sword-whip even neared her. He caught a glimpse of her at the far right side of his vision. He spun around as fast as his legs would allow. The extended weapon altered its course. "Hear my Zabimaru howl!"

The zanpakuto hurled at Silva, but she already fled from it and watched it hit the sand. "Sounds more like a whimper than a howl," she teased. With the zanpakuto momentarily dispatched she closed the distance between them. The shinigami couldn't react to her movements fast enough. As a result she rammed her knee into his nose. The tears formed, which blinded him. She slashed his chest then lunged her foot into his side with enough force to crack ribs or at least she hoped that was the case. To her amusement it was enough force to toss him. It was becoming a favorite past time of hers. "Disappointing, vice-captain, your zanpakuto is quite easy to decipher. All I need to do is avoid three consecutive strikes and you are left wide open. You do not possess the speed to make up for that weakness, at least not against me you don't."

"You're in chatty mood. Here I thought you were different from all those other arrancars who are so in love with their own voice." He flashed a devilish grin that did little to mask his battered body. "If you are so fast why haven't killed me yet then?" he challenged.

Silva's lips curled upward. "I admit your reflexes are sharp. They are enough to continue to foil my attempt to attack you in more fatal areas of your body."

"All I hear is that you aren't as strong as you think you are," he bantered.

The small smile wasn't washed away from her lips. "Unlike you however time is not against me." The grinning couldn't have fallen into grimace any faster. "I'll kill you given enough time. Time is something you do not have, vice-captain. Your subordinates are doing everything within their power to just stay alive let alone hope to defeat my hollows and make it to the location of the Spirit Keystone. Victory is out of your grasp."

He hated to admit it, but she had a point. The others were all engrossed in their own battles. There was no telling when they could back him up. The rest of his team was barely keeping the hollows at bay. They had the greater numbers, which was threatening to overwhelm them. There was no chance the Soul Society could send any reinforcements with dimension leading to Hueco Mundo sealed off to shinigami. For once everything was relying on him. Here he was joking around like a fool. This wasn't a sparring match with Ikkaku where he could trade a few friendly barbs. Victory was everything here. Anyone who stood in the way of victory had to be run through his sword.

He tightened the grip on his sword until Zabimaru chastised him for being too rough with them. The aches and pains were forced down. One singular thought possessed every fiber of his being. _'Win!' _he thought loudly. "Bankai!" A massive amount of energy consumed and sprang his body. The heat and pressure washed over Silva who had to face from it.

It was remarkable. The vice-captain's reiatsu exploded. She could fell it trying to swallow her whole. _'This is the type of power a bankai release produces. It is nothing like when he released his shikai.' _An enormous skull burst through the blanket of energy, dissolving it. Within the debris she could make out the vice-captain. He was surrounded by the skeletal figure of an enormous snake. It was easily a giant compared to both her and the shinigami that spawned it. A fur coat ornamented his shoulders and neck. His right arm was covered in fur sleeve. She had seen this form from surveillances, but seeing it up close with her own eyes was incredible.

"Hihio Zabimaru," Renji spoke. No more holding back. He flung the gigantic whip. The enormous snake skull opened its mouth as if to roar as it was pounced.

Although it was gigantic in size the bankai moved both fluidly and speedily. The size wouldn't give her any lag time. Silva pushed off the ground to hop out of the skeleton snake's way. It made a sharp turn to go after her. The former primera was on the run. "You won't get away that easily!" her opponent declared. Naturally she challenged it. The dark haired arrancar zigged to the right and it followed. She zigged to left and it followed her. She jumped upward and it followed her. Unlike his shikai his bankai didn't have the three consecutive attacks limit. The snake shape gave it the greatest maneuverability and the size gave it a tremendous reach. It made close range combat less than optimal.

The red haired man thrashed the whip upward, away from her. What was he up to? She had her answer seconds later. The skeletal whip came crashing down in her direction. Silva sought refuge in the skies only to be met bone segments. She had been given a taste of her own medicine. Silva was smacked so hard that her body was flying like a homerun hit baseball. She didn't get that far. The snake skull caught her in mid-air in between its jaw. The hollow-shinigami hybrid was cast out of the heaven and into the unforgiving earth. She wanted to scream and would have if she had enough time to do so. Silva collided into the ground with such force that it left a crater in her wake.

Hihio Zabimaru retreated, leaving their victim quaking under their might. It wasn't enough. She was vulnerable, but defeated. Hihio Zabimaru knew it and so did their partner. Renji mental commanded them to finish it. The duo type zanpakuto spirit was in full agreement with their hotheaded shinigami. They opened their mouth. Bright red energy came into existence from within it. Golden eyes of the arrancar swelled with fear. "Hikotsu Taiho!" Renji yelled. The red energy erupted.

There wasn't enough time for her to get out of the way of the blast. She wasn't going to gamble on Hierro withstanding such a powerful blast. The only way she could even think of getting out of this confrontation is if she could deflect at least part of the blast. White sphere of energy formed within her left palm. She couldn't fully charge cero to its full potential, but she could at use a weakened version to deflect some of the vice-captain's blast. Hastily and perhaps unwisely she fired underpowered cero into the red blast. Two forces clashed briefly before her white cero was overtaken. An explosion overtook her.

Satisfied in the results Renji gave a half smirk. Zabimaru returned to his side. Silva took a direct hit from his Hikotsu Taiho. She couldn't have escaped that brush unscathed. The explosion ceased. The former Espada was revealed to the world. Gone was the perfect ivory skin. A streak of blood ran across her face. The right sleeve of her jacket was burned off and white skin tarnished by blood. Wavy jet black hair had been partially charred. "She is something else. Using a cero to deflect part of my Hikotsu Taiho to lessen the damage took some quick thinking on her part."

"Your bankai is powerful. Part of me is glad you brought it out. I did want to see how I stacked up against a bankai. Now I have the chance thanks to you, vice-captain."

"I'm more than happy to oblige you." Renji hurled the massive whip at her. "Let's see just how well you stack up against my bankai!"

Silva narrowed her eyes menacingly at the gigantic figure. "Yes, let's," she reiterated.

* * *

Crackling of electricity filled the air. Uryu escaped from the arcs of lightning. Joaquin pursued him relentlessly. The scarlet haired arrancar discharged bolt of lightning from behind Uryu, but the Quincy moved out of its range again. He accelerated his speed leaving Joaquin in his dust. He bought himself some time, but it wouldn't be a great deal. Joaquin would use Sonido to catch up to him. That left him a small widow to think of a way he could successful use Seele Schneider. He had collected enough reiatsu and reishi to finish the battle once and for all. The question was how to make it hit.

The enemy would expect him to shoot Seele Schneider. What if that was the point? A fire was lit in Uryu's brain. A plan was slowly forming. A loud thundering sound alerted him to Joaquin's presence. The arrancar was eating at his heels, charging his lightning. Time simply denied him any favor it seemed. Fortunately he didn't need it to be. A few rearranged spiritual particles Uryu caught Joaquin by surprise and materialized right behind him. Seele Schneider loaded into his new bow the Quincy took aim.

'_Damn! He increased his speed for just a moment, but I still lost track of him,' _Joaquin thought. Uryu released bow string. The arrow raced off the arrancar swept his shield across and met the Seele Schneider mid-air. The specialized arrow was thrown off its course, but not without marking the shield. A shallow gash appeared on it. Joaquin considered it a small loss considering Seele Schneider was about to go right through him. "Not fast enough, Quincy," he teased. Ishida bit his lip in frustration, but he could have sworn there was a twinkle in his icy blue eyes. When he looked again there was nothing except clear aggravation.

"I'm not done yet," Uryu declared. He fired a series of arrows one after the other. Joaquin was able to evade each one. The two white cladded foes switched positions. The arrancar was now the mouse in the game he knew it wouldn't last long. The human's right shoulder was badly wounded for him to keep firing away carelessly. Not long afterward Ishida stopped shooting.

"It would appear you are done," Joaquin continued to ridicule. He countered with five lightning projectiles, but before he could get off the third shot a sharp pain in his chest blindsided him. His wound picked the worse time to act up. For matters to get even more perfect the human made his getaway after avoiding the two projectiles he had actually gotten off.

He couldn't ignore this injury forever. Arrancar bodies were more durable than human or shinigami, but that didn't mean the hole on the right side of his chest was any less serious for him than it was for a human or shinigami. He was starting to feel light headed from the blood loss. The longer the battle lasted the worse shape he would be in for battling the others. As soon as the battle ended he could go to Calputto's lab for treatment. Electricity danced around the rods resting on his shoulders as built up his power. "This ends now, Quincy!"

"I couldn't agree more with you, arrancar!" Uryu stood on Joaquin's opposing side, bow pointed straight at him. "We've let this go on long enough as it is. Neither one of us is any condition to continue it for much longer." He loaded a new Seele Schneider in his bow. Icy blue eyes met with penetrating purple eyes. Words were no longer relevant. An understanding was made through their shared gaze. The raven haired man fired. The 102nd arrancar slide to his right and let the sliver arrow hit the ground. He shot off a third Seele Schneider, which also failed to claim its target. Uryu kept the momentum he had and shot off arrows made of reishi. Unsurprisingly Joaquin eluded every arrow he shot off. Uryu didn't expect to hit him, but he did enjoy minor victory in drawing him away from Seele Schneider.

Joaquin committed the Quincy's attack patterns to memory, but it did little to alleviate the burden on his body. He couldn't keep going at this speed indefinitely. It worsened the bleeding and it was affecting his sight. The volley of arrows stopped suddenly. What was Ishida Uryu up to? The human threw him for another loop. His bow disappeared and he made a dash toward one of downed Seele Schneider. This made little sense. He clearly still had more within his belt. By trying to retrieve one of them he left himself open to attack. "I don't understand your intentions. You're not a fool." Instead of making any ill-fated moves he chose to observe him.

The Quincy scooped one up then raced toward the second one. There was no logic to it. When his foe took the next silver tube he altered his path toward Joaquin. "Why would an archer abandon long range for short range?" Things felt off, but he couldn't remain in active because he feared what could happen. If the human had any designs on absorbing his lightning attacks he had to do was make them powerful for him to fully absorb in a short amount of time. He launched his most fierce and largest wave of lightning yet. It was at least twice the size of the Quincy. He took to the air anticipating his rival would see sanctuary there from his latest attack. At least he limited Ishida's options.

Not batting an eye Uryu leapt into the air. He zipped upward unwilling to let the arrancar go. "You won't get away that easily!"

"Fool! You rush right at your enemy without even a second though. Being reckless is unbecoming of you, Ishida Uryu. Don't tell me you've become that desperate." Joaquin erected a lightning barrier around his whole body. "You've never touch me like that."

"Don't be so sure," Uryu said. He re-summoned his solid bow and loaded a Seele Schneider. He heard Joaquin snort.

"You're becoming predictable. You won't get a chance to shoot that." He drew spiritual energy into the heels of his feet to push off the air at sonic speeds. The human wouldn't be shooting off any arrows anytime soon. To his credit the Quincy altered his tactics swiftly enough. The bow returned to nothingness and he used the specialized weapon as a blade. The Quincy didn't lack ingenuity that was for sure. He slashed at the human, while the human slashed at him as well. Their blades met with explosive results. Lightning shocked Uryu, while he absorbed the reiatsu of it lightning and loosened the reishi the sword was composed of. Despite his body being shocked Uryu didn't cry. He activated the other Seele Schneider. He looped off the rod mounted on his left shoulder. Immediately the lightning barrier nearly fizzled out. Joaquin retreated.

"The rods are what generates the lightning and controls them," Uryu reasoned. "If you lose one your ability is disrupted. How much lightning can you actually generate with only one?" he inquired. Joaquin stared at him. The purple eyes contained many emotions, determination, anger, happiness, yet out of all emotions he could read he couldn't read concern in the arrancar's eyes. That worried him.

"You think that the rods are how I generate the lightning? My reiatsu allows me to generate lightning. All the rods do is allow me to regulate how much lightning needed to be used. Without them my efficiency impaired, but my ability to generate lightning is intact." He raised sword high into the air. Blue electricity swirled around the blade. "I've grown tired of this battle. You've caused me too many problems as it is. I'll obliterate you."

Caught aback at the crimson haired arrancar's words Uryu raised an eyebrow. The electricity grew without restraint. He could feel every hair on his body standing up straight. He felt like he was watching a wildfire grow. Both were beautiful, yet deadly.

Joaquin continued, "This is my strongest technique. When it comes down it will bring further punishment." Seele Schneider came zipping at him. However, he blocked it with his damaged shield stopping it from hitting him in a more vital body part. It was a good attempt on Ishida Uryu's part it was ultimately futile. The glasses cladded young man gritted his teeth. The sight brought Joaquin some sick form of comfort. The growing lightning wrapped around his sword discharged into high into the skies until it was out of sight. "Castigo Tormenta de Dios (Storm God's Punishment)," he said.

Loud thundering filled the dead skies even though there wasn't a storm cloud in the sky itself. Before Uryu could put together a hypothesis a large blue bolt came crashing down at alarming speeds and going to where Uryu was standing. His mouth fell open. The gravity of the situation nearly crushed his heart. _'It's too fast.' _The bolt hit earth ushering in destruction that Joaquin had promised it would. It illuminated the area, scaring any remaining hollows in the area too stupid to run away when the fight started. The shockwave blew away sands as well as any storm could.

"Farewell, Quincy."

* * *

**I know there are probably more mistakes here than usual. I'm sorry, but didn't feel like reading it over at the moment. I'll go back to re-read it and fix it up for you guys later. I want to get this chapter out as quickly as possible. Uryu and Joaquin's fight will end next chapter. That will just leave the final battle with Silva. Thank you for the patience everyone still following the story. We're almost there. **


	62. The World Comes Crashing Down 5

**I'm happy I got this chapter done so fast. I like when the wait between updates is short. To answer Ralph's question, Ichigo won't get his powers back in this story. I played around with the idea, but ultimately decided against it. Sorry guys if you were waiting for that to happen. If you are interested I plan on making a sequel where Ichigo gets his powers back. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way or form. I do own Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto.**

* * *

For the life of her Rukia couldn't understand why it was thundering. Hueco Mundo was a dead world forever frozen in eternal night. The seasons didn't come and go as it did in the Human World or Soul Society. It didn't rain just like the sun never rose. It should never thunder in Hueco Mundo. It should never thunder naturally in Hueco Mundo. It couldn't be coincidence that it was thundering where Ishida was. The last time she checked the Quincy didn't possess the power create thunder and lightning, so it had to be the arrancar he was fighting.

A flash of blue light bombarded her violet eyes. Where there was thunder there was also lightning. For a bolt of lightning to be so powerful that she could see the flash from where she was could only mean it was produced with spiritual energy. That didn't spell well for Ishida at all. Rukia turned up her Shunpo and rocketed toward the direction the lightning hit. _'I have to get there now! Ishida you better still be alive when I get there.' _She grabbed for her sheathed sword to calm her nerves, but it did little to relieve them. The fact that she couldn't feel Ishida's reiatsu might have been why her stomach sank. _'Ishida you better be alive! You have to be alive. You have to be alive."_

The ice elemental shinigami wasn't the only one who witnessed the lightning show. Three women were staring at the spot the lightning had hit, each wearing their own expression of wonderment, puzzlement, and anxiety.

"The hell was that?" screeched Apacci.

Apacci was standing right next to Sung-Sun. Her screeching hurt the serpent like arrancar's ears. The last thing she needed was that overgrown steer hollering in her ears. "It's lightning obviously," she said with heavy condescension. "Are you that stupid that you don't even recognize lightning?"

Apacci was so sick of that smug snake insulting her intelligence. She contemplated strangling that skinny neck of hers, but knew Harribel-sama would never forgive her for murdering a comrade. She gripped her arms to keep her from doing anything stupid. "I know what lightning is! Since it doesn't happen in Hueco Mundo I was wondering what the hell was going on!"

"Well you should have worded it better," Sung Sun said with the same level of condescension she had before.

Apacci was fuming at the mouth. Her reiatsu reeked of her anger, so much so that Mila Rose was worried she would attack Sung Sun. While she personally would love to see the pretentious bitch get what's coming to her Harribel-sama would never approve of her just sitting back and letting those two tear each other apart. She rubbed Apacci's shoulders in an awkward attempt to quell her.

"What the fuck are you doing, Mila Rose!?"

"Trying to keep you from upsetting Harribel-sama," Mila Rose responded.

"Rubbing my shoulders will stop Harribel-sama from getting upset?" She gave the curvier woman a look that questioned if Mila was in her right mind.

Mila Rose didn't receive the look well. She scrunched up her face into an ugly scowl. Just as she was about to give Apacci a good piece of her mind she was interrupted by, "Joaquin." The three Fraccion got past their own petty squabbling, instantly silencing themselves in the presence of their mistress.

"This is lightning could only come from Joaquin," Harribel reiterated. "Silva and her forces are battling with Soul Society forces."

"You mean she actually went through with that retarded plan of hers?" Apacci asked.

"It would appear so," Harribel answered not surprised in the slightest. Silva was fanatical in her assertion that she could change the world around them. That type of belief wasn't simply just buried and forgotten like some cheap trinket. The only way it would leave Silva is for her to have it beat out of her just like Harribel had hers beat out of her. "She won't succeed in accomplishing anything except for causing the deaths of her comrades and herself." If she was lucky her death would occur before her comrades'. For someone who cherished bonds as much as Silva it would be a far crueler fate to have to live knowing those bonds were destroyed. The water elemental hoped Silva would be spared this pain. How sad was it for her to actually hope for anything? Beings such as them had no hope. Why did she still cling onto it despite knowing this?

* * *

Joaquin watched the bolt strike the earth with the fury of the storms. His strongest technique was meant for nothing short of total obliteration of all who opposed him. It was gifted with speed of lightning, but blessed with even more destructive power.

"Ha….ha…..ha…." He could feel his lungs searing. They couldn't get enough oxygen. Fatigue took his body. It was a fight to keep his eyelids open. His mind betrayed him. The lack of stimulation made more mundane things such as drawing reiatsu to the soles of his feet stop. Joaquin dropped from the sky like a stone. If it weren't for the rush of air forcing him to stay conscious he wouldn't have caught himself before he fell to the sands.

Castigo Tormenta de Dios was his strongest technique, but it came at a steep price. It didn't just use his created lightning. It worked by drawing true lightning out and adding it into his power. Manipulating the atmosphere wasn't a simple task. There lied in the true problem. It took enormous amounts of reiatsu to bring out the thunderclouds and feed them into becoming a true storm. Hueco Mundo had no seasons, which added to the difficulty. His technique was better fitted in the Human World than Hueco Mundo. He couldn't so much as control that amount of lightning, but guide toward reiatsu of his enemy and let it obliterate the target. The first time he tried to control it he nearly hit himself with it. After that experience he never tried to fully control it, only guide it. It was a technique that was just as destructive on the user as it was on the target.

'_Using Castigo Tormenta with my body as worn out as it is of course I can barely stand. I should count myself lucky my body didn't burn itself out. Losing one of my rods made it more difficult to guide,' _Joaquin thought. "You really did cause me a lot of grief Quincy. We were enemies, but I take no solace in your death. You were a powerful and fierce warrior." How much reiatsu did he have left? The condition his body was in made rushing into another battle suicide. Would Calputto's lab have anything that could heal him quickly? It would be wiser to rest, but he couldn't. Silva still needed him. He had to continue to fight on no matter what happened to his body. He forced his legs to move on. The battle wasn't over. He would keep fighting to the very last ounce of his strength. "Senpai, I'm coming. Just hang in there."

A harsh pain vibrated through his right knee. This pain was new. It burned the most was proof of its freshness. He moved his gaze to his knee and found blue energy blade sticking out of his knee cap. The implications were not lost on him. Surprise mutated into fear. Joaquin spun around. Ishida Uryu was there with his bow outstretched in one hand and the other quivering behind the first one. No, he was mistaken. His whole body was quivering. "How could you have survived that? I didn't feel your reiatsu. It was gone. I checked it myself. How the hell did you survive my strongest technique?"

"Dumb lucky mostly," Uryu replied. His body was as exhausted as Joaquin's was. "I ran as fast as I could and hoped to get away."

"You out ran lightning?" the arrancar asked indignantly. "I find it unlikely you possess that level of speed given how much stamina you've lost."

"I didn't so much as escape it, at least not completely. Your technique was off target."

"What?"

"I ran as far as I could, but I didn't completely avoid it. You see your attack missed the spot I was originally standing in by a couple of feet. I ran and your attack was off course. This is what allowed me to escape more or less unharmed, although the aftershock did electrocute me on my escape. Then I just suppressed my reiatsu to trick you into thinking you hit me, so I could catch you off guard."

"My aim was off," Joaquin said in disbelief. Guiding Castigo Tormenta with only one rod was more difficult than with two, but he didn't expect his aim to be that off. He wasted all that energy and strained his body on a technique that missed. It missed because the damn Quincy cut off one of his rods! This human was….he was just so…..he was a constant thorn in his side! It was frustrating to have his every move thwarted by one man, to have his dreams delayed. He refused to do anything, but impede him in every endeavor he did! Rage was breaking through the dam he had built within himself. Patience had run out. The human had to die now. He had to die for their dream to live. No one would stop their dream! "Don't be too happy with yourself, Quincy! You're going to wish you had just played dead and let me walk!" He filled his blade with as much lightning as it could take. No more strategy, no more techniques, it came down to sinking his blade into his heart. He charged the human. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!" He slashed at Ishida only to have missed. He slashed again and the human dodged again. He was unwillingly to give up. Joaquin kept slashing away at his elusive enemy, letting his rage drive him.

Uryu clapped his hands together. "Bathed in the enemy's power," he avoided a slash, "Bathed in the blood of the father," Joaquin failed to cut him, "I make your strength my strength. I use my strength to bind you. Be frozen in place, Unerschutterlich Bindung (Unwavering Binding)!"

Joaquin's body became stiff. He lost the ability to move. An outside force straightened both his arms and legs. God help him, but his body wouldn't respond to his commands. Bindings of blue energy enwrapped themselves around his legs and arms keeping him in place. The stiffness persisted. He was frozen in place and he was vulnerable. "You Quincies can perform your own brand of Kido too?" he asked, clearly vexed and defeated.

"Ginto," Uryu said. He reached for his utility belt and pulled out a silver tube to show the arrancar. "While the Quincy primarily fights with bows and arrows we do have other techniques to fall back on to help us in battle. Ginto was one of the brands of techniques we used. We would condense our spiritual energy into a liquid form and store it into containers before we headed into battles. We unseal them to cast our spells."

"You never unsealed those containers at all during our battle. Even when I lost track of you at times it was never long enough for me to have missed you using those!"

"Did I forget to mention that Seele Schneider has compartment where we could put are Ginto containers."

He was a bastard. He was an ingenious bastard. Before their battle had begun he filled those containers with his spiritual energy then put those containers in his Seele Schneider. Ishida combined two styles of fighting into one without Joaquin suspecting a thing. The Seele Schneider implanted into his shield and the one sticking out his knee were filled with his Ginto. That was why he resorted to fighting close range with them. He was trying to implant them into him so he could cast his spells.

"The more spiritual energy that's liquefied the stronger our Ginto is. I stored an immense amount of my spiritual energy into those tubes a long time ago in preparation for battles with you Privaron Espada. I was hoping not to use both in one battle, but you were so powerful that I had to be sure it would hold you." The raven haired man dematerialized. The bindings prevented Joaquin from searching for him. The archer was only out of sight briefly. A silver glint alerted him to the Seele Schneider the human was carrying in his left hand. Was that the one he tried to use earlier? The bastard was conveying. He thought he saw a glim in his eye before.

Uryu lined up the arrow and chose the location he would shoot. Joaquin vented out all his remaining reiatsu, but it didn't loosen the bindings in the slightest. He was stiff as board. He erected an electrical barrier around him, albeit weaker than it originally was. "I don't need to move to use this."

"It's fine. I've collected so much reishi and reiatsu that Seele Schneider has enough power to break any barrier you could put up," he bragged. The bowstring was pulled back. Terror now overflowed from the arrancar's reiatsu. He was out of ideas. There was nothing left Joaquin could do and they both knew it. Uryu released the string and watch the arrow zoom through the air. It reached his intended target, going through his chest. Life was drained from both his eyes and skin. The armor crumbled and broke away. The sword and shield turned into dust. All spiritual energy bled out of his body decreasing the volume of his reiatsu until there was no pressure to feel at all. It was all over. Uryu released the bindings. The arrancar collapsed. His body remained frozen in place. He was unwilling to move.

Uryu exhaled a silent breath of relief. The battle was over at last. He collected all Seele Schneider for reuse. The Ginto was used up within them, but they were still useful for their original function. "Why didn't you kill me?" He looked over to the fallen enemy. Joaquin hadn't moved a muscle, but his eyes remained opened. "Why didn't you kill me?" he asked again.

"There is no need to kill you. The reason I bond you was so that I could get a clear shot at your Soul Sleep. I discovered with previous battles with you arrancar that your biology is similar to shinigami biology. If I destroyed your Soul Sleep I would destroy the source of your spiritual powers. Without your spiritual power you aren't a threat to me anymore. There is no need to kill a man who could no longer pick up a sword."

"That doesn't answer my question. Why not simply kill me instead of going through all the trouble of destroying my hollow powers?"

"I'm a Quincy," he stated as if it answered everything. Joaquin was unsatisfied with the answer. He glared at him, though it lacked any menace or ill intent behind it. "I have a deal with Soul Society. In exchange for letting me fight hollows and leaving me be I promised I wouldn't kill hollows. I contain the problem so the shinigami can clean up and purify the souls of hollows. I avoided killing you to uphold my end of the deal."

"You spared me for that? No. In the situation like this Soul Society wouldn't care if you killed a single arrancar to help maintain their balance. You spared me for another reason," Joaquin rationalized.

He did exactly what he did for those reasons. Quincy destroyed souls along with spiritual bodies. If he had killed Joaquin he would have also destroyed his soul. They were in a time of crisis, Soul Society might be more forgiving of him destroying one soul in trying to keep the balance among the worlds, but his deal should still be upheld if possible. This was the will of his grandfather after all. He wanted the shinigami and Quincy to work together. To honor that he would at least try to avoid destroying souls. Joaquin wasn't like the mindless hollows that killed out of instinct or satisfy their sadism. He fought for a cause. It may have been misguided, but it was still a cause the arrancar felt was just. In a sick little way it shared some similarities with the Quincies who killed hollows to avenge their fallen loved ones for what they believed was justice. The shinigami had wiped them out when they refused to back down. He didn't want to be like the shinigami. He didn't want to wipe out a man who fought for his own sense of justice. He wouldn't play by the rules of the shinigami or the arrancars.

"The defeated have no right to choose their fate. I was the stronger one and chose your fate for you. I will not kill you because you wish it. I'm no arrancar."

The depowered arrancar laughed bitterly. "You leave me to live with my shame or do you leave me here as I bleed out and die? Do you leave me to be devoured by hollows to avoid soiling your hands? That is the fate you chose for me, Ishida Uryu. I have failed my senpai. I couldn't help her achieve our dream of living in the sun. I failed to avenge our fallen comrades. You'll let me live with that shame and despair before I die?" The human gave him no answer. He stood as imposing figure to everything Joaquin had believed in, yet he offered no answers for him. Why did he force this burden on him? Why didn't he just kill him and relieve him of the stench of failure? "Was it so wrong to want to escape the darkness? I'm sorry Senpai. I am so sorry, but this is as far as I could go. Please don't lose. Please keep our dream alive. Please win for the sake of hollows and arrancars. Bring a new era, Silva." His vision became blurry until darkness took him. Joaquin fell into a state of unconsciousness.

Uryu watched the man who had become his rival fall unconscious. How odd that this man who was everything he hated, a hollow who obtained powers of a shinigami. He wasn't a power hungry monster. Everything he did was for his cause. In the end all he wanted was to live in a world of light. From another perspective he would be seen as the villain trying to oppress a misunderstood hero who wanted a better life for his people. The arrancar had retained what most of his brethren had forsaken. He retained his humanity. "Ishida!" cried a new voice. A raven haired shinigami woman landed beside the two foes.

"Kuchiki-san," Uryu greeted politely.

She was worried that she would be too late and find herself standing over Ishida's dead body. Ishida was victorious. All her fears were rendered moot. He was injured and his reiatsu was weaker, but he made it out alive. She could handle his injuries until they met up with Inoue again at least. "I see you had everything under control." The fellow raven head nodded. Rukia turned her gaze to defeated arrancar. His body was emitting nothing at all. It reminded her of some of her brother's victims. "You destroyed his Soul Sleep?"

"Yes," Uryu replied.

Losing all of his hollow powers made the arrancar no threat to them. However, she knew that with the wounds he sustained that he was living on borrowed time. If it weren't for weak breathing she would have thought he was dead already. Ishida's efforts to defeat him without killing him would be a waste. In this instance mercy was crueler than if he had finished him. "He won't live if we leave him now," she made her concerns known. "If you meant to spare him then you have left him with a harsher path to walk. His death will be a slow and painful one."

"My deal with the Soul Society is still intact. If I avoid killing hollows and arrancars it will make things easier for me in the future. I was able to destroy his Soul Sleep successfully, neutralizing him without killing him. That is the job they wanted me to do. It's a shinigami's task to deliver the finishing blow."

Did he leave the arrancar alive for her to finish off? Her pride flared up. Who the hell did Ishida think he was to leave her to do the cleanup for his battle? His words processed and she realized that he did exactly what he did in Karakura Town. He contained a hollow and waited for a shinigami to come to purify their soul. Ishida didn't kill the arrancar, because he would have destroyed his soul. By waiting for Rukia to come she could use her zanpakuto to save his soul. A smile formed on her lips. The man who once killed hollows and declared his hatred of shinigami actually spared an arrancar and waited for a shinigami to do their job.

'_Fool. He is just like Ichigo. He suppresses what he really feels behind a mask of indifference to protect his reputation. You've changed quite a bit yourself Ishida.' _The petite shinigami unsheathed her zanpakuto. "Once I take care of him I'll heal you the best I can. I can close your wounds for a bit until we meet up with Inoue. She will heal you completely."

"Of course," the Quincy replied. "Abarai and the others went on ahead, while I battled this one on my own. We couldn't afford to waste too much time, but I haven't felt them move in a while now. They most likely got held up by the enemy as well."

Rukia finished off the arrancar with a quick stab to the heart. He would find the peace he sought in Soul Society or she would like to believe that. "I know. I felt Renji release his bankai just a little while ago. For him to do that suggests he is fighting the last member of the Privaron Espada."

"Hmm, the last member?" repeated Uryu dumbly.

"Sado was fighting a Privaron Espada. Inoue and Toyoda went to back him up, while I came here to back you up. We split up in hopes of helping you end your fights as quickly as possible so we could get to the keystone's location. I no longer sense the arrancar in Inoue and Sado's location. I can only conclude they won. You defeated your opponent that leaves only one member of the Privaron Espada." Rukia motioned for Uryu for to kneel. He followed her instructions. She started the healing process. "I'll be quick, replenish your reiatsu and close your wounds, so we can move out fast. I'll leave Inoue to restore your body completely. We have less than an hour now."

"Less than an hour," Uryu said. He stole a glance at newly departed Joaquin. The battle wasn't over yet. Joaquin berated himself for not doing more he still succeeded in buying his leader much needed time. Everything would be decided in less than an hour. He would make sure they won for everyone else's sake, especially for Kurosaki.

* * *

"That is splendid news," Tessai declared. Urahara had contacted the shop to inform them the current situation. The hollows' numbers had dwindled down from hordes to small groups. The mismatched team of shinigami, vizards, and a Quincy proved very effective. Not a single hollow even came close to touching Karakura Town. "We got word for Akon. The S.R.D.I. is underway into finding a solution to the Caja Negacion in the Garganta. They're analyzing the data as we speak."

"That's good to hear," Urahara's voice celebrated. "Have you heard anything from Hueco Mundo?"

"I'm afraid not. They reported to Seireitei, but that was over an hour ago. Orihime-san and Rukia-san were healing the wounded," he informed his boss.

"I see. I suppose it is too much to expect for them to be able to fight and keep giving us regular reports," the shop owner reasoned.

"I'm confident that they'll succeed," Tessai stated. He acted in the background, but he was still intertwined with everything that was going on within this shop. He saw how both Sado and Orihime had grown as warriors and people. He knew Uryu had gone through changes as well. Those three were working with the team of shinigami within Hueco Mundo as well. He knew in his heart that they defeat any enemy they were up against.

"You aren't one to make bold statements without basis," Urahara added. He chuckled. "I agree with your assessment though. Please inform me if you hear anything from Hueco Mundo or Soul Society?"

"Will do boss," he reassured. The transmission was cut. Everything in Karakura was running smoothly. The regular populace remained ignorant of the threat outside of their fair town. None of the hollows entered the town. There was nothing for him to do beyond playing mission control for Kisuke. Urahara Shop's guests had settled in. Keigo and Mizuiro were conversing with the resident shinigami. Ichigo and Tatsuki stood to the side and listened to the others speak. Ichigo remained jittery. Tessai could tell he was trying to shove his worries down. He was just horrible at doing it.

The ex-substitute stole glances at him every five minutes or so discreetly or what he thought was discreet. The poor boy made it obvious with jerky head turns and forcing his head down every time Tessai so much as looked at him. It was killing him to not know what was going on. He wanted to comfort Ichigo it was just with lack of information he received he couldn't give much to the former vizard. _'I can't keep putting it off forever though,' _the former Kido Corps captain thought. Giving Ichigo as little information as he had could quell part of his suffering. He went to the orange haired boy. Ichigo practically jumped out of his skin when he was within distance.

"What's wrong? Is everything alright?" he questioned. This drew his friends' attentions.

"Everything is going well. The hollows have nearly been defeated here. The divisions have nearly expunged all the other hollows after the other Spirit Keystones."

"What about Orihime and the others?" Tatsuki blurted out. As soon as the words left her mouth her cheeks burned from embarrassment.

How would he word this so it didn't sound too vague or uninformative? He was drawing a blank. If this wasn't a sign that he should just give them the facts he didn't know what was. "The last report we got from Hueco Mundo told us that Orihime-san and Rukia-san were healing the wounded soldiers there. That was over an hour ago."

"They're ok right?" Keigo was the one to blurt out this time. "I mean it's normal for them not to contact you for this long right?" He looked toward Kurumadani than to Ichigo. Neither man was eager to backup Keigo's reasoning. He gulped silently.

Sensing the dread seeping into the atmosphere Tessai worked fast to defuse it. "Hueco Mundo is a large place. It would eat away too much time if they contacted us to inform us of every little thing. They're also engaged in battle. Battles never have set time limit on when they end. We shouldn't assume the worse just because they haven't made contact with us in a while." The group wasn't jumping up and down from joy, but they weren't sinking into despair as they were a minute ago. A certain bright orange haired man sank further into apprehension though.

They were still fighting? They should be done by now. None of his battles lasted that long. Hueco Mundo was a big place like Tessai said, but still over an hour there without one of them reporting anything, it was madness. This was taking forever. He was going to develop wrinkles after this. Tessai acted like it was no big deal. He didn't understand how he could be content to wait for the battle to be over. Ichigo had only done it twice now and he was a nervous wreck. Tessai had been doing it for at least a century now. He was impressed the shopkeeper hadn't aged prematurely by two hundred years.

"When do you think we can expect them to call?" Ichigo probed. Tessai didn't answer right away. He deliberated with himself first. The former shinigami had only stayed silent for seconds to Ichigo it was a lifetime. He suspected he didn't conceal his impatience well. Tessai withdrew from him.

"To be perfectly honest with you I cannot give you a timetable on when they would contact us. We just have to wait for them to contact us?"

"Can't we contact them instead?" suggested the ex-substitute.

The colossal man shook his head in protest. "Contacting them could be dangerous. If one of them is in battle the ringing could distract them long enough for the enemy to…."

Not wanting him to finish the sentence Ichigo interrupted, "I get it." He needed something to do with his hands. He wasn't the type of person who could sit around and do nothing. "Tessai-san, I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back in a little while. If you hear anything, call me and I'll be back right away." Tessai nodded. Ichigo made his way to the stairs leading to the Urahara Shop. His friends watched him until they could no longer see him.

"Do you think one of you should have gone with him?" Tessai asked the group of teenagers.

Mizuiro spoke up, "No. It would be better for us not to force him to do anything. He just needs time to himself to think things over."

"Ichigo is not used to waiting," Keigo pointed out. "Ever since I've known him he's always been hands on when dealing with problems."

"A walk is good for him," Tatsuki said. "It will at least give him something else to do besides dwell on things beyond his power." It wouldn't do him as good as she would have liked. Ichigo wasn't wired that way. One of his best qualities was the need to protect others around him. It was why she thought he was good for Orihime. In situation like this where he couldn't do anything, but stand around waiting while his friends fought for their lives that quality would tear him apart. The best option was to wait for him to deal with it himself or come to one of them to talk about it. It sucked having to two of your best friends to go through hardships and do so little to help them.

The walk wasn't helping. He couldn't get out of his own head. Learning that Rukia was in Hueco Mundo at first was a great relief. He knew she would look after their friends, especially Orihime. The relief was short lived. His thoughts wandered back to Rukia's previous battles with the Espada. In each encounter she almost lost her life. Grimmjow gutting her was an unforgettable sight. His stomach knotted up. Rukia, Renji, and Chad were defeated by Yammy. If they found themselves in that position again what would they do? There was no one who could go there to help them.

Images of his friends' dead bodies flashed in his mind. Ichigo shook away such pessimistic thoughts. _'Everything will be ok. Quit thinking of the worst possible thing. Rukia is tough. She won't let anything happen to Ishida, Chad, and Orihime. Those three are no slouches themselves. They can handle themselves. It's just taking them so time to find the locations of the Spirit Keystones. They'll call us soon to fill us in. They'll probably be finishing up right now,' _Ichigo thought. He shouldn't worry at all. They would definitely win. Knowing that didn't change the fact that he should have be with them.

"Hey stop!"

The commotion drew the borne protector's attention along with several bystanders. A large bald man, shoving people out of his way without care, raced down the streets like a mad dog running for his life. He looked to be somewhere in his twenties. The man was massive. It was obvious that it was muscle and not fat. He was no stranger to a gym that was for sure. He probably shaved his head in some sorry ass attempt to look bad ass. Judging from how his face shone it was drenched in his own sweat. He had been running for a long time.

"Stop right now or else I won't just kick your sorry ass, but rip it off and handed to you!" screamed the same voice from earlier. The voice elicited panic from the man. Whoever was chasing him must have been a truly terrifying person. The man looked like he could probably go a few rounds with Chad. When the owner of the voice came within his line of vision Ichigo's jaw dropped.

The hunter wasn't a muscle bond punk as he was expecting. She was a woman at what looked like average height. She had raven hair tied into a ponytail and bangs covering her forehead. She wore a brown cap with goggles over it. Her face was twisted and crumpled into a demonic scowl that sent a chill down his spine. Now he understood why the man was running for his dear life. He wouldn't want to be on the woman's bad side either, especially if her wrath was anything as terrible as her scowl. She wasn't too far behind her prey. He wagered she would have been inches away from catching him if the man wasn't shoving people down, which delayed her.

"Don't even think you're going get away you!" the woman screamed. The venom was oozing out of her words. The man turned green. "You think you can steal from me and get away with it!?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. He could make out a bag in the man's arms. Instinct overrode everything. When the man reached him Ichigo blocked him. "Get out of the way you punk!" he shouted with a quaking voice. He punched the man into his right cheek. The thief was knocked out cold. _'Talk about glass jaw,' _he mentally joked. If he went down that fast there was no way he could go more than a round with Chad. He snatched the stolen bag out of the man's possession just as the woman came up to him.

She had to catch her breath, but she wasn't drenched as her prey was. She merely looked flushed. He took this chance to inspect her closely. This woman's attire was odd. A cap wasn't the number one fashion choice for most women. The goggles over the cap is highlighted that. That wasn't even getting into the tight pants she wore with matching boots and a belt buckle to top it off. She was wearing a white shirt with long purplish pink sleeves that was very constricting. He strived to be respectful of women, but even his eyes wandered to this woman's full chest. The shirt could barely contain her breasts. The lady could stand to be a little more modest.

After catching her breath she looked up at him. She was very pretty. He could tell she was his senior by more than a few years, but her looks held up nicely. Her skin was fair, with no real blemishes, maybe some bags under her eyes, but hardly noticeable. She even had dark brown eyes that contained a spark in them. "Thanks, kid," she said.

"It was no trouble. That guy wasn't really tough," he brushed off. He handed her the bag.

"That guy and his friends are a bunch of pushovers alright." She took hold of the bag.

He raised an eyebrow at that statement. "The guy had some buddies with him when he stole this from you?"

"Yeah," she said plainly.

"What happened to them?" Her lips spread out into a demonic grin. A sadistic gleam twinkled in her eye. The beauty was consumed by the evil expression. It sent chills down Ichigo's spine.

"I beat those pansies until they were black and blue. That bastard got away from me, while I was taking care of his friends." This woman was tough. It was unwise to cross her from what little Ichigo had seen anyway. "They thought just because I was a woman that I would be an easy mark. They learned the wrong way not to mess with me." She cracked her knuckles.

The almost golden orange haired man's curiosity was piqued. "If you don't mind me asking what is in the bag that's so valuable that guys would want to steal it?"

"American comic books," she stated.

His first thought was to ask her why she would carry them in a bag, but reframed from doing so. It was none of his business in the first place.

"The annoying thing is these aren't even for my son. A client hired me to go deliver these comics here and collect payment. These idiots here thought I was carrying money in the bag instead."

"Those guys wouldn't have even gotten anything valuable. They got beat up for no reason." He chuckled to himself. "It serves them right."

"Well that's not exactly true. According to my client these comics are worth over ten million yen."

"T-ten million yen!" he blurted out.

"They're supposed to be really rare. He said they were made in the 30s or something. The buyer was eager to pay for them."

He couldn't stop gaping at her. Who would buy comics for ten million yen? What kind of work was this woman doing? Did she handle such transactions all the time? The mystery woman checked her watch before cursing under her breath.

"Thanks for your help kid, but I have to get going." She turned to walk away, but turned back to face him. "My name is Unagiya Ikumi." She held out her hand to shake.

He accepted the handshake. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo." A mischievous smirk emerged from Ikumi.

"Ichigo that is such a sweet name," she sang, "Ichigo-chan!"

He had to fight back a growl. He hardly knew this woman and she was proving tiresome. "Shouldn't you be going?"

"You're right. Thanks again for your help, Ichigo. I'll have to repay you someday."

"It's no trouble at all. There is no need to repay me. Besides, I doubt we'll cross paths again." Ikumi flashed him a bright smile.

"Don't be so sure. No one knows what the future holds. We could meet again. If that time comes I'll find a way to repay you." To seal the promise she gave him a friendly wink. The woman left his presence.

The woman came and went like a hurricane. Ichigo couldn't say what it was about that woman, but she both put him at ease and frightened him. She sort of reminded him of his dad. If her kid had to put up with half the stuff his dad put him through he felt sorry for him. He had to admit she could handle herself, considering how fast that guy was running just to try and get away from her. It did feel good to help someone. It kept him preoccupied for ten minutes at least.

'_I could thank her for that at least.' _He wished that he got a call telling him everything was over now, but that wasn't in the cards at the moment. Walking around aimlessly wasn't helping as much as he thought. The ex-substitute headed back to the shop. With any luck by the time he came through the door Jinta or Ururu would tell him good news. He had a sinking suspicion his luck wouldn't be that good.

* * *

The earth quaked under the massive skeletal snake's passing. Silva had sidestepped out of its path in time. The problem was the vice-captain changed its direction with a swing of his arm, putting it back on her trail and forcing her to go on the move. The battle had turned against her temporarily. His bankai's overarching reach and overwhelming power proved more difficult than she had anticipated. So far it was all Silva could do to just evade him. Thankfully her grace and speed allowed her to match the bankai's mobility. She zigzagged from left to right trying to get her enemy to slip up. The shinigami's control over the massive form exceeded her expectations as well.

Simple movements from his arm gave the vice-captain such control over his bankai that he was able to get it to mimic slithering of a real snake. It is zigzagged with her, making every turn she did without losing its rhythm. She feared that she was playing the role of the mouse. He was gaining on her. She couldn't afford to take another direct attack from his bankai. His blast had weakened her too much to survive another direct assault from it. This called for an unexpected. The Privaron Espada leader flipped backwards, landing right on the bone structure. She heard the vice-captain gasp. He wasn't expecting that move. Not wanting to give him a chance to retaliate she activated Sonido zoomed down the path to her enemy on his own bankai.

The surprise of the arrancar's unconventional move wore off. "That's smart, but not smart enough!"

The skeletal structure fell apart and with it Silva's balance was lost. The sudden shock of losing stable ground caused her to fall along with the bone segments. As she scrambled to regain her footing something hard pushed up against her back. Her body was spun around, while the bone segments were drawn back to their master. They reconstruct themselves back into their singular massive snake form. He wore that damn smirk so smugly that Silva felt her stomach churn. "You're not the only one with unexpected moves," Renji boasted proudly. He resumed his attack.

The golden eyed arrancar used spiritual energy in her feet to push off into the air, just making another escape at the skin of her teeth. Silva didn't stop until she was certain she was out of the bankai's range. "I didn't realize he could disassemble and reassemble his bankai like that. It looks so straight forward, yet still has surprising abilities."

Several stories beneath her stood Renji. He thought if he attacked her while she was still off balance that he could finish her, but she recovered her senses much faster than he thought. He wasn't let up on her yet she was still eluding him with vigor. "She really is light on her feet." Renji chased after her.

Silva was impressed. His bankai's massive form didn't detract from his speed. He was soaring to her at great speeds. It was time for their dance. A ping hit her heart. _'What is this?' _she wondered. There was nothing wrong with heart. She didn't feel any pain from it. It wasn't fear either. This felt off, almost as if something was out of balance. There was something missing. Faster than the blink of an eye Silva extended her sixth sense to as far as she could. She felt reiatsu of hollows, shinigami, and even humans, but she didn't feel familiar unsettling reiatsu of Calputto or calming reiatsu that Joaquin emitted.

This couldn't be. Hueco Mundo was vast, but Calputto and Joaquin were so powerful that she should have been able to sense some semblance of their reiatsu unless they were on the other side of the world. That wasn't the case, because the humans' reiatsu was still within her range. They were able to find their targets because they were on the same side of the world as them. As she was battling the vice-captain her senses were focused on him, but she was still able to feel small pulses of their reiatsu in the back of her mind. That feeling was gone. The weight of their reiatsu was nonexistent. The only way for that was….

"No," she whispered. They couldn't be. There was no way they could be. She couldn't finish that thought, because of how absurd it was. They just could not be…. The snake head hit her directly. The arrancar was tossed. She spun again not feeling the air beat against her skin or the pain in her shoulders from the punctured marks of the teeth that broke her Hierro. She didn't feel herself get slammed a second time. Her mind ran through every scenario that would account for Joaquin and Calputto's absence. Each scenario she ran became less and less likely. Soon there was only one outcome that made sense. The cold hard truth whittled its way into her heart.

'_They're dead,' _she thought. Joaquin was dead. Calputto was dead. They were both dead. The last of her comrades had been snuffed out. They were all gone. Salvador, Esteban, Antonio, Gild, Cirucci, Calputto, Dordoni, and Joaquin were all dead. The comrades she had gained during her time first as an Espada were gone. They were under her command. It was her responsibility to watch over and protect them. She accepted that responsibility with no regrets. She forged bonds with each of them in her own way. There were some such as Antonio or Calputto, who defied her or had their own agenda, but they had her respect and she had theirs. When they were all demoted into the Privaron Espada she never gave up those responsibilities.

She promised she would protect them. She begged them to lend her their strength to shape their future. They all followed her because they believed in this new future. How did she repay them? She let them all die. She trained with Harribel to keep Joaquin and Calputto safe. The water elemental's words of sacrifice replayed in her mind. Harribel said to gain a new world that she would have to sacrifice her remaining comrades. She didn't believe her. She thought she could protect them and create a new world. Joaquin wanted to return into the light more than any of them. He was the one who had fallen into despair after Aizen's fall. He was the one who suffocated under the darkness the most. She thought she pull him from that despair. She wanted to give him the sun and a new world. In the end she couldn't do even that. Joaquin was gone. "Was it everything we did up until now meaningless?" No. She couldn't accept that.

Harribel was wrong. They weren't damned. They could be more than this. Joaquin and the others fought for salvation, to escape the never ending cycle of meaningless battles. There was no greater meaning than shedding light on this eternal darkness. Their sacrifices would not be in vain. She would ensure their dream became reality. She would kill any who dared getting her way. The skull was upon her. When it tried to take a bite out of her it only succeeded in getting air. Silva pulled away from the bankai. She released a cero at her black enemy. Fully expecting him to dodge it or counter it with his own blast Silva took advantage of her time by climbing further into the air.

When the vice-captain did indeed dodge her cero she didn't bat an eye. There was enough distance between them. Her zanpakuto rose above her head. "Descend from the heavens," she spoke, "Negro Angeles." Black energy surrounded the zanpakuto. Its form was broke down and took hold of her form.

Renji could feel his bones wobble. His whole body felt like it was being crushed by some incompressible object or force. It was growing. Shock widened his eyes. "This is her reiatsu!" cried Renji.

The transformation was brief. The black energy split apart, becoming wings made from the same pure black spiritual energy. Her standard arrancar uniform had been shed. Her full feminine form was exposed to the world. Her long shapely legs were free. Her knees were covered by black knee guards made of the same energy along with black boots. She wore black briefs made of cloth. Her torso was encased in form fitting black energy armor. True to the rest of her form it exposed cleavage. Both of her forearms were cladded in black armored bands. The biggest change was that her overflowing jet black hair was snow white. The golden eyes and snow white hair it gave the arrancar an angelic look. A new blade was attached to her right arm. This blade was composed of black spiritual energy just as her armor and wings were. All her wounds were healed as with every arrancar who released their zanpakuto.

Her appearance stole Renji's breath. She was stunning. He was mesmerized by both her beauty and crushing reiatsu. "Unreal. Her reiatsu has altered itself. This level of power is unexpected by someone who was demoted from Espada.

"Out of all the arrancars," Silva stated, "I am the only one who has had her resurreccion named by Aizen himself. He had a sick sense of humor when he named my resurreccion Negro Angeles also known as Black Angel. I am the Black Angel of Hueco Mundo. The time has come for me to cast you out and send you to hell."

"You talk too much!" He threw bankai. Hihio Zabimaru opened their jaw, eager to crush the arrancar. With a swipe of her right arm the snake head was loped off cleanly. Without the head she stopped the rest of Zabimaru with one hand with ease. He was left silence by the display of her new strength.

"Your reiatsu keeps your bankai tied together. I can see that now. If I cut that reiatsu it falls apart. It is a useful bankai." She tightened the grip on the bankai.

"She figured that out without me needing to tell her," Renji marveled. His astonishment was misplaced. The next moment his massive bankai fell apart. The reiatsu being used to tie it together had been disrupted. _'How did she disrupt my reiatsu like that? There is no way she could have done that channeling her reiatsu through it could she?' _

The Black Angel stretched her wings out. He wondered if she was mocking him or daring him to try and hit her. He discovered their true purpose when she flapped her wings. Several small black feather darts shot out. Renji became a deer caught the headlights. His body was hacked up from head to toe. Cuts appeared all over his body, robes were torn. "Ugh!" Blood was splattering out of his body as the cuts became deeper and deeper. The storm ended suddenly. Thank the Soul King that his legs hadn't given out on him. Granted he lost feeling in both his legs. Every inch of his skin burned.

He reassembled his Hihio Zabimaru. Renji and Zabimaru lashed out the arrancar determined to avenge each other. Silva flew out of its way. Not keen on letting him get off a second strike the 101st arrancar appear right in front of him instantaneously. She cut off his right arm. The shinigami's arm cut off his bankai went with it.

"Sh…" His throat was slit. It happened so fast Renji wasn't able to comprehend it. His voice wouldn't come out. Oxygen became scarce. His abdomen was impaled.

"Vice-captain!" one of the shinigami yelled.

She kicked his limp body off her blade. The vice-captain fell. Blood spilled on to the white sands. The bankai returned to its original sword form. A foot stomped on to his chest. She glared down at the red haired man. Life slowly bled out of him as blood did from his body.

"The fact you cannot maintain your bankai means you are on death's door, but I'll finish you off anyway. I'll hunt down your friends and kill them too. I will have blood for blood."

"Next Dance," She turned to see a petite raven haired woman with a sword pointed at her, "Hakuren!" A burst of snow rushed over Silva. Immediately she jumped out of the way, but her left arm was still caught. The snow made contact with her skin and froze her arm. The ice was shallow, only freezing the first layer of her skin. It was easy enough to shatter. What she had in mind for the shinigami wouldn't be as minor as her ice was.

She was hit in the back by blunt object. The arrancar was propelled forward. The source of the blow came from the overgrown human with armored arms. Out of the glimpse of her eye she saw a flash of blue light. Very narrowly she avoided an arrow. The Quincy was there too. That left one more. She searched for auburn hair and sure enough she found the former human captive standing in front of the vice-captain, who was encased golden dome.

The raven haired shinigami was to her back. The giant man was at her right. The Quincy stood to her left side. The human that Calputto had claimed as his own stood across from her. She was completely surrounded by her enemies. She couldn't have asked for more. "You saved me the trouble of hunting you all down. I'll make you regret incurring the wrath of the Black Angel."

* * *

**I looked up the dollar to yen conversion on the internet. Ten million yen was like a hundred thousand dollars. I wanted a big figure like that for some old comics made in the 30s. It seemed about right and it was there for the nature of Ikumi's odd jobs business. How do you guys like the first meeting between Ichigo and his future boss Ikumi? I was looking for a way to work her in. Things are lining up to canon events. **

**I'm sure to you guys have gathered I really like the Quincy. I've used a lot of their techniques, obscure items that were used a few times in the manga, in Uryu's fights. I wanted to use Ginto in the fight with Joaquin, but there wasn't a whole lot used in the actual series, so I made a binding one up to hold Joaquin. I always thought the Quincy was underrated by the fandom. When Kubo brought them back for the final arc I jumped up and down. **

**Anyway the final battle is going to be a group battle against Silva. It might be tricky trying to keep everyone in place and keep it moving, but if I do this right the battle will be rewarding, since team battles usually end badly in Bleach. If you are still sticking to with this story I'll try to make the climax worth the 4 year wait. I hope you enjoy the chapter guys. **


	63. The World Comes Crashing Down 6

**The semester is over and I have some free time on my hand. To celebrate I have a new chapter after two months. This is my first hand at a big group battle. I hope you guys like it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own Silva.**

* * *

They made it just in time. If they had been a second later she didn't even want to think what would have happened to Abarai-kun. It was a good thing she healed Ishida-kun on the run there. It saved them precious time. Orihime had retrieved the severed limb before erecting Soten Kisshun around Abarai-kun. The wounds weren't too extensive. The arrancar favored precise devastating attacks over sheer brutality. It would take her minutes to heal these wounds even with that overwhelming reiatsu infecting them. If there was one thing all their battles with the arrancars had done for her was made her familiar with their duo type reiatsu. She was confident she could heal any wound or injury from an arrancar now.

The wounds were closing themselves up. His reiatsu was no longer draining from his body. All she had to do was watch over him until the healing process was completed. Orihime picked her body up, placing herself between Abarai-kun and anyone who sought him harm. Not long afterward the arrancar's gaze fell on her. The eyes were golden, but there was nothing, but contempt seeping through them.

"You saved me the trouble of hunting you all down. I'll make you regret incurring the wrath of the Black Angel," the arrancar said. The angelic arrancar flexed her reiatsu as if it was a muscle. Orihime's bones rattled under the incredible pressure she felt. She had to channel her reiatsu to keep from being overwhelmed by thick reiatsu. She didn't expect their enemy to have this type of reiatsu. It was unlike any of the other Privaron Espada. It was as wild as flames yet as tame as if it was a controlled fire. Perhaps that was made it so deadly. It was contained, but could spread without any warning and engulf them all in its embers. It was on an entirely different level from her comrades. Fear crept into her heart.

Before the fear could rule her the healer forced it down the depths of her soul. She wouldn't falter now. Everyone was depending on her. After she spent so much time training and practically demanded they not treat her as if she were defenseless she couldn't back down now. Orihime channeled her reiatsu to fight against the opposing reiatsu. This battle would be long and no doubt hard fought, but Orihime would not fall. She had to support her friends. "I'll heal Abarai-kun in no time," she announced. It didn't sound intimidating and in truth it wasn't meant to be. It showed her defiance to this Silva. Orihime wouldn't bow to her power even if Silva was more powerful than her. She wouldn't let Silva shake her resolve.

The golden eyes bore into her. "Shall I kill you first then?" Silva shot off like a bat flying out of hell. The auburn healer braced herself for the attack by summoning Santen Kesshun. The black blade collided nearly shattering it completely, but it held. The shield was riddled in cracks and flickering between existence and nonexistence, but it kept the blade from reaching Orihime. Silva was taken aback by how resilient her shield was. Orihime took some satisfaction at their foe's surprise. She was quickly deprived of the surprised expression. Sado-kun rammed his fist into Silva's face. The blow forced her away from Orihime. However, she barely looked perturbed by Sado-kun.

Rukia and Uryu jumped into action next. The petite shinigami crossed swords with Privaron leader. The snow white sword clashed with the pitch black energy sword. They were opposites in every way just like they're owners. Rukia exerted her full strength, while Silva almost looked bored out of her mind. Effortlessly Silva pushed Rukia with a simple swing and took to the air evading an arrow. Uryu continued shooting arrows without hesitation just as their foe continued to evade them with poise and grace befitting with her angelic appearance. Uryu stopped once she took her place high in the lifeless skies and far away from their odd party.

"My attack didn't faze her at all," Sado said. Rukia and Uryu scrambled to his and Orihime's side.

"Your attack was well placed," Rukia offered. "There was a brief widow where she was caught off guard by Inoue's Santen Kesshun and you pounced on it well. The fault was my own. I wasn't fast enough to continue it."

Uryu shook his head. "That is incorrect, Kuchiki-san. We only had a brief widow. The moment Sado-kun's attack hit her she put her guard back up. It wasn't a matter of being too slow in that instance. This battle won't be decided in one blow. The important thing is for us to have a strategy." The icy blue eyes went from Kuchiki-san, to Sado-kun, and stopped at Inoue-san. "She is much stronger than any of the other Privaron Espada. I'm sure you all know that from your previous battles with them." Inoue-san and Sado-kun's grim expression told him his assessment was correct. Even Joaquin the second strongest among them wasn't close to the level his leader was on.

"She is stronger than all of us. We need to fight together if we are to have any chance against her," he continued.

"I take it from your tone that you have a strategy in mind." Rukia's tone sounded more hopeful than anything else. She couldn't think of a strategy that could succeed against this Silva without time. Time was one thing she was certain was their enemy now. Hueco Mundo was nearing the Human World.

"We need to see more of her abilities before I can come up with an effective strategy. For the moment I believe we stand a better chance if we all fight. That means we have to protect Abarai until he is healed. We need his power." They all agreed. Renji's bankai offered them much needed power in this struggle. "Kuchiki-san, you and I should use long range attacks to keep her at bay, while Sado-kun and Inoue-san guard Abarai. His wounds are almost healed so we shouldn't have to wait too long."

Impressed by his sound reasoning Rukia nodded her head. Ishida was a fine tactician. She spared a glance to her oldest friend, still recuperating within the golden dome. His throat had been mended and his arm was reattached. The hole in his torso had shrunk in size. He would be back to normal in no time. "Inoue, Sado, we are also relying on you to back us up."

"We won't let you down," Orihime replied instantly. She could already feel Renji's reiatsu restoring itself. "It looks like we can finally fight side by side, Kuchiki-san." A smile graced her lips before she could stop herself. They spent a month together training hard for the war. During those days she fantasied fighting alongside her harsh taskmaster yet wonderful friend. She wanted to show Kuchiki-san that all of her efforts to train her bore fruit. Sadly her actual role in the war as damsel made that dream void. It was one of her issues that compiled to her guilt in the aftermath of the war. At long last she had her chance to fight with Kuchiki-san. Here and now she could finally show Kuchiki-san that all her efforts to train her weren't a waste. "I won't let you down. I'll show you that you didn't waste your time training me."

"Fool!" Rukia barked, startling the healer. "You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for, always have been. If I didn't believe that I wouldn't have bothered taking you to Soul Society to train in the first place. Did you really think my words to you back then were empty and meant to make you feel better about yourself?" Her violet eyes locked on to Orihime. The healer winced expecting to be scolded. Instead of seeing eyes of the stern mentor she knew almost a year ago Orihime found the encouraging eyes of the friend who left her post to talk to her, the eyes of a woman who said she was like a sister to her. "I'm happy I get to fight alongside you." The violet eyes shimmered with pride. Rukia's lips curled into a warm smile that went against her ice element.

It was in that moment a realization came over them. Orihime wasn't here to help rescue Rukia. Rukia wasn't here to help rescue Orihime. For once they were fighting together as equals. They were truly comrades in arms. That knowledge strengthened both of their resolves. Rukia and Uryu moved out. Orihime almost burst with joy. She was acknowledged by Kuchiki-san as an equal. Her reiatsu exploded reflecting her ecstatic mood. With this high there was no way she could lose.

* * *

Silva observed her enemies from afar with keen interest. It was suicide for only two of them face her. They had to know that. They had to be up to something. Where they simply biding time for Aizen's princess to heal the vice-captain or getting into an attack pattern? It would be foolish for her to become careless just because she was stronger than them. She decided to wait and see what they do first. She just needed to be on guard.

Rukia positioned herself directly below the arrancar. "Hado #33 Sokatsui!" she chanted. A large torrent of blue energy released from the palm of her hand. She watched fully expecting her enemy to maneuver out of the way of her signature Kido. Instead she watched the arrancar hold her hand out. Was she so confident in her power that she would try to block her blast? What arrogance!? Wait was it getting smaller? Her Sokatsui had reduced in size! Her violet eyes widened in horror. Her blast shrunk more and more until it was but a fizzle. Silva crushed it as soon as it touched her hand. "Impossible!" she uttered. One her most powerful Kido spells was no more. She had no clue as to what had happened.

"Your Kido has no power over me," Silva stated. There was no pride or mirth behind her words. The Black Angel spoke as if she was stating a simple fact, like saying the sky was blue. That is what worried Rukia the most. What type of power did she have that rendered her Kido useless? The arrancar raised her sword, alarming her. If she could render Kido useless Rukia didn't want to know what her counter attack would be.

Silva turned away from her, much to Rukia's surprise. Her gaze was centered on the white clothed archer to her back. "Your arrows have no power over me either, Quincy." The sword was pointed right at him in an accusing manner.

Uryu intended to put Silva's bold claims to the test. He unleashed a barrage of arrows. They covered the skies illuminating her in blue light. The power of his new bow made his arrows as powerful as explosives. Despite their difference in power he had confidence they could cause some type of damage. As he watched his arrows racing toward her they were shrinking, just like with Kuchiki-san's spell! By the time they reached Silva they were the size of toy arrows. A mere flap of her wings was enough to swat them away. Uryu's amazement melted into a nasty scowl "How did she stop my arrows?" She could stop both Shinigami's Kido spells and Quincy's arrows. Was her ability to negate all attacks thrown at her? No that was an absurdly powerful ability even by the arrancars' standards. It had to be something more practical. What was her ability?

"Is that all you can do?" Silva turned up her nose as if she was the victim of an offensive odor. "I expected more from you." She didn't disguise the contempt seeping from words. The human's scowl grew worse. She struck a nerve. Well good, she would enjoy causing him as much grief as she could. It was nothing to what he did to her comrades. Thinking about it made her blood boil. The fact that they stood before her was an insult to their very memory. She would rectify that soon enough.

Silva vanished before his eyes. She swooped down to the Quincy before he could blink. She would take him out first. He hastily shot an arrow at her, but to no avail. She brushed it aside. Before he could continue his retaliation she embedded her blade into his chest. His body failed to realize anything happened until she removed her blade from it. The blood splattered out. He endured her attack and put distance between them. He was resilience as well. It would require more effort on her part to put him down. He would have to wait.

She could feel reiatsu disrupting the pattern of reishi in the atmosphere. Silva spun around just in time to block the sword strike from the raven haired shinigami. She countered the by jamming her knee into the shorter woman's stomach. She watched the air knocked out of the shinigami. Thanks to Silva's strength she was hurled away. "Not subtle enough and not fast enough," Silva remarked. Once again her words cut through her enemy's pride.

Rukia stopped herself before she was thrown into another zone. Damn did it her lungs burned. She was fighting to take breath back. It was bad enough her sneak attack failed, but she was told why it failed by the enemy of all people! Her pride as Kuchiki wouldn't allow for that. "First Dance." Her Sode no Shirayuki began to glow a heavenly white as she turned it upside down. She charged at Silva. She swung her blade forward, but the arrancar jumped out of its way. With any luck she was ignorant to the white circle beneath them. Rukia quickly retreated. "Tsukishiro!" she continued. A pillar of white erupted and washed over Silva. Light froze instantaneously capturing the Black Angel. _'Let her find the flaw in that,' _Rukia thought smugly.

Uryu was grateful for Rukia's intervention. If Silva continued her attack he was certain he wouldn't have come out of that encounter in one piece. She succeeded in freezing her. Kuchiki-san's Kido and his arrows failed, but Kuchiki-san's zanpakuto worked. Could she not negate elemental techniques? She also didn't negate the last arrow he shot at her. She swept it out of the way. _'Wait, could her ability be….'_ Before he could finish the thought the ice pillar was destroyed. Silva emerged untarnished and undaunted.

Rukia gritted her teeth. While she wasn't surprised that the arrancar suffered no real harm she thought that would buy them more time than that. Silva took steps towards her. The petite shinigami tightened the grip on her zanpakuto. She had to be ready for anything. She had to concentrate on the figure walking toward her as if she were taking a stroll.

She noticed a shadow was cast on her. "Your ice is actually shallow." Her voice filled Rukia's ears. Fear had awakened within her. Only now did she realize that Silva was no longer standing in front of her. _'She's that fast! I didn't even realize she wasn't standing in front of me anymore!' _she thought. No. She couldn't let her fear run away with her. That wouldn't help her at all. Rukia tried to cut her, but Silva grabbed her sword arm before she could even move it. "I already told you that you were too slow." The next thing she knew her throat was impaled by the black blade.

"Kuchiki-san!" cried a frightened Uryu.

Silva tossed the petite woman aside. Her golden gaze found its way back to him. The glare she shot at him promised he would die next. He rose his trembling arm up. He was losing blood fast. His vision became blurry. If his sight betrayed him that made using his bow a fool's errand. Was there nothing he could do?

"Koten Zanshun!" The words carried through the air alerting both Uryu and Silva. Silva hurried jumped into the air dodging the golden streak. He owed Inoue-san one.

The princess was interfering now. If she wanted join in than she would face the Black Angel's wrath. The reishi in the atmosphere was disrupted. Another sneak attack was coming her way. The human with armored arms came rushing down from the air. He threw a punch at her that she saw coming a mile away. Her reflexes were sharp enough for her to block it. His strength was pitiful. If she hadn't been careless before she would have stopped his earlier attack. This was the human who killed Gild. She remembered his desire to fight this one.

"I'll cut you down for Gild!" She slashed him across his chest. Blood erupted from the wound. Her foot found its place in his face. She kicked him back to the earth. She wasn't done yet. She would tear him apart with her Razor Feathers.

"I'll crush you for taking my arm!" a voice hollered. A giant snake skull took a bite at her. Silva was thrown roughly against the earth leaving an impressive crater. Renji pulled back Hiho Zabimaru. That felt so good. Inoue was a miracle worker. He doubted even Captain Unohana could do any better. His right arm hadn't lost any strength at all. If anything it was stronger. She said his reiatsu would take some time to return, but he was more or less back to full strength. She was definitely a miracle worker. "How are you doing, Sado?"

"It's only a flesh wound." Sado tried to jest, but his voice couldn't match his words. It sounded too small. Silva's strike caused more damage than he thought it would. Abarai wasn't fooled for a second.

"There is no need to put on an act. I was on the other end of her sword. I know how strong she is. Let Inoue heal you after she finishes with Rukia." The golden dome had already left Rukia's body. Her throat was restored to its original state. Rukia was ready to jump back into the battle, while Inoue had moved her Soten Kisshun to Ishida. Having a healer in battle to act as support was a comfort not allotted to them usually. It was an advantage they had over Silva. It was one they needed.

It felt good to breathe again. Rukia smiled at her healer. "Thank you, Inoue."

"It is no trouble at all, Kuchiki-san." She would have returned the smile, but her focus was on Ishida-kun. She was nearly done closing the wound. The more concentration she paid to her Shun Shun Rikka the faster the heal process would go. She had to help Sado-kun next. "I just hope I have time to heal everyone before we have to fight again." She watched as Abarai-kun hurled his bankai back at Silva. He could hold Silva off for a little bit on his own, but fighting alone wasn't a good idea.

Sensing Orihime's apprehension Rukia sought to comfort her friend. She rubbed her shoulder hoping the gesture wasn't overstepping her bounds. To her relief the pure hearted girl appreciated it and gave her a small smile. "I'll back Renji up and buy you time to heal Sado. After he is done you, Sado, and Ishida will join us." She didn't have a bankai, but that didn't mean she was useless. Sode no Shirayuki had been insulted when that arrogant arrancar called her ice shallow. They would show Silva her true potential.

Kuchiki-san chased after the vice-captain just as Sado-kun came to Orihime. The cut was deep. Blood soaked right through his shirt. How could he pretend that this injury wasn't serious? Silva wasn't playing with them. She meant to kill them quickly. Ishida-kun was correct when he said it would take all of them to stand a chance against her. They needed Sado-kun to be at his strongest. She started healing his chest. "I'll hurry," she told him.

"Thanks," Sado said. He could feel pain evaporating as warmth nourished him. He was angry at himself for needing to be healed again so soon. She already had to heal him when they battled Calputto. He was so tired of getting knocked out of the fight early. Ever since he started going into these life and death battles he was always getting taken out by someone more powerful than him and always after he defeated someone. It was like the universe had decided to make him a punching bag to showcase the power of others. It was about damn time he started doing the punching! Soon the wound was nothing, but a faint memory. His body was no longer heavy.

Satisfied with her work Orihime gave him her approval. He emerged to his full height, the very pillar of strength. The dull expression he wore melted away as a half-smile graced his lips. She liked when Sado-kun smiled, but he did so sparingly that it made him look funny. Thankfully she suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied.

"Wait." Uryu came to their side.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime said a bit surprised. A glance to her right told her that Sado-kun was baffled by Ishida-kun. He wasn't looking at her or Sado-kun. His eyes were on the battle going on. Orihime followed them. Silva was dancing in the air evading attacks. She twirled her way from Abarai-kun's bankai. Kuchiki-san tried to freeze her. Silva gracefully evaded that as well. Orihime wondered how long their attacks would keep her off balanced.

"Ishida," Sado spoke. "We need to help them. What is it?"

"Can you hold back for a bit?" Uryu asked the giant of a man.

Baffled again by the Quincy Sado furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"I want you to fall back until Inoue-san and I attack," Uryu answered. He could feel his friends' questioning stares. They would need more than that to go on. "I have a hypothesis about what Silva's ability is. To confirm this I need your help. Inoue-san will attack with her Koten Zanshun, while I attack with my arrows. After we attack Sado-kun will attack her from behind, but make sure it's a physical attack. Our attacks will most likely fail, but the important thing is to see how she reacts to each of them." He looked to them for their input. They were both on board. That was good. There wasn't much time to deliberate. "Inoue-san, you take her right. I'll take her left. Sado-kun, remember to wait for our attacks before you go in."

They still had questions, but they didn't ask them. They trusted him and his ability to formulate plans. That was trust born from all the trials and battles they faced together. It was quite strange to think that they had been strangers two years ago. He had to make sure their trust wasn't misplaced. He would make sure it wasn't. He turned to the orange haired girl. "Follow my lead." She nodded. He ran ahead with Inoue falling behind him. He made sure not go too fast for her so that she could follow him. It served no purpose for him to get too far ahead. If everything went according to plan they would know exactly what they were dealing with then they had a chance to defeat her. Could they defeat her in less than an hour?

* * *

Silva avoided the bone structure yet again. It was too easy. The vice-captain's movements were predictable. His swings lacked any type of refinement. His bankai possessed power and had flexibility going for it, but its massive size was both an asset and a liability. It could overwhelm someone with its great size and the power that went with it. Its incredible flexibility made dodging and predicting it difficult. It was easy to see why his bankai was so deadly. However, if one was fast enough to dodge it and strong enough to survive a direct hit from it they could buy time. With time it made it simple to learn how both it and the user moved. The size made quick maneuvering all but impossible.

The vice-captain's bankai's greatest asset wasn't its massive size or its overwhelming power. The greatest asset was the unknown. Without knowledge of its abilities the bankai could easily defeat someone with one blow. If it failed to do that more of its abilities were revealed. With full knowledge of that it was simple enough for overcome it. The hard truth was that the vice-captain played all his cards. The vice-captain charged at her at full speed yelling at the top of his lungs.

He hurled the skeletal snake at her in hopes of this attack somehow being different from all the other ones she dodged. She almost rolled her eyes. Silva pulled to her left, missing it completely. He hastily tried to alter its course, but she evaded it as well. He forced to pull it back. Now was her chance. Silva closed the distance between them. She embedded her blade into his right shoulder. To his credit he didn't cry out despite the pain expression he wore.

He surprised her again by grabbing her arm. She could feel pressure on her forearm as he squeezed it with all his strength. The pain had left his expression. His eyes were hard. She knew just by looking into his eyes that he wouldn't let go of her easily. If he had his way he would never let her go. She admired his determination, but it wasn't enough. She closed the fingers of her free arm into a fist. She punched his throat.

"Gah," he gasped quietly. Immediately his grip weakened. She pulled it free of both his hold and his shoulder. Before he could get his bearing she spun around and kicked him in the side of his head. Like him she used all of her strength. He dropped like a stone. It served him right. Did he really think he such a simple tactic could hold her?

She encased herself in her black wings just as the raven haired shinigami materialized in beside of her. She aimed her sword for her head. Did the vice-captain really think he could hold her long enough for his friend to attack her? This was getting tiresome. She spread her wings and pushed the shinigami away. Silva grabbed her enemy's face. The violet orbs that were her enemy's eyes bulged in either surprise or horror. Silva rushed downward. She and the shinigami were diving at high speeds. They found themselves at the surface of the earth. The shinigami took the full brunt of the crash. She was fragile. She could feel the shinigami's body break as soon as it touched the ground. It would take only a gesture for Silva to crush the skull she held in her grasp.

That was an amusing an idea. She should crush her skull wide open and show it to her comrades. Let their blood boil with cold hot hatred for her as she felt for them. Let them mourn their dead comrade knowing they were powerless to prevent her death.

"Arrancar!" The Quincy made his presence known to her. His white bow aimed at her and his gaze was cold. "Die!" he exclaimed. He unleashed five reishi arrows. The man had lost any sense he once possessed. He saw how she could defeat his technique, yet he announced his attack. It would have been a smarter tactic to try a sneak attack. She never would have thought the Quincy of all the humans would be so foolish. The arrows shrunk into a form so miniature that it only took a simple flap of her wings to defeat them. Her retaliation was swift. Her feather like darts swallowed the human up. As his body was hacked up his pain howls echoed in the air.

The human wished death upon her. It wouldn't come to her today. Of that she knew for a fact. "Get away from, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue Orihime put herself between the Quincy and Silva. The auburn haired woman glared at her leaving no hint of her joyful nature or of the frightened woman who once dwelled in Las Noches.

Silva narrowed her golden eyes threateningly. She wouldn't be challenged by this child. "No." To spite the princess she added pressure to the head still in her grasp. The raven haired woman let out a whimper.

Instead of making her feel dread as Silva intended anger contorted the human's face. "Koten Zanshun!" The golden beam whisked off. The attack was more powerful now that it wasn't tainted with fear or doubt, but it still wouldn't be enough to do Silva in. The attack lost its luster. The golden stream drizzled out, leaving only the naked and lone spirit. She sliced it in half. "Tsubaki-kun!" she heard the human squeal. She was silenced when her precious Kuchiki-san was thrown into her. Both went down.

Like a predator that was within striking distance of her prey Silva moved with skill and speed. The human was trying to gently move her friend aside, while Silva stabbed both of them. Because of the positions they were in the blade went through the shinigami's lower back and into the human's abdomen. "Two of you in one strike," she said as she freed her blade from them. "Look at the two of you. You are both so weak and helpless. Be gone." She intended to kill them were they lay, but yet another one of these annoying people got in her way. Sado Yasutora was becoming a headache! She stopped the right fist coming at her face.

"Your efforts are futile," Silva said. A throbbing ache radiated from her stomach. It came out of nowhere. She turned her sights below her. A white fist was buried in her stomach. She could feel his reiatsu pouring into her and attacking her from the inside. What the bastard lacked in strengthen he made for with the internal strike. She understood. It was meant to channel his reiatsu into her body than to burst from her body to rip it apart. It wasn't a technique she expected to come from such a straight forward man. If it had been used on someone else it might have been successful. She flexing her spiritual energy to meet the foreign reiatsu head on and cancelled its effects. "As I said your efforts are fu…." He slammed his head into hers. The move was so unexpected. Her guard was down. A daze came over her. The arrancar pulled back. She needed to regain her bearings. "Damn it," she cursed, nursing her head.

La Muerte had no visible effect. His strongest technique couldn't dent her Hierro. How could he hope to actually injury her? None of their attacks were doing them any good. The arrancar countered everything they threw at her. Was her power too much for them to overcome? Were they merely fighting against the inevitable? No. He couldn't think like that. Ishida predicted their attacks would fail. These last attacks were meant for information gathering. Ishida had what he needed to find a weakness in this titan.

Uryu had seen better days. His uniform was riddled with tears and cuts. Blood even driveled down his left cheek. His condition was better than it could have been. He could still stand and fight. He didn't need medical treatment immediately like Kuchiki-san and Inoue-san did. Inoue-san acted fast and erected her Soten Kisshun around herself and Kuchiki-san at least. Their wounds would be gone quickly enough. Abarai and Sado-kun were in good shape. Sado-kun managed to push the arrancar back momentarily. Their attack wasn't in vain. His hypothesis was correct. He knew what Silva's ability was.

"She absorbs and manipulates reiatsu and reishi."

"What?" Renji questioned. Everyone's attention went to the Quincy.

"Her ability is absorbing and manipulating reiatsu and reishi," he reiterated. "That is the reason none of our long range attacks have worked on her. They were all reiatsu based attacks. Kuchiki-san's Kido, Inoue-san's Koten Zanshun, and my arrows are all reiatsu based. She's been absorbing them. That is why they have been losing power before they reached her, but why physical attacks like Sado-kun's for example are unaffected by her ability."

The more Renji thought about it the more Ishida's words made sense. That was why she was able to disrupt his Hihio Zabimaru earlier. She must have absorbed the reiatsu that held it together. Her wings, sword, armor, it was all made of pure reishi.

"You're telling us that she's been feeding on reiatsu based attacks?" Rukia asked. Uryu answered yes. "She's been gaining even more power from our attacks."

"It also means we can't use reiatsu based attacks on her," Renji added.

"That puts as at even bigger disadvantage," Rukia said. "Most of our strongest attacks are reiatsu based," she pointed out.

Inoue-san's techniques were all reiatsu based. His arrows were forged from reishi and his reiatsu. Abarai's strongest attack was even reiatsu based, but he fighting style was mostly physical. The ones most disadvantage would be Inoue-san and himself. Kuchiki-san, Sado-kun, and Abarai could fall back on other forms of attacks. Someone who possessed far more reiatsu than any of them didn't need to get anymore. Their attacks weren't doing much harm. They needed something powerful enough to weaken her enough to a more manageable level.

'_Wait! That's it! We have to weaken her! I am a Quincy. We battle by using the reishi around us. We can even absorb the reiatsu and reishi of our enemies. If it comes down to a battle of absorbing reiatsu I can hold my own.' _He had plenty of Seele Schneider left over. It could act as a blade and arrow for physical attacks and leech reiatsu from Silva. Abarai and Sado-kun's physical attacks were their best bet. Inoue-san and Kuchiki-san could act as support. Were all their reiatsu attacks useless? Silva didn't absorb all of them. When Inoue-san attacked her the first time she dodged instead of absorbing it. When he fired an arrow in a rush she didn't absorb it either.

'_Of course she didn't have enough time to absorb reiatsu in those instances. Long range reiatsu based attacks gives her enough time to absorb them. However, if we launch those attacks close range she won't have enough time to absorb them. The amount of reiatsu and reishi she can absorb must also depend on how much time she has. The larger the attack the more time she'll need to absorb it. We can exploit that,' _he thought. If they could deal a critical blow to her they can bring her down to their level. His pulled out Seele Schneider.

"Sado-kun, Abarai, since you two have the strongest physical attacks, you should lead the attack." Renji and Sado exchanged looks with each other. They mentally agreed to follow Uryu's instructions. "Kuchiki-san, try to bind her with your shikai. If you can keep her in place for even just a few seconds it will be plenty of time. Inoue-san can you still use your Koten Zanshun?"

"Tsubaki-kun was injured, but I can restore him."

"Please do so then." Uryu tried to make it sound like a request instead of an order.

"Koten Zanshun is a reiatsu based technique," Renji pointed out. "It will be useless."

"Not necessarily. Silva can't instantaneously absorb all reiatsu and reishi. The closer our reiatsu based attacks are the less time she has to absorb them and greater probability we have of being able to cause damage with them. Inoue-san's Koten Zanshun is her only offensive technique. It is important to keep her off balance and barrage her with attacks. Inoue-san will heal anyone who needs it, but that will make her Silva's primary target. Whenever she goes after her we must act to keep Inoue-san safe. She will be the only thing standing between us and death. Keep her distracted long enough I can prepare something to hopefully defeat her or the very least weaken her."

He wanted to say more, but Silva had recovered and was now fast approaching. He got out the important stuff. Not needing his command the others sprang into action.

Sado took the left and Renji took the right. Silva noticed them, but did nothing to deter either of them. _'What formation are they taking?' _she wondered. The skeletal snake circled itself around her. This was new.

The vice-captain leapt into the black skies. "Let's go, Zabimaru!" The giant snake head was thrown at her.

He already went back to the same old tired tactics or so she thought. What she failed to realize is that, while Hihio Zabimaru was coming at her front on Sado was running on the skeletal body that had surrounded her. Her back was turned to him. Sado pushed off against the bankai. He noted the bone figure felt elastic. Strangely it felt like it gave him a bounce to his step.

He drew reiatsu into his left fist. Sado's offensive arm hit it mark on the Black Angel's back. She was thrown into the waiting mouth of the skeletal snake to her surprise and his satisfaction. It bit down on Silva's shoulder.

"Damn it!" exclaimed Silva. Her body continued to be tossed about as a ragdoll. She was slammed hard back into the ground. She absorbed the reiatsu tying the joints together. The bankai was disassembled. He hadn't been expecting that. His shock was evident. When she tried to move she found that she was unable to. Her arms and legs were encased in ice. The raven haired shinigami had gotten the jump on her as well? This was embarrassing. The ice cuffs were broken. The shinigami and the princess appeared. The shinigami swung her zanpakuto at her, while the human kicked. Silva was able to stop both. Her sword stopped the zanpakuto, while her wing shielded her from the kick.

"Now, Inoue!" Ice rushed out of the zanpakuto, freezing the right side of her body. Her left side was engulfed by a golden dome. They stole away her mobility, leaving her frozen in place, literally.

To make her situation worse the Quincy materialized from a short distance away. He released bow string and unleashed another one of his useless arrows. She tried to absorb the reiatsu only to discover that she could not. A silver glint caught her eye. It was a physical arrow, but the arrow head was clearly made of reiatsu. Why couldn't she absorb it? The arrow pierced her armor, just below her breasts. They harmed her. This wasn't just a simple arrow. She could feel of her strength leave her body. She could feel her reiatsu being sucked out.

The Quincy was absorbing her reiatsu! Normally she would be admire opponents could pull off such a feat, but today that admiration was lost. She had to stop her reiatsu from being stolen. Her makeshift shackles were discarded. She didn't even give them a second thought as she ripped the arrow out of her chest. The wound was small. She wouldn't have to worry about blood loss for a while. The loss of her reiatsu was minor. However, her enemies had been able to devise a strategy that wounded her and weaken her even if it was an insignificant amount. They proved themselves to be more formidable than she thought. She would have to….

The same strange arrow from before was flying at her. Her reflexes weren't dulled from her wound. She jumped out of its way. The Quincy followed her, fired another arrows. It missed Silva again. Black Angel fired of her reishi feathers. Unlike him her attacks would find their mark. When they were within striking distance of the white cladded human a golden triangular shield formed in front of him. Her attack was absorbed by the shield then released a series of explosive bursts back at her. The force of her own attack was turned against her! Several cuts were born over her shoulders, forearms, thighs, and even her cheeks.

"Aaaahhh!" One of her wings was impaled by the petite shinigami. She was used one of the Quincy's special arrows. Sado Yasutora impaled the other wing with the special arrows as well. She spun wildly, knocking them both off of her. Once she was free of those pests she was blindsided by a bone segment hitting her and knocked her off her feet. The vice-captain waited to reassemble her bankai just to hit her with its segments.

"She didn't see that one coming." Renji couldn't suppress the smirk that formed. Seeing her fall flat on her back was a treat after everything she did to him. She didn't realize that Ishida led her to one of his Hihio Zabimaru's segments were. His shoulder was mended thanks to Inoue.

"Don't become too proud," Rukia said. "We haven't won this battle yet. The arrancar far from defeated."

"No, but we are able to wound her," Orihime said.

"If we can wound her," Sado started.

Rukia wore a smirk now. "We can actually defeat her."

"We have a chance to win this," Uryu reiterated. They were pushed against a wall. They faced an opponent with power dwarfing their own, a titan. In the past they would have fallen to her and needed to be rescued the captains or Kurosaki. They were put in a situation where they were on their own and when push came to shove they proved they could wound a titan.

* * *

**For the most part I'm satisfied with the chapter. It might have gotten repetitive in some parts though. I hope you guys liked the battle at least. **


	64. The World Comes Crashing Down 7

**It's a bit late, but it took longer than I expected to write it. I hope you enjoy it guys. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any shape or form. I do own Silva.**

* * *

Shinji took a deep breath than exhaled quietly. He needed a minute or two to himself. His newly entered tranquil state contrasted the raging battle occurring in the sky just above him. Battle was nothing more than a chaotic mess. No matter how many he had seen they were never different at their core. The causes differed from time to time. The nature of the battle itself could be radically different, but one constant was that it birthed chaos. This battle he took part in today was no different.

Despite the chaotic nature of battle it was necessary. Shinji recognized that. The alternative was to just let the hollows feast on souls or in this instance destroy one of the keystones that held reality together. It was for that reason that they fought right now. Well that wasn't the only reason. The 5th division wasn't only fighting to protect the world. They were also fighting to reclaim their stolen honor. They were tired of being looked on with suspicion by the other divisions. They were tired of being dubbed the white division by their peers.

To change all of that they all rallied around him after some minor hiccups. Thanks to Momo they finally stopped being afraid of their own shadows and became the shinigami he expected them to be. Shinji had to admit that he judged the division too harshly. He thought they were a group of gutless pansies. Oh how they had proved him wrong. In battle they had completely changed. They cut down the hollows without restraint or hesitation. Even when they were wounded they refused to stop fighting. He witnessed one member impaled and used it to stab the hollow straight through the head before receiving medic attention from the healers. Now that took guts.

The one who impressed him the most was his vice-captain. Momo was a talented shinigami in her own right. She was a competent swordsman and she possessed extraordinary talent in Kido, but her true strength was her ability to seamlessly combine the two skills without missing a beat. Momo used two Kido spells in conjunction with each other to bind a small group of hollows together than take them out with her zanpakuto. She would be good support for him in battle once they practiced syncing up their respective styles.

She was livelier in the heat of battle than she ever was during the weeks they spent together as captain and vice-captain. Considering she was the one who taken the white division taunts more seriously than the others it made sense for her to be fighting with such passion. Hell it ignited a spark in him. Shinji certainly fought as hard as everyone else in his division did. When Gillians and Adjuchas appeared he eliminated them swiftly. He hollowified instantly and didn't allow them to touch his underlings.

The lopsided smirk spread across his lips. He continued to use the curse Aizen forced upon him to his benefit. The fear that possessed his division when they first saw him don the mask evaporated. Now they praised his hollow induced strength. It never failed. You give someone a bigger concern or threat and past misgivings quickly disappeared.

"Captain Hirako!" He didn't turn around. There wasn't any need to. He could feel Momo's gaze locked upon him. By the tone of her voice he did believe he was in for a scolding. The crooked smile grew slightly wider. This was going to be fun.

"Hey there, Momo," he greeted. Shinji lazily waved a hand without turning to face her. He could sense her irritation with the slight shift in her reiatsu.

Momo didn't like how carefree her new captain sounded. They were in the middle of a battle. How could he just be lounging around and watching? He was their captain. He should be leading the charge against the enemy! Captain Hirako was a bit of procrastinator in his paper work, but before the battle started he had taken the initiative to take them all to Human World and meet the enemy head on. He even led them all into battle. Captain Hirako even took it upon himself to deal with all the Menos Grande class hollows on his own. He won against them without even so much as receiving a scratch on him. She was both in awe and frightened at the power of hollowfication.

The captain's strength served as a beacon to the whole division. Seeing him triumph over powerful adversaries roused their collective fighting spirit, which they in turn used to vanquish their enemies. Momo never thought she would have to keep a watch on him like he was a child. Here they were. Her captain was loafing around taking the role of observer. "Why are you just sitting around here?" she asked. He had his back to her still!

"I just needed to take a breather," Shinji replied. His words matched his sluggish demeanor.

"You are taking a breather," Momo said unable to conceal her disbelief. What was wrong with him? "You can't just take a breather!" she exclaimed. "The rest of the division is out there fighting. You're our leader. You should be out there leading us!" The captain wasn't paying her any mind at all! He was just brushing off with a wave of his hand. He hadn't even turned around to look her in the eye. "Captain!" she bellowed. Momo was aware that she sounded like a shrill child, but she couldn't help it. Her captain was driving her nuts.

Shinji found Momo's outburst more amusing than he originally thought he would. He couldn't turn around and face her. If he did he would give himself away with maddening smile of his. "I'll do that later."

"Eh!" he heard her whine. "How can you just sit here and do nothing? You were the one who lead us out here even before we were given permission to move out. You were fighting harder than anyone out there."

"I wasn't fighting harder than everyone," Shinji interjected.

Annoyance contaminated her features. "Don't be ridiculous. You took it upon yourself to challenge all the Menos Grande on your own. You saved at least five division members from being killed by a Gillian. You…."

Shinji interrupted her again, "I'm not denying that I didn't do my part. Like you said I'm the captain. I'm the strongest one in the division. It is natural that I fight Gillians and Adjuchas, but that doesn't mean I'm fighting the hardest."

In the present Momo could see his point. Loafing around and taking a breather wasn't exactly fighting, but before he was a one man army. She couldn't hope to dispatch Gillains or Adjuchas with such ease if their position were reversed.

"The entire division is out there fighting with everything they've got. The ones who have fallen made sure to take out a hollow before they fell. I can't say I'm fighting the hardest out there. In my opinion the one who is fighting the hardest out there is you."

Her captain's words left her blown away. There wasn't a trace of humor or sarcasm she was used to in those words. He was being sincere. "Captain Hirako…" She wanted to say more, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"I'm not joshing you either. You were able to get everyone in the division out there when I failed. You haven't just been out there fighting, but supporting the troops the best you can. Remember fighting isn't the only important thing. You were able to inspire everyone and lend your power when it was needed. It is pretty obvious you've been fighting the hardest out there. That's why I like you, Momo. You are passionate and dedicated. That's what makes you a good vice-captain."

Where did all of this come from? They weren't close. She kept her distance from him. She made sure to keep their relationship purely professional. Captain Hirako made a few thinly veiled attempts to get closer to her, but it never went beyond that. How could he start telling her she was wonderful with such certainty and genuineness? They were perfect strangers. They didn't even share the secrets of their zanpakuto with each other. This battle was the first time he saw her shikai. "That doesn't mean we don't need you out there," she reminded him earnestly.

"I couldn't fight as many Gillians as you did on my own. My speech may have gotten everyone behind them, but it was your prowess in battle that re-invigorated everyone. Everyone whom I spoke to has been praising you for your strength and dedication. They see you as our true captain. They're not even afraid of your hollow powers any longer. We still need you out there fighting." She heard a light chuckle, causing her to frown. This wasn't a laughing matter.

Shinji got up. He turned around, revealing his lopsided smirk and playful gleam. Her captain was a boy in spirit. He was almost the opposite of Toshiro. Toshiro so concerned with acting so mature and serious, but had the body of a child. Captain Hirako was childish in nature in the body of a man. Both men were an oddity in her life.

"I'm not going to abandon you all or nothing. Look around, Momo." The vice-captain did as he said. She looked around and saw the wide open skies, filled with fluffy white clouds. It took her a while before she comprehended what was going on. Soon the realization sunk in. An hour ago the skies were littered in hollows. They were almost gone completely. The dwindling group was pushed out of the area. Their fellow shinigami were chasing them out. "We've eliminate most of them. The ones still alive are being pushed back. The battle is all, but over. I took a breather after I defeated the last Gillian, because I wasn't needed anymore. I stood back and watched over them to see how they operated when they didn't see me. I have to say they didn't disappoint me. Sure they need to work on some of the fundamentals, but the 5th division is every bit as strong and proud as it ever was in my day. I can work with these people," he boasted.

Momo didn't doubt his words. The pride etched on his face couldn't be faked. There was static between the new captain and the rest of the division that prevented both sides from fully connecting at first. This battle had changed all of that. They knew he was on their side without a shadow of a doubt. That earned their respect. With that respect they fully accepted Captain Hirako as their captain and he had fully accepted them as his division. He in turn trusted them. He trusted her. In his gaze she didn't see pity or contempt she had seen in others. What she saw in his eyes was an appreciation. Maybe she didn't have to be so guarded around him.

"You know," he started, "We haven't gotten to train together yet. We need to blend our styles together if we're going to be an effective team. Captain and vice-captain should at the very least know how to coordinate their efforts in battle." He never extended that offer to Aizen. He never trusted him to. Neither of them knew each other's abilities until they came to blows with each other. Isolating himself from Aizen had been a costly mistake. He wouldn't repeat that mistake with Momo.

"You're right. When this is over we'll have to make time to train. I should know my captain's abilities if I'm to support him in battle." She flashed him her own crocked smile.

"I supposed it is time to get back to work. When we rejoin the battle we should make short work of the stragglers. We've done our part. The rest is up to the team in Hueco Mundo to do their part." All their efforts would be for nothing if the others couldn't restore the keystones in Hueco Mundo. He trusted Kisuke's judgment. He hadn't let him down yet. He wouldn't doubt his old friend's judgment today.

She had forgotten about the Spirit Keystone's destruction in Hueco Mundo. She was so busy dealing with all the hollows she didn't have the time to concern herself with it. With some time to think she chastised herself for letting it escape her mind. "Do you think that the Hueco Mundo team and our human allies can stop it from crashing into Human World?"

"Do you believe in miracles, Momo?" he asked her plainly.

She wasn't sure how the respond to that. Was he saying their friends and allies chances of stopping worlds from colliding with each other was so slim that it would be a miracle if they succeeded? "Um, I don't know. I guess," she said unconvincingly.

"Nine months ago a miracle happened. Aizen looked like he won the war, defeated most of us and was heading to Soul Society to make the King's Key and head to Royal Realm. Just when he had all but won Ichigo stood in his way. Against all odds he beat Aizen down like the dog he was and ended the war. My point is no matter how hopeless or outrageous the situation appears there is always a chance. Yeah, I think our allies can stop Hueco Mundo from crashing into Human World. We'll win this battle."

"You believe it will take a miracle for them to succeed?" Momo frowned at him. His words weren't encouraging at all. She knew Kuchiki Rukia and Renji. They were powerful in their own right. She didn't think it was outrageous for them to win.

"I met Ichigo's rag tag group. They're pretty damn strong. I wouldn't say it's going to take a miracle for them to win. I was just making a point."

"Your point undermined our allies' abilities," she pointed out. He groaned. It was nice to see she could annoy him as well. She shouldn't be the only to be annoyed in this newfound relationship of theirs.

"You know what I meant. Come on give me a break will you?" His vice-captain left him. He caught a glimpse of a smile before she ascended into the air. She was teasing him. Stuck in the mud Momo was capable of teasing after all. It looked like his vice-captain would loosen up a bit. Shinji followed behind her. Something told him his days with the 5th division were going to be more entertaining.

* * *

Silva ripped out the arrows embedded into her precious wings. The arrows left their mark on her. Part of the reishi that composed her wings had been stolen, leaving a small gap in each wing. It was a superficial wound that could be repaired by absorbing more reishi, but it left far more damaging symbolic wound. These wings were the very reason that Aizen had given her resurreccion the name Black Angel. While the knowledge of her benefactor viewed them as expendable tools made her lose her respect for him she still prided herself on the Black Angel name.

It was more than just a name given to her by Aizen. It was a name she made her own. She did everything within her power to guide and protect her comrades. She didn't do it out of any misplaced obligation to Aizen. Hueco Mundo was her world. Hollows and arrancars were her people. If they didn't do anything to make their world better or help each other no else would. She wasn't Aizen's Black Angel any more. She was Silva of Hueco Mundo. She was the Black Angel of Hueco Mundo itself. She refused to let a couple self-righteous shinigami and pathetic humans tarnish that. She refused to allow them to decide her people's fate any longer. It was time for them to go out into the light at long last.

Silva stomped the heels of her feet into the ground. There they were, her enemies wearing smiles. They thought their victory was assured. They actually believed they could win against her. They thought could decide her people's fate with their own hands. No more. Hollows and arrancars wouldn't be Soul Society's slaves anymore! She pushed off the ground and charged at them. As the arrancar raced through the air her purpose was reaffirmed and her desire gave her strength. Her enemies weren't smiling when her hands grabbed the vice-captain and the giant of a man's heads.

Her speed didn't decrease. She continued to fly at bullet like speeds when she forced their faces into the ground. "You didn't see that one coming," she sneered. Silva strengthened her grip on the red haired shinigami's head. The vice-captain didn't have any smart comebacks now. The only thing coming out of his mouth was anguished moans. In display of her phenomena strength she lifted the two men above her head. They were powerless. The only thing they could do in the face of strength was squirm like the maggots they were. She had no intentions of letting them squirm for long though. The Black Angel re-introduced her enemies to white sands, smashing their limb bodies hard enough to crack bones.

She was so fast. He only just caught a glimpse of her before she grabbed Sado-kun and Abarai. If Ryuken was there he would have been the first one to criticize him for becoming lax in the face of the enemy. Uryu would be deserving of his father's harsh criticism. He allowed the fact that they wounded her get to his head. Silva still had the advantage. She had no qualms about proving that fact. Taking Sado-kun and Abarai wasn't random. They had the strongest physical attacks. Keeping them away from the rest of the group would force them to resort to physical attacks, which would leave them open up to the arrancar's deadlier counterassaults.

'_There is no way around this. We'll have to attack her close range to save Abarai and Sado-kun,' _he thought. The Quincy manipulated the reishi to accelerate himself into supersonic speeds. Kuchiki-san and Inoue-san were right on his tail. Of course they wouldn't let their friends suffer under the arrancar.

The now white haired arrancar beauty focused her attentions on him. She must have been able to sense the disturbance in reishi in the atmosphere. It would explain why she always seemed to know exactly when they were upon her. He envied her ability to manipulate and sense reishi to that degree. He wondered if his reishi control could ever be that precise. Proving his reflexes were sharper than ever Uryu unleashed another Seele Schneider and took a swipe at her neck. However, Silva's reflexes were just as sharp. Her black reishi blade held his blue reishi blade.

His ice cold blue eyes met her blazing golden eyes. The animosity both combatants felt for each other spewed out their heated gazes. Her hatred was so tangible that it was smothering. He wouldn't let up for a glare. The advantage was now his. The longer they crossed swords the more of the reiatsu he absorbed. He just needed to hold on and Kuchiki-san and Inoue-san would be able to strike.

An abrupt blow to the stomach knocked thoughts of triumph out of Uryu's head. The power behind the attack was greater than he expected. His strength momentarily faltered, but that was it enough for her to take advantage of. Silva slapped Seele Schneider out of his weakened grip. Before he could curse the loss of his weapon she kicked him in the chest. The power of blow exceeded his expectations. Uryu was tossed off his feet and sent flying back several yards.

Seeing the Quincy tumbling around in the sand was rewarding. There wasn't enough time for her to enjoy the sight. Her last two would be attackers rushed at her. Orihime swung a leg aimed at her head only for Silva to block it. Rukia managed to get behind her. She thrust her zanpakuto in hopes of getting through Silva's back, but like with Orihime the attack was foiled. Silva's wing stopped the zanpakuto in its tracks.

The former training partners unwilling to give up attacked a second time. Rukia and Orihime lashed out at nothing, but air. There was no trace of their enemy. The familiar demon of fear closed its clutches around Orihime. One glance from Rukia told her that she had lost track of Silva as well. Kuchiki-san mirrored Orihime's own fears. Kuchiki-san's eyes darted back and forth frantically. That worsened her fears even more to see her friend lose her cool so easily.

"Inoue!" Rukia's worried filled eyes fell on Orihime.

She wasn't sure if it was tone in Rukia's voice or it was just her old training went off within her, but Orihime dropped to the ground as fast as she could. She would be grateful for whatever it was, because the healer narrowly avoided being stabbed in the back. Unfortunately her body couldn't react fast enough to the foot that kicked her sides. Orihime finally understood what it felt like to be a ball when it was kicked. Her body hurled through the air. The air beat against her ears so fiercely that she couldn't even hear her own scream. It wasn't until she landed on her back did her hearing return to her. That was a hollow victory at best thanks to the shearing pain in her right side. She hoped that her ribs weren't broken. She would have to reconsider next time she played kickball or football with Tatsuki or Karin.

Sensing that no major changes in Inoue's reiatsu Rukia let go of her breath. That girl was made of iron. It was the only way to explain how she could get hit by cars or super powered arrancar and not suffer anything more than scratches.

"Don't become too relaxed." Rukia's body froze. It was only an instant. She had taken her attention away from her for only an instant. "Or you'll find a sword in your back." Not wanting the words to become true Rukia retreated as fast as her body would allow. She thought was successful in escaping unscathed. The burning in her left shoulder told her otherwise. Her back had escaped being impaled, but her shoulder suffered that fate in its place. Blood already stained her sleeves.

"I can't afford to be so careless," Rukia said. No sooner did the words passed her lips did she see Silva materialize right before her eyes. The arrancar charged right at her, her head rammed right into the shinigami's head. The combination of Hierro and speed caused water to leak form her eyes, blurring her vision. She could feel wind caressing her skin, telling her that she was in the air. When her vision returned she could see the golden eyes staring at her. They were high up in the air. Damn arrancar held her by the scruff of her neck as if she were a child. The way she looked at Rukia was as if she were less than an insect. She couldn't help, but be offended. She was no insect. She was Kuchiki Rukia.

"Glare at me all you want. That won't change anything," Silva said.

"Is that so?" Rukia remarked with her usual brashness. "You haven't won yet," she reminded.

"Nor have you," Silva shot back. "I'm more powerful than any of you. You can't even follow my movements. You are running out of time. You may have killed my comrades, but their efforts weren't in vain. You can't stop Hueco Mundo from merging with Human World without defeating me first. That is something you are incapable of doing." She flung the petite woman with all of her might. The shinigami sunk like a stone in water.

The pressure Rukia felt was incredible. She couldn't describe the sensation with words. They simply didn't do it justice. Every time she tried to move her arms or legs they refused to obey her command. Was this the effects of Silva's reiatsu? Whenever she tried to manipulate her reiatsu to walk on the air it kept getting disrupted. She only experienced that once before when that gigantic Espada had thrown her with similar show of force. At the speed she was going when her body hit the ground her bones would crumble. There was nothing she could do to stop it and unlike last time Ichigo wouldn't swoop in there to catch her.

This was it. This was the end for her. She braced herself for the hard impact, yet it never came. Rukia found herself encased in Inoue's Soten Kisshun. Gravity was still effect. She still fell to the ground. She just didn't feel the impact. _'Did I blackout from the impact and wake up as Inoue was healing me?'_ That wasn't it. Her shoulder was still bleeding. What in the world was going on?

Orihime sighed in relief. She barely caught Rukia in time. She couldn't believe that worked. Hachi told her that her Soten Kisshun worked as its own dimension, but she wasn't sure if catching Kuchiki-san in it would stop the effects of gravity. If she had been wrong it would have been a lot messier.

"You are getting annoying."

That voice! How could she move so fast? She spun around to find Silva behind her.

"I kill you and they no longer have the ability to heal." Silva raised her sword in the air. Orihime couldn't tear her eyes away from the sword. Her feet wouldn't move no matter how many times she ordered them to. Her body was paralyzed. The sword came down. To her it seemed as if the blade was moving at ungodly slow pace. It came closer inch by inch, second by second, and all she could do was watch.

Her body refused to move! No. That wasn't right. Her body wasn't refusing to move. It was just too slow to react to Silva's attack. The black blade was nearing her face when she was shoved out of the way. Orihime found herself her down in sand, but she was alive. It was worth having a tiny bit of sand in her mouth. She got up and found out her rescuer. A smile spread across her lips. He always seemed to have her back.

Sado stood his ground against Silva. The shield of his right arm was keeping her from cutting him down instantly, but he could hear his Brazo Derecha de Gigante weep. If only it could just hold on.

"Do I have to cut off your arm to stop you?" Silva mused. She could accommodate him for that. Her blade sunk deeper into the shield, slowly cutting through it.

"I won't let you kill any of friends," Sado declared.

It was a meaningless jester. He couldn't stop her from killing the princess. Looking into his eyes she saw an astounding will within them. _'He has such will. I can tell just from looking into his eyes that he refuses to allow his comrades to die before his eyes. It is an admirable quality.'_ Admirable as it was it didn't change the fact that it was meaningless. Summoning more of her strength Silva cut even deeper into the black armor.

Seeing her friend in danger Orihime sought to repay him immediately. She channeled her desire to protect her friend into Tsubaki. The fairy spirit shot off with an incredible fury. He pierced the arrancar in her shoulder. "Ah!" yelped Silva. She retreated at once. Sado-kun was safe now.

Sado smiled at the healer. "Thanks," he gave her his gratitude.

Orihime beamed back at him. "I should be the one thanking you. You saved me first." They were making a habit at rescuing each other, not that she minded. Orihime was glad to she could help Sado-kun as much as he helped her.

He was relieved he was fast enough to save her. Silva became more dangerous than she was before. She was too fast. Taking their eyes off of her for even a short amount of time was the same as signing a death warrant. "We can't…." Out of nowhere a pain throbbed from his stomach. The stinging evolved into a very intense burning. He looked down to see black blade sticking out below stomach. He should have taken his own advice. He took his eyes off of her for just a few seconds and she stabbed him in the gut. He turned his head he didn't see Silva standing behind him at least not directly. The blade sticking out of his gut stretched out from a great distant from where Silva actually was. _'Her sword can extend,' _he realized too late.

"Sado-kun!" a horrified Orihime bellowed. She distracted him. How could she be so stupid? She saw that Silva was taking advantage of any time their attention was away from her, yet she still chatted with Sado-kun as if they were back in school anyway. That was incredibly dumb on her part and it cost Sado-kun. If she could get Sado-kun into this situation she could get him out of it. Impulsively she summoned Tsubaki. It wasn't until he was a good distance away from her did Orihime remember the former Espada's ability to absorb reiatsu. Golden energy that was Tsubaki's protection was stripped away, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. Another careless mistake would force her to watch someone else she cared for get hurt. There wasn't enough time to recall Tsubaki either. Her heart stopped when she saw that horrible black blade was coming for ill equipped Tsubaki! As she dreaded the worst the sword stopped suddenly before it could do her rebellious spirit any harm. The arrancar took to the air in an incredible burst of speed and just narrowly avoided a speeding arrow.

The knot in her belly came undone. Orihime recalled Tsubaki before any more trouble could befall him. She saw that Uryu was standing off to the sides with his bow outstretched. She had to remember to thank him once this was over. He remained standing there not budging an inch. While his arrow succeeded in saving her Tsubaki now that Silva knew he rejoined the battle his arrows made of spirit energy would be just as easy to absorb as Koten Zanshun was. Why did Ishida-kun stay in the same position as if he was going to fire another arrow though? If there was any hope of his arrows doing damage he would need to get closer to Silva.

'_What is Ishida-kun thinking?' _Orihime asked herself. A thunderous roar rang as if to answer her question. Her hazel eyes traveled to the direction of the sound. Abarai-kun jumped back into action, literally.

The battle cry was loud enough to wake the dead. It had to be if he wanted to get her attention. It called his friends' confused eyes; Sado and Inoue were baffled by why he would call attention to himself. Ishida narrowed his eyes knowingly at him. The only eyes he cared that were on him were those magnificent golden orbs. When they locked on him Renji cracked a half smirk. _'Bingo.' _He hurled Hihio Zabimaru straight down on her. Predictably she evaded it, but that wasn't enough to deter him.

"How long are you going to go on underestimating us?" Renji whipped his bankai at her again. A game of cat and mouse played out between them. The graceful arrancar eluded the massive skeletal whip time and time again. "Do I have to rip off your ass and handed to you?" he yelled. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll rip your ass off and handed straight to you!" Oh that would elicit some negative emotions. How right he was. Silva stared darkly at him. He was the focus of her attention and most likely her wrath.

The game shifted. Evading wasn't in Silva's mind. She wrestled the snake skull beneath her heel. It was frightening how much strength she retained after being wounded. Her stare never left him for a second. All he saw was a white and black blur. He cursed his eyes for their inability to comprehend her speed. He never lost track of her completely, but he could make out her full form. There was no way he could stop her attack himself. Luckily he wouldn't have to.

Uryu appeared in front of Renji out of thin air. "Licht Regen!" announced the Quincy. Volley of arrows came to into existence, hunting down the unsuspecting Silva. Unprepared for this latest development the former Espada became motionless.

She didn't see the Quincy coming at all. The vice-captain served as a distraction. They used her superior speed against her by tricking her into coming at the shinigami, while Quincy hid in the shadows waiting to attack her. At this close of a range she couldn't absorb this many arrows and she couldn't out run them either. The only thing she could do was cover herself in her wings and endure it. A bright blue storm of light washed over her and consumed her whole body.

Renji and Uryu glued their vision to the ever growing blue dome that formed. Neither one of them wanted to risk losing sight of Silva in the unlikely event that she did manage to escape Uryu's barrage. So far all was good. They didn't see a single hair of Silva. The question was would Licht Regen be enough to stop her?

"It looks like our plan worked out," Renji said. He flashed the more collected man a proud grin. Ishida didn't return it. He still wore that impassive and all too serious mask as he always did. Didn't that kid ever smile?

"You played your part well enough," Uryu complimented. "Your bankai was large enough to keep her attention on you, but your usual loud and brash antics are what kept her from noticing me getting into position."

Renji's grin melted downward into an ugly frown. "Are you saying I'm loud and brash?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously. Ishida adjusted his glasses in that annoying way he always did, taking his time to answer Renji.

"I thought that went without saying."

"Hey!" he exclaimed, very offended by the Quincy's accusation. "You make it sound like I'm just some big oaf who is only good for a making a ruckus!"

"If the shoe fits," Uryu continued. This provoked more outrage from Renji though.

"You ungrateful bastard!" Renji blurted out. He didn't bother to try to control the volume of his voice. "How do you insult someone who just helped you out? I'm more than just some guy for a distraction you know and anyway I would rather be passionate than dead inside!"

The emotionless mask was shattered. Uryu scowled right at him. Strangely enough it made Renji feel a little bit better to see the stuck up Quincy lose his cool. "I am not dead inside! I just know how to control my emotions, which is a valuable trait to have in battle! It allows me to look at the situation at hand with a clear head and make wise decisions. You're a vice-captain. You should know better than anyone how valuable it is to keep your emotions in check during battle!"

"During battle maybe, but I've never seen you as much as smile when we're not in battle! That leads me to believe that you're dead inside!" retorted Renji.

"That doesn't mean I'm dead inside! You are exaggerating! I've smiled before," Uryu tried to defend himself. He heard Abarai snorted loudly.

"Well you've never smiled in presence," the vice-captain argued.

"Just because you don't recall me smiling in your presence doesn't mean I don't smile. That is a flawed hypothesis! There are things I haven't seen you do in my presence that I'm sure you do." Skepticism took hold of Renji's face. Anger flooded his veins even more at that sight. "Have you ever considered that there is a reason I haven't smiled in your presence?" The red head's expressions went through quick changes, first surprise than offence, and finally infuriated.

"What the hell are you trying to say, Ishida!?" He shot crossed look at the raven haired man.

Uryu didn't shy away and shot back an expression fury equal to Abarai's. "I think you know exactly what I'm saying." As he opened his mouth to say more he caught the explosion was dying down out of the side of his eye. "We have more important matters to attend to."

Following Ishida's line of sight Renji saw that the explosion was residing. Their childish spat would have to put on hold. "It looks like you're right." The bright dome started fading away. If they had any good luck at all Ishida's attack would have worked. If he was being truthful with himself he didn't feel they were going to be that lucky. "Looks like your arrows pack quite a punch now. I don't remember them being that strong before. Hmm, you've been keeping up with your training."

"Don't sound so surprised. Did you really think I wouldn't continue my training after the Espada humiliated me in battle? The war showed me I need to be much, much stronger." The light fizzled out completely. The Black Angel remained in relatively one piece. On a closer inspection he could see her reishi wings had been torn. There were a few holes in them. _'At least my technique did some damage,' _he thought dejectedly.

The wings, or what was left of them, opened up. They did their job in protecting her, but they didn't leave her untouched. The right part of her armor was broken open. Her once stunning and unblemished face was riddled with nicks and cuts. One of knee guards was cracked. Her physical appearance suffered more than her spiritual power. It had gone down, but not to the extent that Uryu hoped for. It might cost him dearly. Pure unadulterated rage etched itself to her face. No words were spoken. She swung her sword and fired a streak of black energy.

Uryu and Renji braced themselves from the attack. Before it could reach them the streak was frozen solid. A white burst of energy followed up and destroyed it. Both men couldn't help, but smile. They looked down and saw Rukia, Sado, and Orihime fully recovered and ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Next Dance, Hakuren!" A burst of snow erupted from Rukia's zanpakuto. Silva prepared move out of the way of her attack, but Ishida clashed swords with her using Seele Schneider.

"Get out of my way, Quincy." Rage seeped through her words. She wanted to rip his throat out.

A devious smirk formed on the young man's lips. "What if I refuse?"

Rage built up further. She would enjoy killing him. "Then I make you move." She rammed him with her shoulder, breaking their clash up and giving her ample time to dodge the ice attack. However, she couldn't rest on her accomplishment. The skeletal whip rushed at her. "Shit." Thankful she was able to dodge it as well.

"Koten Zanshun!"

"El Directo!"

A stream of white energy approached her from her fight and a beam of golden energy approached her from her left. She didn't have enough time to dodge them. In a desperate and perhaps vain attempt Silva absorbed as much of the reiatsu as she could. If she could weaken the attacks even only a little bit it was better than taking them both on at full strength. They collided into her and tore further into her skin. Hierro wasn't holding up well anymore. She sustained too much damage and now it was giving out on her.

When the dust settled the ice elemental shinigami came at her. They weren't going to give her inch it seemed. So be it. They may have outnumbered her, but she wasn't defeated. She kept her cool and crossed swords with her shinigami enemy. Sensing disturbance in the reishi around her alerted her to a second attack coming from behind. Silva grabbed at shorter woman's neck, spun around, and threw her into Sado Yasutora. The pair was preoccupied she knocked both of them out of the air. To her dismay they were caught by golden triangular shield.

The vice-captain struck again. The massive bankai was coming too fast. In order to escape she was forced to surrender the high ground and dive to the earth below. On clockwork a new barrage of arrows chased after her. It provided her a new opportunity leech more reiatsu, but the numbers were too much for her to take in all of them. Abandoning that plan Silva increased her Sonido to out run the arrows. At least she leeched enough reiatsu to restore her wings to their former glory.

'_Their attacks are becoming more coordinated. The longer this battle draws out the more they refine their teamwork. My Hierro weakening means I can't recklessly take on their attacks directly. I have to start eliminating some of them to weaken them. Every time I take one of them out of the battle the princess heals them. I have to take her out first then the others will be ripe for the picking.' _Speak of the devil. Inoue Orihime was standing in her way. The black sword raised high in the air. She expected to see fear swell in her eyes, yet they hardened. Courage was something she respected. Her death would be quick and painless as courage like hers should be rewarded. She pulled her sword down. It didn't meet flesh, but with a golden shield. An explosive repulse ate into her right shoulder for all her trouble.

'_That technique again!' _she mentally cried. The cut on her shoulder was deep. She wouldn't be able to swing with her full strength in this condition. That threw off her precise style. To make things worse her enemies surrounded her. All five of them circled around her leaving her cornered like an animal.

"Surrender," Uryu implored.

She shot him a look of disbelief. "Do you really believe after everything my comrades and I have done that I'll just surrender?"

Memories of the Privaron Espada and the extreme lengthens they went through for victory came to his mind. They wouldn't back down no matter how bad the situation got. They were fighting for a cause they believed in. That belief was so strong that they refused to stand down. Their leader would have the same strength of conviction naturally. They were all willing to die for her vision. "No," Uryu finally answered. He loaded Seele Schneider. One well-placed shot and everything would be over.

"Do you think I'm defeated?" Silva asked the group. "I'm not defeated. The Black Angel of Hueco Mundo can't be defeated. We sacrificed too much. Victory is everything!" She rocketed to the eternal night skies with a booming sound before any of them could blink. A black sphere of energy took shape within the palm of her hand. They thought they defeated her. They underestimated her and overestimated their own abilities. Let them underestimate her Cero. They would all just be incinerated in the coming blast. Look at them they were all so small and unaware. By the time they even started to react to her sudden take off she already charged enough energy. She took aim. The blackness discharged expanding into a wide blast.

Blackness spread out blanking over them. It consumed everything within its path, leaving nothing, but blackness in its place. The five friends left gawking at the blast. The range and volume of the blast was greater than the average Cero. The color gave it an ominous tone. It consumed every last bit of hope and evoked misery. It was death from above.

"Is that really a Cero?" Rukia wasn't aware of how hoarse her voice had become.

"I've never seen a Cero like that," Renji confessed. Just like Rukia his voice was raspy.

"I have," Orihime said in a small voice. It was miracle that the others could even hear her. She could never forget that hopelessness and despair that ripped a hole through her beloved and drained the life out of his lively chocolate eyes. It was vivid imagery from nightmares long past. No, this wasn't time for her or any of them to stand there fear stricken. "We can't take that blast head on. It is too destructive," she warned. Unconsciously she summoned her Santen Kesshun. The golden shield took the full brunt of the blast. The power exceeded her expectations. Her fairy spirits almost folded as soon as they met the blast. It took all her strength of will to keep Santen Kesshun alive.

"I don't think that will hold," Sado voiced what they all feared. Right after the words came out of his mouth large cracks appeared on the shield.

"We have to try to divert some of it," Renji announced. He fired his Hihio Zabimaru's blast. Sado unleashed El Directo and Rukia cast her Kido. The three blasts combined their power. Santen Kesshun fell apart and the Cero continued downward to their counter attack. They met each other the blackness swallowed up the trio of blasts much to everyone's horror.

"That won't be enough to stop it!" Uryu shouted. "We have to get as far away as we can!" The group broke apart as fast as their legs could carry them. Renji cancelled his bankai to give him greater mobility. The Cero hit the ground and exploded into a massive blast that engulfed the whole area. The impact was reverberated through that the shinigami of Hueco Mundo team and hollows under Silva's control battling away from the area could feel the shock.

"S-such a p-powerful b-blast," a shinigami stuttered.

Silva watched from above as the explosion subsided. She wondered how the shinigami and humans liked the power of Cero Oscuras. It exhausted more reiatsu than common Cero did, but it made up for that by the sheer power it provided. Even if they hadn't been hit by it directly, they would be caught in the blast radius. They couldn't walk away from a Cero that powerful.

Her whole body was hurting. It was a struggle just to open her eyes. It was a struggle her body fought hard against, but ultimately she won out. Orihime slowly opened her eyes. There was no sign of the others. _'It would help more if you actually got up and looked around,' _her subconscious scolded her. Orihime forced her body up. Her head was hollering at her. She rubbed her temples she found a warm liquid running down the side of her head. She was bleeding from left side of her head. She had seen better days. Her right sleeve was torn burned off. There was a few scrapes on her right arm, but noting major. Her clothing was a bit singed, but still intact. It just hurt whenever she moved something.

"Inoue," Rukia called. Hearing a friendly voice released a wave of relief. Kuchiki-san was just as battered as she was. She held her left arm. Part of her shihakusho was missing, revealed scorched skin below left side of her torso. The black robe was opened up revealing the white garment she wore beneath it. Beautiful raven hair was tarnished by debris. "How are you holding up?"

It hurt to smile. How could it hurt to smile? "My body is sore, but I can still fight."

"That's good, because I don't think you'll get a chance to heal us." A streak of black energy flew at her back. Santen Kesshun protected the pair. Inoue was quick to the draw. Rukia looked back at the auburn haired woman. Inoue's body was worn, but her spirit was as strong as ever. Those doe like hazel eyes held no sign of innocent and sweet nature they usually had. There was only determination. This wasn't the time or place to think of this, but Rukia felt admiration for the confident woman that emerged from that shy and indecisive girl she first met a year ago. _'She thought she was weak.'_

The angelic arrancar descended from the heavens. Rukia and Orihime put themselves on guard. Renji, Uryu, and Sado came to their side not long afterward. While they were wounded and exhausted not a single one of them uttered a complaint. They were all on the same wave length. No matter how many times Silva knocked them down they would get back up. They had to win. They would win. So many people were depending on them that there just wasn't any other choice. That single desire would force their bodies to move even when they wanted to fall apart.

"Shall we draw the curtain on this act?" Silva inquired.

Uryu lifted his bow. Renji brought his bankai back out. Sado clenched his hand into a fist. The battle resumed. Black darts swarmed them. "Shiten Koshun!" The new shield formation protected their mistress and her friends.

"We don't have a lot of time," Uryu spoke up. Orihime's shield exploded back on Silva with a force equal to her own attack. "I have a way for us to defeat her once and for all, but I'll need all of your help." The group turned to the raven haired man. "Listen closely," he started.

That new technique of Inoue Orihime's was getting bothersome. It absorbed her attack and threw an attack equal to her own. She needed to get around it. Sado Yasutora and the vice-captain rushed at her employing the same tired strategy as before. Two could play at that game. She commanded the reishi of her sword to extend. They both jumped into the air and into her territory. Her wings flapped as fast as they could. She was upon the human in seconds. He threw a punch at her. "La Muerte!" It was easy enough to stop with her hand. "El Directo!" He released a stream of white energy that hit her square in the face. The blast was weak it still stung enough to force her eyes sealed shut. She couldn't see Sado slam his head into hers, but she felt it.

Her vision returned to her just in time to miss the skeletal whip that threatened to swallow her. The vice-captain tried to alter its direction but she tackled him first. She forcefully grabbed his right arm. "I'll take your arm again."

"No, you don't!" Sado attacked from behind her only to be met with a flying Renji. The collision stunned them both and gave Silva enough time to separate herself from them.

The princess and the ice elemental tried their hand. The shinigami unleashed another torrent of ice it was simple to avoid. The princess jabbed away at her hopelessly. Her blows were even weaker than Sado Yasutora. There was no chance that they would cause her any harm. Once ice elemental attacked her as well it at least became more of a challenge. Neither one of them could land a blow on her. It was child's play to parry the shinigami's zanpakuto and dodge the princess' attacks. At one point she tripped up the healer and kicked the other one in the mouth.

"You've become sluggish and your blows lack strength," Silva commented.

"The same is also true of you," Rukia pointed out.

"Yet neither one of you has been able to best me." She caught Orihime's arm and threw her. "Just how long do you think you can last?"

"As long as we need to," Renji declared. He and Sado stood by Rukia and Orihime.

"You aren't the only ones who have resolve," Rukia added.

They launched attack after attack and formation after formation. They all failed in the end. Silva continued to thrash them. None of them stayed down. Before she could finish one of them off the others interfered. It was an exercise in futility if she ever saw one. What they lacked in power they made up for in conviction. Conviction could only take them so far. "You can't keep this up." She stopped another punch from Sado. "I won't fall before you." A golden stream rushed at her. Again she had to ignore the giant to avoid it.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" Silva spun around to see the raven haired shinigami pointing a finger at her. "Bakudo #61 Rikujokoro!" Six yellow beams slammed into her midsection, locking her in place. As if that wasn't enough she was entrapped within a golden dome of the princess. This would take some time to break out, but it wasn't impossible. The fact that both seals were made of reiatsu she could absorb them.

"Good job, Inoue," Rukia praised. They got her.

"This can't hold me for long. Did you forget that I can absorb reiatsu?"

"Fortunately for us we don't need to hold you there long." The Quincy stepped forward. Where had he been this whole time? "Early you asked if we should draw the curtain on this act. Now is the time we do just that."

"How do you intend to do that?" Silva asked smugly. Even if she was trapped their reiatsu was low that they couldn't muster an attack capable of defeating her. The Quincy's demeanor didn't change.

"You haven't noticed that you've been enclosed."

"What are you talking about? I am not blind. I can see you have enclosed me momentarily."

Uryu shook his head in disapproval. "You aren't looking far enough. Kuchiki-san and Inoue-san's seal and barrier weren't what I was referring to."

What was he talking about? There wasn't….That was when she noticed it. A silver rod was implanted in the ground in front of him. His allies encircled her. In front of them was a silver rod. There were five in total and they were in a formation. They took hold of the rods. A chain of bluish energy formed around the five rods. Slowly realization crept into her heart. This was what he meant. The urgency to absorb the reiatsu of the barriers grew.

"It took time setup, but thanks to the combined efforts of everyone else I had enough time to setup the formation. This technique is impractical in one on one battle, but in a team battle it is ideal. With everyone donating a portion of their reiatsu we're able to cut the charging time in half." He opened a small silver tube. Silva watched with a mix interest and fear. She wasn't absorbing the reiatsu fast enough! He poured a tiny drop on to the silver rod in front of him. The drop touched it set off a chain reaction. "Sprenger," he called. Energy traveled from the five rods and connected with each other in the middle of the formation and where she was currently located. The golden dome melted away. A massive discharge of energy exploded from under her and swallowed her whole body.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her entire body burned. It was too much energy for her to absorb all at once. Hierro was overwhelmed. Every body part, every organ, every cell was incinerated. God it felt as though it had been an eternity, but the release of energy, while spectacular was brief. That brief moment was all that was required. Her beautiful wings were no more, ivory skin tainted with blood and blackened scars that would forever leave their mark. Silva held no illusions of continuing this battle. They had bested her. Once that truth was acknowledged her body fell.

She fell. Silva fell. No one spoke a word. Perhaps they feared if they said anything it would be revealed as an illusion. Time went by the body hadn't moved. The pressure of her reiatsu had felt as if was a blip on the radar. Their eyes weren't deceiving them. This wasn't a dream. It was reality. The word rushed out of Orihime's lips, "We won."

"We won," Rukia repeated. Astonishment was absorbed by ecstasy. "We won!" she cheered. The atmosphere changed. Joy and relief had taken hold of the group. They had done it. They really did it. They won!

Renji turned to Uryu. "So that's how that technique is supposed to go. I guess when you don't have an enemy who can neutralize all our techniques it's a lot more powerful," he joked. He resealed his zanpakuto into its original form. It was a good thing. He was feeling light headed. He spent too much reiatsu in this battle. Maybe he overdid it when poured all that spiritual energy into Ishida's Seele Schneider.

"It helped that all of you donated your reiatsu to increase its power and speed it up," Uryu muttered to himself. His lips curled upward.

"You think you've won?" The celebration was put on a hold instantly. Silva remained down, but consciousness hadn't abandoned her yet or rather she willed herself not to fall unconscious. "You defeated me. I admit that, but have you forgotten that was only one of your objectives? Do you have any idea how long this battle lasted? I've kept track of time. Five minutes, that is how long you have until the worlds merge. You're all exhausted. You won't make it in time to stop it. Victory is still ours in the end. My comrades' efforts will not be in vain."

"We haven't forgotten anything," Orihime said aloud.

Sado added, "We all came here to help Abarai fight. We knew it would take all of us together to stand a chance against you."

"The four of us came here to battle you the rest of group went ahead to the where the Spirit Keystone was located," Uryu said.

"You had others in your group?" They had to be lying. There wasn't anyone that could have gotten by her hollows. The only ones with the necessary power to defeat her guards were high ranked shinigami, but Hueco Mundo was for all purposes sealed off to them. "You're lying."

"They're telling the truth, Silva."

That voice. It couldn't be. Why would he help them? She forced her head up. There he was standing beside some shinigami. "Gantenbainee," she said. He refused her call, but he aided the humans. He aided the people responsible for the death of their comrades. Of all the people to betray her she always assumed it would be Calputto. She didn't think to suspect one who refused to help. "Why?"

He never saw her look so defeated. It wasn't the Silva he knew. She was the Black Angel, the one who never gave up, no matter what. "This wasn't the right path for us to walk," he said after a long pause.

"How can you say that? This was for all of us. This was our only chance to leave the darkness. How can you say this wasn't the right path for us to walk?"

"If the worlds touch and they don't merge than both worlds are destroyed. We won't have light than, just more senseless death."

"You don't know that will happen. No one knows what will happen if the worlds touch. They could become a single world. It could become a world that is ours," Silva cried earnestly.

"If you're wrong?" he asked.

"That was a risk we were willing to take. Anything was better than living in this endless cycle. How could that be wrong? How could it be wrong to change our world? Why are we dammed to live in this darkness?"

"Silva," he said her name softly.

"I refused to accept that. I refused to accept this existence. I won't let their sacrifice be in vain." She tried force her body back up. No matter how much she willed it her body wouldn't respond. "Joaquin, Calputto, Gild, Antonio, Esteban, Salvador, they all gave their lives to change our world. That was our goal. That was what we desired at the bottom of our hearts. How can you, shinigami, humans, how can you ever understand our pain? How can you decide our fate? How can you defeat our strength grown in darkness and pain?"

"We had to win," Orihime voiced. She felt people were watching her. "To protect the people we love we had to win. It wasn't about being weak or strong or that you were hollows or arrancars and we were shinigami or humans. We had something to protect, so we fought you. That's why we didn't give up despite you being stronger than us. We had to win."

"You threatened the peace that he gave us," Sado added. "That was something we couldn't allow you to do."

"If we let the world come crashing down we couldn't face him again," Rukia said.

"He wouldn't let us live this down if we needed him to bail us out." Renji shook his head nonchalantly.

"As if I would let him continue to outdo me," Uryu snorted, but it lacked true conviction.

"We fought for Kurosaki-kun."

**They kept the world spinning for him.**

* * *

**The battle is finally over. The worlds are saved. I hope you guys enjoyed my first attempt at a team battle. The Privaron Espada is defeated by Uryu, Renji, Chad, Rukia, and Orihime. It was a long and hard battle, but they were able to win it without needing to be rescued by Ichigo. Speaking of Ichigo we should see him next chapter. The story is not over yet. We'll see the aftermath of the battle and what this means for Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and our heroes in Karakura Town. I know a lot of you guys wanted Ichigo to get his powers back in this story. I know I was fickle about it. For those of you that read on and were disappointed at Ichigo remaining powerless I can only say sorry if I got your hopes up. Don't worry. Ichigo won't stay down forever. The ending will set things up for Ichigo his return to power. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter and the battle. **


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